ISLAM AND PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.

)
By: Michael J. Diamond and Peter Gowing

Islam literally means to surrender oneself completely to God's will. The Muslim (i.e.,
one who surrenders) then is the one who practices Islam. The essential element of true belief
for the Muslim is monotheism, which cannot be compromised in the smallest way.

MUHAMMAD, MESSENGER OF GOD

It is important to state at the outset just what the Prophet Muhammad is not. He is
not considered to be divine in any way whatsoever. He was a man, he had a father and a
mother like all other men, he was born in Mecca, and he died. Muslims are rightly offended if
we call them "Mohammedans," implying that in some way they worship Muhammad and not
God alone. For the Muslims, Muhammad is the human instrument of God's revelation and His
will for man.

ARABIA BEFORE THE ADVENT OF ISLAM

The one date that we should remember when we speak of Islam is 622 A.D., which
is the year 1 in the Muslim calendar. It is not the year of Muhammad's birth or death, nor is
the date of the first revelation to Muhammad rather it is the date of "emigration" of
Muhammad and some of his companions from Mecca to Medina, two cities in Central Arabia.
The word in Arabic for his emigration is 'Hijra,' and so the Muslim calendar is usually marked
A.H. thus 622 A.D. was 1 A.H.

Before the Hijra, Muhammad had been preaching in Mecca for 12 years, and this
puts the date of the first revelation of the Qur'an at 610 A.D. and the birth of Muhammad at
around 570 A.D.

Much of the history of Islam revolves around the two cities of Medina and Mecca.
Mecca had once been a place of pilgrimage in Arabia even before the emergence of Islam.
The center of Mecca was its shrine or Kaabah containing the black stone as well as many
idols. Religion at the time of the birth of the Prophet was the worship of 'divine agencies and
spirits and some goddesses. These spirits lived in lonely places, in trees, rocks, etc. There
were also people in Mecca who were possessed by spirits, and these people would talk
strangely and make pronouncements. As a matter of fact, when Muhammad first started to
preach, he was accused of being one of these. Religion at this time was mainly spirit-worship
and devotion to many gods and idols.

When Muhammad started to preach, he asserted not that God existed but that He
alone existed and there were no other gods or goddesses.

This period in Islamic history is known as the period of Ignorance or the 'Jahiliyyah.'
During this time infanticide was widely practiced, and many baby girls were killed at birth.
There were some people, though, who were coming to a belief in the one God and they were
called 'hanif' or monotheist. In the Qur'an, Abraham was called a 'hanif.'

Apart from the pagans and the hanif who lived in Mecca, there were also some
Jews and possibly some Christians or at least people who had contact with Christians.
Muhammad himself had traveled with the caravans, and he is said to have met Christians.
One of the traditions relates that as a small boy with the caravans, he met a monk. Mecca
was a meeting place of many peoples and religions and was not isolated from the outside
world.

PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.)

When we think of Islam and Arabia, the picture that comes to mind is deserts,
nomads, and their camels. But Islam is not a religion that was born in the desert; it was born
in a town — an urban commercial setting. He was born around the year 570 A.D. in Mecca
and was orphaned soon after. At first, he was protected by his grandfather Abd Al Muttalib
and then by his Uncle Abu Talib.

As a child, Muhammad knew deprivation, poverty, and insecurity. At the age of 25,
he married a wealthy widow who was his employer- Khadijah, an owner of caravans. She was
15 years his senior at that time. She gave him children, security, and domestic happiness,
and Muhammad did not take another wife while she was alive. They had six children. The
happiness and security that he now possessed, however, were not enough to keep him happy
and content.

Once while he was praying on a hill near Mecca, a revelation came to him the first
of many that he was to have right up until the time of his death in 632 A.D.

During that first revelation, he became aware of a voice and a figure on the horizon,
yet it was near him. Everywhere he looked, he could see the figure, and he was commanded
to:

Recite! In the name of thy Lord Who Created man from a clot;
Recite! For thy Lord is most gracious who taught man by the pen taught
man what he knew not (Surah 96:1-4)

The first word of the revelation was recited or 'Iqra' in Arabic, which is the same
root word of Qur'an, and means 'the recitation of something already written down.' The
revelation of the Holy Quran to Muhammad was, Muslim beliefs, he is coming down from the
heaven of the Book, which is already written there. This original book is called the 'Mother of
the Book.' The rest of the revelation was given to the Prophet during the rest of his life over a
period of some 22 years.
The figure that Muhammad saw on the horizon was later identified as the Angel
Gabriel, God's messenger to Muhammad. The first revelation took place during the month of
Ramadhan.

Muhammad's first reaction to the revelation was fear and apprehension and even
thought that he might be going mad or that he was being possessed by the spirits. However,
his wife Khadija believed in him, and he encouraged him, and after some time, he believed in
the validity of his call as the messenger of God.

