Kyai Haji Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesian Islamic revivalist who established Muhammadiyah in 1912
Ahmad Dahlan Kyai Haji Ahmad Dahlan , born Muhammad Darwis, was an Indonesian Islamic revivalist who established Muhammadiyah in 1912. Muhammad Darwis, commonly known as Ahmad Dahlan , was born in the Muslim quarter of Yogyakarta behind the Yogyakarta Sultan's Great Mosque. His father was the Imam of the mosque, and Dahlan learned that language from his father. It is Muslim belief that one should recite the Koran in its original language, but very few Indonesians at this time knew Arabic, and those who could were considered people of great knowledge. Dahlan was sent to an Islamic boarding school or pesantren. As one of his five obligations as a Muslim, he went on a pilgrimage to Mecca where he studied with Ahmad Khatib, the renowned religious teacher. It was during this pilgrimage Dahlan changed his name from Muhammad Darwis to Ahmad Dahlan . This latter name was given by the syaikh of Shafi`i school of law, Sayyid Bakri Shatta. Dahlan associated with fellow Indonesian pilgrims ...