Remembering Hamka, one of the most political Indonesian ulemas in 20th century
JAKARTA – In this article, we give some profiles from one of Indonesian national heroes. This time is Buya Hamka, an Indonesian ulema who also involved in political cases. This year in 2024, Hamka should turn 116 years old, but he had left his beloved Indonesian moslems in July 1981.
- Early life
Hamka was born Abdul Malik on 17 February, 1908 in Agam, West Sumatra, the eldest of four siblings. Raised in a family of devout Muslims, his father was Abdul Karim Amrullah, a clerical reformer of Islam in Minangkabau, also known as "Haji Rasul". His mother, Sitti Shafiyah, came from a lineage of Minangkabau artists. His paternal grandfather, Muhammad Amrullah, was a member of the Naqshbandiyah.
Prior to his formal education, Hamka lived with his grandmother in a house south of Maninjau. When he was four years old, Hamka and his family moved to Padang Panjang, where he learned to read the Qur'an and recite prayers under the guidance of his half-sister Fatimah. At the age of seven, Malik entered the Village School. In 1916, Zainuddin Labay El Yunusy opened a religious school, Diniyah School, replacing the traditional surau-based education system. While attending lessons every morning at the Village School, Malik took afternoon classes at Diniyah School where he quickly learned Arabic.
- Education
In 1918, Hamka left the Village School after three years, because he wanted to emphasize religious education, and his father registered him in a Thawalib. The school required its students to memorize classical books, rules regarding nahwu, and neuroscience. After studying at Diniyah School every morning, Malik attended Thawalib classes in the afternoon and returned to the surau in the evening. Most of the Thawalib's students were teenagers who were older than Hamka because of the heavy material that was needed to be memorized. From the lessons he attended, he was only interested in the arudh lessons which discussed poetry in Arabic. Although his activities from morning to evening were filled with learning, he was known to be a troublemaker, annoying his friends and cutting class to watch movies at a theater.
When he was 12 years old, Hamka's parents divorced, because although his father is a devout religious Muslim, his mother's relatives still practiced traditional practices that did not comply with Islamic teachings. The first few days after his parents divorced, Hamka did not go to school. He instead spent time traveling around Padang Panjang. Hamka had been absent for fifteen days in a row until a teacher at the Thawalib came to the house to check up on him. Finding out Hamka was absent, his father got angry and hit him.
Because of fear of his father, Hamka returned to the class as usual. After he discovered that his teacher, Zainuddin Labay El Yunusy, had opened a book rental library, Hamka spent most of his time reading through borrowed books. He read literary works published by Balai Pustaka, Chinese stories, and Arabic translations. After reading, Malik copied his own version. Running out of money to rent the books, Hamka offered to work for a printing house owned by Bagindo Sinaro, where the book collection were covered with protective cardboard. He helped cut cardboard, make glue dough as a glue for books, and make coffee, but as a reward, he asks to be allowed to read the collection of books that were to be rented out. Within three hours of returning from Diniyah before leaving for Thawalib, Hamka arranged his time to have time to read. Because of his neat work, he was allowed to bring a new book that had not been cardboard to work on at home. However, since Malik was often caught reading story books, his father reprimanded him, so every time he noticed his father was watching, Hamka would put down the story book he was reading, took a religious book while pretending to read it. Family problems caused Hamka to often travel long distances alone. He would leave his classes at Diniyah and Thawalib, and travels to Maninjau to visit his mother. Hamka was conflicted about choosing to live with his mother or father. Hamka sought association with the young people of Maninjau. He studied silat and randai (an Indonesian traditional martial art), as well as listening to kaba, stories sung with traditional Minangkabau musical instruments. He walked further to Bukittinggi and Payakumbuh, briefly hanging out at cockfights and horse racing jockeys. He was neglected for almost a year until when he was 14 years old, his father felt restless and took him to go recite the Koran to the cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Musa in Parabek, about five kilometers from Bukittinggi. In Parabek, for the first time Hamka lived independently.
- Moving to Java
Hamka travelled all over Minangkabau as a teenager, gaining the nickname Si Bujang Jauh, (the Boy from Afar) from his father.
