Early History/ Contents

The arrival of Islam

Othman Yatim

The date when Islam first arrived in Malaysia, and the identity of those responsible for its introduction, will probably never be known with certainty. Arab and Chinese documentary sources, archaeological investigations and inscribed stones provide clues, but debate continues as to whether the propagators of Islam were of West Asian, Indian or Chinese origin. The only theory which most scholars agree on is the important role that trade played in the Islamization of the Malay World.

  • Information in the full article includes
  • Early Muslim traders in Southeast Asia
  • The earliest Islamic evidence
  • Islam and the Melakan Sultanate
Gravestone

This mysterious gravestone found near Pekan, Pahang, is dated 1028 CE, but as the style of the script is 14th century, some scholars believe it could have been made then to replace an earlier stone which may have been for a Muslim trader.