He then began to preach what was béing revealed to him, and the people of Mecca
laughed at him as they might at anyone else whose behavior suddenly seemed eccentric. In
his preaching, Muhammad proclaimed the oneness of God, His uniqueness, His power, the
folly of idol worship and the judgment that was coming to the people who did not listen and
take heed.

The amusement of the Meccans soon turned annoyance and then anger when it
seemed their vested interests might be in danger from what Muhammad taught. As long as
Muhammad was protected by his Uncle Abu Talib, he was safe in Mecca. But when Abu Talib
died, and no further protection was forthcoming from the family, the Prophet had to plan his
future differently. He decided to accept an invitation from the people of Medina to go further
and act as an arbitrator in their disputes.

In 622 A.D., with his faithful friend and companion, Abu Bakr and some other
Muslims, Muhammad left Mecca in some danger and arrived soon after in Medina. The group
that traveled with Muhammad to Medina were called "community of faith" - 'Ummah.' They
had listened to Muhammad as he preached what was being revealed to him, had believed
and had left all things behind in Mecca and followed him to Medina. Some of the non-Muslim
residents in Medina were a little put out by the arrival of these strangers because they would
have to look after and feed them. But those who already believed were delighted and
welcomed the newcomers and argued as to where Muhammad would live in the city. He
diplomatically said that he would allow his camel to choose the place wherever the camel
stopped, there he would reside. Thus, he solved a potentially thorny problem and avoided
jealously.
 There were many Jews in Medina at that time who owned most of the better land
there. The Qur'an calls the Jews the "People of the Book", meaning that they too have Sacred
Scripture. Muhammad had presumed that they would accept his claim to prophethood, but
they just laughed at him. Muhammad claimed that he was yet another prophet carrying the
same message from God to the Arab people that Moses had brought to the Jews. Indeed, he
thought of his religion as but a continuation of the religion of the Jews, and he and His
followers even prayed facing Jerusalem, the sacred city of the Jews. The Jews would not
accept this and accused both Muhammad and the Qur'an as frauds. Muhammad, later on,
had all the Jews removed from Medina.

From this time on, Islam developed into a separate religion, and Muhammad came
to see that his message was universal and not just for the people of Arabia. The Qibla or
direction faced during prayer was changed at this juncture from Jerusalem to Mecca.

Trouble with the people of Mecca was inevitable. Muhammad allowed his people in
Medina to raid the Meccan caravan, and their success consolidated his own power base in
Medina. With the success of the raids, the Meccans decided to deal with Muhammad and
Medina once and for all the two sides met in the Battle of Badr and the Muslims won in the
battle. Muhammad saw this victory as a sign of God's approval of his mission as the
Messenger of God.

After more successes against the Meccans and the disruption of the Meccan
caravan trade, Muhammad decided to go back to Mecca in 628 A. D. for the annual
pilgrimage. The Meccans were afraid to allow him to enter the city. They negotiated a
settlement whereby the following year the Meccans would leave the city for three days so the
Muslims might do the Pilgrimage. Muhammad had come a long way from the time he left the
city in 622 to 628 when the Meccans had to make an agreement that they would abandon the
city for three days.

The next year the Muslims did the Pilgrimage to Mecca. However, the Meccans
broke some terms of the treaty within the next two years, and Muhammad and his army were
obliged to march on to Mecca. There was no fight, however, and no blood was split. The city
simply surrendered to Muhammad.

Muhammad was generous in victory, and there were no reprisals, nor did the
emigrants claim back their property. His first act was to purify the Kaabah of its idols, leaving
only the Black Stone in place, proclaiming to all that there is only one God.

Muhammad's influence and successes now began to attract other tribes in Arabia,
and soon, they all became Muslims. Pagans were forbidden to come on Pilgrimage, and the
Islamic Empire was about to emerge from Arabia. Muhammad did not see the expansion. He
did the farewell pilgrimage and died at the age of 63 in the year 632 A.D. His friend and now
father in law, Abu Bakr, was appointed Caliph (successor) to rule the community.

BASIC TENETS OF ISLAM

THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM

1. The Profession of Faith (Shahada)

The profession of faith is the first pillar of Islam. This is express in the following
words "l hear witness that there is no god except God and Muhammad is the
messenger of God."

These words are called the shahada because this means 'witnessing. When the
words are said, the Muslim starts by saying: "l witness/testify that there is no god except
God....' So the profession is quite simple. The Muslim asserts that he adores the One God
and that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
 While we are looking at the importance, which Muslims attach to adoring the One
God only, we should know that the greatest sin in Islam is the practice of associating
something or somebody with God. God has no co-existents or partners or equals. Muslims
are careful to make sure that there is no lessening of the 'Godness' of God. God and idolatry
are incompatible.

When a Muslim baby is born, the very first words that a baby hears are the words
of the shahada. Likewise, the same words are said into the ears of the dying Muslim so that
he will be ready to meet his Creator.

