Wetu Telu

Mosque in Bayan, Lombok, Indonesia

Wetu Telu ("three times") is a sect of Islamic beliefs of the Sasak people of Lombok, Indonesia. Practitioners pray three times a day, which differs from orthodox Sunni Islam called Waktu Lima, in which practitioners pray five times a day. ^[1] Adherents of Wetu Telu also only practice three of the Five Pillars of Islam, which are Shahada (Declaration of Faith), Salah (Prayer), and Sawm (Fasting). These practices can be represented by Kyai as religious leader of the community. Wetu Telu also incorporates some native beliefs of ancestral worship and animism and Hinduism and Buddhism. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

History

The Sasaks converted to Islam between the late 16th century to early 17th century under the influence of Pangeran Prapen (Sunan Prapen), the son of Raden Paku (Sunan Giri) ^{[6] [7]} or Sunan Giri himself and the Muslim Makassarese, frequently mixing basic Islamic beliefs with Hindu-Buddhist beliefs, thus creating the Wetu Telu religion. ^{[8] [9]} Lombok was conquered by the Gelgel Balinese kingdom in the early 16th century, ^[10] thus bringing a large population of Balinese to Lombok. The Balinese population of Lombok today is about 300,000, 10–15% of Lombok's population. The Balinese have also strongly influenced the Wetu Telu religion of Lombok. ^[4]

References

1. Müller 1997, p. 55.
2. Martijn Theodoor Houtsma, ed. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936, Volume 5. BRILL. ISBN   90-04-09791-0.
3. David Harnish & Anne Rasmussen (2011). Divine Inspirations: Music and Islam in Indonesia. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-979309-9.
5. "Al Jamaah Al Islamiyah Wetu Telu bi Jazirati Lombok". journal.uii.ac.id. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
6. Martijn Theodoor Houtsma, ed. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913–1936, Volume 5. BRILL. ISBN   90-04-09791-0.
7. David Harnish & Anne Rasmussen (2011). Divine Inspirations: Music and Islam in Indonesia. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-979309-9.
8. Kaj Arhem & Guido Sprenger (2015). Animism in Southeast Asia. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-33662-4.
9. Na, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im; Naʻīm, ʻAbd Allāh Aḥmad (2009-06-30). Islam and the Secular State. Harvard University Press. ISBN   978-0-674-03376-4.
10. Robert Cribb (2013). Historical Atlas of Indonesia. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-136-78057-8.

Works cited

• Budiwanti, Erni (2000). Islam Sasak: Wetu Telu versus Waktu Lima (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: PT LKiS Pelangi Aksara. ISBN   9789798966514.
• Cederroth, Sven (1998). Gunawan Tjahjono (ed.). Religion and Ritual. Indonesian Heritage. Vol. 9. Singapore: Archipelago Press. ISBN   9813018585.
• Cederroth, Sven (1995). A Sacred Cloth Religion?: Ceremonies of the Big Feast Among the Wetu Telu Sasak (Lombok, Indonesia). NIAS Report series no. 10 (revised ed.). Singapore: NIAS Press. ISBN   9788787062541. ISSN   0904-597X.
• Müller, Kal (1997). Pickell, David (ed.). East of Bali: From Lombok to Timor. The Periplus Adventure Guides Series. Singapore: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN   9789625931784.
• Waterson, Roxana (1998). Gunawan Tjahjono (ed.). Architecture . Indonesian Heritage. Vol. 6. Singapore: Archipelago Press. ISBN   9813018305.