Hamka decided to leave for Java at the age of 15, when he learnt that the Islam taught there was far more advanced in terms of structure and organisation. He ran away from home, unnoticed by his father and only said goodbye to his grandmother in Maninjau. From Maninjau, Malik started his journey with the money his grandmother gave him, In Bengkulu, he planned to meet a relative from his mother's tribe to ask for additional fees, however, he contracted smallpox. He tried to continue but was forced to go back to Meninjau where he spent two-months bedridden. He departed to Java again in July 1924, after spending two months bedridden.
After arriving in Java he went to Yogyakarta and studied under: Bagoes Hadikoesoemo, Oemar Said (HOS) Tjokroaminoto, Abdul Rozak Fachruddin, and Suryopranoto; under Bagoes Hadikoesoemo, Hamka joined Serekat Islam. Before returning to Minangkabau, he visited Bandung and met with Masjumi leaders Ahmad Hassan and Mohammad Natsir, which gave him the opportunity to write in the magazine Pembela Islam ("Defenders of Islam"). Subsequently, in 1925, he went to Pekalongan, Central Java to meet Sutan Mansur Ahmad Rashid, who was the chairman of Muhammadiyah's Pekalongan branch, and learnt more about Islam from him. While in Pekalongan, he stayed at his brother's house and started giving religious talks for Muhammadiyah.
In Pekalongan, Hamka met his father who failed to leave for Egypt after the postponement of the International Caliphate Congress. Muhammadiyah activities attracted Haji Rasul's attention so that when he returned to Minangkabau with Jafar Amrullah and Marah Intan, Haji Rasul initiated the establishment of a Muhammadiyah branch at Batang River. The association that was founded earlier called Sendi Aman changed its name to Muhammadiyah to be recognized as a branch by Muhammadiyah in Yogyakarta. From there, Muhammadiyah spread throughout the Minangkabau area with the help of its former students. In order to prepare Muhammadiyah preachers and teachers, Haji Rasul encouraged Thawalib students to open a Muhammadiyah Tablighi in Sungai Batang. Malik led the speech practice held by the course once a week. He made speeches for those who were not good at composing. His speeches were published in the magazine, Khatibul Ummah, which started with a circulation of 500 copies. Malik completed and edited portions of the speech he received before publication. His teacher Zainuddin and the owner of the printing press, Bagindo Sinaro, helped produce and distribute the magazine. From writing and editing speeches, Malik began to learn and express his writing skills. However, due to financial reasons, the printing of Khatibul Ummah only lasted three issues.
After his first trip in Java, he claimed to have a new spirit in studying Islam. He also saw no difference between Islamic reformation missions in both the Minangkabau and Javan regions: the reformation in Minangkabau aimed at purifying Islam off regressive practices of imitation and superstition, while the Javan movement was more focused to the efforts of combating "backwardness", ignorance and poverty.
- Writing best selling novels
While in Medan, he wrote many articles for various magazines and had become a religion teacher for several months in Tebing Tinggi. He sent his writings to the newspaper Pembela Islam in Bandung and Voice of Muhammadiyah, which was led by Abdul Rozak Fachruddin, in Yogyakarta. In addition, he also worked as a correspondent for the daily paper Pelita Andalas and wrote trip reports, especially about his journey to Mecca in 1927. In 1928, he wrote the first story in Minangkabau titled Sabariyah. In the same year, he was appointed as editor of the "Progress Era" (Kemajuan Zaman) magazine, which was based on the results of the Muhammadiyah conference in Padang Panjang. The next year, he wrote several books, However, some of his writings were confiscated because they were considered as seditious by the Dutch colonial government.
After about a year settling in Sungai Batang, Abdul Malik left his hometown again to go to Medan in 1936. During his time in Medan, he worked as an editor and became editor-in-chief of a magazine Pedoman Masyarakat, which he founded with Islamic cleric M. Yunan Nasution. Through Pedoman Masyarakat, he used the penname "Hamka" for the first time. While in Medan, he wrote Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah, which was inspired by his trip to Mecca in 1927. After the novel was published in 1938, he wrote Sinking of the van der Wijck, which was written as a serialised story in Pedoman Masyarakat. In addition, he also published several novels and books such as: Merantau ke Deli ("Going Away to Deli"), Kedudukan Perempuan dalam Islam ("Women's Position in Islam"), Tuan Direktur ("The Director"), New Forces, Driven, In The Valley of Life, Father (which depicts life of Buya's father), Modern Mysticism, and Falsafah Hidup ("Life Philosophy"). The parent magazine for Pedoman was shut down in 1943 during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies.
