Sheikh Mas Mohammad Arsyad Thawil al-Bantani[2] (1851 � March 19, 1934) better

known as Sheikh Arsyad Thawil was an ulama (Islamic scholar) and Indonesian hero
who also fought on the Cilegon War from 9 to 30 July 1888 with Ki Wasyid, Tubagus
Ismail, and others.[3] Thawil was a student of Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani, an
Indonesian Islamic teacher from Banten who became the Imam of the Great Mosque of
Mecca.[4][5]

In December 1945, Sukarno, as the president of Indonesia delivered a speech before

the people of Banten in Serang square. At the beginning of his speech, Sukarno
mentioned that Arsyad Thawil was a great hero from Banten.[6][7]

Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Education
1.3 Personal life
2 Close relationship with Sheikh Nawawi
3 Roles and struggles
3.1 Cilegon War
4 Activity
4.1 In Mecca
4.2 In the place of exile
5 Appreciation
6 References
6.1 Footnotes
6.2 Bibliography
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Thawil was born in Lempuyang village, Tanara, Serang Regency. His father was a
Bantenese named Imam As'ad bin Mustafa bin As'ad, while his mother was Ayu Nazham.
[8] No one knows the exact of date and year of his birth,[7] but on his tombstone
it was written that he was born in 1851 AD.[1] Thawil was born under the name of
Mas Mohammad Arsyad. The nickname "Mas" was an abbreviation of Permas, a Bantenese
noble title that was a descendant of the sultanate.[9] While, named Thawil (Arabic:
?????, translit. ?awil) which means long because there was a friend named Shaikh
Arsyad Qashir al-Bantani, Qashir (Arabic: ?????, translit. qa?ir) was mean short.
Therefore, to distinguish him from Arsyad Qashir, his friends then pinned Thawil's
name behind his name.[8]

Education[edit]
Thawil received basic Islamic religious education such as reading al-Quran from his
father directly, Imam As'ad who was also a cleric at his pesantren at Tanara. In
addition, he also studied other sciences such as nahwu (arabic grammar), sharaf
(morphology), fiqh, and tawhid from his father.[8]

In 1867 when Thawil was 16 years old, he went to Bima to study with Sheikh Abdul
Gani. But only arrived in Surabaya he met his prospective teacher who will carry
out hajj to Mecca, next he expressed his desire to learn from him. Then Sheikh
Abdul Gani accepted Thawil as a disciple as well as invite him to go to Mecca
together.[10][7]

At Masjid al-Haram, Thawil followed the lesson given by Sayyid Ahmad Zaini Dahlan,
Mufti of Mecca, especially regarding nahwu, fiqh, and al-sira al-Nabawiyya. In
addition studying to Sayyid Ahmad Zaini Dahlan, Thawil also studied with some
cleric in Mecca, among them Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani and Sayyid Abu Bakri Syatha
(under the guidance of his two sons, Sayyid Umar Syatha and Sayyid Uthman Syatha).
[8]

Thawil deepens the science of hadith to Habib Muhammad ibn Husein al-Habsyi al-
Makki under the guidance of his son, Mufti al-Muhaddits al-Habib Husayn ibn
Muhammad al-Habsyi al-Makki. In addition, Thawil also obtained the study of the
hadith from the Medina cleric, Sheikh Abdul Ghani bin Abi Sa'id al-Mujaddidi under
the guidance of some of his disciples, Sayyid Ali bin Zhahir al-Watri, Sheikh
Shalih bin Muhammad az-Zhahiri, and Sheikh Abdul Jalil Barradah. As for the science
of fiqh, Thawil also deepens it to Sheikh Muhammad bin Sulaiman Hasbullah al-Makki.
[8]

Personal life[edit]
Thawil married in his exile in Manado with a Minahasa girl of a local pastor named
Magdalena Runtu (b. 1880; d. 1937),[11] who after converting to Islam changed her
name into Tarhimah Magdalena Runtu.[10]

Close relationship with Sheikh Nawawi[edit]

For five years (from 1868 - 1873), Thawil was a disciple of the Meccan cleric who
also came from Banten, Sheikh Nawawi al-Bantani.[4] One day, Sheikh Nawawi sent his
work in the form of a manuscript (kitab) to Egyptian cleric, but the work was
rejected and returned in code form. After the code was received, Sheikh Nawawi then
replied it with the same code. Receiving a shipment of codes from Sheikh Nawawi,
the Egyptian scholar was very surprised because only certain scholars of highly
knowledgeable scholars could understand the code. To cure the curiosity, the
Egyptian scholars agreed to invite Sheikh Nawawi for questioning. Sheikh Nawawi
also fulfilled the invitation of the Egyptian scholars and invited Thawil as his
pupil to play and swap places (Sheikh Nawawi became Thawil, as well as vice versa).
[5]

