The Minang people have long been known as a tribe with customs that do not get old in the rain or heat (have a strong stance and do not change) . Not only that, this tribe which usually calls itself urang crew has given birth to many golden generations in the history of the Indonesian nation and world history.
One figure that many of us know is the proclaimer, Mohammad Hatta. Not only was he a pioneer of independence, Hatta was also known as a respected diplomacy expert. Apart from that, he is also known for his admirable simplicity. It is not an exaggeration if the title of hero is given to him.
However, Hatta is not the only member of the crew who is honored and immortalized on the currency of the Republic of Indonesia (RI). The next figure known is Muhammad Syahab or better known as Tuanku Imam Bonjol.
This figure is no longer foreign to the ear. He was a cleric, leader and warrior who fought against the Dutch in the Padri War in 1803–1838. He became a figure who was very tough to conquer by the Dutch at that time.
Who exactly is Imam Bonjol, who is known to be polite and uncompromising towards the Dutch? The following is a brief biographical explanation of this figure.
Background to the Life of Tuanku Imam Bonjol
Tuanku Imam Bonjol was born in Bonjol, Luhak Agam, Pagaruyung on January 1 1772 with the name Muhammad Syahab. He was later known by the local community as Sheikh Muhammad Said Bonjol or Inyik Bonjol.
Bonjol itself is a village in West Sumatra. This village is famous because Muhammad Syahab was born and fought together with all levels of society in that place. They worked together to oppose colonialism and fight for Indonesian independence.
Syahab was a cleric, warrior and elder figure in the community. He is a place to ask for advice, guidance and complain about everything, both regarding religious and worldly matters. This is what caused him to obtain several titles, namely Peto Syarif , Malin Basa , and Tuanku Imam.
As one of the leaders of Harimau nan Salapan , Tuanku nan Renceh from Kamang, Agam appointed him as i mam (leader) for the Padri in Bonjol. He eventually became better known as Tuanku Imam Bonjol.
Imam Bonjol’s life reflects example and simplicity. It is fitting that the Religious Research and Development Agency (R&D) chose him to write a biography, with the hope that his struggle can be used as a guide for life by the next generation.
Imam Bonjol is the only son of Bayanuddin Syahab and Hamatun. His father was a religious scholar who came from Sungai Rimbang, Suliki, Limapuluh Kota. Bonjol was born into a merchant family and loved to travel. This is what caused him to be sent to Malaysia to receive formal education at the Village People’s School (Primary School level) in 1779.
As an adult, he studied Islam with Sheikh Ibrahim Bersama in Bonjol in 1809–1814. Furthermore, between 1818 he deepened his knowledge of the Naqsyabandiyah Order in Bonjol. He is also interested in studying noble manners, behavior and wisdom.
He had several wives, but only one accompanied him until he died, namely Hajjah Solehah. Through his marriage to Solehah, he was blessed with 10 children, namely five boys and five girls. His children are Hasan, Hasyim, Harun al-Rasyid, Syahrudin, Djusnah, Sawwadjir, Hasanah, Rofiah, Cholidi, and Nur Baiti.
Imam Bonjol’s habits that are worth emulating are as follows.
- Usually sleeps in the mosque, but almost 2/3 of his time is spent in worship and teaching;
- Always wearing a white robe and turban;
- Often reducing sleep time at night to worship Allah SWT;
- Eat with simple side dishes;
- Everyone who came to him was treated well, without distinguishing anyone.
Imam Bonjol has expertise in the fields of Sufism and Fiqh. Apart from that, he also has expertise in the field of traditional medicine. He is known among the people as being able to cure various diseases which are often said to be mysterious. Before curing these diseases, he performed istikharah prayers and prayed to God, so that his patients were also healed as if mysteriously too.
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The role of Tuanku Imam Bonjol
1. As a teacher
Imam Bonjol educates and teaches in every surau, mosque, and pesantren he built in every village, as well as being the leader of his congregation. After it went smoothly, he then handed it over to his most trusted disciple. The job is done with full sincerity.
2. As a role model
As a role model, he is very close to the community, and vice versa. This is what makes him really pay attention to the lives of his people, both their physical and spiritual lives. If he sees members of his community who are having a difficult life, he will help them and encourage them to find a more profitable income.
3. As a fighter
As a son of a nation that has lived since the Dutch colonial era, he had the intention of fighting against it through the medium of Islam by establishing the Naqshbandiyah Tarekat. Through this congregation, he taught his students lessons related to colonialism.
