Islam

Islam is one of the oldest organized religions to be established in the Philippines. Its origins in the country may be dated back to as early as the 14th century, with the arrival of Arab and Malay traders who converted some of the native inhabitants in the southwestern Philippine islands.

It was believed that the trading activities with other countries outside the island of Philippines was the reason why Islam was introduced to early ancestors in the area of Sulu and other parts of Mindanao. Accordingly during the early period the Arab came in the Philippines not just for trade activities but also with preachers to spread out the scriptures of the Islam religion.

The early leaders in the villages were believed to be the reason why the natives embrace the said religion. During that time they believed that the wealthy Arab traders were very influential people. Hence they made an arrangement that if the Arab will help them retain there position as leaders, along with their members they will accept Islam.

Islam in Sulu

According to the old scripture- tarsila, Islam was introduced by Tuan Mashaika in Sulu. It was believed that he came in the area when the native inhabitants were still worshiping rocks and other things. Mashaika married the chieftain’s daughters and their off springs deepened and widen the religion in other parts of Sulu.

Another missionary, Karim-ulMakhdum also came and was generously accepted by Mashaika’s clan. As a distinctive individual he was also called Tuan Sharif auliya- auliya means holy.

In 15^th century Rajah Baginda arrived from Sumatra with a political knowledge and later formed a community in the area. Buwasa became the capital of Baginda’s administration. Later Sayyid Abu Bakr came in Buwasa and lived in Rajah Baginda’s place. He married the daughter of Rajah Baginda. After Baginda’s death Abu Bakr took the leadership position.

In his administration he established the Sultanate-a Muslim state that rule over the islands in Sulu. Abu Bakr was the first sultan then and known as Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim. During his term there were many masjid and madrasah constructed. Political agreement was also concurred in some other muslim communities with an intention to strengthen the Islam against the Catholicism invasion in the northern part of the country.

Islam in Mindanao

The widespread of Islam in Maguindanao was made responsible by Sharif Mouhammad Kabungsuwan. The later believed to reach Maguindanao from Samal after a surviving seafaring due to a storm. His other travel companions were believed to dock in the shores of Sumatra, Borneo and Sulu. With his stay in Maguindanao he gained an impression of being loyal and intelligent Muslim. By invading other territories and good relations of those who are not Muslims, he encouraged many supporters.

Researchers believed that this fast-stretch of Islam was due to his effort and assistance of the political leaders in Sulu. The said religion was believed to spread in Maguindanao because of the Sultanate in Sulu.

Kabungsuwan married the daughters of the chieftains indeed lay him as head in Malabang and Cotabato. Others said that he started the sultanate in Maguindanao, however he claimed himself to be a sharif instead of a sultan.

From Cotabato and Malabang the Islam reached the communities in Lake Saranggani and Gulf of Davao. Old stories said that Kabungsuwan arrived at Lake Lanao and encourages the Maranao’s to embrace the religion but others believed that Maranao accepted the religion due to their affiliation to the natives in Maguindanao.

Old narrations in Lanao also relay that Sharif Alawi introduced Islam from Cotabato to the entrance river of Tagoloan- Misamis Oriental today. From here he also reached Bukidnon and the Lake of Lanao.

Islam in Luzon

Evidence shows that during 16^th century there was already a widespread of Islam religion in different parts of the Philippines brought by the Muslim traders and missionaries. In the northern part of the country it was believed that they lived and built their community along the Manila Bay, Tundo and Laguna.

Burial and Afterlife Belief

Some archeological remains were found which provide blatant evidence that the early Filipinos give respect to their dead love ones. There were areas where archeological experts unearthed relics suggest that when an individual died they were given a formal burial. Some artifacts excavated yielded not only bones of human beings but also pottery, burial jars, gold, jade ornaments, and glass beads that are thousands of years old and reflect their way of living.

The Manunggul vase being discovered is perhaps the strongest evidence that prehistoric man believed in the afterlife. This artifacts unearthed in the Tabon Caves in Palawan is a vase which Robert Fox claims to be the most beautiful burial jar in the whole of Southeast Asia. It is intricately designed. The cover of the jar supports a ship of the dead with two figures holding a paddle each, sailing into the netherworld. Red hematite painting accentuated sophisticated and attractive designs on the body of the jar. The cover design is further proof of early Filipinos’ belief in the afterworld. Jars unearthed in the Bato Caves in Sorsogon also contain bodies of the dead. The bodies were first treated ritually and then hidden in inaccessible limestone caves.

However, other jars also give subtle indications of prehistoric man's belief in the afterlife. Earthenware vessels used in making rice wine for rituals have been found. Some burial jars were covered with a plate or large bowls on its mouth, and other, smaller jars contained animal bones. These are said to be the food of the dead in their journey to the afterlife. Also uncovered were tall foot stands supporting a shallow plate. It was believed that this was used for ritual offerings.

It is also believed that they extend an effort to reminisce the memory of their dead love ones and should be remembered for a lifetime. An offering of wine and food is their way to interact with them. They believe that when their spirits get angry a member of the family will get sick.

