Network of Sheikh Ahmad Khatib al Minangkabawi in the Malay world.

Abstract

This research examines Sheikh Ahmad Khatib al-Minangkabawi who became one of the most influential Nusantara scholars in the city of Mecca Al- Mukarramah in the 19th to early 20th centuries. Ahmad Khatib al-Minangkabawi was an imam at the Masjid Al- Haram, who became an important figure in the transmission of Islamic knowledge to students from the Malay world, especially from Indonesia and Malaysia. His influence was not only in his written works, but also through his network of students who later became scholars and reformers in the Malay World. This paper aims to examine the intellectual role of Sheikh Ahmad Khatib al-Minangkabawi in building a network of scholars in the Malay World and how the network contributed. The data collected from primary sources are the writings of Sheikh Ahmad Kahtib and the biographies of his students and for Secondary sources are from previous studies and literature related to Sheikh Khatib al-Minangkabawi and his network of students in the Malay World. The results of this study show that Sheikh Ahmad Khatib had a significant influence in shaping Islamic discourse in the Malay World. He became the teacher of great figures such as Hasyim Asy'ari, Ahmad Dahlan who became the pioneer of modern Islamic organisations in Indonesia, and many also became reformers in Minangkabau and Malaysia. Through his students, his thoughts and knowledge spread widely, contributing greatly to the formation of Islamic identity in the Malay World