Sunan Kudus
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Sunan Kudus (or Ja'far Shadiq, d. 1550), founder of Kudus, is considered to be one of the Wali Sanga of Java, Indonesia
He is said to have originated the wayang golek, and founded the masjid at Kudus using (it is said) the doors from the palace of Majapahit. He took the place of his father, Sunan Ngudung.
[edit] History
He was Jaafar As-Sadiq son of Sunan Ngudung and Syarifah (sibling of Sunan Bonang), sons Nyi Ageng Maloka. It is said that he was a son of the Egytian sultan who migrated to Java. In the kingdom of Demak he was appointed as Commander in Chief of the army battalion. He went forth with Sultan Prawata, battling against Adipati Jipang, Arya Penangsang.
[edit] Dawah
He learned a lot from Sunan Kalijaga and apply most of the methods in dawah taught by Kalijaga. Kudus then fled to Central Java to the most empty place there such as Sragen, Simo and also Gunung Kidul.
He was so tolerant to the local culture and even more softer than the other wali up to the point that if someone said to have be having difficulty making dawah in Kudus they will refer back to Sunan Kudus as the most successful person in this area. He makes good use of the symbols appeared in Hinduism and Buddhism and manifested it into architecture especially mosques, minarets, entrance gates and ablutions symbolizing the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism. This is a compromising kowtow made by Kudus to his people.
On one occasion he deliberately called the locals to listen to his sermon by tying his cow named "Kebo Gumarang" in the mosque courtyard, the Hindus whom revered cows as their deity soon became sympathetic after listening to the explanation made by him in Sura al-Baqara. Up until then those people in Kudus refuse to slaughter bulls and cows because of their ancient beliefs in the sanctity of cows.
Sunan Kudus also complied stories on tawhid into series and made the crowd became enthusiastic in listening to those stories. This is the Javanese version of 1001 Arabian Night prior to the The Book of One Thousand and One Nights during the Abassid Caliphate.
