Shaṭṭārīya (Islamic Studies)

Introduction

Shattariya is one of the Sufi orders developed since the late 15th century in India; it became an integral part of the world Islamic history and civilization. In the Arabic words, a Sufi order is called tariqa, which is also often referred to in some books and sources as “path” or “brotherhood.” Most discussion of a Sufi order cannot be separated from discussion of Sufism, which always consists of two dimensions: the first is the intellectual dimension, which usually deals with the content of philosophical Sufi teachings, and the second is the organizational dimension, which deals with Sufi orders (tariqa). This is also the case of the Shattariya, as we will discuss it shortly. The origins of this order are still obscured, but some sources suggested that it is from the Tayfuri tradition, and attributed to Shaykh ʿAbd Allah al-Shattar (d. 1428/9), a descendant of Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi, who introduced this order for the first time in India. The further development of Shattariya in India is owed to al-Shattar’s pupils, especially Shah Muhammad Ghawth of Gwalior (d. 1562/3), and in the Haramayn (Mecca and Medina) thanks to Sibgatullah (d. 1606). The Shattaris defined their ritual authority from a chain of transmission (silsila) that went back to the Khorasanian mystic Abu Yazid Taifur al-Bistami (d. 874). One of the most influential figures of Shattariya during its popularity in the 17th century of Haramayn (Mecca and Medina) was Safi al-Din Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yunus al-Madani al-Dajjani al-Qushashi, known as Ahmad al-Qushashi (d. 1660), whose teachings of meditation techniques are regarded by his followers and students as the basic guidelines of the order. In the term of Indonesia, Shattariya is the earliest known Sufi order introduced to this region in the mid-17th century. It did not originate from its homeland in India, but through Haramayn, where an Acehnese Muslim scholar ʿAbd al-Raʾuf b. ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri (d. 1693) was initiated by al-Qushashi, and later became a key figure in spreading Shattariya throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Al-Fansuri then proposed Qusashiya tariqa as another name of the reformed Shattariya, which propagates the rapprochement between Sufism and Sharia. Most of the works on Shattariya, written both in Arabic and non-Arabic local languages, contain its mystical teachings and spiritual genealogy of teachers (murshids) and their disciples (murids).

General Overview

Most scholarly studies on the Shattariya Sufi order pay extensive attention to the history and development of this order in three regions: India, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, with special reference to Indonesia. Among those that deal with the Shattariya in early formation in India are Rizvi 1983 (Vol. 2), discussing the origins and early development of the Shattariya in the region, and Ernst 1999, which deals with the persecution of Shaykh Muhammad Ghawth of Gwalior, one of the foremost Shattariya leaders in India. Ernst 1996, Ernst 2005, and Ernst 2013 argue the influences of yoga on Shattariya practices. Van Bruinessen 1994 contains a historical explanation of why the Shattariya became one of the crucial factors of Islamization in the Malay archipelago. As of the Shattariya’s development in the Haramayn, and particularly its transmission to other regions, Azra 2004 provides an in-depth historical analysis of the important role of Shattariya in the Islamic reformism in the 18th and 19th centuries in Southeast Asia, especially Malay-Indonesia. Kraus 2010 also briefly outlines the history of the Shattariya in India, Arabia, and Aceh. Laffan 2011 dedicates the first parts of Laffan’s discussion to outlining the dynamics and role of Sufi orders, including Shattariya, as one of the key elements in religious reform in late-19th-century Indonesia. El-Rouayheb 2015 provides a sub-chapter on the history of the early coming of Shattariya in Hejaz, and on the important role of its central figures in spreading the mystical teachings of the order. In certain areas of this current contemporary era, such as Indonesia, the Shattariya Sufi order still exists. However, an extensive study of it is hardly to find.

