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Subject History of the Muslim Filipinos and Indigenous Peoples of Minsupala (HIS003)
Chapter/Unit Title 3

Lesson Title Islam and Islamization in the Philippines

Time Frame 3 Hours
Lesson Objectives At the end of the module, the students should be able to:
1. Define Islam and its basic tenets.
2. Explain the Islamization of Minsupala.
3. Identify the personalities responsible for the spread of Islam in Minsupala.

Overview/ Islam is the second largest religion in the Philippines. It is the religion of the Moros
Introduction of Minsupala. The Islamization of the archipelago was made possible by the arrival of the
different personalities and missionaries in the 14 th to 15th centuries that contributed to the
introduction and establishment of Islam religion in Mindanao and Sulu.
This module would discuss the Islam religion and its basic tenets. It would try to
explain the stages of Islamization and the adoption of Islam by the inhabitants of Mindanao
and Sulu.
Activity The students will view the film “Inside Islam” in Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=tU8p2fBN8xY) to show the early history of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.

Analysis Processing Questions:

1. What is Islam?
2. What do Muslims believe?
3. How do you become a Muslim?
4. Are all Muslims Arab?
5. How Islam begin?
6. How has it attracted adherents in other parts of the world?
7. Who is the prophet Muhammad?
8. Who is Allah?
9. What is the Quran?
10. Where is Mecca and why is it important?
11. What do Christianity, Judaism and Islam have in common?
12. What is jihad?
13. What is the difference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims?

Abstraction Islam is one of the major religions of the world with nearly 2 Billion adherents. It is
an Arabic word, literally means absolute surrender/submission to the will of God (Allah).
The term itself is derived from the word “Salam” which literally means “peace”.
The Islam religion was founded by Prophet Muhammad bin Abdullah in the arid
region of Arabia particularly in the city of Mecca after a series of divine revelations (from
the God of Abraham and Moses) through Angel Jibreel (Gabriel). After these divine
encounters, he then began to preach the message entrusted to him that there is but one
God (Allah), to whom all humankind must obey and submit. By the time of his death in 632
AD, Muhammad had converted and won the allegiance of Arab tribal people to Islam. He
had laid the foundation for a community of nation-state (ummah) ruled by the laws of God.
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After his death, he was succeeded by a chain of successors called caliphs and
subsequently by sultan-caliphs. These were Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (First Caliph), Umar bin al-
Khattab (Second Caliph), Uthman bin Affan (Third Caliph) and Ali bin Talib (Fourth Caliph),
then followed by the Umayyad Caliphate founded by Muawiyah ibn Abu Suffian with its
capital at Damascus (Syria), the Abbasid Caliphate founded by Abul Abbas as-Saffah with
its capital at Baghdad (Iraq) and lastly by the Turkish sultanate in 1258 founded by Usman
with its capital in Istanbul (Turkey). These caliphs and sultans were responsible for the
spread and expansion of Islam the world over as far as Southeast Asia where the
Minsupala is located.
Islam is a religion of the Book, the book being the Holy Qur’an. In fact, it is one of
the major sources of Islam aside from the hadith, which are the sayings and creeds of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad compiled into books. The Qur’an, meaning Reading, was
revealed in Mecca for 13 years and Medina for another 10 years, for a total of 23 years. It
has 114 Suras (chapters) of unequal length and having about 6200 verses.
The masjid (Arabic, mosque) is the place of worship for the Muslims. It also serves
as the madrasah (Islamic school) in the community of believers. The mosque also
functions as a center for community gathering like in commemorating the annual festival of
Eid ul-Fitr after the fasting month of Ramadhan and Eid ul-Adha after hajj or pilgrimage has
been preformed by the Muslims around the world at Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.
In the principles of Islam, a person becomes an ideal Muslim if he observes the
Five Pillars of Islam namely: shahada, salat, zakat, saum and hajj. These are the five
duties incumbent on every Muslim. Shahada is the recitation of the creed by sincerely
uttering the Arabic passage “Ash-hadu al-Lailaha illa-wllah wa Ash-hadu anna Muhammad
ar-Rasulullah” which means “There is no God worthy of worship, other than Allah and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Salat is the observance of at least five times
obligatory (fardu) daily prayers. These are the Salat al Fajr (dawn prayer), Salat al Zufr
(noon prayer), Salat al Asr (afternoon prayer), Salat al Maghrib (sunset prayer) and Salat al
Aisha (evening prayer). Zakat is to pay the obligatory alms to the mosque or deserving
persons. Saum is to refrain from eating and drinking (fasting) or engaging on other forms of
self-aggrandizement during the daytime only, especially in the month of Ramadhan for 29
or 30 days. Hajj is about going to Mecca for a pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime, to visit
and perform certain rituals like circumambulating around the Kaaba (House of God),
walking the Saffah and Marwah, spending overnight at Mina, and casting stones at Uzzat.
The Islamization in the Philippines may be remarkably credited with the arrival of
the different personalities and missionaries that contributed to the introduction and
establishment of Islam in Sulu, Mindanao, and the Manila area. The spread of Islam in
these areas could be attributed to the efforts of the missionaries or learned men in religion
like Makhdumin who purposely came to Southeast Asia to propagate Islam. Some of these
missionaries were allegedly sharifs or sayyids (nobles who descended from the Holy
Prophet Muhammad) driven into diaspora after Baghdad was devastated by the Mongols in
1250 and zealous at propagating Islam religion in distant lands. They moved through the
islands to propagate Islam religion.
In Sulu, Islam was instituted in the initial stage by the arrival of Tuan Mashai’ka
around 1310 AD. He was a trader or adventurer from an Arab land and believed to be the
first Muslim to settle in Sulu. In the second stage, there was the arrival of the Makhdumin
missionaries from Arabia that first landed on Mindanao around 1380 AD, then moved to
Jolo, to the islands of Tapul, Tawi-Tawi, Simunul and Sibutu. Karim ul Makhdum or Sharif
Awliya (Zein ul-Abidin), was the most important personage and credited to have built the
first mosque in Simunul island. Other missionaries that came were Sayyid un-Nikab
(Aminullah) and Abd ur-Rahman. The third stage was the arrival pf Raja Baguinda from
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Menangkabaw, Sumatra to Jolo around 1390 AD. He settled at Jolo and established
himself as Raja. The fourth stage culminated with the arrival of Sayyid Abu Bakr from
Johore (Malacca) to Sulu around 1450 AD. He was known with the title of Sharif ul-Hashim
as first Sulu sultan and founder of the Sultanate of Sulu. In the fifth stage, there was the
arrival of Sharif Alawi Balpaki to Tawi-Tawi, in south Sulu, around the 16 th century. He was
credited to have converted the natives or folk people in the said islands.
In Mindanao, the initial stage was the appearance of Sharif Awliya around the 14 th
century. He was the same personage to have arrived at Sulu. The second stage was
represented with the arrival of Sharif Maraja from Juhur around 1460 AD. He married the
daughter of Tuan Awliya, Paramisuli and begot several children. The third stage
culminated with the arrival of Sharif Kabungsuan from Sumatera (Johore) to Maguindanao
around 1515 AD. With great skill and power, he successfully reinforced Islam into the
interior of Pulangi among the natives or local people. He was regarded as the first
Maguindanao ruler and Patriarch to the Ilanaon in the Illana bay area, Maguindanaon in
the Lower Pulangi, Bwayan in the Upper Pulangi and Iranaon (or Maranao) in Ranao (Lake
Lanao). After the establishment of Islam in Pulangi and Ranao, there was the arrival of
Sharif Alawi at Tagoloan, north of Mindanao around the 17 th century AD. His missionary
activities extended to as far as Bukidnon and Lanao.

