Sunan Giri (also called Raden Paku or Joko Samudro), Muhammad Ainul Yakin (born 1442 CE in Blambangan (now

Banyuwangi Banyuwangi, previously known as Banjoewangi, is the administrative capital of Banyuwangi Regency at the far eastern end of the island of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 106,000 at the 2010 Census and 117,558 at the 2020 Census. The tow ...

) is considered one of the

Wali Sanga The Wali Songo (also transcribed as Wali Sanga) are revered saints of Islam in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java, because of their historic role in the spread of Islam in Indonesia. The word ''wali'' is Arabic for "trusted one" ("gua ...

(revered saints of Islam) of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

History

He was the son of Dewi Sekardadu and Maulana Ishak of

Melaka Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

(brother of Maulana Malik Ibrahim), and later adopted as a son by Nyai Gede Pinatih, a female merchant. A traditional story says that he was the son of a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

princess who had come to

Blambangan The Blambangan Kingdom was the last Javanese Hindu kingdom that flourished between the 13th and 18th centuries, based in the eastern corner of Java. The capital was at Banyuwangi. It had a long history of its own, developing contemporaneously ...

as a missionary, who was forced to abandon him in a crisis by setting him adrift on the ocean in a small boat from which he was rescued by sailors—a story reminiscent of the biblical Moses. (see ''

Sejarah Banten ''Sejarah Banten'' ("History of Banten") is a Javanese chronicle containing stories of conversion to Islam in Indonesia. The manuscripts of the chronicle date from the late nineteenth century, although two are known to be copies written from the or ...

'').

Education and contributions

As a young man, Giri studied in the school of Sunan Ampel, whose daughter he eventually married,Wali Songo: The Nine Walis
/ref> and where Raden Patah was his fellow student. He later established his own school in at Southern

Gresik Gresik Regency ( older spelling: Grissee, ) is a regency within East Java Province of Indonesia. As well as a large part of the Surabaya northern and western suburbs, it includes the offshore Bawean Island, some 125 km to the north of Java ...

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

, where he got his name ("Giri" means "hill"). The Islamic school he established was not only an institute of religious studies, but a center for local civic activities and social development.

Political leadership

The king of Majapahit granted Giri the authority to expand his role in political leadership, which later on to lead to the greater development of the school, popularly known as Giri Kedaton. Sunan Giri was also known as Prabu Satmata, due to his remarkable record. Sunan Giri foretold the rise of Mataram, and spread Islam to

Lombok Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is ...

, Sulawesi, and Maluku. He was a proponent of

orthodox Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...

, and disapproved of innovation (much like "modernist" Islamic scholars of the 1800s and 1900s).

Later history of the Giri Kedaton school

Giri Kedaton, as a center of religious and political authority led by century head Pangeran Singosari was known for his most persistent resistance to the Dutch

VOC VOC, VoC or voc may refer to: Science and technology * Open-circuit voltage (VOC), the voltage between two terminals when there is no external load connected * Variant of concern, a category used during the assessment of a new variant of a virus ...

and to

Amangkurat II Amangkurat II (also known as Rahmat; died 1703) was the ''susuhunan'' of the Sultanate of Mataram from 1677 to 1703. Prior to taking the throne, he was the crown prince and had the title Pangeran Adipati Anom. He was the first Javanese monarch ...

, who collaborated with the Dutch colonization efforts. The creation of popular Javanese traditional games and children's toys and games such as Jelungan, Jamuran, lir-ilir and Cublak Suweng is attributed to Sunan Giri. His name is also associated with Gending Asmaradana and Pucung (

Javanese poetry Javanese poetry (poetry in the Javanese or especially the Kawi language; Low Javanese: ''tembang''; High Javanese: ''sekar'') is traditionally recited in song form. The standard forms are divided into three types, sekar ageng, sekar madya, and sek ...

)—although they had been mostly influenced by pre-Islamic

Javanese beliefs The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

and traditions, but show signs of eventual Islamization.

References

*Sunyoto, Agus (2014). ''Atlas Wali Songo: Buku Pertama yang Mengungkap Wali Songo Sebagai Fakta Sejarah''. 6th edition. Depok: Pustaka IIMaN.

External links