The Changing and Diverse Influences of Islam in Shaping Adab Writings in Malaysia and Indonesia
Adab, as normative behavior and etiquette, is generally unwritten, but the writing of adab is an important part of the efforts towards preserving and educating ethical norms across the generations of particular religions, ethnicities, and nations. In Malaysia and Indonesia, it is generally assumed that Islam plays a similar and static role in informing and shaping ethical ideals. This paper discusses the changing and diverse ways in which Islamic references were used explicitly and implicitly in adab writings—from the work of Malay teacher Muhammad Ghazali, scholar-activist Syed Ahmad Al-Hadi, and literary critic Zainal Abidin Ahmad (Za’ba) during the British time, to the post-colonial adab translations of the medieval works of Al-Ghazali and the Salafi scholar Al-Jazairi in the Pengasuh journal in Kelantan. The paper examines whether Malay meanings of adab are framed differently from the Dutch-colonial-era scholars such as Sayyid Uthman in Batavia, and several others in post-colonial Indonesia who wrote about normative behavior in terms of adab, as well as budi pekerti, tata susila, and sopan santun. Select Islamic texts play an increasing and greater role in shaping the formulations of adab in Malaysia and Indonesia, but the paper also explores which factors contribute to such diversity of adab and ethical expressions in the region, which may be comparable to adab expressions in Middle Eastern and South Asian contexts.
Biography
Muhamad Ali, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Religious Studies and SEATRiP Program (Southeast Asia: Text, Ritual, and Performance) at the University of California, Riverside. His recent publications include a book, Islam and Colonialism: Becoming Modern in Indonesia and Malaya (Edinburgh University Press, 2016), and book chapters “Islam in Modern Southeast Asian History” (2014), “Far from Mecca: Modern Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia” (2013), and “The Internet, Cyber-religion, and Authority: The Case of Indonesian Liberal Islam Network” (2011). His journal articles include “Eclecticism of Modern Islam: Islam Hadhari in Malaysia” (2011) and “The Fatwas of Interfaith Marriage in Indonesia” (2002). He teaches Islam in Southeast Asia, Religions in Southeast Asia, Reading the Qur'an, and Modern Topics in Islam, among others.