Medina (Arabic Al‑Madinah) is the second holiest city of Islam, situated in a valley north of Mekka on the Arabian Peninsula. In Acehnese sources it appears alongside Mekka as a key waypoint in the sacred geography of the archipelago, and it functions as the principal destination of the haji after Mekka, a model for Islamic governance, and a focal point of religious study for Acehnese Muslims. The city is repeatedly cited in the sixteenth‑century Malay translation of the Burda (pages 83 and 91) and in the ethnographic work The Achehnese (Vol. I, Vol. II), where it is described as a centre of Mohammedan civilisation whose legal and liturgical practices influenced Aceh.
Geographical and Religious Significance
Medina lies in a valley (“een dal in de nabijheid van Mekka”) north of Mekka (place). Its status as the second holiest city makes it a central element of pilgrimage routes; Acehnese pilgrims travel from Mekka to Medina before proceeding to the holy sites of the Hejaz. The city is celebrated in Acehnese religious literature as an exemplar of Islamic law and moral conduct, and it is invoked as a paradigm for the organization of the Acehnese sultanate’s religious institutions.
Historical References in Acehnese Texts
Acehnese narrative traditions preserve memories of the early Islamic conquests. The translation of the Burda records that “de stammen der Ha‑wāzin tegen Muhammad vochten na diens verovering van Mekka in 8 A.H.”, linking the Battle of Hunayn (c. 630) and other early battles to the geography of the Arabian Peninsula. The same work mentions Medina again on page 91, underscoring its continued relevance in Acehnese historiography.
In the literary tradition of the Malay world, the Hikayat Soydina Usen relates that “Asan was king at Medina; the infidel Yadib (Ach. pronunciation of Yazid) in Meuse (Egypt)”. The tale continues that Lila‑majan, one of Asan’s two wives, was persuaded by Yadib to poison her husband. The Hikayat Muhamat Napiah records that Muhamat Napiah, son of Ali, ruled in Buniara, a subdivision of the kingdom of Medina, and that a cave where Muhamat Napiah and his horse await resurrection is still described in local lore.
Administrative and Legal Vocabulary
The Achehnese notes that Medina supplies technical vocabulary for Mohammedan administration. The marriage‑makers of Medina are called “licentiates for the making of marriages”; after an examination they receive a licence from the qadhi. This terminology is set beside the mumlik of Mekka (place), the fiqih of Egypt, the naib or district pangulus of Java, and the teungku meunasah of Acheh, all officials who discharge the function of marrying people either directly or through an agent. The variety of names illustrates the diversity of usage across the Muslim world while reflecting a common institutional identity.
Saint Samman and Liturgical Practices
The most famous saint of Medina mentioned in the sources is Samman, who lived in the city a couple of centuries ago and gave his name to the ratib Samman (Arabic ratib Samman). In Aceh the litany, known as the rateb Saman, is especially popular among native Muslims; its constant use has produced numerous regional variations that “serve to accentuate the appalling noise that accompanies its recitation”. In Acehnese practice the traweh prayers of the fasting month are succeeded not by the usual meudaroh but by this noisy rateb. The ratib Samman is also heard in Java and in many Batavian kampongs, demonstrating the religious influence of Medina on the archipelago mediated by pilgrims and students.
Mystic Associations (Tariqahs)
Medina is implicitly one of the centres where Acehnese hajis enrolled in tariqahs (mystic associations) during their residence in the holy cities. Through these contacts mystic practices and formulas entered Aceh, although the tariqahs that flourished elsewhere in Sumatra did not take root in Aceh. The comparative absence of organised mystic orders in Aceh is explained by the presence of indigenous devotional forms—chiefly the rateb Samman—which have long supplied the place of organised mystic practice.
Connection to Aceh
Acehnese scholars used Medina as a paradigm for the organization of the Acehnese sultanate’s religious institutions. The city’s model of governance and piety informed the establishment of madrasas, the appointment of religious officials, and the articulation of a distinctly Acehnese Islamic identity. This connection reinforced the spiritual legitimacy of Acehnese rulers and shaped the region’s Islamic education system.
See Also
- Abdurra’uf of Singkel
- Mekka (place)
- Mecca
- Cairo
- Java
- Acheh
- Sumatra
- Samman
- Hikayat Soydina Usen
- Meuse
- Egypt
- Muhammad (prophet)
- Haji (Acehnese practice)
- Islamic education in Aceh
- C. Snouck Hurgronje
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. II, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.
20260707_232246_DLP-54-Een_16de_eeuwse_Maleise_vertaling_van_de_Burda_van_al_Bu_s_i_ri_OCR.txt, pp. 83, 91.