2. The Five Times Daily Prayers (Salat)

Prayer in Islam is founded primarily on the precepts found in the Holy Qur'an and
the examples of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in his traditions (sunnah) and sayings (hadith). It
is understood as a duty of every Muslim to pray five times a day. Muslims also have what is
called 'dua' prayer, or non-formal prayer, a private and personal prayer, which is more
spontaneous
and does not follow a particular ritual.

The Qur'an commands the performing of the prayer but apart from the direction to
be taken during the prayer (i.e., toward Mecca), all the details of the prayer are derived from
extra-Qur'anic sources. The custom of praying five times daily, for example, comes from the
tradition of the Prophet.

The following are the names of the five obligatory prayers:

Salat al-Fajr - The Dawn Prayer

Salat al Zufr - The Noon Prayer
Salat al-Asr - The Afternoon Prayer
Salat al-Maghrib - The Sunset Prayer
Salat al Aisha - The Evening Prayer
There is no sabbath in Islam, though work does come to a halt for the midday
assembly prayer on Friday and there is sermon included in the prayer. All go back to work
when the prayer is completed, however.

Before prayer, the Muslim performs ritual ablutions so that he will pray in a purified
state. He must wash himself as is laid down in the law this purification is called 'wudhu.' The
Arabic word for mosque is 'masjid' which literally means 'the place of prostration.' However,
the Mosque is not absolutely necessary for the performance of the prayer, and as no priests
are necessary in Islam and a mosque is a place of prostration, anywhere, a Muslim can find
space to spread out his prayer mat is his mosque.

Prayer in Islam is not confined to the five obligatory prayers. The Muslim may pray
freely during the day and during the crisis, worries, and joys. His prayers maybe prayers of
adoration or petition.

3. Alms giving (Zakat)

This pillar is not just charity but an obligation and a duty and a way by which the
Muslim comes into contact with God. Zakat' is the principle of social responsibility by which
the possession of wealth obligates the owner to concern himself with the people who have
little wealth. 'Zakat' says in fact that what is mine really also belongs to the community in the
final analysis. So the Muslim gives up part of his wealth yearly for public use. Zakat, in other
words, is the setting aside of a determined part of one's wealth and transferring the ownership
of it to those people to whom God has decided it should be given. Those who do not pay the
zakat are likened in the Qur'an to the idolaters who worship false gods.

The Qur'an supports the right to private property, but a portion must be given to the
poor. This portion purifies or legitimizes the property, which is retained. Without this purifying,
ownership would, in some way, be impure.
 Zakat is given to the poor, destitute, debtor, those who strive in the way of God, the
son of the traveler and those employed in the collection of it.

The Qur'an also makes it clear that greedy people, anyone who hoards items like
food are hateful to God and will go to hell.

4. Fasting (Saum)

All Muslims who have reached puberty are required to fast during the month of
Ramadhan, except those who are sick, aged or infirm, pregnant women, nursing mothers,
and travelers. Throughout the period of the fast, there is a special emphasis on attendance at
the mosque more than during the rest of the year. The fast is an assertion that man has larger
needs than those of the body. The body is to be the subject of man and not his master,
dictating his every thought. The fast is for thirty days, but it is not the same as the Christian
Lent for the idea of Penance as Christians understand it is absent from Ramadhan. The
dominant theme is detachment from all created things in order to avoid and abandon
everything except that all subsistent God who never passes away, the All Powerful and
Merciful Lord. By fasting the Muslim intends to draw closer to Gods and to be more finely
attuned to his will.

During Ramadhan, those who fast often give gifts and alms to the poor. They share
with the less fortunate those goods that God has given to them. This act is performed in the
name of God and is a way of making contact with Him.

Fasting encourages patience and endurance. It is a remembrance of God, It is not

a fast of the stomach but also of the ears, mouth, and eyes that bad things will not be listened
to and of the eyes that nothing bad or impure is looked at.

Fasting is a sign of contradiction to the world that is becoming steadily more

materialistic. It unifies the rich and the poor those who eat well and those who fast practically
every day of the year. The spirit of getting closer to God and of submitting to his Will, which is
expressed in the Ramadhan fast are genuine religious values.

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)

The 'hajj' is the journey to the point of the 'Qibla' of the prayer. Each Muslim is
expected to go to Mecca once in his lifetime for the pilgrimage if he is able to do so.

In Mecca is the great Mosque in its courtyard is the 'Kaabah' a cube-shaped

building which houses the black stone. This single stone announces to all the central belief of
Muslims that there is but one God and no other. It was a center of pilgrimage even before the
time of Muhammad. Mecca is where Abraham worshipped with his son Ishmael.

The Hajj is a response to the revelation and the law of God, which was revealed in
Mecca. It is a pledge of the pilgrim to dedicate the rest of his life to God. The hajj is also a
sacrament of Muslim unity, and it inspires solidarity.

