Islam is an Arabic phrase that means commitment, surrender, peace and submission. It refers to a monotheistic Abrahamic faith that revolves around the belief in one God whose last messenger was Prophet Muhammad. Being the globe’s second-largest religion, Islam has roughly 1.8 million followers, which accounts for 24.1% of the globe’s population. All the messengers from God relayed one universal message of the worship in one God and love to humanity. The religion began in Mecca, which is modern-day Saudi Arabia during Prophet Muhammad’s life. Currently, the faith has spread quickly throughout the globe. It is essential to investigate and comprehend what facilitated the spread of Islam in various areas to understand how it was successful in Southeast Asia, namely Java, Philippines and Malayan Peninsula, and how individuals incorporated it into their cultures.
The spread of Islam in the Philippine South got facilitated by Muslim individuals during the international maritime trade that extended from China to North Africa in the 8th century. The trade might have declined in the 9th century due to China’s unstable political conditions, but operations resumed as usual. Some individuals reason that the ruling families of several maritime principalities adopted Islam for economic and political purposes and legitimacy reasons so that their subjects could follow pursuit. This idea, however, explains the reasons behind conversion but does not represent the case for entire Southeast Asia. Another reason may be that the arrival of Europeans whose primary motives were to spread Christianity forced the Muslims to counteract and vigorously spread Islam, which increased the conversions. These ideas, hold little truth but do not recognize the fact that Islam was already established in the region two centuries before. There are, therefore, generalized ideas that do not apply to the whole of Southeast Asia.
The only idea that sums up the situation is that Islam was spread and introduced by native Muslims that resided in the region and also by Arab teachers. Muslim traders may have created the opportunity for the spread of Islam, but it was the dedicated Muslim teachers that did the actual work of persuading and spreading the religion. () Alternatively, the Muslim traders primarily came to Southeast Asia to spread Islam, making a profit and establishing settlements were just activities on the side. After Islam had spread and become significant in the region, the traders made business and profit-making their primary objective and spreading Islam a secondary objective. Natives changed their view of Islam form a Western influence to a religion they owned, which increased Sharia’s influence in the region. It also facilitated the incorporation of Islam in political institutions.
Islam was victorious in the Philippines as it changed the resident’s ethical and theological view of the universe and life. Residents became dedicated and serious with the religion to the extent that they discarded their traditional gods, idols and spirits. Secondly, the residents effected the shari’a elements via the development of a rather complicated ‘uklama. Additionally, when the Arabic script got introduced, different dialects of different communities became enriched with Arabic terms.
The Filipinos also adopted mew literary devices and art forms that were from older Islamic nations and used them to enrich their local art. Additionally, the Filipinos implanted political institutions from older Muslim countries that were not necessarily Islam centred. The natives began recognizing that despite their language, geographical and racial differences, they belonged to a broader community, Muhammad’s descendants.
The spread of Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia was facilitated mainly by Hindu merchants from the Southern region of South Asia. The area was initially under Hindu-Buddhist civilization, ruled by the famous Sri Vijaya. It was, however, overthrown by the Majapahit Empire, which facilitated the spread of Islam. The acceptance of this religion in this area was voluntary and not through the use of coercion or force.
The spread of Islam in this region may be attributed to several factors. Firstly, is the Muslim trading caravans that frequented the archipelago business ports. Arab sailors pad constant visits to those areas and may have facilitated its spread. The Arab sailors and Muslim merchant established settlements in the region for long periods. This facilitated intermarriage with local households. In Indonesia. Islam gained significant influence in the 13th century despite having a long interaction with Arabian merchants. The influential Islam type that gained recognition in Indonesia was the Shafi’ branch. Due to its tolerance and adaptability, Islam rapidly gained followers. The teachers presented the central Muslim teachings but retained the old pre-Islamic customs and beliefs. This process was, however, gradual for Indonesia, and it is still in place to the present day.
Additionally, there was a surprising increase in ruling princes, such as Parmeshwara, that were interested in and favoured Islam. Furthermore, Islam required no specialized training and no particular conversion practice. This aspect, combined with its pure doctrines and rituals, worked in its favour.
