THE ACHEHNESE - Acehbooks.org

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induced the disciples of Abdurra'uf to avail themselves of this method
in order the better to propagate their own orthodox mysticism.
Sleight disse- Abdurra'uf has undoubtedly had a great influence on the spiritual
the other ta- ''^ e °^ t ^ ie Achehnese, though it is true that of such mystic systems
nqahs in onjy certain externals (such as the repetition of dikrs at fixed times,
Acheh.
and the honour paid to their teachers) are the property of the lower
classes. But his works are now little read in Acheh, and adherents
of a Shattarite tarlqah or school of mysticism are few and far
between. The other tarlqahs, which in later times caused so great
a falling away from the Satariah, cannot boast one whit the more of
great success in Acheh. Perhaps the war is to blame for this, but
without doubt the Achehnese adherents of the Naqshibandiyyah or
Qadiriyyah are of no account as compared with those of West Java
or of Deli and Langkat.
On the other hand the tomb of Abdurra'uf continues to attract crowds
of devout visitors, and it is made the object of all kinds of vows which
are fulfilled by pious offerings to the saint. This tomb has become the
subject of a characteristic legend which shows how little regard the
Achehnese pay to chronology.
Legend res- Some of them make out Abdurra'uf to have been the introducer
durra"uf " °^ I s ' am m ^° Acheh, although this religion was prevalent in the country
at least two centuries before his time. Others make him a contemporary
of liamzah Pansuri and represent him as the latter's antagonist, as it
became a holy teacher to be. The story goes that Hamzah had esta­
blished a house of ill-fame at the capital of Acheh; for no vice is too
black to be laid at the door of heretics. Abdurra'uf made appointments
with the women, one after another; but in place of treading with them
the path of vice, he first paid them the recompense they looked for,
and then proceeded to convert them to the true faith.
§ 3. Present level of learning in Acheh.
From the above remarks it may have been gathered that for more
than three centuries the three chief branches of learning of Islam (Fiqh,
Ucul and Tacatuzvuf, Ach. Pikah, Usuy and Teusawoh) and as a means
or instrument to attain them, the Arabic grammar and its accessories
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