Hamzah Fansuri: Journey to Mystical Perfection | A Bridge to the Classics

About the Programme/Event:

Hailed as the first-known poet of the Malay world, Hamzah Fansuri, a mystic from Barus, Sumatra was the pioneering figure who had established syair (rhymed poetry) and introduced the doctrine of Wahdatul Wujud (Unity of Being) to the Sufi world of Southeast Asia. Hamzah was famous for his Syair Perahu (Boat Poetry) which allegorises the spiritual journey to attain the unio mystica: the union of a mystic’s soul with God.

Why is reading his works integral to an appreciation of the region’s intellectual-spiritual discourse, and how has his literary touch enabled the annunciation of Sufistic teachings which today form the core cultural and intellectual corpus of the Malay world?

About the Speaker(s):

Dr Azhar Ibrahim is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Malay Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS). He is also Vice Chairman of the Malay Heritage Foundation.  He teaches Malay-Indonesian literature and ideologies of development at the Department. His research interest includes sociology of literature, social theology, Islamic thought, critical literacy, and the Malay-Indonesian intellectual development. Amongst his published works are:  Emancipated Education (2020), Historical Imagination and Cultural Responses to Colonialism and Nationalism: A Critical Malay(sian) Perspective (2017), Contemporary Islamic Discourse in the Malay-Indonesia World (2014) and Narrating Presence: Awakening from Cultural Amnesia. (2014).

About the Book(s):

Syair Perahu (manuscript)

Circa 1700

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Want to see real examples of Malay manuscripts like the syair? Catch an exclusive tour to the National Library’s Rare Gallery! To find out more, visit: national-library-rare-gallery-3288209