But his life’s work was also part of the great global yearning to reconcile deeply held religious beliefs with the bewildering challenges and possibilities of the imperial world and its aftermath-in his case, to conceptualize Islam for Indonesia. Hamka (Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah), the prolific author and Muslim leader who is the subject of this study, may at first appear to be a uniquely Indonesian figure. Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Islam were passionately challenged, defended, and adapted as intellectuals and activists debated strategies for self-strengthening and resistance and later-after colonies had yielded to nations-for shaping new national societies. Writers and intellectuals across Asia played a key role in absorbing and spreading new ideas from the West and in articulating publicly the degree to which these ideas could be reconciled with their own hallowed beliefs and traditions.
The Western colonies and other projections of Western power that blanketed much of Asia and Africa by the early twentieth century created a world system so asymmetrical that whole civilizations reeled in response.1 Amid the tumultuous stirrings of humiliation and pride that ensued among defeated peoples emerged the ideas and movements that culminated in today’s nation-states. Preface There can be little doubt that imperialism shaped the world we live in. Hamka and Siti Raham, bride and groom, 1929 Hamka as editor of Pedoman Masjarakat, 1939 Classification: LCC DS644.1.H25 | DDC 297.092-dc23 LC record available at Ĭontents List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Note on Spelling, Transliteration, and Translation Prologue Description: Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, | ©2016 | Series: New perspectives in Southeast Asian studies | Includes bibliographical references and index. Other titles: New perspectives in Southeast Asian studies. Title: Hamka’s great story: a master writer’s vision of Islam for modern Indonesia / James R. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Rush, James R. Rights inquiries should be directed to Printed in the United States of America This book may be available in a digital edition. Except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any format or by any means-digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise- or conveyed via the Internet or a website without written permission of the University of Wisconsin Press. The University of Wisconsin Press 1930 Monroe Street, 3rd Floor Madison, Wisconsin 53711-2059 3 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden London WC2E 8LU, United Kingdom Copyright © 2016 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System All rights reserved. T h e U n ive r s i t y o f Wi s c o n s i n P re s s HAMKA’S GREAT STORY A Master Writer’s Vision of Islam for Modern Indonesia Anderson Ian Coxhead Michael Cullinane Paul D. Baird Katherine Bowie Anne Ruth HansenĪssociate Editors Warwick H.