2007 - (Ismail Fajrie Alatas) The Upsurge of Memory in The Case of Haul A Problem of Islamic Historiography in Indonesia
2007 - (Ismail Fajrie Alatas) The Upsurge of Memory in The Case of Haul A Problem of Islamic Historiography in Indonesia
2007 - (Ismail Fajrie Alatas) The Upsurge of Memory in The Case of Haul A Problem of Islamic Historiography in Indonesia
Introduction
The tradition of haul1 has been a fascinating phenomenon in
Indonesia. Today, there are over fifty haul celebrations scattered
throughout the Archipelago. There is little attention, however, paid to
the study of the emergence of this religious festivity. This essay will
look into the reasons behind the proliferation of this celebration,
which began in the early Twentieth Century. In approaching the
1 Haul linguistically means circuit. This term, however, is used to describe the annual
pilgrimage to the shrine of a deceased saint.
2 Pierre Nora, "Between Memory and History: Les lieux de memoire," Representation, 26
(1989).
3 Ibid.
4 Sylvaine Cameline, "Reflections on the System of Social Stratification in
Hadramaut,",in Ulrike Freitag and William G. Clarence-Smith (eds), Hadrami Traders,
Scholars and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean, 1750s-1960s (New York: Brill, 1997), p. 148
5 Linda Boxberger, On the Edge of Empire:Hadramawt, Emigration and the Indian Ocean,
1880s-1930s (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002), p. 153.
haul was led by the successor of the Sa>dah and throughout the ritual
there were a number of orations intended to recall the memory of the
pious ancestors of the Sa>dah. In doing so, it stressed the continuous
function of the Sa>dah and affirmed the authority of their descendants,
who claimed to have acquired al-sult}a>t al-ru>h}i>yah (spiritual powers),
derived from their ancestors.6 Paramount also to the consolidation of
the collective memory of the pilgrims were the hagiographies of the
Sa>dah, which praised the noble ancestry of this particular group.7 The
hagiographies together with poems praising the Sa>dah were read during
the haul. Therefore, the authority of the Sa>dah was derived from the
memory of the past ancestral saints, which was collectivized in the haul
ritual.
During the 19th century, emigration from Hadramaut to Southeast
Asia reached its peak. The growth of capitalism in what were the
Dutch East Indies and British Malaya attracted the Hadramis who
were struggling for their economic conditions to come and participate.
This rapid economic development in Southeast Asia came as a result
of the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.8 Hadramis from different
social backgrounds took part in this mercantile project in Southeast
Asia. In Indonesia, many Sa>dah succeeded in the trade and enjoyed the
respect and admiration of the indigenous people because of their
blood relation to the Prophet. Despite the geographical distance
between Indonesia and Hadramaut, the connection remained strong.9
This is because Hadramaut was regarded as the spiritual center of the
Hadramis in Indonesia, bound by the cult of saints that was
symbolized by the shrines of the Sa>dah’s ancestral lines. Hence, the
status quo, which assured Sa>dah’s hegemony, was maintained in
Indonesia during the 19th century.
6 Abdalla S. Bujra, The Politics of Stratification: A Study of Political Change in a South Arabian
William L. Cleveland, A History of the Modern Middle East, Second Edition (Boulder:
10
Hwe Koan.15 And lastly was the availability of the reformist publication,
notably the Egyptian journal al-Mana>r in Indonesia.16 The first three
factors stimulated the Hadramis to take part in the developmental
progression, while the last factor offered guidance to undertake a
modernist stance.
Many Hadramis were enticed to adapt to the modernist agenda.
