Theories of the Spread of Islam in Nusantara and Its Foundational Characteristics: A Critical Analytical Historical Study 10.35781/1637-000-165-007

Abstract

Abstract

This research examines the problematic of Islam's entry into the Nusantara archipelago (Southeast Asia) and the distinctive characteristics of its foundational stage, through a systematic critical review of five major interpretive theories: the Indian (Gujarati) theory, the Arab (Yemeni-Hadhrami) theory, the Chinese theory, the Sufi theory, and the Trade Networks theory. The study employs the analytical-critical historical method, drawing on a broad spectrum of primary sources including Arabic geographical manuscripts by Ibn Khordadbeh and al-Masudi, classical Javanese texts, the travel accounts of Ibn Battuta, and Portuguese and Dutch documents.

The research concludes that the composite explanation combining Arab-Hadhrami origins with the flexible Sufi method of propagation possesses the strongest historical and archaeological evidence. The study also identifies the syncretic-assimilative characteristics of early Islam in Java and analyzes the fundamental tension between the philosophical Sufi current (Hamzah Fansuri) and the juridical reform movement (Nuruddin al-Raniri) as a significant civilizational indicator of the archipelago's religious transformation.

Keywords: Nusantara, Islam in Southeast Asia, Islamization theories, Javanese Islam, Sufi orders, Hamzah Fansuri, al-Raniri.