Islamization and Social Transformation in Colonial Manna, Bencoolen (1824-1942)
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Published:
Sep 30, 2025
Keywords:
Colonial Economy, Islamization, Muslim Society, Local History, South Bengkulu
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Abstract
This article examines the process of Islamization and its impact on the socio-economic transformation of the community in Onderafdeeling Manna, Bencoolen or Bengkulu Residency, during the Dutch colonial period, spanning from 1824 to 1942. The primary objective of this study is to identify the early figures who disseminated Islam in the region and analyse how Islamic teachings influenced the lifestyle of the local community. Using historical methods through the stages of heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography, this study finds that Islam entered the Manna region around the 1880s through the preaching of Shaykh Muhammad Amin from Nias Island. Islamic activities developed through the establishment of large mosques, such as Al-Manar, the formation of Islamic organisations like Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, and the growth of Sufi orders in the post-independence period. This process also encouraged changes in the community’s economic behaviour, primarily through shifts in trade ethics, increased cooperation in agriculture, and the development of waqf and zakāh-based initiatives. These findings demonstrate that Islam serves not only as a religion but also as a social and cultural force capable of transforming society’s structure in a peaceful and sustainable manner.
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Irama, Dedi, and Emy Herawati. “Islamization and Social Transformation in Colonial Manna, Bencoolen (1824-1942)”. Islamica: Jurnal Studi Keislaman 20, no. 1 (September 30, 2025): 28-51. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://islamica.uinsa.ac.id/index.php/islamica/article/view/1222.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
1. Archives
Al-Manar, Dewan Ta’lim Wal Irsyad. “Pencatatan Kegiatan dan Pembentukan Dewan Ta’lim Wal Irsyad,” 1973.
ANETA. “Berita Kebakaran di Onderafdeeling Manna: De Missigit Afgebrand.” De Sumatra Post, July 1936, 5.
Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia. “Nota Betreffende Controle Op Mystieke Bewegingen, Met Name Naqsyabandiyah, in de Residentie Benkoelen,” 1937.
Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia. “Register Der Inlandsche Hoofden En Geestelijken in de Onderafdeeling Manna,” 1896.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1882. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1882.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1900. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1900.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1901. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1901.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1909. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1909.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1919. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1919.
2. Books, academic articles, and internet sources:
Asad, Talal. “The Idea of An Anthropology of Islam.” Qui Parle 17, no. 2 (2009): 1-30. https://doi.org/10.5250/quiparle.17.2.1
Azman, Zainal, and Supriadi Supriadi. “The History of Islamization In Indonesia: Its Dynamics And Development.” El-Ghiroh: Jurnal Studi Keislaman 23, no. 1 (2025): 67-82. https://doi.org/10.37092/el-ghiroh.v23i1.1092
Azra, Azyumardi. The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern’Ulam?’in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004488199
Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 2012. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203820551
Hasan, Noorhaidi. “The Making of Public Islam: Piety, Agency, and Commodification on The Landscape of The Indonesian Public Sphere.” Contemporary Islam 3, no. 3 (2009): 229-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-009-0096-9
Hefner, Robert W. Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400823871
Jhally, Sut. “Representation and the Media: Featuring Stuart Hall,” 1997. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473929104
Johns, Anthony H. “Islamization in Southeast Asia: Reflections and Reconsiderations with Special Reference to The Role of Sufism.” Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 31, no. 1 (1993): 43-61.