This resulted in the ratification of pan-Islamism by many distinguished
Hadramis. Moreover, many of the younger generation, mostly from
the lower strata of the Hadrami society welcomed the reformist
agenda, which preached for the equality amongst Muslims. This was
most likely caused by the prolonged Sa>dah’s domination of the society,
which needed to be reformed. Following this gradual shift towards
modernity, the Hadramis in Indonesia became obsessed with
development. Their aim was to educate the younger generation,
thereby producing modern Muslim intellectuals. By this stage, the
memory of the past Sa>dah was disregarded. The community mainly
focused on the future, by establishing, among others, educational and
publication institutions.17 Furthermore, as a result of the growing link
to the Ottoman Empire through pan-Islamism, many Hadramis shifted
their focus from Hadramaut with its cult of saints to Istanbul with its
progress and modernity. This rearrangement was seen as a direct threat
to the authority of the Sa>dah, which rested upon the memory of the
deceased saints, symbolized by their shrines in Hadramaut. The only
option available to the Sa>dah to retain their authority was to re-invoke
the memory of their noble ancestors.
This period, which was termed as the nahd}ah (renaissance)
witnessed the shift in the Muslim World from a traditional to a more
modern society. The focus on progression, which was preached by the
Muslim reformists, brought about tremendous alteration in Muslim
societies. It gave birth to a teleological development within the Muslim
Netherlands East Indies, 1900-1942 (Ithaca: South Asia Program Publication, Cornell
University, 1999), pp. 35-38.
16 Peter G. Riddell, "Religious Links between Hadramaut and the Malay-Indonesian
Century," in Huub de Jonge and Nico Kaptein (eds). Transcending Borders: Arabs, Politics,
Trade and Islam in Southeast Asia (Leiden: KITLV Press, 2002), p. 166.
world. The aim, which was development of the Muslims, became the
ending point that must be pursued. Following Nora’s term, this period
signaled the acceleration of history, where the rapid historical change
challenged people on how to constitute the past.18 On the other hand,
this progress also encouraged people to remember the past. The result
was therefore an upsurge in the attempts to preserve memory, which
was embodied in a particular site.19 This was vital for the Sa>dah in
particular, who rested their authority on the memory of the past.
The Democratization of History:
A Challenge in Historiography
The advance of modernity did not only bring about acceleration in
history; it also resulted in the proliferation of education. In 1878, a
renowned Sa>dah scholar and poet, ‘Ali> al-H{abshi>, established a
religious academy in Seiyun.20 People from around Hadramaut came to
learn in the academy, thereby producing a higher number of educated
people. Soon more academies were established in Hadramaut such as
in Tarim (1887) and in Ghayl Bawazir (1902). The proliferation of
education meant that the Sa>dah and Masha>yi>kh ceased to be the only
educated elite. As all strata enjoyed education, school of thoughts from
outside successfully diffused into Hadramaut, thereby creating some
dissatisfaction with a number of outdated customs.
A comparable phenomenon also happened in Indonesia. Many
Hadrami migrants, who came to the Archipelago, were exposed for the
first time to more liberal Islamic thoughts. Many admired reformist
teachings, which were prevalent in the Muslim world at the time. The
result of this educational development was the emergence of
intellectuals amongst Hadramis from the lesser strata. These
intellectuals started the new tradition of historiography of Hadramaut.
Through their historiography, these intellectuals challenged the
authority of the Sa>dah. A.S. Bujra noted that one important effect of
21 A.S. Bujra, "Political Conflict and Stratification in Hadramaut I," Middle Eastern
Studies, 3, no. 4 (1967), p. 363.
22 Alexander Knysh. "The Cult of Saints and Religious Reformism in Hadramaut," in
Freitag and Clarence-Smith (eds), Hadrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen, p. 205.
23 Ibid, p, 206.
24 J.D. Legge, Indonesia, Third Edition (Sydney: Prantice-Hall, 1980), pp. 128-135.
Firstly was his intimate relationship with the famous Dutch orientalist
Snouck Hurgronje. For the nationalists, Snouck was seen as a scholar,
whose academic interest in Islam and Indonesia was based on an
ambition to preserve European domination over the colonized land. In
the words of Edward Said, Snouck’s interest in Islamic scholarship was
based on the intention to extend ‘European suzerainty… over Asia’.25
In this regard, Uthman not only befriended Snouck, but also assisted
him in his research.26 Thus, in the eyes of the nationalists, Uthman was
seen as a native informant of the colonial regime.