Figure 11. Map of Muslim Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Hajj (2016)
 The Holy Qur'an

Islam is a religion of the Book, the book being the Holy Qur'an. It has been said that
just as Christ, a person, is the center of Christianity, in the same way for Islam, the center is a
book.

We should remember that the Qur'an is written in Arabic can never be adequately
translated There are many translations because the majority of Muslims are not Arabs, but
these translations are not called "translations," e.g., Pickthall's work is titled "The Meaning of
the Glorious Qur'an." In the second Surah, the Qur'an says, "We have sent down an Arabic
Qur'an" So the Muslims feel that God sent it in Arabic, and the only real reading of it must be
in Arabic. Any translation changes its Arabic form so that it can never be more than
approximately the Qur'an.

The Qur'an is considered not only to be the masterpiece of the Arabic language,
but it is also the place where Muslims find the final truth. It has 114 Surahs or chapters, all of
the unequal length and having about 6200 verses. In the early surahs, revealed at Mecca, the
language is poetic. In the later surahs, revealed at Medina, the language is often more legal
and less poetic in form. Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the eternal and literal word of God.
Qur'an has come down from heaven from the "Mother of the Book" which is already written
there. The Qur'an was "transmitted" or descended on Muhammad," it was "dictated from
heaven" to Muhammad. Muhammad had nothing to do with the form or composition of the
Qur'an. He merely spoke aloud the words that he was commanded to speak - no more, no
less. Muhammad in the Qur'an was firstly a "warner" telling of the coming Judgment of
Mankind. Later on, much legislation was revealed for the proper ruling of the community.

The Qur'an is seen by Muslims as the final revelation of God's will, the final
revelation and scripture from God; it is the Last Word, the most complete revelation from God
to Man through Muhammad, who is the "Seal of the Prophets", the last in the line of Prophets
of God which began with Adam. The Qur'an is the primary source for all Islamic Law and
Dogma. Tradition became a secondary source later on.

Views of Revelation in the Qur'an and the Bible

We shall now look very briefly at the way a Muslim sees how the Qur'an was
revealed in contrast to the way Christians view the revelation of the Bible. Christians believe
that God made biblical writers his instruments in such a way that they respected their
freedom, mental processes, traditions, culture, languages, and their individual historical
contexts. So when they spoke or wrote their inspired works, in a real way, it was their own
message as well as God's word. Thus the biblical message comes in so many different forms
and images to the extent that we can identify different authors of the bible by their literary
Style. But this does not make too much sense to a Muslim. For him, revelation is a dictation.
God spoke to Muhammad through an Angel, and the Prophet repeated what he heard word
for word. He had no say in the choice of language used, the phrasing, or even the sentences.
So a Muslim will never say: "As Muhammad said in the Qur'an... ", that would be blasphemy.
He says, "God says in the Qur'an..." This is something we must be careful about, because we
do say, "As St. Paul says in Romans..." and this would confuse a Muslim because we seem
to be denying the authorship of God in the Bible.

In the Bible, we find stories, proverbs, Laws, poetry, and many other types of
writing. We are all familiar with them. But in the Qur'an, there are only the Prophetic
utterances. Everything is presented as a kind of sermon spoken by God or an Angel to
Muhammad and to mankind.

The Qur'an is the WORD OF GOD. It is a copy of the Eternal Tablet in Heaven.
The idea and the Message of the Qur'an are uncreated and Eternal. The Qur'an cannot be
bought or sold, it is shown the greatest reverence. All occasions in life are blessed with
quotations from it.
 The Recording of the Qur'an

It is no wonder that the Muslims were concerned to bring together the Qur'an and
to preserve it because it provides the basis of their organization in both the temporal and
spiritual spheres. The first way of preserving it was by making a written collection. The Qur'an
did not appear at one time, but rather it was revealed gradually, as circumstances required,
over a period 21 years, from the first manifestations of the Prophets vocation to his death - a
part of it was revealed in Mecca and part in Medina. So every time the Prophet recited the
surah his followers wrote it down on materials used for writing in those days, namely pieces of
leather, animal bones such as shoulder blades and ribs, palm leaves and likaf - flat white
stones. The Prophet died in the 11th year of the Hijra, by which time the Qur'an had either
been recorded on materials such as those mentioned above or had been preserved on the
minds of men. Those who had preserved it thus were called Qurra. All the extant verses of
the Qur'an were collected and collated into the authoritative text now used everywhere in
Islam. This was accomplished during the reign of the Caliph Uthman in 653 A.D. (31 A.H.)

The Tradition (Sunna)

Central Arabia, before Muhammad was a society based on tradition, and the word
innovation was synonymous with heresy! Life in the desert was a precarious one, where tried
and tested ways of doing things were adhered to simply because the line between survival
and death was a very thin one. The ways of their forefathers were the ways of survival and
therefore highly valued. The method of living by adhering to tradition was basic to the Arab
way of life before the coming of Islam.

