Pemikiran tasawuf Sunan Bonang (1450-1525 M) berdasarkan naskah suluk wujil

Abstract

This research is a discussion on the subject of Tasawuf (Islamic mysticism) in the thought of Ibrahim bin Ahmad Rahmat Allah bin Ibrahim Zayn al-Akbar bin Jamal al-Din al-Husayn, or Sunan Bonang (Saint Bonang), who was among the prominent religious scholars known as The Nine Saints (Wali Songo). This renowned group were the earliest champions of the Islamization of Java during the 15-16th century. His thoughts and teachings are herein examined with respect to the primary text of Suluk Wujil for the purpose of illuminating his thought. To attain this objective the life history of Saint Bonang was re-evaluated to provide an original critical translation of the text from the Kawi language into Malay. Six different sources of the Kawi text were examined to produce the Romanized transliteration. In the course of this study, at least twenty-four works of primary and secondary sources connected to Sunan Bonang were perused. Library-based research including data collection was employed, and a semantic methodology was applied in the analysis of the subject matter. Much of the research work done by Orientalists and the viewpoints of some local scholars differ as to the life history and teachings of Sunan Bonang – owing to their examination of sources which contained myths and legends, the truths of which were often nebulous. Sunan Bonang’s teaching on Tasawuf was presented through cultural symbols: namely characters, cages, birds, masks, puppets, mirrors, and shadows which gave rise to various confounding interpretations. Hence, the ideas of Saint Bonang and the Wali Songo has generally been misunderstood by such scholars to be Manunggaling Kawula Gusti, a concept closely related to ideas of Pantheism and Monism. In making this study it becomes clear that Saint Bonang’s most authoritative thoughts on tasawuf truly reflects the Tasawuf teachings of the Wali Songo in Java. His teachings conform with the earlier scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah. It is hoped that this study will illustrate the true teachings of Sunan Bonang in particular and the Wali Songo in general, with a view to protect it from the misconceptions of the esotericists.