THE ACHEHNESE - Acehbooks.org

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Islam, and still continues to exercise a great supremacy over men's
minds, in spite of influences originating directly or indirectly from
Arabia. There can be no doubt — numbers of written documents
testify to it — that this mysticism was brought hither by the pioneers
of Islam from Hindustan. The most important works on mysticism in
vogue in the Archipelago were penned by Indian writers, or else are
derived from a body of mystics which flourished in Medina in the 17 th
century and which was strongly subject to Indian influence. To this
body belonged Ahmad QushashI, ') whose disciples became the teachers
of the devout in Javanese and Malayan Countries.
Many of these Indian authors and also QushashI and his disciples,
represent a mysticism which though regarded by cautious and sober
doctors of the law as not exempt from danger, is still free from actual
heresy. Behind this orthodox mysticism comes another, hardly disting­
uishable from the first on a superficial view, but which by its unequi­
vocal pantheism and its contempt for sundry ritual and traditional
elements of Islam, has incurred the hatred of all orthodox Mohammedans.
§ 2. The Heretical Mysticism and its Antagonists.
Heretical The heretical mysticism, of which there arc numerous distinct shades,
mys icism. ^j jjere> as j n Tn(j;a) on fruitful soil, and nothing but the persecutions
which orthodox theologians occasionally succeeded in inducing the
princes to resort to, were able to thrust this pantheistic heresy back
to narrow limits.
This latter sort of mysticism has this in common with the orthodox
kind, that it finds in man's community with his Maker the essence
and object of religion, and regards ritual, law and doctrine merely as
the means to that end. Many of the representatives of this mysticism
almost at once forsook the orthodox track and embraced the belief
1) We shall shortly give further particulars in regard to this remarkable personage. For
the present let it suffice to observe that the "salasilahs'" (i. e. spiritual genealogical tables,
the "chains" of mystic tradition) of the most celebrated mystics in the Archipelago up to
about 50 years ago generally have as their starting-point this Ahmad QushashI of Medina,
who in his turn counted many natives of India among his spiritual ancestors. The great
saint of Acheh, Shaich Abdurra'uf of Singkel, now called Teungku di Kuala from the fact
that he is buried near the mouth of the Acheh river, was a zealous pupil of Ahmad QushashI-