Abd ar-Ra'uf as-Singkili

Abd ar-Ra'uf ibn Ali al-Fansuri as-Singkili (1024-1105 AH / 1615-1693 CE) was a major Islamic scholar from Singkel, Aceh (in modern Indonesia) who played a pivotal role in shaping Islamic scholarship and practice in Southeast Asia. He studied for nineteen years in Arabia and Yemen under leading scholars of the Hadrami tradition, most importantly under Ahmad al-Qushashi and Ibrahim al-Kurani in Medina.

As-Singkili mastered Shafi'i jurisprudence, Ash'ari theology, hadith, Quranic commentary, and the Qadiriyyah-Naqshbandiyyah Sufi tradition. He returned to Aceh, where he served as the mufti (chief religious authority) for the Acehnese sultanate and spent the rest of his life teaching and writing.

His most important works include Mir'at at-Tullab (The Mirror for Students), the first comprehensive work on Islamic jurisprudence written in Malay, covering the full range of Shafi'i fiqh from worship to commercial transactions; and Tarjuman al-Mustafid (The Interpreter of the Benefited), the first complete Malay translation and commentary of the entire Quran. These works were pioneering achievements in making classical Islamic knowledge accessible in the Malay language.

He also authored works on Sufi doctrine in which he took a moderate position, rejecting the more controversial aspects of earlier Acehnese Sufism while preserving the spiritual tradition within orthodox boundaries. Abd ar-Ra'uf as-Singkili is regarded as one of the most important scholars in the history of Islam in Southeast Asia, instrumental in establishing the Malay Islamic scholarly tradition. He passed away in Singkel in approximately 1105 AH.