Biography of Sunan Kudus, one of the Wali Songo who had a Strategy of Tolerance Preaching and was Once a War Commander

Kapanlagi.com - Wali Songo, who numbered 9 people, played a very important role in spreading the religion of Islam in Java. Sunan Kudus is one of the 9 Wali Songo who has an extraordinary contribution in spreading the religion of Islam in the past. To get to know him and know his life story, we can read the biography of Sunan Kudus.

The biography of Sunan Kudus can be an interesting and useful read. In the biography of Wali Songo Sunan Kudus, there is a story full of his struggles in spreading the teachings of Islam. In addition to being an Islamic scholar, Sunan Kudus is also known as a commander of the Demak Sultanate.

Curious about the story of Sunan Kudus in spreading the religion of Islam? Check out the following biography of Sunan Kudus.

1. Background and Personal Life

(credit: wikipedia)

Sunan Kudus is estimated to be from the Central Java region, in 1400 AD. Before becoming one of the Wali Songo, Sunan Kudus was known by his birth name Ja'far Ash-Shadiq. Sunan Kudus or Ja'far Ash-Shadiq was a son of an ulama named Sunan Ngudung or Raden Usman Haji. Sunan Kudus' father was a sibling of Sunan Ampel. Meanwhile, Sunan Kudus' mother was named Dewi Sari binti Ahmad Wilwatikta.

From his father's line, Sunan Kudus was also considered a descendant of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Sunan Kudus was a great-grandson of Syekh Ibrahim As-Samarqandi, who, if traced back, was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad SAW through the lineage of Sayyidina Husen bin Fatimah binti Rasulullah SAW.

Before preaching, Sunan Kudus was once a warlord or general of the Demak Kingdom. The split within the Demak Kingdom due to the death of Sultan Trenggana pushed him to leave. Since then, he moved to Kudus to focus on preaching.

The presence of Sunan Kudus or Ja'far Ash-Shadiq was well received by the community. It is proven that his preaching was accepted by the people. Many people then converted to Islam because of Sunan Kudus' warm preaching strategy, far from coercion or conflict. To facilitate his preaching, Sunan Kudus, like other Wali Songo, also utilized art and culture to approach the local community.

2. The Story of Sunan Kudus' Preaching

(credit: flickr)

As mentioned earlier, Sunan Kudus' father was an Islamic scholar and also the sibling of Sunan Ampel. Therefore, during his childhood and adolescence, before starting to preach, Sunan Kudus first studied under his father.

In addition, Sunan Kudus also deepened his knowledge of Islam by studying under several other great scholars, starting from Kyai Telingsing, Ki Ageng Ngerang, to Sunan Ampel who was none other than his uncle. With his intelligence, Sunan Kudus easily understood every teaching he received from the scholars who became his teachers.

However, Sunan Kudus was not only intelligent in terms of reason. Sunan Kudus was also very skilled in social and emotional matters. This was evidenced by the strategies used by Sunan Kudus in preaching. In spreading the religion of Islam, Sunan Kudus used wise methods. Sunan Kudus adapted his strategies to the situation and conditions of the local community. It is not surprising that Sunan Kudus had an approach that highly valued tolerance.

When Sunan Kudus began preaching, Hinduism and Buddhism were still the majority religions in Kudus. Therefore, Sunan Kudus approached the community by trying to acculturate Islamic culture and the culture of those two religions. In addition, like the other Wali Songo, Sunan Kudus also used art as a way of preaching.

The Kudus Tower Mosque is one of the proofs of Sunan Kudus' intelligence in acculturating Islamic and Hindu culture. To bring the community closer to the mosque, Sunan Kudus built a mosque with a tower that resembled a temple. The Kudus Mosque or also known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by Sunan Kudus together with the community in 956 H or 1537 M.

Another proof is that, as a form of respect for the Hindu community, Sunan Kudus asked the local community who had converted to Islam not to slaughter cows during Eid al-Adha. This was done to respect the community who still and formerly adhered to Hinduism, as it is known that cows are considered sacred in that religion.

Instead, Sunan Kudus suggested slaughtering buffaloes as sacrificial animals. Interestingly, the tradition of slaughtering buffaloes on Eid al-Adha is still carried out by the people of Kudus until now.

In Kudus, Sunan Kudus not only spread the teachings of Islam. Moreover, Sunan Kudus also taught several skills that were useful for the community. Some of these skills include blacksmithing and other carpentry tools.

In addition to spreading Islam in Kudus, Sunan Kudus was also appointed as the grand imam of the Demak Great Mosque. The mosque was the Islamic Kingdom of Demak's mosque which had become the center of preaching Islam.

3. The Death of Sunan Kudus

(credit: flickr)

Sunan Kudus spent his life preaching Islam and serving the community. Sunan Kudus finally passed away in 1550 M. Many sources mention that Sunan Kudus died while leading the Fajr prayer at the Kudus Tower Mosque. Sunan Kudus breathed his last breath in a prostrate position.

Sunan Kudus was then buried in the Kudus Tower Mosque complex located in Kauman Village, Kudus City District, Kudus Regency, Central Java. Until now, many tourists and pilgrims come to visit the Kudus Tower Mosque and Sunan Kudus to pray and pay their respects.

That is a brief biography of Sunan Kudus. Hopefully, it can be useful and increase knowledge!

(kpl/gen/psp)