The arrival of Islam in Arabia was surely one of the greater innovations of the time
with the Qur'an being the greatest innovation of all. Muhammad's place in Islam goes beyond
his role as a transmitter of the Qur'an. The Qur'an does contain some legislations, but all the
rules necessary for the daily life of a Muslim cannot be found there. The Qur'an is, after all, a
short book. The need for legislation became acute as Islam expanded, and Muslims came
into contact with new cultures and new peoples, encountering new problems to be solved. For
example, the Qur'an has little to say about personal or social conduct or commercial ethics.
There are several suggestions on these matters given in the Qur'an, but nothing very specific.

Where then did Islam turn for guidance in devising specific laws and rules of
conduct? Where better than to the person of the Prophet Muhammad himself and his
behavior during his lifetime in Mecca and Medina. The companions who were with
Muhammad during his time as a messenger of God and preacher observed him and orally
reported what he did and said. Later on, when Muslims were in doubt after the Prophets
death as to what to do in a particular case, they would recall what he had done during his
lifetime in similar cases, and they would justify a new course of action in this way. If
Muhammad had done such and such in particular case, then it was appropriate for good
Muslims to do the same.

We should remember in this connection the place that tradition played in the life of
the Arabs before the coming of Islam. People followed what had been traditionally done by
their forefathers and did not like innovation. For the Muslims, in their community of faith, the
behavior of Muhammad during his lifetime simply became the new Tradition, replacing the
tradition of their ancestors. Muhammad's status as a Prophet as the transmitter of the Divine
revelation helped to ensure the authority of this new Tradition. The reports of Muhammad
were, as mentioned, first passed on orally. Later they were written down and became the
second major source for the SACRED LAW (Sharia'h) second only to the Qur'an but also now
considered to be infallible. This source is called SUNNA.

There is another word we should know - HADITH. This refers to oral

communications derived from the Prophet. In other words, it is a story about something
Muhammad did or said. Each tradition usually had a Hadith to support it, but not always.
There are some traditions followed in the Muslim world that do not have Hadiths to back them
up.
 As various rival groups grew up in Islam and they began to compete for the power
they needed some authority to do so, and there were conflicting opinions about the point of
Law. To ensure that their particular point of view prevailed, some factions started to
manufacture bogus Hadiths about Muhammad. Forgery was on a large scale. Later on some
great and respected scholars of Tradition such as Al-Bukhari, Muslim and An - Nawawi
investigated the thousands of hadiths and classified them as sound, good, weak, false, etc.
These scholars decreed that each hadith required an isnad ("chain"), a list of trustworthy
transmitters or relators of the story about the Prophet.

Source: Islam and Muslims: Some Basic Information by Michael J. Diamond and Peter
G.
Gowing. Q.C. 1981

ISLAMIC FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS

1. Amon Jadeed, New Year. Muharram 1. Also known as the Hijra Day commemorating the
flight of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina and start of the Islamic calendar.

2. Ashura, Muharram 10, Observed as a Thanksgiving Day for the mercies of God shown to
various prophets from Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. Also observed as a day of
penance and mourning commemorating the massacre of the Prophets grandson, Imam
Hussein and his followers.

3. Maulidan Nabi, Birth of Prophet Muhammad Rabi-ul Awwal 12. It is observed by the
holding of assemblies in which stories of the Prophets birth, childhood, preaching, character,
suffering are narrated. It is an occasion for inner joy and happiness, not only for frivolity and
pleasure-seeking.

4. Israwal Miraj, Night of Ascension, Rajab 27. Celebrates the night of journey in which the
prophet went miraculously from Mecca to Jerusalem and from there ascended to paradise.
Muslims celebrate this night by reading the Holy Qur'an, praying and relating the story about
the Israwal Miraj.

5. Nisfu Shaban. Shaban 15. This day commemorates the change in the direction of Muslim
prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca.

6. Saum, (Fasting) Ramadhan. The whole month is given to fasting during the daylight hours.
The month is sacred because all the significant events in Islamic history occurred during the
month, including the coming down of the Holy Qur'an as Gods revelation of his will for all
mankind.

7. Nazul al Qur'an, Night of Majesty 17th of Ramadhan, Revelation of the Holy Qur'an.

8. Eidl Fitr, Festival of the Breaking of the Fast, Shawwal 1. Muslims break the fast with a
feasting, special prayers and the distribution of gifts to the poor and needy. It is a day of
thanksgiving and rejoicing and exchanging greetings with relatives and friends.

9. Eidl Adha, Festival of Sacrifice, Zul Hajji 10. The day marks the end of the pilgrimage. Also
a day for thanksgiving, rejoicing, and sharing.

