SULTAN ISKANDAR MUDA: BETWEEN POLITICS OF POWER AND RELIGIOUS POLICY IN 17TH-CENTURY ACEH

Fikrul 'Ilmi Nafi'uddin; Hilmy Himawan Yusuf; Amanda Fahriyah Putri; Aina Ilmi Maziyya; Dyah Natasha Paramitha; Aditya Octavian Hamidi

doi:10.61677/satmata.v4i2.1152

Authors

Fikrul 'Ilmi Nafi'uddin Sejarah Peradaban Islam, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya
Hilmy Himawan Yusuf Sejarah Peradaban Islam, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya
Amanda Fahriyah Putri Sejarah Peradaban Islam, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya
Aina Ilmi Maziyya Sejarah Peradaban Islam, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya
Dyah Natasha Paramitha Sejarah Peradaban Islam, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya
Aditya Octavian Hamidi Sejarah Peradaban Islam, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61677/satmata.v4i2.1152

Keywords:

Sultan Iskandar Muda, the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam, power politics, religious policy, Islamic Sharia.

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the politics of power and policy during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-1636), a period that marked the zenith of the Aceh Darussalam Sultanate’s glory. The aim of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of Sultan Iskandar Muda’s leadership in the context of politics and religious policy in the Aceh Sultanate during the 17th century. This study employs a historical research approach comprising four stages: heuristics, source criticism, interpretation and historiography, drawing on primary and secondary sources relevant to the Sultanate of Aceh and the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda. The findings of this study indicate that Sultan Iskandar Muda’s achievements were evident not only in his ability to expand his realm to include Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, but also in his ability to establish a well-organised governmental structure through the implementation of the Adat Mahkota Alam as the legal foundation of the state, which integrated Islamic Sharia law with local customs and traditions. Thus, the relationship between political power and religious policy during the reign of Sultan Iskandar Muda demonstrates that the application of Islamic values within the legal and governmental systems served as a key instrument for strengthening the legitimacy of power and supporting the stability of the Aceh Darussalam Sultanate’s government.

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