Wali 5

Sumber: tantotrans.com

November 16, 2023, to November 18 would be the most unexpected trip with my mom. Our religion travels to the graves of saints. The saints were those who spread Islam in Indonesia. 

Indonesian society was previously said to be animist and dynamic. Animism is a religion that worships the spirits of ancestors. Dynamics is a religion that believes objects have power and are considered sacred. After centuries, Hinduism and Buddhism spread. In the 13th century, Islam came and spread in Indonesia.

Islam spread in Indonesia by Wali Songo. Wali songo comes from the words Wali and Songo. Wali means believer, songo from Javanese means nine. So Wali Songo are nine people who adhere to and spread Islam in Indonesia.

On this trip, we visited 5 Wali Songo graves. It was located in East Java and took two nights and one day. We not only went to the five main ones, but we also visited the graves of other spreaders of Islam.

First, we visited the tomb of Sheikh Ihsan bin Dahlan in Kediri, East Java. He had a book he wrote called Siraj al-Thalibin. Siraj al-Thalibin became one of the master's curricula at al-Azhar University in Egypt. 

The second was the tomb of K.H. Abdul Wahab Chasbullah in Jombang, East Java. He was one of the founders of Nahdlatul Ulama (Nu). He was also the Commander of the Mujahideen Army (Hizbullah) when fighting the Japanese. A member of the Supreme Court (DPA) with Ki Hajar Dewantara. He was very inspiring, and many things he did for the spread of Islam.

The third was the Trunojoyo Tomb in Mojokerto, East Java. There are at least nineteen graves, namely Sheikh Al Chusen, Tumenggung Satim Singomoyo, Imamudin Sofari, Patas Angin, Nyai Roro Kepyur, Syekh Jumadil Kubro, Raden Kumdowo, Sunan Ngudung, Ki Ageng Surgi, Sheikh Jaelani, Syekh Qohar, and Ratu Ayu Kenconowungu. Syekh Jumadil Kubro comes from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Central Asia. He was gave the task of spreading Islam in the Majapahit Kingdom (a kingdom in Indonesia) by Sultan Turki Muhammad 1. He got it because of his talent in Da'wah. He has a nickname as the grandfather of Wali Songo.

Fourth was the tomb of Syaikhona Kholil Bin Abdul Latif, in Bangkalan, Madura, East Java. He was better known as Syaikhona Kholil or Syekh Kholil. He was a teacher of ulama and the father of the Indonesian Islamic boarding school. One of his students was KH. Hasyim Asy'ri. 

The fifth was the tomb of Sunan Ampel or Ali Rahmatullah, in Ampel Surabaya, East Java. Ali Rahmatullah was the son of Sunan Gresik or Maulana Malik Ibrahim. He was born in the Champa Kingdom in Vietnam because his father spread Islam there.

I arrived at Sunan Ampel's grave at 03.34 in the morning. We cross the road to enter the Sunan Ampel grave from the parking area. We will pass a market selling souvenirs such as clothes and food. Then, we entered the mosque area. Sunan Ampel cemetery was behind the mosque. There, we prayed first. And then, we went to the grave to pray.

The name of the Ampel Mosque was taken from the name of the area where it was built. Sunan Ampel spread Islam through marriage relations with the ruler of the Majapahit Kingdom. One of his daughters married his student, Sunan Giri. The other was married to Raden Patah. Sunan Ampel also taught his students to read the Al-Quran, and essence for pronunciation and meaning.

Sixth was the tomb of Sunan Giri in Gresik, East Java. He has the names Raden Paku, Prabu Satmata, Sang Hyang Giri Nata, Sultan Abdul Faqih, Raden 'Ainul Yaqin, and Jaka Samudra. Sunan Giri was the son of Maulana Ishaq and Dewi Sekardadu. Maulana Ishaq as Sunan Gresik brother, so Sunan Giri was Sunan Gresik nephew.

There are several stories about Sunan Giri's childhood. One of them said that Sunan Giri sailed at sea because his mother's grandfather was jealous that his father was able to make his people embrace Islam.

Sultan giri, was discovered by sailors. Then, he was raised by Nyi Ageng Pinatih. From there, Sultan Giri, was summoned by Joko Samudra. He went to the Islamic boarding school owned by Sunan Ampel and married Sunan Ampel's daughter.

The long story, He built an Islamic boarding school on the top of a mountain. In Java Language, Giri means mountain. From that, he was known by the name Sunan Giri. Giri Islamic boarding school became famous for spreading Islam in Java, even until Madura, Lombok, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, and Maluku.

To reach Sunan Giri's grave, we can take a motorbike (motorbike service to the grave from the bus parking area). Then we climbed a little because the grave was at the top of the hill. If we can't climb the stairs, we  take another motorbike taxi. The place was very fresh.

The seventh was the tomb of Sheikh Maulana Ishaq in Lamongan, East Java. He was son of Sheikh Jumadil Kubro, brother of Sunan Gresik, and father of Sunan Giri.

He was famous in the medical field. So when there was a competition, who could heal the king's daughter of Blambangan Majapahit would be married to his daughter. She was Dewi Sekardadu. Then, they had a son, named Sunan Giri.

From the other wife, Sharifah Pasai, he has a daughter, was named Dewi Sarah (Wife of Sunan Kali Jaga).

The grave has entered the mosque. The mosque was big. There we could take a shower after a long journey. In front of the mosque there was a beach called Maldives Beach. We could rest for a while here.

The eighth was the tomb of Sunan Drajat, in Lamongan, East Java. He was the son of Sunan Ampel and brother of Sunan Bonang.

He was intelligent and generous. He spread Islam by prioritizing social welfare first, then teaching about religion. He was known as the creator of Tembang Macapat, namely Pangkur. The government created a museum to collect and save the traditions and legacy of Sunan Drajat.

Ninth was the tomb of Sunan Maulana Malik Ibrahim or Sunan Gresik, in Gresik, East Java. He was the father of Wali. His son was Sunan Ampel, and his grandchildren are Sunan Bonang and Sunan Drajat.

The first thing Sunan Gresik did was to establish good relations with the community. He did not argue about what society was doing, even though it was contrary to the teachings of the Islamic religion. 

Sunan Gresik was a physician. He detained patients without pay. He also likes farming and teaching people how to farm. By instilling Islamic values ​​in their personal lives, many people were interested in Islam.

Tenth was the tomb of Raden Maulana Makdum Ibrahim or Sunan Bonang, in Tuban, East Java. He was the son of Sunan Ampel. Sunan Bonang was famous for spreading Islam through art. He could play music such as gamelan, and perform Wayang to attract people's interest in the teachings of the Islamic religion. Sunan Bonang had a talent for martial arts. He fought a robber who eventually became his student. He was Sunan Kali Jaga.

This trip means a lot to me. The first thing I realized was the saints originally did not come from Indonesia but were direct descendants of the Nabi Muhammad SAW. Maybe this has been taught at school, but I didn't understand it before. It's my bad. There was a lot of gratitude and deepest gratitude to the saints who have introduced Islam into my life.

Of course, there are many imperfections in this story. I really need suggestions and input to learn better. 

See u in the next traveling