Azra, Azyumardi. The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern “Ulamā” in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Crow’s Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2004.
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Provides a discussion on the networks of figures who propagated the Islamic reformism in the 17th and 18th centuries in the Malay world, including ʿAbd al-Raʾuf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri (d. 1693), who was the most responsible in spreading Shattariya in this region. He became the key khalifah of Shattariya’s silsilahs in West Sumatra and Java areas, through his two disciples, Burhan al-Din of Ulakan and ʿAbd al-Muhyi of Pamijahan.
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Ernst, Carl W. “Sufism and Yoga According to Muhammad Ghawth.” Sufi 29 (Spring 1996): 9–13.
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This article discusses Muhammad Ghawth’s thoughts in his Baḥr al-ḥayat, which is very influential in the literature of the Shattariya order, on the equivalences between yogic terms and practices, on the one hand, and Sufi concepts, on another.
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Ernst, Carl W. “Persecution and Circumspection in Shattari Sufism.” In Islamic Mysticism Contested: Thirteen Centuries of Debate and Conflict. Edited by Fred De Jong and Berndt Radtke, 3–7. Islamic History and Civilization. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1999.
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This is a short chapter that deals with the persecution of Muhammad Ghawth of Gwalior because of the ecstatic statements that he made regarding his spiritual status. Such an event tells much about the characteristics style of the Shattariya in its early formation in India. This understanding is useful in finding out the later transformation of the order, especially when it spread to the Hejaz and then the Southeast Asian regions, including Indonesia.
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Ernst, Carl W. “Situating Sufism and Yoga.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 15.1 (2005): 15–43.
DOI: 10.1017/S1356186304004675Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This article argues that some Sufi teachings, in India in particular, were clearly influenced by yoga, and the Shattariya probably did the most to integrate yoga into their practice, especially regarding the mantra. Muhammad Ghawth of Gwalior was the most influential Shattari master to include yoga, which became a significant element in the Shattariya.
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Ernst, Carl W. “Traces of Šattari Sufism and Yoga in North Africa.” Oriente Moderno XCII.2 (2013): 361–367.
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This article traces the origins of adaptation of yogic teachings into Shattari practices in North Africa in the mid-19th century through al-Silsabīl al-maʿin, a work written by a prominent North African Sufi teacher, Muhammad al-Sanusi (d. 1859).
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Kraus, Werner. “The Shattariyya Sufi Brotherhood in Aceh.” In Aceh: History, Politics and Culture. Edited by Graf Arndt, Schröter Susanne, and Edwin Wieringa, 201–226. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2010.
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This chapter deals with a historical and anthropological survey on the dynamics of the Shattariya Sufi order in Aceh, the northern part of Sumatra, until the contemporary era, through mapping of the existence of its followers in several rural areas of Aceh. It includes a short biography of the early figures of Shattariya in India and Haramayn, including Muhammad Ghawth of Gwalior, Wajih al-Din al-ʿAlawi, Sibghatullah, Abu al-Mawahib al-Shinnawi, al-Qushashi, and al-Kurani.
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Laffan, Michael. The Makings of Indonesian Islam: Orientalism and the Narration of a Sufi Past. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2011.
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This is a book that provides discussion and analysis of the historical factors that have contributed to the current formation of Islam in Indonesia. Among his wide range of discussion, the author devotes his great attention to Sufism and Sufi orders, including the Shattariya, as one of the the key trends in Indonesian Islam, and part of the important elements that have developed faces of Islam in the region.
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Rizvi, Saiyid Athar Abbas. A History of Sufism in India. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1983.
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This second volume of Rizvi’s book contains information on the history and origins of several Sufi Orders, including Qadiriya, Shattariya, Naqshbandiya, and Chistiya, developed in India, while the first volume traces the history of early Sufism in India in general, and its impact on Indian society. Based on primary sources of Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Hindi, the author suggested a strong interaction between Hindu and Muslim communities of Sufi orders.
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el-Rouayheb, Khaled. Islamic Intellectual History in the Seventeenth Century: Scholarly Currents in the Ottoman Empire and the Maghreb. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9781107337657Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
Provides a critical discussion on the discourse of the Islamic intellectual history of the 17th century of the Islamic world, including the important roles of the figures of the Shattariya and Naqshbandiya Sufi orders in presenting and rehabilitating the more extravagant and controversial ideas of the mystical teachings of Ibn ʿArabi. His subchapter on “The Shaṭṭāri order in the Hejaz” suggested the important role of Muhammad Ghawth in spreading the Shattariya in Hejaz.
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van Bruinessen, Martin. “The Origins and Development of Sûfî Orders (Tarekat) in Southeast Asia.” Studia Islamika 1.1 (1994): 1–23.
DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v1i1.864Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This article provides a general picture of the major roles of Sufism and Sufi orders since the beginning of early formation of Islamization of Southeast Asia. It is highlighted that Mecca and Medina were the center from where the orders came to this region. The two prominent mystics in Medina, Ahmad al-Qushashi (d. 1660) and Ibrahim al-Kurani (d. 1693) were among the reasons some Indonesian disciples have a strong preference for the Shattariya.
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Silsilah of Shattariya