Imam Bonjol and the Padri War
Imam Bonjol was a national hero who pioneered independence, a cleric, and leader of the Padri War who opposed Dutch colonialism in Minangkabau land in the 19th century. The Padri movement emerged in Minangkabau after three people returned from Hajj from Mecca in 1803, namely Haji Miskin, Haji Sumanik, and Haji Piobang who wanted to improve the Islamic law implemented by the Minangkabau people.
Knowing this, Tuanku Nan Renceh supported the wishes of the three pilgrims together with other ulama in Minangkabau who were members of Harimau Nan Salapan. Harimau Nan Salapan then asked Tuanku Lintau to invite Yang Dipertuan Pagaruyung Sultan Arifin Muningsyah and the Indigenous People to abandon several habits that were contrary to the teachings of the Islamic religion.
In several negotiations, there was no agreement between the Padri and the Indigenous People. Along with this, several villages in the Pagaruyung Kingdom were in turmoil. At its peak, the Padri tribe under the leadership of Tuanku Pasaman attacked the Pagaruyung Kingdom in 1815 and war broke out in Koto Tangah.
This attack forced Sultan Arifin Muningsyah to step aside and flee the royal capital. Based on Raffles’ notes, who visited Pagaruyung in 1818, he said he only found the burnt remains of the Pagaruyung Royal Palace.
Due to being pressed into war and the whereabouts of Yang Dipertuan Pagaruyung being uncertain, the Indigenous People led by Sultan Tangkal Alam Bagagar asked for help from the Dutch on February 21, 1821, even though at that time he was actually deemed not to have the right to make an agreement in the name of the Pagaruyung Kingdom.
As a result of this agreement, the Dutch made it a sign of the surrender of the Pagaruyung Kingdom to the Dutch government. Sultan Tangkal Alam Bagagar was then appointed as Regent of Tanah Datar .
The Dutch finally got involved in the war because they were invited by the Indigenous People. Dutch intervention in the war was marked by the attack on Simawang and Hard Air by Captain Goffinet and Captain Dienema’s troops in April 1821 on the orders of Resident James du Puy in Padang. On December 8, 1821, additional troops arrived led by Lieutenant Colonel Raaff to strengthen the position in the area that had been controlled.
On March 4 1822, Dutch troops under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Raaff succeeded in pushing the Padri people out of Pagaruyung. The Dutch then built a defensive fort in Batusangkar with the name Fort Van der Capellen, while the Padri gathered strength and defended themselves in Lintau.
On June 10, 1822, Raaff’s troop movement in Tanjung Alam was blocked by the Padri, but the Dutch troops were able to continue advancing to Luhak Agam. Furthermore, Captain Goffinet suffered serious injuries in the battle in Baso on 14 August 1822 and finally died on 5 September 1822. In September 1822, the Dutch troops were forced to return to Batusangkar because they continued to be pressured by attacks from the Padri led by Tuanku Nan Renceh.
After receiving additional troops on April 13, 1823, Raaff tried to attack Lintau again, but the Padri persistently resisted, so that the Dutch were forced to return to Batusangkar on April 16, 1823. Meanwhile, Yang Dipertuan Pagaruyung Sultan Arifin Muningsyah returned to Pagaruyung at the request of Lieutenant Colonel Raaff in 1824.
However, the last Minangkabau king finally died in 1825 and was buried in Pagaruyung. Raaff himself died suddenly in Padang on April 17 1824 after previously experiencing a high fever.
In September 1824, Dutch troops under the leadership of Major Frans Laemlin succeeded in controlling several areas in Luhak Agam, namely Koto Tuo and Ampang Gadang. The troops then also occupied Biaro and Kapau, but Laemlin finally died in Padang in December 1824 due to wounds he suffered in battle.
The match played by the Padri tribe was quite tough, making it very difficult for the Dutch to subdue them. For this reason, the Netherlands through its resident in Padang invited the leaders of the Padri tribe, which at that time had been led by Imam Bonjol, to make peace with the information of the Masang Agreement on November 15, 1825. This was understood because at the same time the Netherlands also ran out of funds in the face of another war in Europe and the Diponegoro War.
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During the ceasefire period, Imam Bonjol tried to restore strength and also tried to embrace the Indigenous People again, so that finally a compromise emerged known as the Puncak Pato Plaque on Marapalam Hill, Tanah Datar Regency which created a consensus with the Basandi Syarak Adat, Syarak Basandi Kitabullah , who This means that Minangkabau customs are based on the Islamic religion, while the Islamic religion is based on the Koran.
After the end of the Diponegoro War and the restoration of Dutch power in Java, the Dutch East Indies government again tried to subdue the Padri. This is based on a strong desire to control coffee cultivation which is expanding in the darek area (inland of Minangkabau).