The arrival of the Banten cleric was welcomed by Egyptian scholars albeit without
ceremony. In the presence of the Egyptian scholar, Thawil, who performed as Sheikh
Nawawi sat on a chair, while Sheikh Nawawi sat down as a bodyguard. Many questions
were asked by Egyptian scholars who were not easy to answer by any scholar. As
Sheikh Nawawi, Thawil also ordered his bodyguard (who was none other than Sheikh
Nawawi) to answer these questions, then all questions asked were answered
satisfactorily by Syekh Nawawi who acted as bodyguard of Thawil. The Egyptian
scholars were amazed to hear such a satisfactory answer, So they think that his
bodyguard was so great, let alone who guarded, surely more great.[5][12]

After the invitation, Indonesian clerics were increasingly respected. The work of
Sheikh Nawawi who was rejected by Egyptian publishers began to be published. This
also affected the good respect to the Indonesian clerics by Egyptian scholars at
that time.[4]

Roles and struggles[edit]

Cilegon War[edit]
Main article: Cilegon War
In 1893, Thawil returned to his homeland, Banten. At that time Banten was facing a
major disaster: After the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa which claimed at least 36,417
deaths,[13] then followed by the outbreak of animal diseases in 1885, until the
peoples believe in superstition and shamanism.[13]

Not only that, the Dutch colonizers then make Banten society increasingly depressed
with punishment given to the people unfairly.[8] Later cleric and peasants agreed
to wage a total war with the Dutch colonial side which was later approved by Sheikh
Nawawi al-Bantani in Mecca, Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Bantani, and several other
cleric. Simultaneously the Muslims took up arms in the jihad, including Arsyad
Thawil.[14]

Arsyad was a leading figure in the Battle of Geger Cilegon 1888 (Cilegon War) and
thus became the most sought-after cleric by the colonials.[11] As a result of the
rebellion the Dutch then arrested the Bantenese cleric and exiled them (all the
exiled leaders numbered 94).[15] Some of those exiled include: Hajji Abdurrahman
and Hajji Akib dumped to Banda Islands, Hajji Haris to Bukittinggi, Hajji Arsyad
Qashir to Buton, Hajji Ismail to Flores,[14] while Arsyad Thawil then dumped to
Manado, North Sulawesi.[16] Besides then dumped into Tondano, Ternate City, Ambon,
Kupang, and other cities.[15]

Activity[edit]
In Mecca[edit]
On February 27, 1879, Thawil was made a Sheikh (taking care of the hajj who came
from Indonesia), and since there were two Arsyads from Indonesia, he was called
Arsyad "Thawil" (arabic: tall) and one more was Arsyad "Qasir" (arabic: short).
When take care of Hajj he then often visited the Dutch consulate office in Jeddah
and became acquainted with Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje who eventually became his
friend in discussing the teachings of Islam.[17]

In the place of exile[edit]

After the defeat in the Cilegon War he was caught along with 100 other fighters. He
was put in prison in Serang, then moved to Batavia. When imprisoned in Batavia
Snouck Hurgronje met him, but that friendship did not changing his status as a
prisoner. Not long after being imprisoned in Batavia, he then dumped to Manado,
North Sulawesi.[17]

Sheikh Arsyad Thawil actively teaches peoples in his exile place, Manado. He
teaches in the field of Islamic sciences, among them are fiqh, nahwu-sharaf,
tasawwuf, hadith and others. No less hundreds of scholars from Manado, Gorontalo,
Ambon, Ternate, Poso Regency, Tolitoli Regency, Donggala Regency and other areas
studied to Sheikh Arsyad. He was also recognized as one of the carriers of Islam to
region of the Christians majority in Indonesia. Even, he married the girl of pastor
who had converted to Islam, named Magdalena Runtu.[7]

Thawil died in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Monday, 14 Zulhijah 1353 AH or 19 March

1935 AD. The Imam of his Janazah prayer is al-Habib Hasan bin Abdur Rahman Maula
Khailah al-'Alawi.[5]

Appreciation[edit]
The name Arsyad Thawil then enshrined into the name of a mosque in Komo Luar,
Wenang, Manado by the name Kyai Hajji Arsyad Thawil mosque. The Commemoration of
the day of his death is always held every year in this mosque.[11]

On the 79th anniversary of his death, the Provincial Office of Social Affairs of
North Sulawesi will file Arsyad Thawil as a national hero.[11]