Kitab Sabi al-Muhtadin and reflections on the need for revival of Islam in the Malay world in the late 18th century

Abstract

Kitab Sabi al-Muhtadin is an Islamic literature written by Muhammad Arshad al-Banjari, an eighteen-century Islamic scholar also known as Ulama. The kitab was composed at the request of Sultan Tahmidullah II, the Sultan of Banjarmasin. In that time, the Sultanate of Banjarmasin was facing sluggish economy together with political intervention of the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie: VOC) which would preceded the Dutch East Indies colonial regime. The main content on this kitab is on Islamic practices in everyday life, which reflects the attempt on Islamic reformation in Malay worlds, as well as to maintain Islamic belief on Banjarmasin.