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Islam in Brunei

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IslamisBrunei's official religion, 82.70 percent of the population is Muslim,^[1] mostly SunnisofMalay, Arab and Indian origin who follow the Shafi'i school (76%) Hanafi and Maliki school (6%) of jurisprudence.^{[citation needed]} Most of the other Muslim groups are Malay Kedayans (converts from indigenous tribal groups), local Chinese and Dayak Iban converts. Islam was introduced to Brunei by traders arriving from Persia, Arabia, China and the Indian subcontinent. Therefore, other religions can be practiced freely.

History[edit]

Islam was adopted in the 15th century when a Muslim-Malay was installed as Sultan. The Sultan traditionally was responsible for upholding Islamic traditions, although the responsibility was usually delegated to appointed officials.

Since the 1930s Sultans have used rising oil revenues to provide an extensive social welfare system and promote Islam, including subsidising the Haji, building Masjids, and expanding the Department of Religious Affairs (KHEU).

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III invited Ismail Omar Abdul Aziz and the Chief Inspector of Religious Schools of Johor, Tuan Haji Othman bin Haji Mohammad, to examine the plan to open a religious school in Brunei in 1955.^[2] After conducting an examination, it was determined that Brunei's half-hour of weekly religious instruction—which is provided in both Malay and English schools—is insufficient. It goes without saying that the Sultan approved the establishment of Brunei's first religious school in September 1956 as a consequence of this open examination.^[3]

The 1st School was established in 1956 at Sekolah Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam (SMJA) in Brunei Town. The school adopted the same syllabus from Standard 1 to Standard 6 and used the same books as that of Johore Government Islamic School, running in the afternoon at the same school premises as Brunei Government National schools. After completing Standard 6, the students may choose to undergo a special training class for a year to be trained as a qualified Islamic Religious School. Initially, Islamic teachers from Johore were brought in.

The Royal family of Brunei is well-educated in Islam. Similar Islamic education was introduced to all the Royal Families of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien, (including the present Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his wife Raja Isteri Saleha). Special School for the Royal Family was established in 1957 at Istana Darul Hana and the first Islamic Religious teacher was Cikgu Hajjah Salbiah Haji Shafii (wife of Tuan Guru Haji Othman Haji Said).

With the constitution in 1959, Islam became the official religion of the country.^[4]

Unambiguously speaking, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah stated on 15 July 1996, that it is divinely mandated to create an Islamic Criminal Law Act. Additionally, he assigned a working group of Sharia experts, including a professor from Pakistan, to investigate the issue. Changes among the monarch's religious advisors corresponded with a greater focus on the Islamic penal code. He designated Mahmud Saedon Othman as a special Islamic law expert in 1994. In a paper released in 1996, Mahmud Saedon proposed that Brunei do away with its dual legal system and replace it with a single Sharia framework that included an Islamic criminal code, as it was believed to have done in pre-colonial Brunei.^[5]

Despite Mahmud Saedon's passing in 2002, the Islamic Da'wah Center republished the work in English in 2008, the same year that the concept of hudud laws gained traction. His "visionary" paper was undoubtedly crucial in laying the groundwork for the SPCO's implementation two decades later, and as such, pro-MIB academics and local media have consistently referenced it since 2013. Then Abdul Aziz Juned had a major role in creating the SPCO's drafts, was among the other Islamic bureaucratic elites who had long harbored desires for the organization.^[5]

On 30 April 2014, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced the implementation and enforcement of the first phase of Syariah Penal Code Law in Brunei starting 1 May 2014.^[6]

Denominations[edit]

Sunni Islam[edit]

The Sunni Islam of the Shafi'i school of thought is the official, legal form in Malaysia, although syncretist Islam with elements of Shamanism is still common in rural areas. Mosques are an ordinary scene throughout the country and azan (call to prayer) from minarets are heard five times a day. Government bodies and banking institutions are closed for two hours every Friday so Muslim workers can conduct Friday prayer in mosques.

Since it is compulsory for Muslims to perform a prayer 5 times a day no matter where they are, almost all public places, including shopping malls, hotels, condominiums, usually have allocated spaces called "Surau", for performing the Muslim prayers.

In 2017, it was reported that Wahhabism doesn't spreading among Bruneian's elite, and that the traditional Islamic theology currently taught in Government schools is gradually being shifted to a view of theology derived from the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia.^[7][8]

Shia Islam[edit]

The Brunei government has strict policies against other Islamic sects, including a complete ban on Shia Islam,^[9] allegedly to "avoid violence between the two faiths that has sometimes broken out in other parts of the world by promoting only the Sunni faith", but more realistically due to Anti-Shi'ism.^[10][11]

Other sects[edit]

Muslims who believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be the fulfilment of the Islamic prophecies concerning the return of Jesus, the Ahmadiyya, are also present. There are approximately 500 Ahmadis in the country.^[12]

Conversions to Islam[edit]

The number of Bruneian converts to Islam has increased ever since Islam became the official religion of the country in 1954. And by 2004, it was recorded that over 16,000 Bruneians had converted to Islam.^[13] From 2009 to 2020, there have been 5,884 individuals who have converted to Islam in Brunei.^[14]

See also[edit]

• Malay Islamic identity
• List of mosques in Brunei

References[edit]