Uthman bin Yahya | |
|---|---|
عثمان بن يحيى | |
 Habib Uthman | |
| Born | Usman 1822 |
| Died | 1913 (aged 90–91) |
| Resting place | Pondok Bambu |
| Other names | Habib Usman bin Yahya |
| Occupation(s) | Islamic scholar,Mufti |
| Employer | Dutch East Indies |
| Known for | Mufti of Batavia |
| Notable work | preaching |
| Title | Habib |
| Parent(s) | Abdullah bin Aqil (father) Aminah (mother) |
Usman bin Yahya,Utsman ibn Yahya orOthman bin Yahya (Arabic:عثمان بن يحيى,romanized: ‘Uthmān bin Yahyā;Arabic pronunciation:[ʕuθma:nbinjɑħjɑ:] full name: (Arabic:سيد عثمان بن عبد الله بن عقيل بن يحيى العلوي,romanized: Sayyid ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Abdallāh ibn ‘Aqīl ibn Yaḥyā al-‘Alawī) 17Rabi' al-awwal 1238AH – 21Safar 1331 AH; 1822 – 1913) was an Islamic scholar who served asGrand Mufti ofBatavia in 19th century ofDutch East Indies.
Habib Uthman bin Yahya was born inPekojan,Batavia in 1822 (17 Rabi' al-awwal 1238 AH). Uthman came from theBa 'Alawi sada family from his father,Sayyid Abdullah bin Aqil bin Umar bin Yahya. His mother was Aminah, a daughter of Shaykh Abdurrahman, who was the cousin to the scholarAbdullah al-Misri.[1][2] His father, Abdullah, and his grandfather, Aqil, were born inMecca, while his great grandfather, Umar, was born in the village of Qarah al-Shaikh inHadhramaut, who later moved and died inMedina.Snouck Hurgronje explained that his grandfather was a respected scholar as Sheikh of Sadah for 50 years and died in Mecca in 1823 (1238 AH).[3]
His father moved to Mecca when Uthman was 3 years old, so Uthman was taken care of by his grandfather, Aqil. His grandfather has many other sons, besides the father of Uthman. Many of his sons became scholars in Mecca, such as Sayyid Ishaq, who died in the city ofTa'if, and Sayyid Qasim who continued Agil's leadership asShaikh of Sada in Mecca.[3]
Uthman had a family relationship withHabib Ali Kwitang through one of his daughters named Sidah, who married Abdul Qadir, the brother of Habib Ali Kwitang.
Uthman died in 1913 (precisely on 21 Safar 1331) at more than 90 years of age. He was buried in theKaret public cemetery inTanah Abang to fulfil his will. Later on, during relocation of the cemetery, his family moved his grave toKelurahan Pondok Bambu, where his grave is still well preserved in the south part of the mosque of al-Abidin in Pondok Bambu,East Jakarta.[4][5]
Uthman studiedQur'an,Tafsir and other Islamic sciences such asAkhlaq,Tawhid,Fiqh,Sufism,Nahwu Sharaf,Hadith andAstronomy under the care of his maternal grandfather, Shaykh Abdurrahman bin Ahmad Al-Mishri. After the death of his grandfather when he was 18 years old, Uthman went forhajj and met his father and relatives in Mecca. There, for seven years he studied Islamic sciences under his father andAhmad Zayni Dahlan, the Mufti of Mecca at the time. Uthman continued his journey in the pursuit of knowledge toHadhramaut in 1848. There, he studied under Habib Abdullah bin Umar and his maternal uncle Habib Husein bin Abdullah (later on, one of his teacher's grandson, Sayyid Muhammad bin Agil which was married to Uthman's daughters).[3]
He also went to and studied in Egypt and once married to an Egyptian woman. He continued his journey to Tunisia, where he often exchanged ideas with the Mufti ofTunisia. From Tunisia he then studied inAlgeria and later continued on toMorocco to study under various Moroccan scholars. He deepened his knowledge inShariah in those North African countries before going to Syria to meet with scholars there. He continued his journey to present-day Turkey, which was still under theOttoman Sultanate. Later, he went toJerusalem inPalestine before returning to Mecca.[4]
In 1862 (1279 AH) he went back to Batavia after 22 years of journey to seek knowledge and settled inPetamburan, Tanah Abang area. Over there, he wrote and compiled books, especially aboutamalil yaum (daily remembrances) and books aboutsins, unbelieving,polytheism and on subjects that are contrary toAqidah. In his life, he has written about 116 books.[4] One of the books he authored,al-Qawānin al-Syar'iyyah li ahli al-Majālisi al-Hukmiyati wal ‘Iftiayati, was even used as a reference in the religious courts system in Indonesia at least until the 1950s.