Silsilah (chain of genealogy) is the integral part of a Sufi order. It represents the spiritual authority owned by a murid (mystical seeker) which she or he receives from a murshid (Sufi master), and linked up to the Prophet Muhammad. Once the silsilah is established, a murid is allowed to practice all the Sufi teachings and rituals. The spiritual relationship through silsilah is one of the most important foundations in any traditional Sufi order. Studies confirm that silsilah in particular, and Sufism in general, played an extremely significant role in developing Islamic networks and Islamization in different regions. Most of the scholars in the field, including Rizvi, agree that the validity of a silsilah in a Sufi Order is essential, and therefore must be historically demonstrable (see Rizvi 1983). As suggested in Voll 1980, the significance of silsilah in Sufism corresponds to that of isnad in the prophetic tradition (Hadith); both are regarded as fundamental for the development of Islamic knowledge. Indeed, Sufism and Hadith are two fields of Islamic learning that correlate and reinforce one another. Voll 2002, in which the main focus of discussion is ʿAbd Allah b. Salim al-Basri (b. 1638–d. 1722), also shows that some Sufis, including those of main figures of Shattariya such as Ahmad al-Qushashi (d. 1660) and Ibrahim al-Kurani (b. 1615–d. 1690), actively were involved in Hadith scholarship as well as connected with Sufi chains of authority (silsilah) and chains of Hadith authorization (isnad). A certain work was written by its author (such as al-Qushashi) to provide a guidebook of the Shattariya practices and rituals, and it also contains his silsilah, to be referred to by succeeding followers. In the later development, the silsilah link of al-Qushashi became a central for almost all Shattariya silsilahs in Southeast Asia, as shown in Christomy 2001, which provides silsilah of Shattariya followers in Pamijahan, West Java; Muhaimin 2006, which provides that silsilah in Pesantren (traditional Islamic education institution) in Buntet, Cirebon, West Java; Fathurahman 2003, which provides the silsilah of Shattariya developed in Minangkabau, West Sumatra; and Fathurahman 2016, which provides a philological work on the Shattariya silsilah in Aceh, Java, and the Lanao Area of Mindanao, Southern Philippines.

