ABSTRACT
Historically, monarchy (kerajaan) was the pivotal institution in Malay political and social life, and this influenced the process and probably the timing of Islamization. For the first 500 years of Muslim history, rulers in the Malay Archipelago displayed little enthusiasm for the new religion – partly, it can be argued, because its doctrines conveyed suspicion of monarchy and hierarchy more generally. With the growing importance of kingship in the Muslim world – particularly as a result of Persian influence – and also the development of certain mystical (Sufi) concepts of spiritual leadership, Islam became more congenial to the Archipelago monarchs. Confronted also by the expansion of Muslim trade in the region, one ruler after another converted and (so some records suggest) persuaded their subjects to do likewise. This kerajaan Islamization was an empathetic and gradual process. In the seventeenth century, however, a second development in the wider Muslim world challenged the centrality of monarchy. A reformist movement led by shariah-minded religious leaders insisted on equality before God – challenging such hierarchical social formations as the Malay kerajaan. The essay surveys the growing tension between royal elites and religious scholars, noting the way this was exacerbated in the colonial period.
