How Indonesia Was Islamized:
7th-13th century: The Srivijay Kingdom was a dominant, maritime thalassocracy based in Palembang, Sumatra, that controlled trade routes through the Strait of Malacca. Islam was introduced to the Srivijay kingdom first during the reign of King Parameshwar.
1293-1527: The Majapahit Empire was a powerful Hindu-Buddhist maritime kingdom based in Java, Indonesia, reaching its zenith under King Hayam Wuruk (1350–1389) and Prime Minister Gajah Mada. While primarily Southeast Asian, its influence stretched across the archipelago, influencing regions from Sumatra to Southern Thailand and parts of the Philippines.
King Parameshwar of the SriVijaya Kingdom had a skirmish with the kingdom of Majapahit and shifted his kingdom from Palembang to the Temasek island (Singapore). In a skirmish with the forces of Majapahit, King Parameshwara killed prince Temagi of Siam, an ally of Majaphit. This angered the Siamese king, an ally of Majapit. The Siamese king waged a string of battles against Srivijaya to capture and kill Parameswara.
1402: King Parameshwara fled to Muar then to Malacca, making it his new capital.
Muslim merchants were visiting Malacca a century ago and made it their base to do trade with India. They got a warm welcome in the Court of Parameswara. They increased their influence in his Court and was recruited to their army. King Parameshwar became dependent on them to stave off attacks from Siam and Majapahit. About his time, the Muslim advisors of Parameswara offered to send in more Muslim soldiers if he converted to Islam. King Parameshwara rejected the offer. His struggle with his sworn enemies continued over the succeeding years and his position became increasingly precarious.
At this juncture the Arab merchants presented him with a slave girl from Pasal of mix breed, born of a marriage between an Arab father and an Indonesian mother. She was very beautiful and Parameswara fell in love with her beautiful slave girl and she became pregnant in his harem. Childless King Paramashwara had been longing for an heir to his kingdom. When he proposed to marry the damsel to make the child legitimate heir, she insisted that he must convert to slam prior to marrying her. With soldiers compounded by is desperate desire for an heir, Parameswara eventually agreed. He converted to Islam and brought her to the palace as a legitimate queen.
1490: King Parameshwar transformed the Hindu kingdom of Srivijay into a Muslim Sultanate —the Sultanate of Malacca and assumed the title of Sultan Iskandar Shah. After his conversion his half Muslim Queen, Muslim soldiers and courtiers transformed him into a strict Muslim. Ma Huan, a Chinese Muslim, visited Sultan Iskandar Shah in 1414 as a secretary dragoman of an envoy of Chinese Emperor Yung Lo. He found the Sultan was already a “very strict believer in the faith”.
Reference
Widjojoatmodjo, R.A. (1942). Islam in the Netherlands East Indies, In the Far Eastern Quarterly, 2 (1), November.
