Life History of Sunan Giri : Birth, Lineage, & Da'wah Teachings of Wali Songo Indonesia

 

Life History of Sunan Giri: Birth, Lineage, & Da'wah Teachings of Wali Songo

Sunan Giri is one of the clerics of Wali Songo, the first Islamic preaching assembly in Java in the history of Indonesia or the archipelago, in the 14th century AD with the emergence of the Sultanate of Demak and before the collapse of the Majapahit Kingdom. Apart from being a cleric and preacher who actively spread the symbols of Islam, Sunan Giri was also enthroned as a king with Prabu Satmoto. He ruled the Kingdom of Giri Kedaton in 1487-1506, based in Gresik, East Java. Sunan Giri has many other names or nicknames, including Joko Samudro, Raden Paku, and Muhammad Ainul Yaqin. Before spreading Islam, he studied with Sunan Ampel at the Ampeldenta Islamic Boarding School, Surabaya. At the boarding school, Sunan Giri's knowledge was forged. His charisma as a nobleman also grew stronger because he learned from Sunan Ampel, who at that time was also the ruler of Surabaya, a senior member of Wali Songo as well. When the Majapahit kingdom was divided into small duchy, Sunan Giri maintained the independence of his territory and appointed himself as ruler of Giri Kedaton until he died in 1506 AD

 

Sunan Giri's Lineage and Birth Sunan Giri's mother is Dewi Sekardadu, the daughter of the noble Menak Sembuyu from the Blambangan or Banyuwangi Kingdom region. His father was Maulana Ishak, a preacher who came from Central Asia. Hikayat Banjar mentions that Sunan Giri or Prince Giri still has a lineage from the Samudera Pasai Sultanate, the Majapahit Kingdom, and one of the kingdoms in Bali. Reporting from the Giri Village page , if it is pulled further, Sunan Giri's lineage reaches the Prophet Muhammad SAW from the path of Husain bin Ali RA, Ali Zainal Abidin, and so on. This Sunan Giri lineage record was recorded by Saadah Baalawi from Hadramaut and is believed to be a valid source in several Islamic boarding schools in East Java.

 

The story of Sunan Giri's birth begins with Maulana Ishak's invitation to his father-in-law, Menak Sembuyu, to convert to Islam. Menak Sembuyu, who was the ruler of the Blambangan region at the end of the Majapahit era, was angry at being asked to renounce his belief. As a result, Maulana Ishak was expelled from Blambangan. At that time, Maulana Ishak's wife, Dewi Sekardadu, was pregnant. They were separated by Menak Sembuyu. Dewi Sekardadu was forced to remain in Blambangan, while Maulana Ishak continued his journey to another area. Desperate because her husband left her, Dewi Sekardadu finally died while giving birth to a baby in 1442 in Blambangan. This baby is Prince Giri aka Sunan Giri.

 

It is said that at that time there was a big epidemic in Blambangan. Menak Sembuyu believes that the pagebluk is related to the baby boy Maulana Ishak who was born to his daughter, Dewa Sekardadu. Agus Sunyoto in Atlas Wali Songo (2016) wrote, to ward off the plague, the baby was placed in a crate and drifted into the middle of the sea. The coffin was then caught in Nyai Pinatih's ship which was leaving for Bali. By Nyai Pinatih, the baby was adopted as a child and named Joko Samudro because it was found in the middle of the sea or ocean. When he grew up, Joko Samudro was then lodged at the Ampeldenta Islamic boarding school, Surabaya. At the pesantren, under the guidance of Sunan Ampel, he changed his name to Muhammad Ainul Yaqin. Joko Samudro alias Muhammad Ainul Yaqin began to be known as Sunan Giri since he led a boarding school as well as a kedaton in Gresik.

 

Sunan Giri's Da'wah Teachings & His Death Muhammad Ainul Yaqin founded the pesantren after studying at the Ampeldenta Islamic boarding school under the guidance of Sunan Ampel. He also made pilgrimages and deepened Islam in Mecca before establishing the pesantren. The Islamic boarding school founded by Ainul Yaqin is located in the Giri area or the present Gresik area. So, he became known as Sunan Giri. Alik Al Adhim in his book The Kingdom of Islam in Java (2012) wrote that apart from education, Sunan Giri also preached through the works of art that he created, such as songs or songs and children's games. The children's games made by Sunan Giri include Jelungan, Mushroom, Gendi Geri t, and others. Meanwhile, the children's songs that he created are Padang Bulan, Jor, Gula Change , and Cublak-cublak Suweng.

 

Like the other Wali Songo, Sunan Giri also tried to embrace local traditions and combine them with Islamic da'wah, such as slametan , public events, and other ceremonies. Da'wah tactics like this are quite effective in attracting the hearts of people who are then willing to embrace Islam. The charisma and influence of Sunan Giri succeeded in rallying the people to survive when the Majapahit Kingdom was divided before finally collapsing due to an attack from the Demak Sultanate which was the first Islamic kingdom in Java. Together with the students and local residents, Sunan Giri defended the Giri region and established the Giri Kedaton Kingdom or Kedatuan Giri. Sunan Giri died in 1506 AD.