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The influence of Islam on the statecraft and legal writing in Pre-Colonial Malay society

Sulkafle, Mohamad Hazizie (2022) The influence of Islam on the statecraft and legal writing in Pre-Colonial Malay society. In: Islam, Culture and History in the Malay World. Penerbit UMT, Kuala Nerus, pp. 79-104. ISBN 9789672793328

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Abstract

Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, in Islam dalam Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu (1999) convincingly argues that the arrival of Islam in the Malay world has introduced significant changes in society. In so doing, Al-Attas has successfully refuted the long-held views of some Orientalists on the subject. These Orientalists, epitomized by Christian Snouck Hurgronje, Jacob Cornelis van Leur and Thomas Stamford Raffles claim that Islam was just a “thin layer” covering the Malay society. Furthermore, R.O. Winstedt had dismissed that many aspects of Malay culture, literature, and civilisation are borrowed from India. Though during the initial phase, Islam spread gradually but eventually, from the fifteenth century onwards, the influence of Islam in the Malay world had increased tremendously. This was manifested in various spheres of life: culture, laws, politics, language, and society. Two important aspects become the focus of this study namely, the influence of Islam on Malay statecraft and the writing of laws. The main objective of this chapter is twofold. First, to analyse the influence of Islam in the development of Malay statecraft on the idea of the ruler’s sovereignty. Second, to examine the role of Islam in the development of the writing of Malay legal texts. These two issues are interconnected and thus, to get a full picture of the impact of Islamisation, these two should be examined together. It also analyses the application of the principle of ta‘zīr as a source of laws. Besides, an in-depth discussion on the concept of ‘adat in Malay society is warranted. This is significant to clear any misconception on Malay ‘adat especially on the well-known phrase ‘Biar mati anak, jangan mati adat’ (Losing a child is preferable to losing the ‘adat).

Item Type: Book Chapter
Uncontrolled Keywords: Islamisation of the Malay world, Malay statecraft, Malay legal texts.
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) > H51 History
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button): Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of History & Civilization
Depositing User: Dr. Mohamad Hazizie Sulkafle
Date Deposited: 10 Jan 2023 11:25
Last Modified: 10 Jan 2023 11:25
URI: http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/102423

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