Christomy, Tommy. “Shaṭṭāriyyah Tradition in West Java: The Case of Pamijahan.” Studia Islamika 8.2 (2001): 55–82.
DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v8i2.688Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
An anthropological study of the Shattariya in the village of Pamijahan, one of most famous pilgrimage sites in West Java, thanks to its Shattariya central figure, ʿAbd al-Muhyi (d. c. 1715). It shows that regardless of decreasing of its numbers and significance, the Shattariya still exists in the contemporary era, and its silsilah is used not only to legitimate their mystical authority, but also to serve as an embedded identity for all people at the village.
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Fathurahman, Oman. “Reinforcing Neo-Sufism in the Malay-Indonesian World: Shaṭṭārīya Order in West Sumatra.” Studia Islamika 10.3 (2003): 29–93.
DOI: 10.15408/sdi.v10i3.623Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This article provides the Shattariya silsilah of followers in the Minangkabau area of West Sumatra, linked through their most prominent figure, Burhanuddin of Ulakan. It is also useful to find out the dynamics and development of the Shattariya in the region until the contemporary era. The author mainly based his philological study on a number of local Minangkabau-Malay manuscripts, which are privately kept in the traditional Islamic education institutions (surau) in Minangkabau.
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Fathurahman, Oman. Shaṭṭārīyah silsilah in Aceh, Java, and the Lanao area of Mindanao. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, 2016.
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This book provides a philological study of Arabic, Malay, Javanese, and Sundanese manuscripts containing Shattariya silsilah developed in Aceh, Java, and Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The author bases his study on thirty-three digitized manuscripts and makes critical editions of each silsilah texts. It also examines the networks of the Shattariya Sufi order between the 17th and 19th centuries, arguably the most important formative periods of Islamic history in these regions.
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Muhaimin, A. G. The Islamic Traditions of Cirebon: Ibadat and Adat among Javanese Muslims. Canberra: Australian National University E Press, 2006.
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This PhD thesis-based book is an anthropological study of the dialectics of Islam with local cultures in Cirebon, West Java, in which the Shattariya Sufi order is one of elements analyzed, with special reference to the order developed in Pesantren Buntet. The Shattariya silsilah in this Pesantren is not linked up to al-Qushashi through the main Shattari khalifa in Aceh, ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri, but rather al-Kurani’s family instead.
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al-Qushashi, Ahmad. Al-Simṭ al-majīd. Hyderabad, India: Daʾirat al-maʿarif al-nizamiyah, 1327H.
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This is an Arabic source containing practical guidance of taking oath of allegiance (bayʿah) remembrance of God (dhikr), and providing chains of authority, not only of Shattariya, but also of other Sufi orders. Due to the significant role of al-Qushashi as the main figure of the Shattariya Sufi order in Medina, this work is widely used and referenced by succeeding members of the order, and cited in their works.
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Rizvi, Saiyid Athar Abbas. A History of Sufism in India. Vol. 2. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, 1983.
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In the term of the Shattariya silsilah, this source is useful in tracing the very origins of the silsilah in India. It discusses also further successors of the order in India, with their works and mystical thoughts.
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Voll, John O. “Hadith Scholars and Tariqahs: An Ulama Group in the 18th Century Haramayn and Their Impact in the Islamic World.” Journal of Asian and African Studies 15.3–4 (1980): 264–273.
DOI: 10.1163/156852180X00392Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This article presents the existence of complex networks of Muslim scholars, including those involved in the Shattariya Sufi order in 18th-century Haramayn, and their connections to other parts of the Muslim world. Such a network was developed through silsilah of Sufi orders and isnad of Hadith tradition. This source is useful to contextualize the strong connection between the Shattari Muslim scholars with those of Hadith ulemas.
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Voll, John O. “ʿAbdallah Ibn Salim Al-Basri and 18th Century Hadith Scholarship.” Die Welt des Islams 42.3 (2002): 356–372.
DOI: 10.1163/15700600260435029Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This article is useful to get a better understanding of the strong and clear linkage between Hadith studies and affiliation with Sufi orders in the 18th century. ʿAbdallah Ibn Salim Al-Basri is chosen as the case that represents such important linkage, since he was the teacher of Abu Tahir Muhammad al-Kurani, whose father played such a significant role in the spreading the Shattariya Sufi order to several areas, including Southeast Asia.
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Figures and Doctrines

One of the early figures of the Shattariya Sufi order in India, Muhammad Ghawth Gwaliyari (d. 1562), was controversial due to the order’s ecstatic mystical teachings, which caused him to be persecuted and charged with heresy, as discussed specifically in Ernst 1999 (cited under General Overview). In order to bring Muhammad Ghawth’s work widely known, Ernst’s article “Jawāher-e Kamsa” (Ernst 2008) overviews his Persian work representing his mystical thoughts. In fact, Jawāher-e Kamsa became more broadly popular among Muslim scholars thanks to its Arabic version, made by Sibgatullah al-Barwaji (d. 1606), and a commentary on it later written by his leading disciple, Ahmad al-Shinawi (d. 1619), as discussed by el-Rouayheb 2006. In the succeeding development, the popularity of al-Jawāhir al-Khamsa was not only in Hejaz but also in other regions such as Southeast Asia, whereby the Shattariya Sufi order was very influential in the early formation of Islam in this region. However, Azra 2004 suggests that in the context of the Malay-Indonesian world, the main Indonesian Shattariya figure, ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri, who also significantly referred to al-Jawāhir al-Khamsa in his works, reformulated a more moderate Shattariya teachings, thanks to the influence of his two most influential teachers in the Haramayn, Ahmad al-Qushashi (d. 1660) and Ibrahim al-Kurani (d. 1690). Having considered the significance roles of these later two figures in the terms of the Islamic intellectual tradition in that era, A. H. Johns provides basic fundamental information on them in his encyclopedia articles “al-Kurani” and “al-Ḳushashi” (Johns 1986a and Johns 1986b). In addition, Knysh 1995 discusses al-Kurani’s mystical thoughts. One of the most prominent disciples of al-Kurani and al-Qushashi, ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri, is particularly discussed in Rinkes 1909, while Kraus 1995 highlights the most influental student of al-Fansuri himself in Java, Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muhyi of Pamijahan, West Java.