- Political career
After attending the congress of Muhammadiyah in Solo in 1928, Hamka never missed attending congresses of Muhammadiyah. Upon his return from Solo, he began to assume various positions, until finally he was appointed as Chairman of the Muhammadiyah branch at Padang Panjang. After the 19th Muhammadiyah Congress in Bukittinggi in 1930, followed by the next congress in Yogyakarta, he met an invitation to set up a branch of the Muhammadiyah in Bengkalis, Riau, after the establishment of school at Parit Bangkong Grand Mosque by Tuan Guru Haji Ahmad, in 1927. He later appointed Muhammad Rasami as secretary of the Muhammadiyah Bengkalis Branch Management. Subsequently, in 1932, he was sent by the Muhammadiyah to Makassar to prepare for the 21st Muhammadiyah Congress. While in Makassar, he had published Al-Mahdi, a monthly Islamic science magazine. In 1934, a year after attending a congress of Muhammadiyah in Semarang, he was made a permanent member of the Muhammadiyah Council for the region of Central Sumatra.
Hamka had an increasingly uphill career when he moved to Medan. In 1942, along with the fall of the Dutch East Indies to the Japanese Empire, Hamka was elected as leader of East Sumatra's Muhammadiyah branch to replace H. Mohammad Said. But in December 1945, he decided to return to the Minangkabau and to resign from the position. The following year, he was elected Chairman of the Assembly of West Sumatra Muhammadiyah leaders replacinc SY Sutan Mangkuto, holding this position until 1949.
In 1953, he was elected as the leader of the central Muhammadyiah Council at the 32nd Muhammadiyah Congress at Purwokerto, holding the position until 1971, although he was still appointed as an adviser to the central leadership of Muhammadiyah until the end of his life.
In 1962, as senior member of the Masyumi Party which was disbanded due to connection to PRRI rebellion, Hamka was jailed two years because he refused to condemn his party members' involvement in the rebellion against the state that was supported by a number of Masyumi leaders.
In 1973, he testified in support of Vivian Rubiyanti Iskandar's petition before the West Jakarta District Court for legal recognition of her gender, saying that "[her desire to transition] does not run contrary to Allah's law, but in keeping with the teachings of Islam, which holds good will to all in high esteem".
- Personal life
Hamka's family portrait circa 1953
Hamka married to Siti Raham in 1929. Together they gave birth 10 kids, including Irfan, Afif and Aliyah. Hamka's wife Siti Raham died in January 3, 1971. After Siti Raham's death, Hamka then married Siti Khodijah in 1974. Hamka also established the Al-Azhar Foundation, which consisted of the great mosque, the high schools and university. The foundation is named after Hamka got the Doctor Honoris Causa title from Al-Azhar University in Egypt.
- Controversies
As told on Irfan Hamka's book "Ayah..." (2013), Hamka had faced several controversies.
1. Arrested by Soekarno's government for murder threat
In 1964, Hamka was arrested among others by President Soekarno, after being sued for threating to kill and end his regime. Hamka was arrested for two years and paroled after Soekarno's presidential transition to Soeharto in 1967. On June 21, 1970, the day of Soekarno's death, Hamka was called by Soeharto as imam, leading for Soekarno's funeral prayer. However, many ulemas blame Hamka for becoming lead funeral prayer for Soekarno due to Soekarno's atheism and Soekarno arresting Hamka.
2. Rivalry and constitutional dispute against Mohammad Yamin
During the middle of his political career, Hamka joined the faction of Masyumi party and faced a "smoke and fire" rivalry against fellow western Sumatranese politician Mr. Mohammad Yamin who joined the faction for PNI party. In a constitutional event, the presidential government decide of which law of UUD '45 (national constitution) will be based for during Soekarno's government: UUD '45 based from Pancasila, or based from moslem law. The majority of PNI faction voted UUD '45 based from Pancasila, while Masyumi voted UUD '45 under moslem law. Since the decision made by the two different factions, the Yamin and Hamka rivalry (as well as PNI and Masyumi) began to burn like a smoke and fire. They began to hate each other until the government of Soekarno launched the 1959 decree that included the UUD '45 will be permanently based on Pancasila. Later in October 1962, moments before Yamin's death, Hamka and Yamin apologized each other for being hated by each other prior.
