Surau

Last updated
Surau
Surau Lubuk Bauk 2020 01.jpg
Late 19th-century village mosque (surau nagari) "Surau Lubuk Bauk  [ id; th ]" in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra.
General information
Status Worship and Religious teachings
Type Religious building
Architectural style Indonesian
Town or city West Sumatra (originally) [1]
Country Indonesia
Malaysia
Owner Minangkabau
A modern Surau Suraumerbok.jpg
A modern Surau

A surau is an Islamic assembly building in some regions of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula used for worship and religious instruction. Generally smaller physical structures, its ritual functions are similar to those of a mosque, allow men and women, and are used more for religious instruction and festive prayers. They depend more on grassroots support and funding. They can be compared to the Arab zawiya. [2] In Minangkabau society, they continued pre-Islamic traditions of a men's house, and are built on high posts. [3]

Contents

In contemporary usage, "surau" is often used to refer to either a small mosque, or a designated room in a public building (such as a shopping mall, a university, or a rest stop along a highway) for men or women to do salah.

Indonesia

Bingkudu Mosque, an archetypal Minangkabau mosque with its multi-tiers, curving form and exaggerated roof height. COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een moskee bij Fort de Kock TMnr 10016669.jpg
Bingkudu Mosque, an archetypal Minangkabau mosque with its multi-tiers, curving form and exaggerated roof height.

Surau among the Minangkabau of Sumatra date to pre-Islamic times. Men lived together in them. The first Islamic Surau in Minangkabau is believed to have been built in the late 17th century in the coastal town of Ulakan.

Smaller surau are known as Surau Mangaji, and consist mostly of a small room for 20 students and one teacher who is usually also the imam and teaches Quran recitation. Large Surau, during the heyday of Surau culture in the 18th century, helped up to 1,000 students and included up to 20 buildings.

The central figure of Surau was the Tuanku shaikh who mostly as carriers of Baraka was. He oversaw in large Surau usually a large number of teachers who as Guru were called and had mostly learned even with him or even met with him. The establishment and maintenance of Surau performed usually by foundations (waqf) and donations from parents as well as by the work of Surau residents. Minangkabau Surau has great similarities with the institution of the pesantren, which was initially distributed only to Java. [2]

Many Surau were simultaneously centers of Sufi orders. In this case, the Tuanku Shaikh was the spiritual leader of Surau-residents, and this kept him the oath of allegiance. The Surau of Ulakan served as a center of Shattāriyya Order, which had been introduced by Burhan ad-Din, a student of Abd al-Ra'uf as-Singkilī. Other orders, which had their own Surau in Minangkabau, were the Naqshbandīyya and Qadiriyya. Some students visited various Surau succession and could be introduced in different orders. The fact that the students of Tuanku shaikh as Mureed or Faqīr are called, shows the great impact of Sufism on the Surau culture. [4]

Early 19th century was the Surau system of Hāddschis that in Mecca with the teachings of the Wahhabi had come into contact, radically questioned. They and their followers, the so-called Padris, denounced the Surau as centers of dissemination un-Islamic teachings and practices and burning some of them during the so-called Padri Wars (1821–38) down. Other steps that heralded the demise of Surau culture, were in 1870 to introduce a new type of school, the so-called Sekolah Nagari, by the Dutch, and in 1900 the intellectual attacks of reformist Muslims who denounced the Surau as hoards of backwardness and own secular schools established. [5] Today, there are tentative attempts to revive the Surau culture at the Minangkabau. [6]

Outside Indonesia

Malaysia and Singapore

A surau in Malacca, Malaysia. Warisan Dunia Surau.JPG
A surau in Malacca, Malaysia.

On the Malay Peninsula, the functional difference between mosque and Surau is not always so clear. In rural areas the Surau was for centuries the center of Islamic worship and thus tantamount to a mosque. In today's urban area in Malaysia and Singapore there are also Surau. Sharifa Zaleha who has dealt with Surau in Malaysia, concludes that the difference between the two institutions is that the mosques are built by the state, while the Surau depend on public initiatives. As with Minangkaba the success of the Surau depends very much on the religious scholars involved. During the heyday of the Dakwah movement in the 1970s and 1980s the Surau in Malaysia were also centers of student life, with students spending several nights a month in Surau to perform i'tikaf. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuanku Imam Bonjol</span> Indonesian Islamic leader (1772–1864)

Tuanku Imam Bonjol, also known as Muhammad Syahab, Peto Syarif, and Malim Basa, was one of the most popular leaders of the Padri movement in Central Sumatra. He was declared a National Hero of Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minangkabau people</span> Ethnic group in Indonesia