“Kompedium over de Afdeeling Manna.” Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land- En Volkenkunde 8 (1862): 301-8. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134379-90001037
Kuran, Timur. “The Provision of Public Goods Under Islamic Law: Origins, Impact, and Limitations of The Waqf System.” Law & Society Review 35, no. 4 (2001): 841-97. https://doi.org/10.2307/3185418
Laffan, Michael Francis. Islamic Nationhood and Colonial Indonesia: The Umma Below the Winds. London and New York: Routledge, 2003. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203222577
Lape, Peter. “Archaeological Approaches to The Study of Islam in Island Southeast Asia.” Antiquity 79, no. 306 (2005): 829-36. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00114966
Latif, Muhaemin, and Husnul Fahimah Ilyas. “Analyzing the Changing Dynamics of Tariqah Khalwatiah Samman (TKS) Political Influence in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.” Cogent Social Sciences 10, no. 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2330164
Marsudi, Muhammad Sholeh, and Zayadi Zayadi. “Gerakan Progresif Muhammadiyah dalam Pembaharuan Pendidikan Islam dan Sosial Keagamaan di Indonesia.” Mawa Izh Jurnal Dakwah dan Pengembangan Sosial Kemanusiaan 12, no. 2 (2021): 160–79. https://doi.org/10.32923/maw.v12i2.2035
Milner, Anthony. “The Timing of Islamization in Southeast Asia: Local Agency, and the Challenge of Analysing Religious Conversion.” Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 96, no. 1 (2023): 21-49. https://doi.org/10.1353/ras.2023.a900783
Pohl, Florian. “Islamic Education and Civil Society: Reflections on The Pesantren Tradition in Contemporary Indonesia.” Comparative Education Review 50, no. 3 (2006): 389-409. https://doi.org/10.1086/503882
Reid, Anthony. Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680: Volume 2: Expansion and Crisis. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1993.
Ricklefs, Merle Calvin. Islamisation and Its Opponents in Java: A Political, Social, Cultural and Religious History, c. 1930 to Present. Singapore: NUS Press Pte Ltd, 2012. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1qv3fh
Schielke, Samuli. “Second Thoughts About the Anthropology of Islam, or How to Make Sense of Grand Schemes in Everyday Life.” In Research in the Islamic Context, 42–68. London: Routledge, 2022. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003244912-4
Weber, Max, and Stephen Kalberg. The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism. London: Routledge, 2013. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315063645
Westenenk, L C. Memorie van Overgave van Den Aftredenden Resident van Benkoelen. Mededeelingen B.B.B. Semarang: G. C. T. van Dorp, 1922.
Williams, Raymond. Culture and Society, 1780-1950. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983.
Woodward, Mark. Java, Indonesia and Islam. Vol. 3. Springer Science & Business Media, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0056-7
3. Interviews
H. Rahman Ali, South Bengkulu, January 3, 2025.
Ustadh Ahmad Jalil, South Bengkulu, January 4, 2025.
Hj. Mariani, South Bengkulu, January 5, 2025.
Harun, South Bengkulu, January 6, 2025.
Ustadh Ibrahim Zaini, South Bengkulu, January 7, 2025.
H. Darman Lubis, South Bengkulu, January 8, 2025.
Maria Ningsih, South Bengkulu, January 9, 2025.
H. Lukman Wahid, South Bengkulu, January 10, 2025.
Kiai Muhammad Idris, South Bengkulu, January 11, 2025.
Ustadh H. Salim Mahmud, South Bengkulu, January 12, 2025.
Al-Manar, Dewan Ta’lim Wal Irsyad. “Pencatatan Kegiatan dan Pembentukan Dewan Ta’lim Wal Irsyad,” 1973.
ANETA. “Berita Kebakaran di Onderafdeeling Manna: De Missigit Afgebrand.” De Sumatra Post, July 1936, 5.
Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia. “Nota Betreffende Controle Op Mystieke Bewegingen, Met Name Naqsyabandiyah, in de Residentie Benkoelen,” 1937.
Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia. “Register Der Inlandsche Hoofden En Geestelijken in de Onderafdeeling Manna,” 1896.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1882. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1882.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1900. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1900.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1901. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1901.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1909. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1909.
Ministerie van Koloni\u00ebn. Koloniaal Verslag 1919. ‘s-Gravenhage: Algemeene Landsdrukkerij, 1919.