Mandatory Reading: Read the articles “Islam and Prophet Muhammad (SAW)”, and “Islam
and Islamization in the Philippines” by Michael J. Diamond and Peter Gordon Gowing, and
“A Story of Mindanao and Sulu in Question and Answer” by B.R. Rodil in your Compilation
of Readings in History of Phil. Muslims and Indigenous Peoples in Minsupala (His 003)

Application Create two (2) sets of historical timeline infographic about the Islamization of Mindanao
and Assessment and Sulu. For your guide on how to create infographic timeline, visit this site:
https://venngage.com/blog/how-to-create-a-timeline-infographic-in-6-steps/

1. Set A- Islamization of Sulu Archipelago

2. Set B- Islamization of Mindanao

References
Agoncillo, Teodoro. (1990). History of the Filipino People. Quezon City: Garotech
Publishing.
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Gowing, Peter P. (1979). Muslim Filipinos: Heritage and Horizon. Quezon City: New Day
Publishers.

History of Filipino Muslims and Other Indigenous Peoples of Minsupala: A Teaching and
Learning Guide (2015). MSU System resource material for History 003 classes.

Kadil, J. Ben. (2002). History of the Moro and Indigenous Peoples in Minsupala. Marawi
City: OVCRE.

Majul, Caesar Adib (1999). Muslims in the Philippines. Quezon City: UP Press.

Rodil, Rudy B. (2003). A Story of Mindanao and Sulu in Question and Answer. Davao City:
MINCODE.