Sulu, officially the Province of Sulu, is a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago.
Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi, is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capital of Tawi-Tawi is Bongao.
The Sultanate of Sulu was a Sunni Muslim state that ruled the Sulu Archipelago, coastal areas of Zamboanga City and certain portions of Palawan in the today's Philippines, alongside parts of present-day Sabah and North Kalimantan in north-eastern Borneo.
The Tausūg, are an ethnic group of the Philippines and Malaysia. A small population can also be found in the northern part of North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Tausūg are part of the wider political identity of Muslim Filipinos of western Mindanao, the Sulu archipelago, and southern Palawan, collectively referred to as the Moro people. The Tausugs originally had an independent state known as the Sultanate of Sulu, which once exercised sovereignty over the present day provinces of Basilan, Palawan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga City, eastern part of Sabah and eastern part of North Kalimantan. They are also known in the Malay language as Suluk.
Islam in the Philippines is the second largest religion in the country, and the faith was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Historically, Islam reached the Philippine archipelago in the 14th century, through contact with Muslim Malay and Arab merchants along Southeast Asian trade networks, in addition to Yemeni missionaries from the tribe of Alawi of Yemen from the Persian Gulf, southern India, and their followers from several sultanates in the wider Malay Archipelago. The first missionaries then followed in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. They facilitated the formation of sultanates and conquests in mainland Mindanao and Sulu. Those who converted to Islam came to be known as the Moros, with Muslim conquest reaching as far as Tondo that was later supplanted by Bruneian Empire vassal-state of Maynila.
Pangutaran, officially the Municipality of Pangutaran, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 36,374 people.
Bongao, officially the Municipality of Bongao, is a 2nd class municipality and capital of the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 116,118 people.
Simunul, officially the Municipality of Simunul, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 34,245 people. The majority of the people living here are Muslims.
South Ubian, officially the Municipality of South Ubian, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,583 people.
Arab traders have been visiting the Philippines for about 2,000 years, playing a prominent role in the trade networks of the time. They used Southeast Asia for stopovers and trading posts. Since the 14th century, Arab travelers such as Makhdun Karim is known to have reached the Philippines and brought Islam to the region. They moved from the southern islands such as Mindanao and traveled towards the north and converted the Filipinos to Islam, many of these early Arabs married Filipina women.
Sheikh Karimul Makhdum was an Arab Sunni Sufi Muslim as well as a known missionary from Syria who came to Malacca. Karimul Makhdum was born in Makdonia, a village near Damascus in Syria. Him and the Wali sanga were affiliated with the Kubrawi Hamadani missionaries in the late 14th century. He was a Sufi who brought Islam to the Philippines in 1380, 141 years before Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the country. He established a mosque in Simunul Island, Tawi Tawi, Philippines, known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque which is the oldest mosque in the country.
The recorded history of the Philippines between 900 and 1565 begins with the creation of the Laguna Copperplate Inscription in 900 and ends with the beginning of Spanish colonization in 1565. The inscription records its date of creation in 822 Saka. The discovery of this document marks the end of the prehistory of the Philippines at 900 AD. During this historical time period, the Philippine archipelago was home to numerous kingdoms and sultanates and was a part of the Indosphere and Sinosphere.
The Rizal Monument in Daet, Camarines Norte was the first monument built to honor José Rizal, and is the oldest surviving such monument in the Philippines. It was designed by Lt. Colonel Antonio Sanz with the help of Ildefonso Alegre of the Philippine Revolutionary Army and through the financial contributions of the locals of Camarines Norte. The three-tiered stone pylon with its square base supporting a triangle in two stages was the first monument and memorial marker in memory of the Philippines' National Hero.
The archaeology of the Philippines is the study of past societies in the territory of the modern Republic of the Philippines, an island country in Southeast Asia, through material culture.
Mount Bongao is a mountain located on Bongao Island in the province of Tawi-Tawi. It is a mountain formed with six limestone pillars that serves as its six peaks. It is the Philippines' southernmost peak.
In the Philippine history, the Lupah Sug was a predecessor state before the establishment of Sultanate of Sulu.
Sufism has a history in the Philippines evolving for over 1,000 years. Sufism, also known as the science of Tasawwuf, encompasses numerous interpretations by its practitioners and critics. The term is derived from the Arabic words "Safa" (purity) and "Suwf" (wool), symbolizing the woolen garments traditionally worn by Sufis. Essentially, Tasawwuf is the science of Ihsan, focusing on the purification of the self for the love of Allah. This involves following specific Tariqas, practices, and litanies. Tariqas in Sufism can be compared to spiritual orders in Catholicism, such as the Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans. Numerous Tariqas exist in the Philippines today, with followers spread across the country, although they have faced opposition from Wahhabis despite the Sufis' peace-loving nature. The presence of Sufism has been a leading entity increasing the reaches of Islam throughout South Asia.