10. Yaummul Jumma, The Day of Assembly. Every Friday of the week is obligatory
congregational prayer.

Sources: The Important Days in Islam and Relations Between Muslims and Non-
Muslims, By lljas Ishmael, Manila, -1977. / Islam and Muslims: Some Basic Information
by Michael J. Diamond and Peter G. Gowing. Quezon City, 1981.
 ISLAM AND ISLAMIZATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
by: Peter G. Gowing

Arrival of Islam in the Philippines

The Islamization of the southern Philippines occurred along with the Islamization of
Borneo Sulawesi, Celebes, and the Moluccas. It is likely that Muslim Arab traders had begun
trading in the Philippines long before the Filipinos started to embrace Islam. Scholars today
believe that Muslim merchants, trading profitably in the Malay World brought Borneo to the
attention of the Chinese during the tenth century. This has prompted Dean Majul to comment:

"Since Borneo is close to the Philippines it can be presumed that

Muslim traders had begun to know Suluat least by that time, if not earlier. In
any case, there is evidence that Arabs had reached China from some
islands in the Philippines during the tenth century. "

Majul also points to a venerated grave of a foreign Muslim possibly an Arab, which is
found in a tempat (sacred grave) on Bud Dato, a few miles from Jolo town. It is dated 710 AH.
or 1310 A.D. and has been the site for the coronation of most of the Sultans of Sulu. 'It can be
inferred, says Majul, 'that by the end of the thirteenth century or at the beginning of the
fourteenth century there was already a settlement or colony of foreign Muslims in Jolo Island.'

Winning of Sulu

The Tausug, the predominant group in Sulu, are said to carry themselves a little
straighter than other Moro groups because they were the first to be won to Islam. The
'tarsilas' (geneology) and traditions of Sulu speak of a foreigner who bore the title Tuan
Mashai'ka and who came to Joio long ago, married the daughter of a local chieftain and
begot Muslims — meaning that he raised his children as Muslims. One tarsila mentioned that
Tuan Masha'ika came when the people of Jolo were still worshiping stones and other
inanimate objects. Dean Majul speculates that this person may well have been associated
with the community, which constructed the grave mentioned above, indicating that he may
have lived in Jolo in the early fourteenth century. Islamization, the process of Islam taking root
among the people outlive to Sulu, may well have begun with Tuan Mashai'ka raising Muslim
Children by his Jolo wife.

The tarsilas of Sulu were not written as scientific histories of the archipelago's chief families,
so as documents of their time and place, they contain elements which are patently
mythological and baffling for the present-day reader. Even so, they are important sources for
clues as to the beginning of Islam in the Philippines. They speak of the coming of a certain
Karim ul Makhdum, who was also called Tuan Sharief Awliya, a title given to holy men.
Najeeb Saleeby quotes from one tarsila as follows:

Sometime after that, there came Karim ul Makhdum. He crossed the

sea in a vase or pot of iron and was called 'sarip'. He settled at Bwansa, the
place where the Tagimaha nobles believed. There the people flocked to him
from all directions, and he built a house for worship.

Saleeby believed that the Makhdum (Arabic for Master or Father - a common
designation for Sufi missionaries) arrived in Sulu in the second half of the fourteenth century.
The tarsila does not mention that the Makhdum introduced Islam into Sulu, but the only that
people flocked from everywhere to hear him. The Makhdum's work, therefore, might well have
been that of reinforcing an Islam already present among foreign Muslims and their families
and using their settlement as a base, winning new adherents from among the surrounding
local and older population (Majul). The existence of graves in several places in Sulu which
local residents claim to be the final resting place of the Makhdum suggests the possibility that
there were two or more Makhdumin who contributed to the spread and consolidation of Islam
in the archipelago.

Sulu tarsilas and traditions also speak of Rajah Baguinda, who late in the fourteenth
or early fifteenth century came to Jolo from the Menangkabaw region of Sumatra at the head
of a small fleet of praus (sail craft) transporting a force of warriors and settlers. It is not clear
whether the Rajah was a native Sumatran prince or a foreign adventurer who had simply
stayed a time in Sumatra. At any rate, he apparently sought to carve a new principality for
himself in Sulu. Supported by his followers, he overcame the initial resistance of the Joloanos,
insinuated himself into Sulu leadership on the basis of his being a Muslim like them, and
married the daughter of a local chieftain. Buansa was the seat of political power: His
significance in the history of Sulu is that, as a powerful foreign Muslim, he strengthened
Islamic consciousness in the area (Saleeby).

