Complete Biography of Sunan Gunung Jati, One of the Wali Songo Who Once Became the King of Cirebon Sultanate

Kapanlagi.com - Who doesn't know the Wali Songo? Wali Songo became a group of figures who played a very important role in spreading Islam in Java in the 14th century. As the name implies, Wali Songo consisted of 9 people. Sunan Gunung Jati is one of them. In preaching, Sunan Gunung Jati has its own uniqueness. You can find out about this uniqueness by reading the biography of Sunan Gunung Jati.

Sunan Gunung Jati is a Wali Songo who was born in 1448 AD. Sunan Gunung Jati preached to spread Islam in the era of Demak and Cirebon Sultanates. Just like other Wali Songo, the story of Sunan Gunung Jati's struggle in spreading Islam is also very interesting to listen to. From this story, there are many valuable lessons that can be learned.

How interested are you in reading the biography of Sunan Gunung Jati? To know the complete story, check out the following review.

1. Childhood and Family Background

(credit: wikipedia)

Sunan Gunung Jati's real name is Syarif Hidayatullah or Sayyid Al-Kamil. Sunan Gunung Jati was born in Egypt around 1402 AD. Sunan Gunung Jati's father was Syarif Abdullah Umdatuddin bin Ali Nurul Alam, while his mother was Nyai Rara Santang.

Sunan Gunung Jati was born into a noble family. His father was a Banisrail (Egypt-Palestine) official during his time, while his mother was the daughter of Sri Baduga Maharaja Prabu Siliwangi from the Padjajaran Kingdom.

Sunan Gunung Jati's parents first met when Dewi Rara Santang was performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. From his parents, Sunan Gunung Jati is also a descendant of Prophet Muhammad SAW, 17 generations removed, through his father's line.

Before deciding to marry, Sunan Gunung Jati's mother, Nyai Rara, made a condition for her future husband. The condition was that if she gave birth to a son, the child must grow up in his ancestral land, Pasundan. Sunan Gunung Jati was born and raised there, eventually spreading Islam in the land of Sunda.

Sunan Gunung Jati grew up in Egypt until he was 7 years old. When he was 7 years old, his father took him on a pilgrimage to the Prophet's tomb in Medina. At that time, his father received a revelation that his son would become a saint in his mother's homeland. From then on, Sunan Gunung Jati's father was determined to fulfill his wife's condition and send their son back to Sunda.

2. Teenage Years and Religious Education

Sunan Gunung Jati's father passed away when he was 12 years old. As the oldest child, Sunan Gunung Jati was expected to continue his father's legacy as an official. Therefore, Sunan Gunung Jati spent much of his teenage years learning many things, including religion.
Every day, Sunan Gunung Jati spent a lot of time reading books in the library. From the books he read, Sunan Gunung Jati began to know and admire the figure of Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah SAW. His admiration for Rasulullah SAW led Sunan Gunung Jati to travel to the Arabian Peninsula. His hope was to get to know and emulate Prophet Muhammad.

During his journey, Sunan Gunung Jati finally met Rasulullah SAW in his dream. In that dream, Sunan Gunung Jati was advised to perform the Hajj pilgrimage while seeking a teacher and deepening his knowledge of Islam.

Sunan Gunung Jati followed the advice. After performing the Hajj pilgrimage and learning from scholars in Mecca, Sunan Gunung Jati returned and told his mother about his experience. At that time, his mother ordered Sunan Gunung Jati to return to his ancestral land in Sunda to spread Islam there.

Sunan Gunung Jati fulfilled his mother's wish. He began his journey back to Sunda. However, before reaching Sunda, Sunan Gunung Jati stopped in Samudera Pasai. There, Sunan Gunung Jati took the opportunity to learn from scholars in Samudera Pasai.

Not stopping there, Sunan Gunung Jati also stopped in Karawang, Kudus, and even at the Ampeldenta Islamic Boarding School in Surabaya, where he studied under Sunan Ampel.

3. History of Da'wah and Leadership

(credit: wikipedia)

Although he had visited various regions in the archipelago, Sunan Gunung Jati's main destination remained in the land of Sunda. When he arrived in his ancestral land, Cirebon was under the rule of the Pajajaran Kingdom and was already led by Raden Walnsungsang, who had converted to Islam. Upon arriving in Cirebon, Sunan Gunung Jati also met with his uncle.

Sunan Gunung Jati's arrival in Cirebon was well received. In addition, he easily socialized with the surrounding community. In Cirebon, Sunan Gunung Jati also found a life partner.

Sunan Gunung Jati's life in Cirebon went smoothly. He also began to preach and spread the Islamic religion. He was even appointed as a religious teacher and replaced Syekh Datuk Kahfi in Gunung Sembung.

Sunan Gunung Jati then established a pesantren (Islamic boarding school). In his pesantren, Sunan Gunung Jati taught the Islamic religion to the surrounding population. He was given the nickname Maulana Jati or Syekh Jati by the community. After successfully preaching in Cirebon, Sunan Gunung Jati continued his preaching to the Banten region.

Not only successful in preaching, Sunan Gunung Jati also succeeded as a leader. Sunan Gunung Jati was appointed as the king of the Cirebon Sultanate during the period of 1479-1568 AD. During his reign, Sunan Gunung Jati brought significant progress to Cirebon. He built many mosques and palaces.

4. Sunan Gunung Jati's Preaching Method

Like other Wali Songo, Sunan Gunung Jati also had his own preaching method. As a scholar and leader, Sunan Gunung Jati preached using a social and cultural approach. In addition, Sunan Gunung Jati also strengthened his political position and influence in the Cirebon, Demak, and Banten regions.

To gain the trust of the community, Sunan Gunung Jati tried to meet their needs. He did this by building facilities for worship throughout his territory. Sunan Gunung Jati even built transportation routes that would facilitate the community and himself in spreading Islam.

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

source: various sources, historyofcirebon.id

(kpl/gen/psp)