Apart from helping Snouck, Uthman often acted in a controversial
manner. Most famous of these was a prayer that he composed and
read in honor of the new Queen of the Netherlands, Wilhelmina. For
this, he received a medal of honour from the colonial government.
This event led to many strong reactions against Uthman, which
undoubtedly damaged his credibility.27 Furthermore, one nationalist
writer, Hamid Algadri attacked Uthman for two reasons.28 Firstly was
for Uthman’s condemnation of Islamic insurgencies against the Dutch.
Secondly was for his suppression of pan-Islamism. Hence, for the
nationalists, Uthman as the undisputed leader of the Sa>dah, was
accused of having attempted to preserve the status quo. In effect, all
these controversies surrounding Uthman’s behavior created indigenous
antipathy towards the Hadramis in general.29
Uthman was just one case of this kind. Indeed according to a
Dutch Orientalist, Van den Berg, there are many cases in which
Hadramis of Sa>dah background used their religious authority to help
the Dutch against the indigenous Indonesians who revolted against the
25Edward W. Said, Orientalism: Western Conception of the Orient (London: Penguin Books,
1995), p. 256.
26 Huub De Jonge, "Contradictory and Against the Grain: Snouck Hurgronje on the
Hadramis in the Dutch East Indies (1889-1936)," in de Jonge and Kaptein (eds),
Transcending Border, p. 231.
27 Nico Kaptein, "The Sayyid and the Queen: Sayyid Uthman on Queen Wilhelmina’s
Freitag and Clarence-Smith (eds), Hadrami Traders, Scholars and Statesmen, p. 252.
30 L.W.C van den Berg, Le Hadramout Et. Les Colonies Arabes Dans L’Archipel Indien,
translated by Rahayu Hidayat (Jakarta: INIS, 1989), p. 117.
31 Nora, "Between Memory and History," p. 15.
noble ancestry. During the celebration, prayer was offered to the soul
of the Sa>dah’s ancestors, while their hagiography was read loudly.
Speech after speech followed the prayer emphasizing the qualities of
the Sa>dah and poems in honour of them were read.32 Both the tombs
and festivals became what Nora calls the sites of memory because
‘memory attaches itself to sites’.33
Haul, therefore, became a ritual where collective memory of the
past Sa>dah was formed. People who did not have prior knowledge
about the Sa>dah would come out from the ritual as a man who is
grateful and respectful of the Sa>dah. Haul is a ‘vehicle of memory …
which come to denote the representation of the past and making of it
into a shared cultural knowledge by successive generation’.34 As a
result, the authority of the Sa>dah was totally consolidated. Indeed, this
method was also used by the Fatimids Caliphate in Egypt to retain
their right to the throne of Egypt. The Fatimids, who were the
descendants of the Prophet, established annual pilgrimage to the
shrines of their illustrious ancestors, in the hope of harboring loyalty
from the people to their government.35 It seems that the collective
memory, which was constructed for power purposes proved effective
for the justification of the Sa>dah’s authority.
Conclusion
Today the authority of the Sa>dah is unquestionable. People’s
respect for their religious position is tremendous. The upsurge of
memory in the form of haul has consolidated the Sa>dah’s religious
authority as the descendants of the illustrious ancestors all the way
until the Prophet. One has to notice, however, that the formation of
haul in Indonesia was a reaction rather than an action. During the early
20th century the Sa>dah’s authority faced challenges from two main
factors. The first was the acceleration of history in the form of the
32Sources of information regarding the haul are mainly drawn from my personal
experience having attended haul many times.
33 Nora, "Between Memory and History," p. 22.
34Alon Confino, "Collective Memory and Cultural History: Problems and Methods,"
The American Historical Review, 102, no. 5 (1997), p. 1386.
35 N.J.G. Kaptein, Muhammad’s Birthday Festival: Early History in the Central Muslim Lands
and Development in the Muslim West until the 10th/16th Century (Leiden: E.J. Brill: 1993), p.
27.
Bibliography