Wali Pitu and Muslim Pilgrimage in Bali, Indonesia LEIDEN UNIVERSITY CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF ISLAM AND SOCIETY (LUCIS) SERIES ‘DEBATES ON ISLAM AND SOCIETY’ Leiden University Press At present important debates about Islam and society take place both in the West and in the Muslim world itself. Academics have considerable expertise on many of the key issues in these debates, which they would like to make available to a larger audience. In its turn, current scholarly research on Islam and Muslim societies is to a certain extent influenced by debates in society. Leiden University has a long tradition in the study of Islam and Muslim societies, past and present, both from a philological and historical perspective and from a social science approach. Its scholars work in an international context, maintaining close ties with colleagues worldwide. The peer reviewed LUCIS series aims at disseminating knowledge on Islam and Muslim societies produced by scholars working at or invited by Leiden University as a contribution to contemporary debates in society. Editors: Nathal Dessing Léon Buskens Editorial board: Maurits Berger Nico J.G. Kaptein Jan Michiel Otto Nikolaos van Dam Baudouin Dupret (Rabat) Marie-Claire Foblets (Leuven) Amalia Zomeño (Madrid) Other titles in this series: Muhammad Adlin Sila, Being Muslim in Indonesia. Religiosity, Politics and Cultural Diversity in Bima, 2021. Ahmad Syafii Maarif, Islam, Humanity, and Indonesian Identity. Reflections on History, 2018. Erik-Jan Zürcher (editor), Studies on the Ottoman Jihad at the centenary of Snouck Hurgronje’s ‘Holy War Made in German, 2016. Kees van Dijk, Nico J.G. Kaptein (editors), Islam, Politics and Change. The Indonesian Experience after the Fall of Suharto, 2016. David Crawford, Bart Deseyn, Nostalgia for the Present. Ethnography and Photography in a Moroccan Berber Village, 2014. Maurits S. Berger (editor), Applying Shariʿa in the West. Facts, Fears and the Future of Islamic Rules on Family Relations in the West, 2013. Jan Michiel Otto, Hannah Mason (editors), Delicate Debates on Islam. Policymakers and Academics Speaking with Each Other, 2011. Wali Pitu and Muslim Pilgrimage in Bali, Indonesia Inventing a Sacred Tradition Syaifudin Zuhri Leiden University Press Debates on Islam and Society, volume 8 Cover design: Tarek Atrissi Design Cover image: Muslim pilgrims at Pura Keramat (photo by author) Lay-out: Crius Group Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted illustrations reproduced in this book. Nonetheless, whosoever believes themselves to have rights to this material is advised to contact the publisher. ISBN 978 90 8728 385 8 e-ISBN 978 94 0060 431 5 NUR 717 © Syaifudin Zuhri / Leiden University Press, 2022 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. Acknowledgement This book deals with the emergence of the tradition of saint worship in contemporary Indonesia. It touches upon the issue of the trav- elling tradition, translocal connectivity between Java and Bali, reli- gious economy, Islam-Hindu relationship, relations between Muslim groups, and questions of authority and authenticity. The book derives from my dissertation at Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften (IAAW) of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin which I defended on 20 December 2018. My research was made possible through the schol- arship and generous financial support of the Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies/BGSMCS. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Vincent Houben, Manja Stephan-Emmrich, Gudrun Krämer, Bettina Gräf, Lars Ostermeier and my inspiriting col- leagues at IAAW and BGSMCS. This published version would not have been possible without the critical comments and encouraging feed- back of the two reviewers from Debates on Islam and Society-Leiden University Press. I would like to acknowledge my friends, colleagues, and profes- sors in the Netherlands and Indonesia, especially Léon Buskens, Martin van Bruinessen, Nico Kaptein, Henk Schulte-Nordholt, David Kloos, Dick van der Meij, M. Latief Fauzi, Dyah Wirastri, Stijn van Huis, Muhammad As’ad, Fahrizal, Sunarwoto, Munirul Ikhwan, Najib Kailani, Syahril Siddik and Sri Margana. My sincere thanks go to all of my colleagues at the State Islamic University of Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah/UIN SATU of Tulungagung and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Indonesia. In the field, I would like to con- vey my deepest appreciation to Kamajaya and Imron Hadi Tamim for patiently helping me to navigate Balinese culture and villages. I would also like to thank the people of Loloan, especially Rifqil Halim, the late Habib Aqil, and Habib Salim who kindly provided me with a nice place to stay at his Pesantren Bafaqihiyyah. Pak Faridin, Anwar, Ariel, Bukhari, and many others in Candikuning, thank you for hav- ing me in your community. In Seseh, I learnt a lot from Jro Made Artana, Jro Bulit, Agus, and the members of Permas Blambangan. Importantly, I would like to thank Sulanam and Dewa Arya from Surabaya, Hasanuddin, Nurkhan and all colleagues of Al-Jamali who always welcomed me during my fieldwork. My sincere thanks also go to the family of Toyyib Zaen Arifin: Ibu Khoiriyyah, Fendik, Syifa’ and Halimah. To Ima and our two kids, Darvesh and Khizar, who have always been there, it’s been an unforgettable journey and this book would have never existed without you. Terima kasih. Note on Transliteration and Translation This book deals with terminologies and expressions in non-Western languages; in this instance, Arabic, Javanese, Balinese, and Indonesian. All words in Javanese and Balinese are written according to their mod- ern spellings as they are used in Indonesia today, such as the Balinese word kaja, instead of kajê, and the Javanese telatah, instead of têlatah. In transliterating Arabic terms, I adopt the simplified system of the International Journal of Middle East Studies (IJMES), but dispers- ing with diacritics for long vowels and consonants such as the Arabic word hāṭif is transliterated as hatif. I believe those with an adequate linguistic qualification of Arabic will be able to establish the original Arabic. For the plural forms of Arabic words, which have been adopted in Indonesian, and non-English words in this book, I do not add an ‘s’, thus the word ulama, habib, sayyid can both be singular or plural. The spelling of Indonesian follows the online version of the official Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia/KBBI (the Comprehensive Indonesian Dictionary), thus I write ‘Wali Sanga’ instead of the more popular ‘Walisongo.’ Unless the English translations are available, the transla- tions from Arabic, Indonesian, Javanese, and Balinese are mine. Table of Contents Acknowledgement 5 Note on Transliteration and Translation 6 List of Figures 8 Maps 9 Introduction: Muslim Pilgrimage in Bali 11 Part 1: Java and Bali in the Invention of the Wali Pitu 1. Saint Veneration in Indonesia 31 2. The Invention of the Wali Pitu 53 3. Wisata Religi: Pilgrimage and Tourism in Bali 89 Part 2: Questions of Authority and Authenticity 4. Al-Qablal Wujud: Identity and Religious Economy 119 5. Keramat Gunung: Islam and Muslim Politics in Candikuning 145 6. Sharing the Sacred: Hybridity and Transgressing Boundaries 177 Conclusion: ‘Made in Bali, by Java’ 205 Bibliography 211 Glossary and Abbreviation 239 Notes 245 Index 307 List of Figures Otherwise stated, all photos and maps are by the author. Figure 1: Map of Java and Bali 9 Figure 2: Map of Bali, Tombs of Wali Pitu, and Wisata Religi Itinerary 9 Figure 3: Popular image of the Wali Sanga 36 Figure 4: The first version of Wali Pitu image 79 Figure 5: The second version of Wali Pitu image 80 Figure 6: Haul of the Wali Pitu 83 Figure 7: Wisata religi with modest facilities and the pilgrims 104 Figure 8: Spatial distribution of sacred places in Loloan 136 Figure 9: Pilgrimage at the grave of Ali Bafaqih 140 Figure 10: Keramat Gunung and its pilgrims 153 Figure 11: Candikuning and its banjar division 165 Figure 12: From Pamereman to Pura Keramat Ratu Mas Sakti 185 Figure 13: Map of Seseh and the Hierarchy of Spaces of Pura Keramat Ratu Mas Sakti 188 Figure 14: Sharing the Sacred 194 Maps Figure 1: Map of Java and Bali Figure 2: Map of Bali, Tombs of Wali Pitu, and Wisata Religi Itinerary * The author travelled to cities in Java marked by the stars. The stars also indicate villages in Bali where extensive fieldwork was conducted: Loloan (in Negara, west Bali), Seseh (in Badung, south Bali), Candikuning 2 (in Tabanan, central Bali)