Until the 19th century, coffee was one of the Dutch’s mainstay products in Europe. British historian, Christine Dobbin, calls it more of a trade war because this is in line with the dynamics of social change in Minangkabau society in the vagaries of trade in the interior and on the west coast or east coast. Meanwhile, the Dutch on the other hand wanted to take over or monopolize coffee.
The Dutch then weakened the opposing forces by violating the agreement that had been made previously. They attacked the Pandai Sikek village, one of the areas capable of producing gunpowder and firearms. Dutch troops then built a fort in Bukittinggi known as Fort de Kock to strengthen their position.
Since 1833, a compromise of joint resistance began to emerge on the other side between the Indigenous People and the Padri. On January 11, 1833, several strongholds of the Dutch garrison were suddenly attacked, causing chaos. It is said that around 139 European soldiers and hundreds of native soldiers were killed.
Sultan Tangkal Alam Bagagar, who was previously appointed by the Dutch as Regent of Tanah Datar , was arrested by Lieutenant Colonel Elout’s troops on 2 May 1833 in Batusangkar on charges of treason. The Dutch then exiled him to Batavia, although he denied involvement in attacks on several Dutch posts. The Dutch East Indies government here did not want to take the risk of rejecting the report from its officers. The position of Regent of Tanah Datar was then given to Tuan Gadang in Batipuh.
Realizing this, the Dutch were not only facing the Padri, but the Minangkabau society as a whole. The Dutch East Indies government then issued an announcement called Long Plaque in 1833. It contained a statement that the arrival of the Dutch to Minangkabau was not intended to control the country, they only came to trade and maintain security, the Minangkabau people would continue to be ruled by their chiefs and were not required to pay taxes.
The Dutch East Indies government also argued that the arrival of its troops to maintain security, build roads, open schools, and so on required costs. This is what makes people obliged to grow coffee and have to sell it to the Dutch. However, the Padri and Minangkabau people ignored this.
The failure of this conquest really hit the policy of the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies in Batavia, which at that time was held by Dominique Jacques de Eerens. He then sent a warlord named Major General Cochius in early 1837 to directly lead a large-scale attack on Fort Bonjol. Cochius was a high-ranking Dutch officer who had expertise in the Stelsel Fort war strategy .
Next, the Dutch intensively surrounded Bonjol from all directions for about six months (16 March–17 August 1837) led by the general and several officers. This joint army mostly consisted of various tribes, such as Javanese, Madurese, Bugis and Ambonese.
There were 148 European officers, 36 native officers, 1,103 European soldiers, and 4,130 native soldiers, including the Sumenapsche hulptroepen hieronder begrepen (Sumenap alias Madurese auxiliary troops). In the list of names of Dutch troop officers, they include Major General Cochius, Lieutenant Colonel Bauer, Major Sous, Major Prager, Captain MacLean, First Lieutenant van der Tak, Assistant First Lieutenant Steinmetz, and so on. There are also inlandsche (indigenous) names such as Kapiten Noto Prawiro, Indlandsche Luitenant Prawiro di Logo, Karto Wongso Wiro Redjo, Prawiro Sentiko, Prawiro Brotto, Merto Poero, and others.
Troops from Batavia continued to be imported as additional strength for the Dutch army. On July 20, 1837, the troops arrived on the Perle Ship in Padang, which included a number of Europeans and Sepoys as well as soldiers from Africa who served in the Dutch army. They were recruited from Ghana and Mali, consisting of 1 sergeant , 4 corporaals , and 112 flankeurs , and led by Kapitein Sinninghe.
Waves and continuous attacks were launched by artillery troops armed with large cannons for approximately 6 months. Infantry and cavalry troops also continued to arrive. On August 3, 1837, Dutch troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Michiels as the foremost field commander began to gradually take control of the situation.
On 15 August 1837, Tajadi Hill finally fell and Fort Bonjol as a whole was conquered on 16 August 1837. However, Imam Bonjol was able to withdraw from the fort accompanied by several of his followers and continued towards the Marapak area.
In his flight and hiding, Imam Bonjol continued to try to consolidate all his troops which were scattered and weak. However, it turned out that only a few of his troops remained and were still ready to fight again. This is because they have fought against the Dutch continuously for more than three years.
Imam Bonjol finally surrendered to the Dutch in October 1837, with the agreement that his son who fought, Naali Sutan Chaniago, be appointed as a Dutch colonial official.
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So, that’s a brief explanation of the biography of Tuanku Imam Bonjol: Background of his life and history of his struggles. Appreciate the services of national figures, such as Prince Diponegoro, not only by remembering them silently and giving thanks, but also by imitating their attitudes and actions.
Mudalovers can visit the Mudacepat book collection at mudabicara.com to get references about other heroes, starting from their life background, education and history of struggle.