Mesir dan Hubungan Awal dengan Masyarakat Melayu

Abstract

Egypt has a close connection with the Malay world, especially since they embraced Islam. The Malays began to know Egypt as the land of prophets such as Prophets Yusuf, Musa and Harun, and from stories found in the Quran about Pharaoh, an oppressive leader and Qarun, a wealthy merchant. According to Hikayat Hang Tuah, Hang Tuah and his friends were believed to have stayed in Egypt for three months as a guest of an Egyptian leader. This study explores the connection between Egypt and the Malay World using library research method to analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources. The findings show that initial contacts with the Egyptians were through politics, trade and education. In the political aspect, initial contact with Egypt can be seen when a Malay leader used the title 'Malik' after converting to Islam which is similar to that of a leader in the Mamluk Dynasty in Egypt. Initial trade contacts with Egypt can be seen through trade relations during the reign of the Ayyubiyyah and Mamluk Dynasties. On the educational aspect, initial contact with Egypt was through the arrival of Egyptian ulamaks to the Malay World, especially in Aceh which became the center of Muslim intellectual activities since the 16th century. By the late 19th century, Egypt became the destination of the Malay students to further their studies after graduating from Makkah.