The tarsilas and traditions speak further of an Arab, Sayyid Abu Bakr, who came to
Buansa towards the middle of the fifteen century and lived with Rajah Baguinda. He married
the old Rajah's daughter, Paramisuli. After the death of his father in law, Sayyid Abu Bakr
succeeded to the latter's political authority and eventually founded the Sultanate of Sulu
(Saleeby). Abu Bakr is referred to in Sulu as Sultan Sharief ul Hashim and is credited with
having further consolidated Islam in Buansa and shaped political institutions along Islamic
lines. The fact that he was able to do this readily indicates a friendly disposition on the part of
the populace and the native chiefs for a deepening of their Islamization. The Sultan,
esteemed as a descendant of the Prophet, was said to have introduced the study of the
Qur'an and to have converted the hill people of Jolo to Islam (Majul). Hadji Butu, a
distinguished Tausug leader in the early decades of the present century, recorded the
tradition of his people concerning the missionary work of the first Sultan.

"The hill people were still unconverted. The coast people said' let’s
fight the hill people and convert them to Islam". But Abu Bakr would not allow
it and instead told the people to pound rice and make cakes and clothing.
Then the coast people marched inland to a place called Paayan. Abu Bakr
sent word to the headman that he was Arabian who could be spoken to by
writing on paper. The headman, called in those days 'Tomoai', said that he did
not want to see him for he did not want to change the customs of the
ancestors. So Abu Bakr approached and threw cakes and clothing into the
houses of the natives. The children ate, the cakes but the older people thought
them poison and gave them to the dogs. The dogs were not killed and the
children went out the camp of Abu Bakr where they were treated kindly. The
two tribes came to an understanding. That night Abu Bakr slept in the house of
the chief. The chief had a dream that he was living in a large house with
beautiful decorations. Abu Bakr interpreted the dream saying that the new
house was the new religion and the decorations its benefits. The news spread
and after much difficulty, the people were converted".

Penetration of Mindanao

Credit for the introduction of Islam into Mindanao is usually given to Sharief
Muhammad Kabungsuan who came from Johore to the mouth of Pulangi River sometime in
the first quarter of the sixteenth century. It is possible, however, that Muslim missionaries
were at work in Mindanao well before that time, for the traditions of the Maguindanaon speak
of a certain Sharief Awliya who introduced Islam in a place not far from the present-day
Cotabato City. His story is wrapped in myth. He is said to have come to Mindanao in the air in
search for Paradise. While he was looking for it on the hill of Tawantawan, he found a 'houri'
(celestial maiden) who was sent to him from heaven. He married this houri, and she
subsequently bore him a daughter who was called Paramisuli, indicating a princess of royal
birth Afterwards, the Sharief returned to the west, but his wife and child remained behind in
Mindanao (Saleeby). Maguindanaon traditions go on to speak to the later arrival of a Sharief
Maraja who came from Johore to the area of Slangan (Cotabato), on the northern branch of
Pulangi River, where he is said to have married Paramisuli. The dumato clan of
Maguindanao, old rivals of the clans descended from Sharief Kabungsuan, trace their line
back to Sharief Maraja (Mastura-1977).

Despite the possibility of earlier predecessors in Mindanao, Sharief Muhammad

Kabungsuan is regarded as preeminent among the pioneers of Islam on that island. The old
tarsilas of Maguindanao indicate that he was the son of an Arab father and Malay mother. His
father, being a Sharief was or alleged to be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Maguindanao tradition also declares that Sharief Kabungsuan came to Mindanao with
migration of Muslim Samals. This migration, made up of boatloads of people, reportedly was
dispersed by a storm and the survivors found their way to the various ports in Sumatra,
Borneo, and Sulu and the case of Kabungsuan, as east as Mindanao. This tradition says that
Kabungsuan's Samal companions stopped for a time on Bongo island, not far from the mouth
of the Pulangi River; but eventually, they sailed away to the Gulf of Davao and Sarangani
Bay, leaving Kabungsuan behind. However, by that time, the Sharief had become firmly
established as a leader in Cotabato.

The traditions are not agreed on whether Sharief Kabungsuan might have settled first
among the llanun people of Illana Bay, or near the present-day Malabang, and then moved to
Cotabato, or vice-versa; but in any case, both the llanun and Maguindanao peoples proudly
claim that they were won over to Islam by his influence. He is universally pictured as having
been a devout and learned Muslim, possessed of a rigid attitude towards non-Muslims and
full of proselytizing zeal (Majul). By various means including both conquest and diplomacy,
Kabungsuan established himself as a power-in the Cotabato-Malabang region. He secured an
alliance with the Maguindanaon datus and went about conquering and converting such of the
surrounding tribes and chiefs as he could. He carried Islam to Buayan, up -river from
Cotabato, which was later to develop into an important Moro principality. He is reported to
have married the daughters of local datus and begotten children by them, thus securing his
position in the native aristocracy. He laid the foundations of the Maguindanaon Sultanate,
though he and his immediate successors were content to style themselves merely as Shariefs
or datus. It was Kabungsuan's great great grandson, Qudarat, who is the first Maguindanao
ruler spoken of in the tarsilas as 'Sultan' (Saleeby).