Azra, Azyumardi. The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern “Ulamā” in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Crow’s Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2004.
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Relating to figures and doctrines of the Shattariya Sufi order, this is a fascinating source to get a comprehensively understanding some Islamic works written by the Indonesian Sufis who affiliated to the Shattariya and other Sufi Orders in the Malay-Indonesian world. They did not only write on Sufism but also Quranic exegesis (tafsir), Hadith, and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
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Ernst, C. “Jawāher-e Kamsa.” In Encyclopaedia Iranica. Vol. 14. Edited by Ehsan Yarshater, 608–609. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2008.
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Since the full text of Jawahir al-Khamsa itself is not easy available, this brief encyclopedic article is still useful introduction to get a quick understanding about the mystical thoughts of the well-known and controversial Shattari teacher Muhammad Ghawth of Gwalior.
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Johns, A. H. “al-Kūrānī.” In Encyclopaedia of Islam. 2d ed. Vol. 5. Edited by C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, B. Lewis and Ch. Pellat. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1986a.
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An entry provides basic information regarding Ibrahim ibn al-Shahrazuri al-Hasan al-Kurani. Available online.
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Johns, A. H. “al-Ḳus̲h̲ashī.” In Encyclopaedia of Islam. 2d ed. Vol. 5. Edited by C. E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, B. Lewis and Ch. Pellat. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 1986b.
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An entry provides basic information regarding Ahmad al-Qushashi. Available online.
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Knysh, Alexander. “Ibrāhīm Al-Kūrānī (D. 1101/1690), an Apologist for Waḥdat Al-Wujūd.” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 5.1 (1995): 39–47.
DOI: 10.1017/S1356186300013493Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This article is a manuscripts-based study which demonstrates al-Kurani as the exponent of the monistic teachings of Ibn ʿArabi. Such al-Kurani’s religious preference contributed in turn to the reformation of the more moderate teachings of the Shattariya Sufi Order in the 17th century onwards.
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Kraus, Werner. “An Enigmatic Saint: Syekh Abdulmuhyi of Pamijahan (?1640–1715?).” Indonesia Circle 65 (1995).
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This article presents a discussion on the most influential figure of the Shattariya Sufi Order in Java, ʿAbd al-Muhyi of Pamijahan. Almost all Shattariya silsilahs in Java return back to him who then connect the silsilah to the main Shattariya khalifa in Aceh, ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri.
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Rinkes, D. A. Abdoerraoef van Singkel; Bijdrage tot de kennis van de mystiek op Sumatra en Java. Heerenven: Hepkema, 1909.
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This is one of the pioneer survey articles on the figure of ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri, his biography and intellectual journey to the Arabia.
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el-Rouayheb, Khaled. “Opening the Gate of Verification: The Forgotten Arab-Islamic Florescence of the 17th Century.” International Journal of Middle East Studies 38.2 (2006): 263–281.
DOI: 10.1017/S0020743806412344Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This article consists of a discussion on the spreading of originally non Arabic mystical Sufi orders, including Shattariya as part of the major development of the intellectual Islamic discourse in the 17th century Ottoman Turkey.
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Shattariya in Indonesia

The history and development of the Shattariya Sufi Order in Indonesia deserves special scholarly attention. Historically speaking, the Shattariya in Indonesia played an instrumental role since the early formation of Islam in this region as suggested in several studies such as Johns 1995 and Azra 2004; the latter providing a more comprehensive and detail explanation regarding such role (see also General Overview). However, there is no comprehensive study yet ever carried out regarding the Indonesian Shattariya Sufi order, especially those published in English. Most publications regarding the Order focus on its distinctive dynamics and development in certain different areas in Sumatra and Java. Fakhriati 2008 provides a philological and historical study on the dynamics of the Shattariya in Aceh, Northern part of Sumatra, ranging from the 17th century to the colonial era, while Suryadi 2001 discusses the dispute emerged between the Shattariya followers in West Sumatra with other Muslim groups represented by a figure of Shaikh Daud of Sunur, which was probably caused by economic, political, and religious reasons. In Java, the Shattariya mystical teachings was more accepted not only by the Muslim commoners as discussed in Christomy 2008 and Muslim communities in Pesantren as studied in Muhaimin 2006, but also by palace elites in Cirebon of West Java, Yogyakarta and Surakarta as indicated in Fathurahman 2016. The later book also found several names of female members of the Shattariya Sufi order among the palace elites in the 18th and nineteenth centuries of Cirebon and Yogyakarta.