Minangkabau people, also known as Minang, are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Minangkabau Highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Minangkabau's West Sumatera homelands was the seat of the Pagaruyung Kingdom, believed by early historians to have been the cradle of the Malay race, and the location of the Padri War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Padri War</span> 1803–1837 armed conflict in Sumatra, Indonesia

The Padri War was fought from 1803 until 1837 in West Sumatra, Indonesia between the Padri and the Adat. The Padri were Muslim clerics from Sumatra who wanted to impose Sharia in Minangkabau in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The Adat comprised the Minangkabau nobility and traditional chiefs. They asked for the help of the Dutch, who intervened in 1821 and helped the nobility defeat the Padri faction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sumatra</span> Province of Indonesia

West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau to the northeast, Jambi to the southeast, and Bengkulu to the south. The province has an area of 42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi),or about the same size as Switzerland,with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 census. The official estimate at mid 2022 was 5,640,629. The province is subdivided into twelve regencies and seven cities. It has relatively more cities than other provinces outside Java, although several of them are relatively low in population compared with cities elsewhere in Indonesia. Padang is the province's capital and largest city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Indonesia</span> Overview of Islam in Indonesia

Islam is the largest religion in Indonesia, with 87% of the Indonesian population identifying themselves as Muslims, based on civil registry data in 2022. In terms of denomination, the overwhelming majority are Sunni Muslims; the Pew Research Center estimates them as comprising ~99% of the country's Muslim population in 2011, with the remaining 1% being Shia who are concentrated around Jakarta and about 400,000 Ahmadi as well. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pagaruyung Kingdom</span> Old Kingdom in Sumatra, Indonesia

Pagaruyung, also known as Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and Malayapura or Malayupura, was a kingdom that once stood in the island of Sumatra and the seat of the Minangkabau kings of Western Sumatra. Modern Pagaruyung is a village in Tanjung Emas subdistrict, Tanah Datar regency, located near the town of Batusangkar, Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandailing people</span>

The Mandailing are an ethnic group in Sumatra, Indonesia that is commonly associated with the Batak people. They are found mainly in the northern section of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They came under the influence of the Kaum Padri who ruled the Minangkabau of Tanah Datar. As a result, the Mandailing were influenced by Muslim culture and converted to Islam. There are also a group of Mandailing in Malaysia, especially in the states of Selangor and Perak. They are closely related to the Angkola and Toba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseas Minangkabau</span> People of Minangkabau ethnicity who has settled elsewhere

The Overseas Minangkabau is a demographic group of Minangkabau people of Minangkabau Highlands origin in Central Sumatra, Indonesia who have settled in other parts of the world. Over half of the Minangkabau people can be considered overseas Minangkabaus. They make up the majority of the population of Negeri Sembilan and Pekanbaru. They also form a significant minority in the populations of Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Batam, Surabaya and Palembang in Indonesia as well as Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Penang, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam in the rest of the Malay world. Minangkabaus have also emigrated as skilled professionals and merchants to the Netherlands, United States, Saudi Arabia and Australia. The matrilineal culture and economic conditions in West Sumatra have made the Minangkabau people one of the most mobile ethnic group in Maritime Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azyumardi Azra</span> Indonesian historian (1955–2022)

Azyumardi Azra was an Indonesian public intellectual, Muslim scholar and Rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta. He graduated from Department of History, Columbia University in 1992. He was known as a prolific books writer; member of advisory board of a number of international organizations such as UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF), International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. After serving as Rector at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, he was the Director of Graduate School.

Minangkabau businesspeople refers to merchants from the Minangkabau Highlands in central Sumatra, Indonesia. Minangkabau are the ethnic majority in West Sumatra and Negeri Sembilan. Minangkabau are also a recognised minority in other parts of Indonesia as well as Malaysia, Singapore and the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indang (dance)</span> Indonesian traditional dance

Indang or Endang, also called Dindin badindin, is a traditional Minangkabau Islamic dance originating from West Sumatra, Indonesia. Indang dance grows and develops in the Minangkabau community as a portrayal of the arrival of Islam in West Sumatra in the 13th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in West Sumatra</span>

Islam is the most common religion in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra, embraced by 97.42% of the population. The Muslim population increases to 99.6% if it excludes the Mentawai Islands, where the majority of the non-Muslim (Protestant) West Sumatrans reside. Islam in West Sumatra is predominantly Sunni, though there is a small Shia Islamic pocket within the coastal city of Pariaman. The Minangkabau people, indigenous to West Sumatra, comprise 88% of the West Sumatran population today and have historically played an important role within Indonesia's Muslim community. Up until today, the region is considered one of the strongholds of Islam in Indonesia.