2. Books, academic articles, and internet sources:
Asad, Talal. “The Idea of An Anthropology of Islam.” Qui Parle 17, no. 2 (2009): 1-30. https://doi.org/10.5250/quiparle.17.2.1
Azman, Zainal, and Supriadi Supriadi. “The History of Islamization In Indonesia: Its Dynamics And Development.” El-Ghiroh: Jurnal Studi Keislaman 23, no. 1 (2025): 67-82. https://doi.org/10.37092/el-ghiroh.v23i1.1092
Azra, Azyumardi. The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia: Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern’Ulam?’in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004488199
Bhabha, Homi K. The Location of Culture. London: Routledge, 2012. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203820551
Hasan, Noorhaidi. “The Making of Public Islam: Piety, Agency, and Commodification on The Landscape of The Indonesian Public Sphere.” Contemporary Islam 3, no. 3 (2009): 229-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-009-0096-9
Hefner, Robert W. Civil Islam: Muslims and Democratization in Indonesia. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400823871
Jhally, Sut. “Representation and the Media: Featuring Stuart Hall,” 1997. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473929104
Johns, Anthony H. “Islamization in Southeast Asia: Reflections and Reconsiderations with Special Reference to The Role of Sufism.” Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 31, no. 1 (1993): 43-61.
“Kompedium over de Afdeeling Manna.” Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land- En Volkenkunde 8 (1862): 301-8. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134379-90001037
Kuran, Timur. “The Provision of Public Goods Under Islamic Law: Origins, Impact, and Limitations of The Waqf System.” Law & Society Review 35, no. 4 (2001): 841-97. https://doi.org/10.2307/3185418
Laffan, Michael Francis. Islamic Nationhood and Colonial Indonesia: The Umma Below the Winds. London and New York: Routledge, 2003. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203222577
Lape, Peter. “Archaeological Approaches to The Study of Islam in Island Southeast Asia.” Antiquity 79, no. 306 (2005): 829-36. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00114966
Latif, Muhaemin, and Husnul Fahimah Ilyas. “Analyzing the Changing Dynamics of Tariqah Khalwatiah Samman (TKS) Political Influence in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.” Cogent Social Sciences 10, no. 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2330164
Marsudi, Muhammad Sholeh, and Zayadi Zayadi. “Gerakan Progresif Muhammadiyah dalam Pembaharuan Pendidikan Islam dan Sosial Keagamaan di Indonesia.” Mawa Izh Jurnal Dakwah dan Pengembangan Sosial Kemanusiaan 12, no. 2 (2021): 160–79. https://doi.org/10.32923/maw.v12i2.2035
Milner, Anthony. “The Timing of Islamization in Southeast Asia: Local Agency, and the Challenge of Analysing Religious Conversion.” Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 96, no. 1 (2023): 21-49. https://doi.org/10.1353/ras.2023.a900783
Pohl, Florian. “Islamic Education and Civil Society: Reflections on The Pesantren Tradition in Contemporary Indonesia.” Comparative Education Review 50, no. 3 (2006): 389-409. https://doi.org/10.1086/503882
Reid, Anthony. Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680: Volume 2: Expansion and Crisis. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1993.
Ricklefs, Merle Calvin. Islamisation and Its Opponents in Java: A Political, Social, Cultural and Religious History, c. 1930 to Present. Singapore: NUS Press Pte Ltd, 2012. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1qv3fh
Schielke, Samuli. “Second Thoughts About the Anthropology of Islam, or How to Make Sense of Grand Schemes in Everyday Life.” In Research in the Islamic Context, 42–68. London: Routledge, 2022. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003244912-4
Weber, Max, and Stephen Kalberg. The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism. London: Routledge, 2013. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315063645
Westenenk, L C. Memorie van Overgave van Den Aftredenden Resident van Benkoelen. Mededeelingen B.B.B. Semarang: G. C. T. van Dorp, 1922.
Williams, Raymond. Culture and Society, 1780-1950. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983.
Woodward, Mark. Java, Indonesia and Islam. Vol. 3. Springer Science & Business Media, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0056-7
3. Interviews
H. Rahman Ali, South Bengkulu, January 3, 2025.
Ustadh Ahmad Jalil, South Bengkulu, January 4, 2025.
Hj. Mariani, South Bengkulu, January 5, 2025.
Harun, South Bengkulu, January 6, 2025.
Ustadh Ibrahim Zaini, South Bengkulu, January 7, 2025.
H. Darman Lubis, South Bengkulu, January 8, 2025.
Maria Ningsih, South Bengkulu, January 9, 2025.
H. Lukman Wahid, South Bengkulu, January 10, 2025.
Kiai Muhammad Idris, South Bengkulu, January 11, 2025.
Ustadh H. Salim Mahmud, South Bengkulu, January 12, 2025.