Sunan Bonang (born Raden Makdum Ibrahim)
was one of the nine
Wali Songo (lit. "Nine
Saints
In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
"), along with his father
Sunan Ampel and his brother
Sunan Drajat who are said to have established
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
as the dominant religion amongst the
Javanese, Indonesia's largest ethnic group.
He was a descendant of
the Majapahit nobility in Tuban and a Chinese captain named Gan Eng Cu. However, another source stated that he was a son of
Sunan Ampel and female noble, Nyai Ageng Manila.
After becoming a prominent
ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam.
"Ulama ...
, he tried to make ordinary Javanese familiar with
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. He is known as teacher of
Raden Patah, ruler of
Demak Sultanate.
According to the manuscript of ''Het boek van Bonang'', which is also known as ''Lontar Ferrara'',
Bep Schrieke has recorded that some views from Sunan Bonang that criticize forms of
Bid'ah (Heresy) and favor orthodoxy of Islamic teaching.
See also
*
Islam in Indonesia
*
Spread of Islam in Indonesia
*
Ali al-Uraydi
Notes
External links
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1465 births
1525 deaths
Wali Sanga
Indonesian people of Chinese descent
Indonesian people of Arab descent
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