Azra, Azyumardi. The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern “Ulamā” in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Crow’s Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2004.
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This book comprehensively discusses the influental roles of Malay Muslim scholars of the 17th and 18th centuries, including those affiliated with the Shattariya, in the early Islamization of Southeast Asia, and their religious networks with ulama in the Haramayn.
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Christomy, Tommy. Signs of the Wali: Narratives at the Sacred Sites in Pamijahan West Java. Canberra: Australian National University E Press, 2008.
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This is an anthropological PhD thesis-based study on Pamijahan, Tasikmalaya of West Java as one of the sacred place of pilgrimages (ziyarah) associated to Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muhyi, the most prominent Shattariya teacher in the 17th–18th centuries of Java. Thanks to his background as a philologist, the author also explores the historical manuscripts associated with the Shattariya followers as part of the “living traditions.”
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Fakhriati. Menelusuri Tarekat Syattariyah Di Aceh Lewat Naskah. Jakarta: Departemen Agama R.I., Badan Litbang dan Diklat, Puslitbang Lektur Keagamaan, 2008.
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This book is written in Bahasa, showing the dynamics of the Shattariya Sufi order in several local regions of Aceh, North Sumatra. The author philologically discusses selected Malay manuscripts written both by the 17th-century Shattari scholar ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri and the later followers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Regardless of its significance, this book was printed in limited numbers by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs.
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Fathurahman, Oman. Shaṭṭārīyah silsilah in Aceh, Java, and the Lanao area of Mindanao. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, 2016.
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This book is a pionerring study providing critical editions of Arabic, Malay, Javanese, and Sundanese Shattariya silsilah texts originated from the 17th–20th centuries, and demonstrating the extensive networks among the followers of the order in Aceh, Java, and the Lanao area of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Having cidocologically described all manuscripts under his study, the author also provides brief information of any other texts identified.
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Johns, Anthony H. “Sufism in Southeast Asia: Reflections and Reconsiderations.” Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 26.1 (1995): 169–183.
DOI: 10.1017/S0022463400010560Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
Provides a historical perspective, suggesting Sufism and Sufi orders as the key instruments of early formation of Islam in Southeast Asia. The author assertively concludes that the role of Sufism in the region is not all that different from that in other parts of Muslim world.
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Muhaimin, A. G. The Islamic Traditions of Cirebon: Ibadat and Adat among Javanese Muslims. Canberra: Australian National University E Press, 2006.
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While Shattariya in Cirebon, West Java, was well developed both inside and outside palaces, this book includes only the Shattariya in Pesantren Buntet, a traditional Islamic boarding institution, whose chain of genealogy is rather different from that of the Shattariya silsilah inside the palaces.
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Suryadi. “Shaikh Daud of Sunur: Conflict between Reformists and The Shaṭṭâriyyah Ṣȗfî Order in Rantau Pariaman in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century.” Studia Islamika 8.3 (2001): 57–124.
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This article provides a study on the Islamic modernist Padri movement in Minangkabau, West Sumatra, through the figure of Shaykh Dawud Sunur, who opposed the mystical teachings of the Shattariya Sufi order regarding martabat tujuh (the seven grades of emanation).
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Shattariya Manuscripts

This section provides information regarding the few Arabic, Malay, and Javanese manuscripts containing the mystical teachings of the Shattariya taught by its main figures in the Haramayn and Indonesia, including Ahmad al-Qushashi, Ibrahim al-Kurani, and ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri. Before the digital era, public access to manuscripts preserved in libraries and particularly private collections was rather difficult, so that some scholars tried to provide facsimile editions of them. Janson, et al. 1995 provides a facsimile edition of a Malay manuscript attributed to al-Qushashi. Some of the Dutch scholars, pioneered the study of Malay Shattariya manuscripts of al-Fansuri, including van Ronkel 1914 and Voorhoeve 1952. During the last decades, some philological studies of the Shattariya manuscripts have been carried out by Indonesian scholars for their academic degrees, including Abdullah 1999, Fathurahman 1999, Fakhriati 2008, and Mahrus 2015 (See also some related references under Silsilah of Shattariya). Fathurahman 2011 discusses al-Kurani’s Itḥāf al-dhakī, particularly in the context of Islamic religious dynamics of Aceh in the 17th century. With the growing development of the digital world, some projects have been conducted to digitalize manuscripts around the world, including Islamic manuscripts from Indonesia.