Islam succeeded after the invasion by the Helaku Khan, leader of the vast Mongol empire. This attack destroyed Baghdad, a significant capital for Muslim power. “Not only did the invader capture the Caliph of Islam, but he also ransacked the glorious city ad deprived it of all its grandeur.” () This action triggered this formation of a great movement that encouraged Muslims to rehabilitate their prestige. The Sufi movement could reach lands ordinary travellers would not. They also could live among different cultures and adapt their practices. This action worked to their advantage as they were able to reach many people from different communities and spread Islam.
Sufism, a Muslim movement played a significant role in the spread of Islam, despite being rejected by Islam legalists today. It supplied the religion’s greatest missionaries that won converts in Indonesia and India. It also provided great spiritual care for large populations in ancient Muslim areas. After the defeat of the Abbasids Empire, the Sufi mystics intervened and lived with the people demonstrating their Islamic ways. They also reinterpreted Hindu content and incorporated some Islamic content in it. The Sufis also influenced Chinese Arabian and Indian Muslim merchants.
Nevertheless, after Baghdad’s destruction by the Mongol forces, the leading trade route to India got disrupted, resulting in multiple sea routes to China. Later on, Mongol leaders converted to Islam, which created more opportunities for the expansion of Islam throughout Asia.
Ahmad et al. describe religion as a wave that gets spread through interaction. They insist that due to Islam’s easy adaptability nature, it was more compatible with Southeast Asia’s moral complexity. Islam continues to produce a significant impact on the economic, political and cultural lives of Southeast Asians. However, during its spread, Islam had to counter the Thai Buddhism culture in the Malayan Peninsula. It managed to get to Southern Philippines, where the Spanish’s Catholicism at Manilla inconvenienced it. Further increase in colonialists such as the French in Indochina marked the fading of independent local Muslim economic and socio-political presence in Southeast Asia. Colonialists took the time to study Islam, its supposedly unique characteristics and recognized it as a potentially disruptive force that required containing.
In Java, the conversion into Islam got facilitated by the stability of the Hindu caste system. The system tended to isolate Muslims from the local population. Conversion into Islam meant “a loss of caste,” which resulted in religious, economic and social isolation. The lack of a well-formed cate system in Java fueled the conversion of the local population after Islam got established as the national religion.
Political and ethnic diversity also played a significant role in the spread of Islam in Java. During the Muslim conquest, South Asia comprised of multiple semi-independent and independent states. The fall of Majapahit decreased Hinduism’s state patronage in Java. The Hindu Javanese could not flee to neighbouring kingdoms since they would get subjected to forced conversion. The end of the Hindu-Javanese administration created a power vacuum that helped the spread of Islam throughout the islands. Local rulers converted to Islam and through the use of persuasion or force, they made their subjects convert too.
In the Malayan Peninsula, the Arabian, Chinese, Indian merchants and mystics facilitated the spread of Islam. They considered Islam as a superior and straightforward religion as compared to their Hindu-Buddhist belief. The fact that the teachers were of diverse culture as also played a significant role intermarriage, caused by the establishment of settlements within the region, led to the adoption of Islam to facilitate marital relationships. The religion also consisted of simple tenets that individuals could learn quickly, also facilitated the ease of its spread. The arrival of Wester Christian influences from Europe further fueled the penetration and spr4ad of Islam in the Indonesian Archipelago and Malaya.
A general look at the different cases provides several similarities and differences in the mode of spread and adoption of Islam. Firstly, merchants played a significant role in the spread of religion. They had access to many areas and contact with various communities. Their establishments in trading areas enabled intermarriage, which further facilitated the spread of the faith. Secondly is that Islam was quite simple and easy to adopt as opposed to other existing religions. The residents, therefore, embraced it and, to some point, perceived it as a superior religion. Thirdly is that ruler’s played a significant impact on the spread of religion. Their conversion forced them to either persuade or coerce their subjects to convert. This approach was, by far, a practical approach.
The difference is that in Indonesia and Malaysia, the Sufi movement had a significant effect over the other factors. The Sufi movement influenced the traders, changed the existing cultures by incorporating Islamic cultures into their lifestyles. Also, in Java, the collapse of the current political power was the main factor that favoured the spread of Islam. In the rest of the areas, the spread got facilitated by merchants.
Nevertheless, the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia was a product of several factors. However, the critical element that stands out among all the nations is the influence of merchants. They had a significant effect in Southeast Asia and also other Asian countries. Islam is one of the most significant religions today, and its influence continues to spread globally with each passing day.