It is often overlooked by the Muslim community in Singapore that we possess a rich religious intellectual heritage left behind by our religious luminaries. Figures such as Almarhum Ustaz Syed Abdillah, Almarhum Ustaz Syed Ahmad Semait and Almarhum Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji, were prolific authors that left behind a trove of writings encompassing their ideas and thoughts. I believe that the writing output of the older and previous generations of the religious fraternity was dynamic, producing different forms of religious writings such as commentaries on the Quran and Hadith (Prophetic Narrations), translations of significant religious works, as well as articles and opinion pieces addressing jurisprudential and socio-religious issues. These are evergreen works that are still relevant, being used and studied until today to enhance religious understanding. The previous generation of religious teachers and scholars inculcated a writing tradition that is still practised by the current religious fraternity. Asatizah such as Ustaz Yusri Yuhbi, Ustaz Haniff Hassan, Ustaz Mustazah Bahri, and until his recent passing, Almarhum Ustaz Jakfar Embek, have been active in writing and publishing works. In recent years, I observe that there has been an increased awareness to acknowledge the legacies of Singapore’s religious luminaries, with many written works to commemorate their contributions to the Muslim community and the society at large.[1]
One of these figures who has had several writings published regarding his scholarship and contributions is none other than Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji, a renowned and respected religious cleric and scholar. Ustaz Sonhadji is regarded as a visionary and conscientious community leader, having held leadership roles in several important institutions, such as Madrasah Aljunied, Masjid Muhajirin, PERGAS, and many others. He is also deemed as the ‘teacher of teachers’, as he taught numerous students that went on to become prominent religious figures in Singapore, such as former Mufti Syed Isa, Ustaz Abu Bakar Hashim, Ustaz Pasuni Maulan, Ustaz Hasbi Hassan, and many others. Not only this, he is also the only local cleric so far to have written a complete Tafsir (interpretation) of the Quran, which first started out as a weekly radio series, before being published as Abrul-Athir.
The subject of this book review is a three-volume publication that was released in 2023 by PERGAS, titled ‘Meninjau Pemikiran Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad Milatu Daripada Khutbah-Khutbah Karangannya’ (Reviewing the Ideas of Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad Milatu from His Written Sermons). This momentous and significant publication, the first of its kind, was written and edited by Ustaz Mohamed Qusairy Thaha, Ustaz Muhammad Haniff Hassan, and Ustaz Mustazah Bahri. As the title indicates, the three-part series consists of a biographical section about Ustaz Sonhadji, an explanatory chapter regarding Ustaz Sonhadhi by the authors, and also a compilation of his Friday sermons that have been divided thematically. Volume One are his sermons under the theme ‘Al-Quran and Connection with Allah’. Volume Two are his sermons under the themes ‘Economy, Career, and Education’ & ‘Adab, Ethics, and Integrity.’ Volume Three are his sermons under the themes ‘Women, Family, Humanity, and Community.’
While there have been previous writings on Ustaz Sonhadji, this publication in my view, is of utmost significance due to its comprehensiveness and multi-faceted beneficial nature. It acts not only as a conveyor of Ustaz Sonhadji’s ideas, with the transliteration and thematisation of his sermons, but it also provides a clear flow and structure that guides readers on understanding his legacy in a contextual and methodical manner. By providing the biography and introductory chapters at the beginning of the book, the publication allows readers to contextualise and comprehend the nature of his ideas and writings, which are best understood in the context of when they were written (between 1970-1980). The categorisation of Ustaz Sonhadji’s ideas into two orientations; traditionalist and progressive, is very relevant to prevent a generalist perspective towards Singapore’s past Islamic fraternity that might conclude it being exclusively beholden to a single orientation. The point underlined by the three authors indicates that while it is relevant for academic and intellectual purpose to specify the orientation of certain religious figures, there still remains space for substantial discussions and explorations of their ideas. The authors of this publication have used Ustaz Sonhadji as an example of a religious figure that advocated both traditionalist and progressive ideas, which indicates that categorisation of a figure into a specific orientation should not be taken as a complete representation of his intellectual legacy.
Upon reading the publication, I found that one of the many enlightening parts of the publication is the authors’ explanation and contextualisation regarding the stance of Ustaz Sonhadji on various contentious issues that can be found in his sermons, such as Hudud (Islamic Law), and the celebration of Good Friday and Christmas. Acknowledging that such stances can be ‘misunderstood as radical and problematic, due to the understanding that they are not supportive of inculcating social harmony in the eyes of certain political leaders’,[2] the three authors cogently express that such writings should not be used to paint a negative and misunderstood portrayal of Ustaz Sonhadji. Drawing on their experience of working together with him, the authors state that the stance of Ustaz Sonhadji is better represented through his contributions as a religious scholar who advocated moderation and contextualisation, as evident through his many contributions such as being the advisor and resource person of the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG). It is also stated that he partook in PERGAS’ Scholars Convention in 2003 regarding Hudud in the context of Singapore, which concluded a moderate stance that is suitable for Singaporean Muslims as expressed in PERGAS’ publication, Moderation in Islam in the Context of Malay Muslim Community in Singapore.
In other regards, the thematisation of Ustaz Sonhadji’s sermons is also a valuable trait of this publication, which will undoubtedly be useful to a wide range of audience: general readers, students, and researchers. It allows readers to choose which specific topics they wish to read on, and also appreciate the breadth of his ideas that are still relevant in Singapore’s context. In addition to this, the authors also provide an in-depth summary of all the sermons, a testament to their comprehensiveness and desire for readers to benefit and grasp the teachings in Ustaz Sonhadji’s sermons. A point that should be made, is that while I see the importance for this publication to be in Malay, it is also relevant for it to be in English as well, so that they will be accessible to non-Malays and non-Malay speakers. I hope that there will be efforts underway to translate this work into English.
It is my hope that the publication of this book will herald a period where there will be more writings and discussions on the ideas and legacies of past religious scholars. Such activities are necessary to develop more writers and thinkers within the religious fraternity. As aforementioned, the past few years have seen efforts to document the legacies and contributions of past asatizah, but it is important to elevate the level of writings and discussions and consciously build upon the ideas brought forth by these luminaries. This publication, written by three asatizah intellectuals, represents such an effort. Even so, writings such as these should be complemented with discussions in the public space, so as to sustain the interest and momentum in engaging and producing this strand of religious discourse. Otherwise, if not engaged, these books will be mere ink and paper, their potential untapped.
[1] See PERGAS. (2014). Beacons of the Ummah: Tracing the Footsteps of Singapore Religious Leaders (series). Muhammad Mubarak. (2020). Equipping the People with Knowledge.
[2] Mohamed Qusairy Thaha, Muhammad Haniff Hassan, and Mustazah Bahri. (2023). Meninjau Pemikiran Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad Milatu Daripada Khutbah-Khutbah Karangannya. Pp 28-31.
Ahmad Ubaidillah Mohd Khair is currently a Research Analyst at the Centre of Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA). He holds an Islamic Jurisprudence degree from Yarmouk University, Jordan. His research interests are literature discourse and sociology of religion. He has also written for other platforms such as Muslim.sg, Wasat Online, and Berita Mediacorp.
