1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

P a r t i The Islamic Roots Of Traditional Malay Art "The process of Islamization of the Malay Archipelago which culminated in the 13-16th. century brought about the greatest known cultural revolution in the region. It was the momentous event that transformed both the body and soul of the Malays". (Syed Naquib al-A ttas: 1976) "Since the 14th. century A.D. onwards, it can be safely said that Islam has transformed the culture of the Malays. From then on, it is the Islamic belief and ethos that have become the foundation of the culture of the Malays." (Taib O sm an : 1984). In a number of writings on the coming of Islam in the Malay World, many scholars generally agree on one basic point namely, Islam was the dominant force that penetrated, shaped and transformed the Malay world­ view and ethos. As forcefully argued by al- Attas, in transforming the "body" of the Malay society, Islam became the "civilizing force" which exerted decisive influence on the socio-political and socio-cultural aspects of of Malay life. Concommitantly, by transforming its soul, Islam became the spiritual force that affected radical change in their attitude, personality and identity. This sense of com­ prehensiveness, and totality in which Islam defined and circumscribed the life of a Malay is aptly described by Aziz Deraman thus: The spirit ofIslam has deeply infused and suffused the philosophy and the various forms of Malay culture whose development are based on Islamic concepts such as Divine Unicity, Lordship and Vicegerency. Axiologically, Islam also promotes such virtues as sanctity, purity and sublimity (Aziz Derman:19Sl) What is it that Islam brought to the people of the Malay Archipelago that is artistically and civilizationally determining? "Most important of all", affirms Lamya Al-Farqui, "it brought the Holy Qur'an, the scripture of Islam, which provided a concrete model for artistic content and form. In addition, it brought the Hadith literature. From these core materials was to spring a whole culture and civilization". (2) The Quran And Traditional Malay Art By virtue of the fact that the traditional Malay art is rooted in the Quran, a proper apprecia­ tion of its iconographical, morphological and philosophical dimensions necessitates a brief exposition of the Quranic Vision of Reality, particularly concerning the tripartite, metaphysico-ontological relationship between God, Man and the Universe. U God And Man According to Islamic metaphysic, God as Absolute Reality (wujud) who is both tran­ scendent (tansih) and Immanent (tasbih) created man with dual status. In the vertical ontological relation to God, he is His servant ('Abd), in the horizontal relationship to the other creatures, he is God's vicegerent on earth (khalifah). Hence, a nexus links man to God, a bond that