Sheikh Karimul Makhdum

Historical marker installed in 2023 stating that the burial site of Makhdum had been declared as a National Historial Shrine by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines

Sheikh Karimul Makhdum was an Arab Sunni Sufi Muslim as well as a known missionary from Syria who came to Malacca.[1] Karimul Makhdum was born in Makdonia, a village near Damascus in Syria.[2] Him and the Wali sanga were affiliated with the Kubrawi Hamadani missionaries in the late 14th century. [3] He was a Sufi who brought Islam to the Philippines in 1380, 141 years before Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in the country. He established a mosque in Simunul Island, Tawi Tawi, Philippines, known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque which is the oldest mosque in the country.[4]

Commemoration

On arrival to the Philippines, he built a mosque in Simunul island, Tawi-Tawi. The construction is celebrated annually in the southern Philippines as anniversary of the coming of Makhdum Karim. The celebration offers prayers that commemorate the propagation of Islam in the Philippines.

In 2005, Governor of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Zaldy Ampatuan has appealed to the Philippine government, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries to rehabilitate the mosque and develop it as a religious tourist spot in southern Philippines.

References

1. SHIM QUILING, MUCHA. "Tawi-tawi celebrates Karim'ul Makhdum Day". MindaNews. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
2. Sunyoto, Agus (2003). Suluk Abdul Jalil : perjalanan ruhani Syeikh Siti Jenar. Lembaga Kajian Islam dan Sosial (LKIS). ISBN 979-9492-75-0. OCLC 773525395.
3. Aljunied, S. M. K. (2019). Islam in Malaysia: An Entwined History. Kiribati: Oxford University Press.
4. Jacinto, Al. "Filipino Muslims Remember Arrival Of Arab Missionary". Arab News. Retrieved 5 November 2005.