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The Religious Revival

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The Peasants’ Revolt of Banten in 1888: Its Conditions, Course and Sequel

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Abstract

One aspect of the problem raised in this study is centred on the religious background of the Banten revolt. The latter part of the 19th century was a period of religious revivalism and it is naturally interesting to inquire to what extent this stimulated the insurrectionary movement in Banten under study. The conditions prevailing in the socio-cultural environment of Banten as described in previous chapters undoubtedly prepared a fertile soil for the rise of religious revivalism. Not only were the people inveterate adherents of the Islamic religion; the disruption of traditional order and its concomitant, enduring social restlessness, favoured the increase of religious activities. As will be shown, this process contributed greatly to the acceleration of the preparations for the rebellion. In this connection it should be pointed out that religious protest movements are a product of the same social forces that sustain rebellious attitudes. The stage of development reached in the ‘eighties suggests that the religious movement strove to sanction political aspirations. One encountered political deprivation on the one hand, and traditional reaffirmation on the other. The majority of the religious élite, deprived politically, acted as a protest group, opposing the newly-introduced institutions. Seen from this point of view, the religious revival in Banten can be identified as a religio-political movement, which accomodated various social strains.

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References

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  18. It is stated in the Report of the pilgrimage of 1889 that a considerable number of Indonesian slaves were to be found in Mecca and environment. There were also pilgrims who were put in bonds and were forced to work in coconut gardens in the island of Gocob, near Singapore, owned by As-Saggaf; see Snouck Hurgronje, in Gobée and Adriaanse, Vol. II (1959), pp. 1445–1447; for extensive reports on the As-Saggaf case, see MR 1885, nos. 67, 114, 130, 173; also Vb. Aug. 18, 1888, no. 10.

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  20. The pesantren of Tegalsari was founded during the reign of Paku Buwono III, about the middle of the 18th century; see Brumund (1857), p. 19; also Fokkens, in TBG, Vol. XXIV (1878), pp. 318–336.

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  24. Mention has also been made by the Consul of Djeddah of the name Kadiriah-Naksibandiah, referring to the form of Kadiriah tarekat which had incorporated certain practices of the Naksibandiah tarekat. See Missive of the Consul of Djeddah, Nov. 26, 1888, no. 797/19. Instances are known of people who belonged to two orders or were sjechs of two orders, e.g. of both the Kadiriah and the Naksibandiah tarekat. For these instances, see Snouck Hurgronje, in Gobée and Adriaanse, Vol. II (1959), pp. 1193, 1205, 1210, 1218; Naguib al-Attas (1963), pp. 33–35, 53.

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  25. The Rifaiah tarekat had adepts in Bogor, where it had been propagated by Raden Mohamad Sapi’i in the early 19th century; see Snouck Hurgronje, in Gobée and Adriaanse, Vol. II (1959), p. 1197; Akmaliah or Kamaliah adepts were to be found in Bandjarnegara, while those of the Halwaliah tarekat were simply mentioned in the report of the pilgrimage over the year 1888, no information was given about the location of its branches; see Report of the pilgrimage, 1888. Gf. Snouck Hurgronje’s advice of March 10, 1891, where he mentioned the Halawiah or Alawiah tarekat; Gobée and Adriaanse. Vol. II (1959), pp. 1375-1377. For an account of the Satariah tarekat in Central and East Java during the first decade of the 20th century, see Henny, in IG (1921), no. 2, pp. 809–830, 895-919; cf. Snouck Hur-gronje, in Gobée and Adriaanse, Vol. III (1965), pp. 1964-1973.

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  26. The acceleration of religious sentiment and solidarity was ensured by means of one of the rituals, namely the dikir, i. e. the endless repetition of short prayers recited collectively, together with rhythmic movements of the body. For a full description of the diktr performance, see van den Berg, in TBG, Vol. XXVIII (1883), pp. 159–160; see also Archer, in JMBRAS, Vol. XV, part 2 (1937), pp. 105-107.

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  27. For an account of the bengat ceremonies, see Snouck Hurgronje, in VG, Vol. IV, part 1 (1924), p, 189; cf. Subhan (1960), pp. 88-91.

