الرحلةThe Journey

كريم المخدوم

Makhdum Karim (RH)

Karim al-Makhdum

Also known as: Karimul Makhdum, Sharif Awliya Karim al-Makhdum, Tuan Sharif Aulia

c. 730–c. 802 AH · c. 1330–c. 1400 CE

Da'wah Shafi'i Sufism

Preacher who brought Islam to the Sulu islands in 1380, by tradition, and built the oldest mosque in the Philippines.

According to the Sulu genealogies (tarsila), Karim al-Makhdum, a learned Sufi preacher, arrived at Simunul in Tawi-Tawi in 1380 and taught Islam to the people of the Sulu islands.

The mosque he is said to have founded at Tubig-Indangan on Simunul is regarded as the oldest in the Philippines, and the day of his arrival is commemorated there. His work prepared the way for the Sulu Sultanate, founded in the following century.

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Life journey

  1. c. 1330 CE Melaka ملاكا
    His origin is uncertain; traditions link him to Arabia and to Melaka.
  2. 1380 CE Simunul (Tawi-Tawi) سيمونول
    Died c. 1400 CE · c. 802 AH
    Arrived at Simunul in Tawi-Tawi in 1380, by Sulu tradition, and built a mosque there.

Places in their life

Masjid Kampung Kling, Melaka
Masjid Kampung Kling, Melaka
Photo: Azuladnan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • Cesar Adib Majul, Muslims in the Philippines (1973)
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Dates and origin from the Sulu tarsila; estimated for the timeline.