Tuanku Nan Tuo (1723–1830) or Tuan Ku Nan Tua was one of the leading Minangkabau ulamas. He was known as a wasatiyyah (moderate) cleric, who took syncretic approaches in the religious outlook, and was a Sufi and aspired for reformation and purification of Islam in the Agam region of West Sumatra at the same time. He also played a crucial role in the birth of Minangkabau Islamic reformers known as padri. Tuo however, disagreed with the more radically puritanical views espoused by padris including Tuanku Nan Renceh and Tuanku Imam Bonjol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuanku Nan Renceh</span>

Tuanku Nan Renceh was an Islamic cleric (ulama), leader and commanding figure highly regarded in Indonesia as a fighter against the Dutch colonialism in the battle known as the Padri War from 1803-1838. Not much is known about this figure, other than his charismatic status. He is also known for his commitment to upholding the Shari'a. From the Dutch record, he was considered an antagonist figure, who was responsible for the violence in the Plateau of Padang.

Tuanku Rao (1790-1833) was an Islamic cleric (ulama), leader and commander. He was known as a prominent padri, a group of Islamic reformists who advocated for the puritanical approach in Islam inspired by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the early 18th century West Sumatra. He also contributed to the proselytization of Islam among Batak people. He died during the Padri War in 1833.

Burhanuddin Ulakan Pariaman, also known as Sheikh Burhanuddin Ulakan, was an Islamic cleric (ulama) from the Minangkabau region. He is regarded as the pioneer of Islamic propagators in West Sumatra. He is also known as a commanding figure of the Islamic movements against the Dutch colonization. Regarding his Islamic belief, he was a Sufi murshid belonging to the Shattari tariqa based in Minangkabau region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abd al-Rauf al-Sinkili</span>

Abd al-Rauf ibn Ali al-Fansuri al-Sinkili was a well-known Islamic scholar, spiritual leader of the Shattariyya tariqa and the mufti of Aceh Sultanate. He was the confidant of Sultana Safiyat al-Din. He was considered the first person to spread the Shattari Sufi order in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Many of his students also became disseminators of Islam. He is commonly known as Shaikh Abd al-Rauf al-Sinkili, and also known posthumously in Aceh as Teungku Syiah Kuala, which translates to "Sheikh in the Estuary".

Kampung Padang Balang or Padang Balang is the oldest surviving traditional village in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is circumferenced by Gombak Road, Jalan Kampung Bandar Dalam, Duta–Ulu Klang Expressway (DUKE), Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 and Gombak River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minangkabau culture</span> Culture of the Minangkabau people

Minangkabau culture is the culture of the Minangkabau ethnic group in Indonesia, part of the Indonesian culture. This culture is one of the two major cultures in the Indonesian archipelago which is very prominent and influential.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minangkabau Malaysians</span>

The Minangkabau Malaysians are citizens of the Malaysia whose ancestral roots are from Minangkabau of central Sumatra. This includes people born in the Malaysia who are of Minangkabau origin as well as Minangkabau who have migrated to Malaysia. Today, Minangkabau comprise about 989,000 people in Malaysia, and Malaysian law considers most of them to be Malays. They are majority in urban areas, which has traditionally had the highest education and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. The history of the Minangkabau migration to Malay peninsula has been recorded to have lasted a very long time. When the means of transportation were still using the ships by down the rivers and crossing the strait, many Minang people migrated to various regions such as Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Penang, Kedah, Perak, and Pahang. Some scholars noted that the arrival of the Minangkabau to the Malay Peninsula occurred in the 12th century. This ethnic group moved in to peninsula at the height of the Sultanate of Malacca, and maintains the Adat Perpatih of matrilineal kinships system in Negeri Sembilan and north Malacca.

References

  1. "Melacak Akar Sejarah Pendidikan Surau: Asal-Usul, Karakteristik, Materi dan Literatur Keagamaan" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 Azyumardi Azra, Islam in the Indonesian World: An Account of Institutional Formation. Bandung 2006, S. 63–69.
  3. "Mengembalikan Peranan Surau di Minangkabau".
  4. RA Core, The Origin of the Malay Surau. The Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 29/1 (1956) 179-181.
  5. Kerstin Steiner. Madrasah in Singapore: Tradition and Modernity in Religious Education. Intellectual Discourse, 19 (2011) 41-70.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2015-07-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Sharifa Zaleha. Surau and Mosques in Malaysia. ISIM Newsletter 3, 1999
  8. Zaleha, S. (September 24, 1999). "Surau and Mosques in Malaysia". ISIM Newsletter. 3 (1): 9. hdl:1887/17311 via scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl.

Further reading