To make ends meet for him and his family, Uthman founded his own printing company namedPertjetakan Batu. Moreover, his lithographic printing press is the first in Indonesia and became a pillar of the local spreading of intellectualism within the period.[6]
He also opened hisMajelis Taklim (a gathering to seek religious knowledge) which was attended by many people including some other scholars from all over Batavia and surrounding areas, Among his students wasHabib Ali Alhabsyi.[4] He also plays an important role in the founding ofJamiat Kheir, an education foundation in Batavia in 1908.
Uthman was appointed as Mufti of Batavia in 1871 (1289 AH). The Dutch government paid him a monthly stipend starting from 1889 until his death to provide advice on Islamic policy, with the title ofHonorary Adviser for Arab Affairs in 1891.[7] As a mufti, many parties criticized Uthman for his closeness with the Dutchorientalist,Snouck Hurgronje.Hamid Algadri in his book[8] wrote that his proximity to Snouck was based on his belief at that time that he (Snouck) was a Muslim. He did not know that Snouck only pretended to convert to Islam. The cooperation between Snouck and Uthman began when Snouck was still inLeiden as suggested in one of Snouck's letter on 8 July 1888 (28 Shawwal 1305 AH). After his arrival in Batavia in May 1889, Snouck discussed with the newly appointedGovernor GeneralCornelis Pijnacker Hordijk the possibility to employ Uthman in colonial administration. Snouck also nominated Uthman as his assistant with an allowance of 100guilders. Snouck suggested for himself to pay Uthman discreetly to avoid diminishing his authority among Muslims. All of Snouck's requests were granted by the colonial administration[9]
Uthman was also active in local politics. Along with Hugronje he interfered with the appointment of a newKapten Arab in Batavia in 1901 by supporting and pushing 'Umar Manqush instead of Balwael as candidate. On 27 March 1905, he was appointed as a native member of the municipal council of Batavia in 1905, but resigned on 27 July 1905. He most probably accepted the brief position under pressure from Snouck.[10]
Habib Uthman's attitudes in politics were sometimes quite controversial, especially in his position on jihad and Holy War, particularly concerning a riot against the Dutch inCilegon,Banten. Although Habib Uthman had good reason in his argument, many scholars alleged him as a colonial stooge. Moreover, he was also hard against mystical practices, as he wrote in the bookManhaj al-Istiqamah. In a letter dated March 26, 1891, Snouck wrote about Sayyid Uthman's opinions in regards tojihad which was interpreted incorrectly by some Indonesian Muslims: "Many people were 'misled' by some law doctrines of jihad, and they thought that a Muslim person is justified in the presence of God to do acts such as to take possessions of the unbelievers, Chinese or dutch people for himself ... "[5] Uthman also assisted Hurgronje by issuing fatwa to support theDutch war against Aceh.
Among other incidents which drew the ire ofBatavians andSingaporean Arabs was Habib Uthman's reading of prayer on the occasion of the coronation of QueenWilhelmina in 1898, at which time theOrde van de Nederlandsche Leeuw (Order of Netherlands Lion) was conferred on him. Calling him asfriend of unbelievers, his opponents condemned Habib Uthman in letters to the Arabic Press and pamphlets printed inSingapore.[11]
Uthman published religious books in Arabic and Malay (written inJawi script) on his ownlithographic press.[citation needed]