Abstract
Between the 16th-18th centuries, the Malay region rose to become an important block of the Muslim community (ummah). At a global level, there are two world power blocks based on religious and military strength which are the Islamic and non-Islamic blocks (represented by the Portuguese / Christians who are hostile to the Islamic group). Among Islamic blocks, there were several; (i) OttomanTurkey with the status of the Islamic caliphate and military power; (ii) Mughals and Seljuks, also with their own strong military power; (iii) The Middle East as the center of Islamic knowledge, and (iv) The Malay world that actively engaged in regional and global dynamics despite the challenges posed by blocks (i), (ii), and (iii).
This study will analyze the history and the role played by the governments of Aceh and Ottoman Turkey in establishing Islamic intellectual relations. It will focus on several key issues. First, the role of Aceh and Turkey in strengthening the political power of Islam. Second, the relationship between Turkey and Aceh as an effort in empowering Islamic knowledge, which started with the effort to create a safe road for pilgrims of the Malay society and then birthed the Jawi community in Haramayn. This reality has made Masjid ul-Haram a place that trains professional ‘ulama’ in the Malay world. They are involved in the process of transmitting Islamic knowledge from Haramayn (Mecca and Medina) to the Malay world in the form of religious books that are still in use today.
