Finding Self-Reflection on The Teachings of Wali Songo
by Siska Widyawati.
* This is the English version of this article. The Jakarta Post version is here.
“About the path that you shall take, don’t be exaggerated. Lead life with simplicity, don’t be arrogant if you talk, and don’t over act in front of other human beings. That is the true path.
To meditate on the mountain or in the cave only creates vanity. True meditation is in the middle of the crowd. Be noble and forgive people who make mistakes. This is the only true path.”
(Syekh Syarif Hidayatullah Sunan Gunang Jati, Naskah Mertasinga, in Sajarah Wali. Wahjoe: Pustaka, 2005)
THIS paragraph was quoted from an ancient paper “Mertasinga” which was a teaching of Syekh Attaulah to Sunan Gunung Jati. Gunung Jati was one of “Wali Songo”, or “Nine Saints” in the history of Islamic preaching in Java in the 15th century. The paper was translated by Amman N. Wahjoe who has inherited this document from his father, handed down from generation to generation in his family.
Wahjoe translated the paper that used to be called babad—originally written in Javanese and Sundanese, then translated to Indonesian, it has became an important document in unveiling the history of the saints in Java. (selanjutnya…)