The Islamization of the Maguindanaon and llanun people was doubtless reinforced by
the influence of the Sulu Sultanate to which, in the latter half of the sixteenth century, the
neighboring Zamboanga Peninsula had become tributary. There is evidence that an
occasional religious teacher from Jolo found his way to Maguindanao settlements, helping to
strengthen their Muslim consciousness. Teachers came, too from Brunei. And the Moluccas
late in the same century. In 1578 and 1579, the Spanish Governor-General Francisco de
Sande ordered the commanders of two military expeditions against Maguindanao to arrest
'preachers from Brunei who preach the doctrine of Mahoma' (Blair and Robertson). And in
1588, Bishop Domingo de Salazar of Manila complained to the King of Spain that:

In the island of Mindanao, which is subject to Your Majesty, and for

many years had paid tribute, the law of Mahoma has been publicly
proclaimed. By preachers from Burney and Ternate who have come there...
some of them even, it is believed had come from Mecca. They have erected
and are now building mosques, and the boys are bein3g circumcised, and
there is a school where they are taught the alcoran. '(ibid)

Indeed, Spanish records show that by the end of the sixteenth century, the
Maguindanao had sufficiently incorporated into dar-al-islam (the household of Islam) that they
could count on neighboring Muslim states, notably Ternate, for military aid against Spanish
attacks (Majul, 1973).

From the Cotabato and Malabang areas, Islam spread to other parts of Mindanao,
initially along the coast and up the rivers. It reached Sarangani Bay and the Gulf of Davao
and also touched the shores of northern Mindanao. It penetrated as well the agricultural
Maranao people of Lake Lanao. Some local traditions suggest that Sharief Kabungsuan
himself may have gone to the lake area and converted the Maranao datus. The Maranao
tarsilas are silent on this matter, however, and it is possible that they were converted through
contacts and intermarriages with llanun and Maguindanao Muslims gradually over a period of
time. Spanish missionaries in 1640 reported that the datus of the lake area were Muslims, but
not all of their followers were - hence parts of Lanao were still thought of at that time as
potentially fruitful fields for Christian missionary work (Ibid).

There is also a tradition in Lanao that tells of another Sharief Alawi who came
possibly from Cotabato to the mouth of the Tagoloan River in what today is Misamis Oriental.
From there, it is said that he and his followers carried Islam to Bukidnon and the shores of
Lake Lanao (ibid). As of now, however, the exact provenance, manner, and dates for the
coming of Islam to the Maranao area are still subjects of speculation. What is known is that
the Islamization process, which began late in the sixteenth or early seventeenth century, was
by no means completed by the middle of the seventeenth century when the Spaniards
attempted unsuccessfully to conquer this area. But Islamization was completed by the late
nineteenth century when the Spaniards returned to campaign again. That the tarsilas of
Mranao sultans and datus almost always trace their ancestry back to Sharief Kabungsuan is
an indication that their Islamic faith and Islamic legitimization are derived from alliances and
intermarriages with Maguindanao and llanun aristocratic families.

Once again, we may look to Professor Majul for a summary of what he has perceived
as the main stages of the Islamization of Mindanao.

1. The appearance of Muslim missionaries in the Cotabato area around the middle of
the fifteenth century - possibly Arabs or Arab Descent, and they appear to have come via the
Sulu archipelago on their way to Cotabato. Some settled and raised families while others
stayed for a time and then departed. To them can be attributed the beginning of Muslim
settlements in the area of Pulangi River Basin. To this stage belong the legendary Sharief
Awliya and Sharief Maraja.

2. The immigration of Islamic people and the arrival of Sharief Muhammad

Kabungsuan in the Ilana Bay area in the first quarter of the sixteenth century- this stage
coincides with the few decades following the final collapse of the Majapahit as well as the
time of the arrival of the Europeans in Malaysia. The ruling families of Buayan and Cotabato
are Muslims, and through their efforts, the process of Islamization is accelerated. Muslim
marriage alliances with neighboring small principalities took place.

3. Additional contacts with other Muslim principalities, i.e., Sulu and the Moluccas in
the last quarter of the sixteenth century - marriage alliances between the royal families of
Sulu, Cotabato and Ternate were forged. Bornean and Ternatean preachers as well as
itinerant Arab teachers appeared before the end of the sixteenth.

4. A stiffening of Islamic attitudes in the face of Spanish attempts at colonization and

Christianization around the beginning of the seventeenth century-an acceleration of the
Islamization process in the Maranao area followed. A general awareness among the Muslim
people of Mindanao that they belong to a wider dar-al-Islam became universal, especially
during the reign of Sultan Qudarat.

Source: Muslim Filipinos- Heritage and Horizon Peter G. Gowing, Quezon City, 1979.

Other Suggested Readings:

Ben J. Kadil, Ph.D. History of the Moro and Indigenous Peoples in Minsupala (Philippine
Studies, Culture & Society) Department of History, MSU-Marawi, 2002.