The Advent of Islam and Its Impact on The Malay Rulers and Legal Systems of The Malay States Before European Colonialization

Abstract

Islam played significant role in the Malay Archipelago or Southeast Asian history, in particular its impact in all angles of Malay’s life in this region for centuries. Since the advent of Islam in the Malay World, the spread of Islamic da’wah contributes to a great and meaningful impact on the Malay’s system of belief, thoughts, diffusion of culture and religious practices. Therefore, this research aims to explore the theory of the advent of Islam in the Malay World or Malay Archipelago. This research also aims at studying the effects of Islam on the Malay Rulers. In addition, the study also analyses the effects of Islam on legal systems of the Malay states before European Colonization. This research utilized the qualitative methods suite to the nature of research problem as well as to understand the problem. In this case, the study employs documents analysis, based on the secondary data collected. Primarily, the method that carried out in this study is qualitative historical method consisting of selecting a subject or topic for investigation. Content and documents descriptive analysis of secondary data has been conducted in this qualitative research. The findings of the study showed that the advent of Islam to the Malay world has become an intellectual debate among scholars around the world among both Muslim and Western scholars. There are at least five elements of debate on these issues, in particular the originality of Islamic doctrines in the Malay world, the carrier or bearer of Islam in this region, the theory of the advent of Islam to the Malay world and, the times of the coming of Islam as well as the spreading of Islam in the Malay world. According to al-Attas’s theory on the inner process of Islamization of the Malay world, he has divided this development into three phases: first, the conversion of the body; second, the conversion of the spirit; and third, the period of continuation of the conversion of the body and the consummation of the conversion of the spirit. Islam did impact the Malay rulers in term of Aqidah and worldview, religiosity and religious commitment and seeking knowledge behaviors, attention towards Islamic spirituality and the Malay rulers’ sovereignty in strengthening politics and Islamic laws. The advent of Islam in the Malay world did affect the Malay rulers and the legal system in the Malay states before European colonization.