Abdullah. M. Paham Wahdah al-Wujud, Mistik Islam Syeikh Abdurrauf As-Singkili. Semarang, Java: Penerbit Bendera, 1999.
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This is a philological study in Bahasa presenting a critical edition of Kifāyat al-muhtājīn, a Malay work by ʿAbd al-Raʾuf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri that deals with his moderate interpretation of wahdat al-wujud.
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Fakhriati. Menelusuri Tarekat Syattariyah Di Aceh Lewat Naskah. Jakarta: Departemen Agama R.I., Badan Litbang dan Diklat, Puslitbang Lektur Keagamaan, 2008.
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This is a philological and historical study of selected Malay manuscripts found in several local regions of Aceh, North Sumatra. Some of the manuscripts are in the collection of the Aceh Museum, but others are preserved in private collections.
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Fathurahman, Oman. Tanbih Al-Masyi, Menyoal Wahdatul Wujud: Kasus Abdurrauf Singkel di Aceh Abad 17. Bandung, West Java: EFEO & Penerbit Mizan, 1999.
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This book provides a critical edition of Tanbih al-Mashi with an Indonesian translation. The text is al-Fansuri’s Arabic work dealing with the reinterpretation of wahdat al-wujud. It also contains al-Fansuri’s Shattariya chain of genealogy, which connected him to his teacher, Ahmad al-Qushashi, in Medina.
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Fathurahman, Oman. “Itḥāf al-Dhakī by Ibrāhīm al-Kūrānī: A Commentary of Waḥdat Al-Wujūd for Jawi Audiences.” Archipel 81 (2011): 178–198.
DOI: 10.3406/arch.2011.4274Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
This is a manuscripts-based article discussing al-Kurani’s work Itḥāf Al-Dhakī, in the context of religious dispute of wahdat al-wujud in the Malay-Indonesian world. The work strongly suggested al-Kurani as one of the influential exponents of Ibn ʿArabi’s mystical teachings, through which he tried to provide a moderate explanation of the doctrine for his Jawi students.
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Janson, Aad, Roger Tol, and Jan Just Witkam. Mystical Illustrations from the Teachings of Syaikh Ahmad Al-Qusyasyi. Leiden, The Netherlands: INIS, 1995.
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This is a facsimile edition with an introduction of a Malay Aceh origin manuscript, Cod. Or. 2222, of the Leiden University Library, containing the mystical teachings attributed to the most prominent khalifa of the Shattariya Sufi order in Medina, Ahmad al-Qushashi.
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Mahrus. “Syatariyah Wa Muhammadiyah, Suntingan Teks, Terjemahan, Dan Analisa Karakteristik Syatariyah Di Keraton Keprabonan Cirebon Pada Akhir Abad Ke 19.” PhD diss., Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 2015.
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This is an unpublished doctoral thesis providing a textual criticism of a Javanese-Pegon Shattariya manuscript produced in the second half of 19th century.
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van Ronkel, Ph. S. [Silsilah ‘Abd. Al-Rauf Al-Sinkili]. “Pasal pada Menyatakan Silsilah Tuan Syekh Abdul Ra’uf [sic] Tatkala Menuntut Ilmu Kepada Syekh Abdul [sic] Qusyasyi.” In Special Issue: Het Heiligdom te Oelakan. TBG 56 (1914): 281–316.
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This work provides a Malay manuscript on the traditional account of the Shattariya silsilah of Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ra’uf ibn ʿAli al-Jawi al-Fansuri when he studied with and served his teacher, al-Qushashi for several years in Medina.
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Voorhoeve, P. “Bajan Tadjalli: Gegevens Voor Een Nadere Studie over Abdurrauf van Singkel.” TBG 85 (1952).
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This old article is a study of one of al-Fansuri’s Malay works, representing his mystical thoughts on wahdat al-wujud.