Tuanku Nan Tuo
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Tuanku Nan Tuo (1723–1830) or Tuan Ku Nan Tua was one of the leading
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see bel ...
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 ...
s. He was known as a '' wasatiyyah'' (moderate) cleric, who took
syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...
approaches in the religious outlook, and was a
Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
and aspired for reformation and purification of Islam in the Agam region of West Sumatra at the same time. He also played a crucial role in the birth of Minangkabau Islamic reformers known as '' padri''. Tuo however, disagreed with the more radically puritanical views espoused by padris including Tuanku Nan Renceh and
Tuanku Imam Bonjol Tuanku Imam Bonjol (1772 – 6 November 1864), also known as Muhammad Syahab, Peto Syarif, and Malim Basa, was one of the most popular leaders of the Padri movement in Central Sumatra. He was declared a National Hero of Indonesia. Biogra ...
.


Early life

Tuanku Nan Tuo was born in Koto Tuo, IV Angkek, Agam, in 1723. During his youth, he was a passionate teenager about studying the Islamic sciences. He studied Islam from Tuanku Mansiangan Nan Tuo in Paninjau, Tanah Datar. He also acquired ''ilmu mantiq'' (logic) and ''ilmu ma'ani'' (
kalam ''Ilm al-kalam'' or ''ilm al-lahut'', often shortened to ''kalam'', is the scholastic, speculative, or rational study of Islamic theology ('' aqida''). It can also be defined as the science that studies the fundamental doctrines of Islamic fai ...
) from Tuanku Nan Kaciak in Koto Gadang, studied the discipline of ''Sharaf'' and ''nahwu'' (sciences of Arabic comprehension) from Tuanku in Talang and Tuanku in Salayo respectively, as well as sciences of
hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
,
tafsir Tafsir ( ; ) refers to an exegesis, or commentary, of the Quran. An author of a ''tafsir'' is a ' (; plural: ). A Quranic ''tafsir'' attempts to provide elucidation, explanation, interpretation, context or commentary for clear understanding ...
, and
usul al-fiqh Principles of Islamic jurisprudence () are traditional methodological principles used in Islamic jurisprudence (''fiqh'') for deriving the rulings of Islamic law (''sharia''). Traditional theory of Islamic jurisprudence elaborates how the scri ...
such as ''faraidh'' (
Islamic inheritance jurisprudence Islamic Inheritance jurisprudence is a field of Islamic jurisprudence () that deals with inheritance, a topic that is prominently dealt with in the Qur'an. It is often called ''Mīrāth'' (, literally "inheritance"), and its branch of Islamic la ...
) from Tuanku in Sumanik.Hamka, ''Antara Fakta Dan Khayal :Tuanku Rao'', 1974: pp.110-112,156-157.


Career

In 1784, Tuanku Nan Tuo became the head of Tarekat Syattariyah
surau A surau is an Islamic assembly building in some regions of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, used for worship and religious instruction. Generally smaller physical structures, their ritual functions are similar to those of a mosque, they admit ...
in Koto Tuo of IV Angkek. When he became the principal of the surau he managed to attract thousands of students from the surrounding villages. Education taught in his surau other than
sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...
was martial arts
pencak silat Pencak silat (; in Western writings sometimes spelled "pentjak silat" or phonetically as "penchak silat") is a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It ...
. The discipline was given so that each student was skilled and able to use weapons in a combative situation. One of his outstanding students, Haji Miskin, followed him in the propagation of sharia in the area of Agam Tuo. In addition, some of his militant students were assigned to preach in IV Angkek, especially to the nagari of trade ventures. Some of his students who continued their efforts in instilling sharia in Minangkabau were Jalaluddin Fakih Shagir who founded surau in Campak Koto Laweh, Agam, Tuanku Bandaro from Alahan Panjang who struggled with Tuanku Imam Bonjol,
Tuanku Rao Tuanku Rao (1790-1833) was an Islamic cleric (ulama), leader and commander. He was known as a prominent ''padri'', a group of Islamic reformists who advocated for the puritanical approach in Islam inspired by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the early ...
in Rao who took over the nagari leadership and preached in his homeland, and Saidi Muning who held the area in Lintau, Tanah Datar. His efforts of expounding sharia were further accelerated by the demand by the local traders surrounding the suraus for security under the sharia regulations. By the 1790s in the IV Angkek region, Agam, regulations regarding trade affairs had advanced greatly and as a result, he had been known as the "patron of traders."


Padri War

Tuan Ku Nan Tuo disagreed with the extremist fanaticism and militant violence: Especially of Tuan Ku Nan Renceh, Tuan Ku Lintau, and Tuan Ku Pasaman. Tuan Ku Nan Tuo was a highly respected authority on Islam and the Padri desperately needed his blessing. Nan Tuo refused and he held steadfast to ''the Middle Way''. In this rift, Nan Renceh would declare himself ''Imam Besar'' (great leader) and belittle his teacher Nan Tuo as ''Rahib Tua'' (old monk). Despite Nan Tuo being the mentor and teacher of the main Padri leaders, they then wreaked revenge upon the Syattariyah order for Nan Tuo's insolence. Syattariyah centres like Paninjauan were razed to the ground. The area around Ampat Angkat (in Agam) was savagely attacked. They murdered the ulama and ''urang cerdek'' (intelligentsia). Any wealth was looted and plundered. The captured women were forced to be their wives and concubines. The Padri warred against Koto Tuo for 6 years during which Nan Tuo's sons were killed in battle. Koto Tuo held out until 1821 when the Dutch won back the area. Even before the Dutch offensive, Nan Tuo had managed to rally support against the Padri in villages from Candung to Padang Tarab. Tuan Ku Nan Tuo died in 1824.


References

{{authority control 1723 births 1830 deaths Minangkabau people Indonesian Muslims Indonesian imams