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  28. As regards the development of the tarekat in West Prijangan, see Missive of the Resident of Prijangan, March 31, 1886, no. 3030 in MR 1886, no. 262; for its development in Banjumas, see Report of the Resident of Banjumas, Jan. 12, 1889, in MR 1889, no. 41; for its development in Bogor, see van den Berg, in TBG, Vol. XVIII (1883), p. 162.

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  29. See van den Berg, in TBG, Vol. XVIII (1883), p. 161; as for the membership of the lower classes in Mecca, this is mentioned in the Report of the pilgrimage, 1888. A treatise on the nature of the tarekat was written by Sajid Usman, Honorary Adviser of Arabic Affairs, in which a warning was given against false gurus, van de Wall, in TBG, Vol. XXXV (1893), pp. 223-227.

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  30. See van den Berg, in TBG, Vol. XXVIII (1883), pp. 163–164. The propaganda in that region was started by H. Abd al-Kadir from Semarang. In the’ eighties there were 13 schools and 15 gurus, of whom 12 were in Semarang, 2 in Kendal and one in Salatiga. Notice that H. Abd al-Kadir was a disciple of the well-known Sjech Sulaiman Effendi, referred to under note 35.

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  31. Other instances of gurus tarekat playing a prominent role in political disturbances are: the Gedangan affair in 1904; the Bendungan-Barong affair in 1907; the Priaman riots, 1908; see van der Lith, in KT, Vol. VI, part 1 (1917), p. 735; Henny, in IG (1921), no. 2, pp. 899-908.

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  32. Snouck Hurgronje presents the development of the Mahdi idea in VG, Vol. IV, part 2 (1924), pp. 221–307; see also Darmesteter (1885). The coming of the Mahdi was also mentioned in one of the versions of the Meccan circular letter; see van Sandick (1892), pp. 150. Cf. the copy of the circular letter in MR 1883, no. 10; also Snouck Hurgronje, in VG, Vol. I (1923), pp. 134–139.

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  33. Snouck Hurgronje, in VG, Vol. IV, part 2 (1924), pp. 424–425; van Sandick (1892), p. 151; the cattle plague was mentioned as one of the tokens which evidently made a deep impression upon the believers. The terrific explosion of Mt, Krakatau in August 1883 certainly augmented the expectation of the coming of the Day of Judgment.

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  34. Two versions may be pointed out: (1) the version as published by van Sandick and by Snouck Hurgronje; (2) the version as copied in the Mail report of 1883. The first was signed by Mohamad Dja’far bin Abd al-Chaliq, the second by Abdus Sarip, radja of Mecca. See MR 1883, no. 10; van Sandick (1892), pp. 143-151; Snouck Hurgronje, in VG, Vol. I (1923), pp. 134–139. For contemporary accounts of this aspect of the religious movement, see De Locomotief, July 1, 1884; also IG (1884), no. 2, pp. 739-744.

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  35. See MR 1883, no. 10; van Sandick (1892), p. 143-151; Snouck Hurgronje, in VG, Vol. I (1923), pp. 139–744.

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  37. E.g. Sajid Abdallah, who successively visited Singapore, Pontianak, Riouw, Kutai, Batavia, and Surabaja; see Snouck Hurgronje, in Gobée and Adriaanse, Vol. II (1959), pp. 1600–1608.

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  38. The well-known supernatural powers of the Wall included the ability to traverse long distances in moments, to walk on the surface of water, to fly in the air, and to predict future events. For a description of the characteristics of saints, see Subhan (1960), pp. 111-112. Every region in Java has its saints; in Banten it is Hadji Mangsur, see Sedjarah Hadji Mangsur (MS). For the hagiography of other saints in Java, see Rinkes, in TBG, Vol. LII (1910), pp. 556–589; Vol. LIII (1911), pp. 17-56, 269-300, 435-581; Vol. LIV (1912), pp. 13-206; Vol. LV (1913), pp. 1-200.

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  1. geboren te Wonogiri, Surakarta, Indonesia

    Sartono Kartodirdjo

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Kartodirdjo, S. (1966). The Religious Revival. In: The Peasants’ Revolt of Banten in 1888: Its Conditions, Course and Sequel. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7543-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-7543-0_5

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