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Islam and Malay in Borneo
Pontianak: IAIN Pontianak Press, 2015

By Hermansyah

Reviewed By
Dian Kartika Sari
Pontianak State Institute of Islamic Studies

Islam and Malay are undeniably inseparable from Borneo Island. This book 
elaborates the writer’s thoughts about Islam and Malay, especially in Borneo 
Island. Hermansyah himself was triggered by the small number of literatures 
or research on Borneo Island. Therefore, those reasons encouraged him to 
write more about Borneo and its living society. Islam and Malay in Borneo 
consists of eight chapters that present various kinds of Malay and Islam 
comprehensively. Chapter one is about the identity of Islam and Malay. To 
begin with, Malay, once, was considerably identical to Islam. If someone 
embraces Islam, then he or she will be considered a Malay, no matter his/her 
ethnic background. Nevertheless, in line with the social and political life, the 
idea has also been shifted. 

Besides, the other chapters also discuss more on how the Islamic life and 
Malay society thrive in Borneo. The assimilation of cultural and religious 
practices was used so people would absorb both values effortlessly. Thus, 
Hermansyah puts an article in chapter two about the islamization of the 
inlanders: the model of cultural da’wah. In this chapter, the writer emphasizes 
that Islam was not merely a revealed religion because the spreading process at 
that time concerned on inclusive and diverse model (Azyumardi Azra on p. 
21). Moreover, cultural da’wah utilizes the local culture and is not a limitation 
between ‘pure Islam’ and ‘syncretic Islam’. The process itself is to accelerate the 
changes through social-economic and education empowerment.

In addition to the cultural da’wah, the intellectual heritage from the ancestors 
also shows how the inlanders practiced Islam in the past. In chapter three 
and four, furthermore, the writer portrays how the texts, literatures, and 
manuscripts had a major role in islamization. Fiqh book written by Bilal 
Lumbuk or Haji Massabran which is analysed in this book is a primary 
source describing the unique islamization process in the rural area of West 
Kalimantan. The manuscript sheds light not only on fiqh matters but also 
aqidah and tasawwuf which were taught by sufis in the past. Moreover, the 



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pattern of Islam at that time was simpler to perform as the religious values 
spread but not ignoring the local wisdom. Thus, Islamization was acceptable 
and easy to follow for some communities.

The manuscript contributes the unique information of some communities’ life, 
whether it be history, law, education, spiritualism, and so forth. Besides, some 
of manuscripts analyzed by Hermansyah and some research reveal that Islam 
could transform the strict local people into open-minded and tolerant Malay 
(p. 56). Manuscripts are significant to understand people and their aspects of 
life in the past. Therefore, Hermansyah thinks preserving the manuscripts is 
an important matter nowadays that the intellectual heritage of the past could 
be explored entirely. The preservation, nonetheless, could be a process of 
collecting or digitalizing the manuscripts.

Hermansyah, through his writing, delivers a strong bond between Malay and 
Islam, and the Islamization process of native inhabitants being Malay people. 
The sufis, additionally, had a major role on the islamization process through 
simpler way that came from the local culture and local wisdom. Moreover, the 
manuscripts – such as religious or mantra books – also documented many 
materials regarding Islam and Malay. In other chapters, the writer enhances 
the relation between Islam and Malay that could be found in Mantra books. 
Then, the discussion continues on how the statement from Mantra books have 
a strong power to move local people believe in the mantras.

The writer stresses on how the local culture or wisdom affect the way native 
people act and think. Local wisdom, as well, had opened easier way for ulama, 
dai, or sufi who brought Islamic values to the local people through assimilation 
process in the past. The islamization process, furthermore, was easily accepted 
because the concept and the main values of Islamic doctrine were adapted 
from local wisdom. Meanwhile, local wisdom could also prevent an enormous 
conflict from taking place since local people have the same point of view. To 
wrap up, this book is highly recommended for those who wish to learn more 
about Islamization, ethnicity, and social life. Eventhough the book is actually 
the unpublished articles collected by the writer, “Islam and Malay in Borneo” 
is worth reading.