Tuanku Rao (1790-1833) was an Islamic cleric (ulama), leader and commander. He was known as a prominentpadri, a group of Islamic reformists who advocated for the puritanical approach in Islam inspired byMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the early 18th centuryWest Sumatra. He also contributed to the proselytization of Islam amongBatak people. He died during thePadri War in 1833.
Rao was born to a Minangkabau family, hailed from Rao, Pasaman in West Sumatra. His father was from Tarung-Tarung, Rao, and his mother was from Padang Mantinggi, Rao.[1] During his adolescence, Rao deepened the knowledge of Islam at thesurau of the prominent ulamaTuanku Nan Tuo in Koto Tuo, Agam, and then proceeded to the surau in Bonjol. He completed the science ofIslamic jurisprudence with the honorable titlethayyib jiddan (very satisfying), awarded by Fakih Muhammad.[2]
Rao was one of the strongest Padri warlords, vigorously fighting against theDutch East Indies colonial government in Pasaman, Kotanopan, Padang Lawas, and Padang Sidempuan areas. After the Dutch troops conquered Matur and Lubuk Sikaping in October 1832, Rao was finally surrounded. Lieutenant Bevervoorden, a commander of the Dutch forces, met Rao and persuaded him to surrender. During the meeting, Rao argued that he would go toHajj and hand over the leadership of his government to his father-in-law, Yang Dipertuan Rao.[3]
After the meeting, Rao withdrew and hid in the forest. But inspired byTuanku Tambusai who had just returned fromMecca, he was encouraged to continue fighting against the Dutch. To initiate the propagation of padri movement in Batak land, Rao attacked the Dutch defense in Air Bangis with the help ofTuanku Imam Bonjol.[4] On January 29, 1833, Rao was intercepted by Dutch troops. His resistance was pierced after he was severely injured by bullet wounds. He was then sent by the Dutch to exile, during which he died shortly after. His body was allegedly dumped into the sea by Dutch troops.[3]
The association between the history of Tuanku Rao, padri movement and the Indonesian patriotism was briefly challenged by the so-called amateur historians who criticized the ideology of padris during theSukarno regime era. The scrutiny was held by aMandailing writer Mangaradja Onggang Parlindungan in his workTuanku Rao: Hambali Islamic Terror in the Batak Lands (1816-1833). The revisionism was criticized by the prominent Indonesian Islamic intellectualHamka in his workTuanku Rao’ Between Fact and Fantasy, and the retired Indonesian official Rusli Amran through the vigorous references to the historical archive.[5]
