The popular notion the early Islamic preacher Makhdum Karim reached Sulu travelled the Indian Ocean and settled in Melaka, Malaysia, a Sufi Muslim according to tradition, before migrating to Sulu in 1380 CE (758 AH) may stand on shaky grounds. (Some sources claim he was a Hanafi of the Sunni school of thought.)
Claims say the introduction of Islam in China took place in 616-18 CE, sixteen to eighteen years before prophet Muhammad died of poisoning. From there, due to the liberal policy of allowing foreigners to enter China during the Mongols-founded Yan dynasty (1271-1638), thousands of Islamic converts from central Asia, notably Persia, moved to China. When emperor Genghis Khan, Islamic restrictions such as the halal were banned in the country.
In 1357, the Ispah rebellion led by Persian Sunni Muslims Sayf al-din (Sai-fu-ding) and Awhad al-Din (A-mi-li-ding) against the Yuan dynasty in Quanzhou erupted; they even tried reaching the capital city of Fujian, which is Fuzhou. But the uprising failed; as a result, Muslims with foreign bloodline were massacred in Quanzhou and adjacent areas in 1366. Quanzhou is facing Formosa (now Taiwan) and is only a few days by ship from the northern regions of the Philippines where, historically, Muslim rules were reported.
The Chinese persecution of Muslims forced thousands to flee to Java and other areas of Southeast Asia where they started spreading the Islamic religion. At the time Java, in Indonesia, was ruled by the Majapahit Empire, which was founded by a prince. He was described as ‘Vijaya, a prince of Singhasari who escaped when Jayakatwang, the ruler of Kadiri, seized the palace.’
Vijaya, who later controlled regions of Indonesia and Malaysia, overthrew his predecessor by collaborating with the Mongols under Chinese emperor Kublai Khan in. The victory led him to give certain concessions to the Mongols who, due to falling out, were expelled from his kingdom.
Later, the empire collapsed in the late 15th or early 16th century following the propagation of Islam and the emergence of Islamic states on the northern coast of Java.
It is interesting also to note that the Muslim diaspora resulting from the Yuan dynasty persecution also ended the significant role the Sunni Muslims played in the flourishing trade of Quanzhou. According to tradition, those who survived the oppression fled to Vietnam, Brunei, Sumatra, Java, and Manila Bay, where Islamic kingdoms soon surfaced.
Historian Ma Huan, who was Chinese explorer-admiral Zheng He’s official chronicler, also wrote that Guangdong, another Chinese province south of Quanzhou, was the original settlement of Hanafi Muslims who escaped the persecution by migrating to Java.
Sharif Kabungsuwan’s arrival in Maguindanao from Java to preach Islam coincides with the 16th century fall of the Majapahit Empire. Originally from Johor, Malaysia, he is credited for introducing the monotheistic Islamic religion. His title ‘sharif’ refers to an Islamic leader or judge who is descended from Muhammad via the lineage of daughter Fatima, which entitles him to wear green turban. Historically, the founder of Islam had a son but did not survive majority age. Following Islamic traditions, Kabungsuwan married numerous local maidens of the prominent Maguindanao clan in Dulawan (later renamed Datu Piang after a Chinese trader who converted to Islamic) which became the backbone of the Maguindanao sultanate.
Many centuries later, Chinese influence in Islamic polity and culture in the sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao becomes more pronounced following intermarriages and the introduction of Chinese gongs, tableware and other merchandise normally associated with yellow, which is the color that refers to royalty in mainland China.