3. Legal dispute against Pramoedya
In 1963, Hamka was reported of accusing plaigarism from his best selling Van Der Wijck novel by Lekra associate member Pramoedya Ananta Toer, the best-selling novelist known for The Fugitive, This Earth Of Mankind and Child Of All Nations. According to Pramoedya, Hamka's van der Wijck novel plagiarized some works from 19th century French novelist Jean Alphonse Karr. Following the legal dispute, Pramoedya was arrested at Buru Island from 1968 to 1975. A year after Pramoedya being paroled, Hamka took Pramoedya's daughter Astuti and her half-Chinese husband Daniel Setiawan to become mualaf. Dr. Hoedaiffah Koeddah, Pramoedya's friend told the Horizon magazine (August 2006 issue) that both Pramoedya and Hamka still have similar religious thinkings despite different political opinions. The reason of why did Pramoedya taking his daughter Astuti to Hamka for Astuti's husband being moslem on purpose is to apologize for what he (Pramoedya) had done to Hamka prior.
4. Being invulnerable sufism
Hamka has learnt from moslem people whom being invulnerable from weapons during moslem wars through the 6th to 16th centuries. Hamka sufism impact was inspired from what he learned from moslem heroes like Al-Hallaj, Muhammad Al-Fatih, etc.. For example: During the Indonesian revolution war against Dutch Indies in 1940s, Hamka and his family survived from assault by Dutch Indies which killed more than 1000 Indonesian soldiers. Another example is when Hamka faced legal dispute against Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Hamka's best-selling Van der Wijck novel accused of plagiarizing French novelist. However, Hamka is still relaxed of facing disputes. Then in 1978, when attending Muhammad Iqbal's Centenial Summit in Pakistan, Hamka addressed that he learnt sufism from Iqbal, who influenced from Muhammad Ali Jinnah's conspiracy. Prior to the start of the summit/during the opening ceremony of the summit, the-then sixth Pakistan president Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq told Hamka during the handshake that Zia admired Indonesian first president Soekarno as a great hero.
- Death
Hamka's health started to decline after his resignation as chairman of MUI for 1976-1982 period. Following the advice of Hamka's family doctor, Dr. Karnen Bratawijaya, Hamka was hospitalized at Pertamina Central Hospital on July 18, 1981. On the sixth day of treatment, Hamka had time to perform the Duha prayer with the help of his daughter, Azizah, for tayammum. That afternoon, after a unknown thief secretly attacked Hamka without surveilence, several doctors came to check his condition, stating that he was in a coma. The team of doctors stated that his kidneys, lungs, and central nervous system were no longer functioning, and his condition could only be maintained with a pacemaker. At ten o'clock the next morning, the children agreed to remove the pacemaker, and not long after that Hamka died.
Hamka, one of Indonesian noted ulemas in 20th century, passed away on Friday, July 24, 1981 at 10:37 WIB at the age of 73 years. His body was buried at his home on Jalan Raden Fatah III. Among the people who attended to pay their last respects were President Suharto and Vice President Adam Malik, State Minister for the Environment Emil Salim, and Minister of Transportation Azwar Anas who served as imam for the funeral prayer. Hamka's body was taken to the Al-Azhar Grand Mosque and prayed for again, before being buried in the Tanah Kusir Public Cemetery, South Jakarta, led by the Minister of Religion Alamsyah Ratu Perwiranegara.
- Aftermath and legacy
After Hamka's death, the government awarded the Mahaputra Utama Star posthumously to Hamka. West Sumatranese pop singer Zolman released a tribute song for Hamka titled "Selamat Jalan Buya" ("Goodbye Buya") in 1983, two years after Hamka's death; the song broke the dominance of Godbless band songs in Indonesian music charts at the time. Since 2011, he has been declared a National Hero of Indonesia. In 2016, the Indonesian Ulema Council started production on a movie about Hamka's life, titled Buya Hamka. The biopic was theatrically released in two parts in 2023, while part three will be released soon in 2024; the biopic stars actor Vino G. Bastian as Hamka and Laudya Cynthia Bella as Hamka's first wife Siti Raham (Bella previously starred in a 2011 film based on Hamka's popular novel Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah). Two of Hamka's best selling novels are also brought into theaters; the Van der Wijck film grossed US$ 4 million box office income in 2015.
- Sources:
• "Ayah...", a 2013 Buya Hamka autobiography book written by Hamka's son Irfan
• Jeffrey Hadler, "Home, Fatherhood, Succession: Three Generations of Amrullahs in Twentieth-Century Indonesia"
