The first traces of Indonesia's Islam are in North Sumatra

The first traces of Indonesia's Islam are in North Sumatra

Know Barus City? The First City That Becomes the Gateway to the Entry of Islam in Indonesia.

Who has ever guessed, when did Islam exist in Indonesia? Who brought his teachings first? 

Maybe some of us think that the beginning of Islamic history is in Aceh because of the Samudera Pasai Kingdom. In fact this is not true. 

 

Islam entered Indonesia for the first time in Barus. The old town is located on the coast of Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra. 

To be precise, Barus City is 290 kilometers from Medan City, the capital of North Sumatra. If taken by land route takes about 7 hours drive. But if you are from Sibolga City, it will take around 2 hours overland travel. 

Long before the history of Wali Songo who was the propagator of Islam in Java in the 14th century, Islam had existed in Barus. In the 7th century AD, there is a lot of historical literature which states that Islam in Indonesia was first present in Barus. This is evidenced by the existence of an old tomb in the Mahligai burial complex, Barus, in the 7th century. On his tombstone it is written that Sheikh Rukunuddin died in 672 AD or 48 Hijriyah, this further strengthened the existence of the Muslim community at that time. 

Barus is a historical place and is currently one of the religious tourism destinations in North Sumatra. Although it is very unfortunate, there are still many people who do not know Barus because of the lack of information about this old city. 

If reviewed further, Barus has many traces and legacies of Islam. There are ancient historical objects such as jewelry, coins of gold and silver, inscriptions and statue fragments. In addition, what is very interesting is that there are graves of auliya and ulama who spread Islam in Indonesia in the 7th century ago. Among the most famous are the Tomb of Papan Tinggi, Tomb of Mahligai, Tomb of Sheikh Mahdun, Tomb of Sheikh Ibrahim Shah, Tomb of Tuan Ambar, Tomb of Tuan Shaykh Badan Batu. This tomb is called the Tomb of Aulia 44 Negeri Barus located on a hill in the village of Bukit Hasang, about 2 kilometers from Kota Barus.

 

In the 7th century, Barus was increasingly famous throughout Europe and the Middle East for producing camphor and spices. The entry of Islam to the archipelago is believed to be through this Barus trade route. This trade route is known as the spice route because traders have a mission to find spices.

 Claude Guillot in his book Lobu Tua, History of the Beginning of Barus, describes evidence that since the 6th century AD Barus has become a bustling trading area. At the end of the 7th century which is also the first century Hijri, Arab traders began to set foot in the port of Barus.

From Barus City, the spread of Islam continued to various islands in the archipelago and Indonesia became a country with the majority of the population embracing Islam.