Early Religious Belief and Practice

During the pre-colonial time there was already an indigenous spiritual traditions practiced by the people in the Philippines. Generally, for lack of better terminology prehistoric people are described to be animistic. Their practice was a collection of beliefs and cultural mores anchored in the idea that the world is inhabited by spirits and supernatural entities, both good and bad, and that respect be accorded to them through nature worship thus; they believed that their daily lives has a connection of such beliefs.

These spirits are said to be the anito or diwata that they believed to be good and bad. The good spirits were considered as there relatives and the bad were believed to be their enemies. Some worship specific deities like Bathala a supreme god for the Tagalog, Laon or Abba for the Visayan, Ikasi of Zambal, Gugurang for the people of Bicol and Kabunian of Ilocano and Ifugao. Aside from those supreme deities they also worship other gods like Idialao as god of farming, Lalaon of harvest, Balangay god of rainbow and Sidapa god of death.

Others also worship the moon, stars, caves, mountains, rivers, plants and trees. Some creatures are being worship too like the bird, crow, tortoise, crocodile and other things they believed has value and connected to their lives.

The variation of animistic practices occurs in different ethnic groups. Magic, chants and prayers are often key features. Its practitioners were highly respected (and some feared) in the community, as they were healers, midwife (hilot), shamans, witches and warlocks (mangkukulam), babaylans, tribal historians and wizened elders that provided the spiritual and traditional life of the community. In the Visayas region there is a belief of witchcraft (kulam) and mythical creatures like aswang, Nuno sa Punso and other mythical creature.

Pre-colonial Women

Long time ago and even until today the women are treated with great respect in the society. Contrary to popular belief, Philippine society was not always patriarchal. There was a time when women were treated as equally as men. The early law already recognizes their rights with the same privilege equally as men have. They played key roles both in and outside. Before the coming of the Spaniards, women were already entitled to inherit and own a family property, engage in a trade, to work according to her favorable occupation. They could also exercise their right to name her child before anyone else and could divorce her husband.

In the street while walking with their family, relatives or with a group they were always in front before men as an indication of respect. Indeed this explains that they were already recognized to be given a high respect in the society.

In the family, husbands and wives were also equal. Husbands treated their wives as companions and not as slaves or whores. The wife was also financially independent since she retained the property she owned before marriage. Both the husband and the wife had the right to file for divorce since this was practiced. The grounds for divorce were childlessness, infidelity, or failure to fulfill obligations to the family. In theory, husbands and wives had equal rights, although in practice, wives had limited causes for divorce.

Even until today it was already a practice that wives juggled between managing the home, taking care of the children, at the same time helping her husband in earning the family's livelihood. She often played a key role in the family's economic stability and in improving the family's finances by engaging in agriculture and trade with the Chinese merchants. The early Filipinas were often considered as reliable trade partners, thus, women's signatures were often required to validate contracts.

The pre-colonial Filipinas were also legally enjoy their chance to participate in politics and leadership. In the event where a chieftain (datu) happens to have an absence of a male heir, his daughter has the right to be proclaimed as the leader in the community after her father.

Old System of Writing

During the early period almost everyone in the society-male or female knows how to read and write. They have their own method of writing which they use sharp-pointed tools, leaves, bamboo and trunk’s skin. They write from top to bottom and read it from left to right.

Accordingly they have their Alibata which script is different from China, Japan and India. This account was told by one of the first Spanish missionaries who came in the Philippines, Fr. Pedro Chirino.

Another account proved after the discovery of a jar in Calatagan, Batangas. This system of writing came from the alphabet of Sumatra.

The first Visayan, Tagalog, Ilocano and some ethic groups have their own dialect and form of writing too. They have an alphabet composed of 17 letters; 3 of which are vowels and 14 are consonants.

The Muslims have also their own system basing on there dialect. This is called kirim of Maranao and jiwi of the Tausug, which they are still using until this day.

Unfortunately, unlike with the Muslims these old system of writing is vanishing and only some ethnic groups are using it today like the Mangyan of Mindoro and Tagbanua of Palawan.

Pre-colonial Culture, System of Education and Religious Belief

During the early period thousand years ago, the early Filipinos were composed of different groups that came from different part of Asia. With different groups they form their own community, system of education and religious belief.

They group into different communities composed of 50 to 2,000 individuals and they construct their shelters in different areas according to their lifestyle and source of living. Usually they were situated along the seashores, streams, rivers, forests, fertile land areas and even in caves.

In water areas they look for fish, shells and pearls as their source of living. They also used boat and craft as there means of transportation for an easier travel and carrying their goods for trade from one place to another. For those people located in land areas they cultivate the land and plant rice, bananas and crops. After the harvest they no longer use the area indeed they just move to another place with less grass and fine soil and abundant of trees where they can start farming again. Perhaps this gives an idea that the Philippines is very rich of resources for a bountiful living.

At that early period a system of education already exists which accounted by the so-called Alibata- the early Filipino form of writing. This is according to Fr. Pedro Chirino, one of the first Spanish missionaries arrived in the Philippines.

The early Filipinos also believed that there is a connection of spirit to the daily life of a person. If one their love ones or family member get sick or died they believe that the spirit of nature get angry and they are force to burn and leave their place.

The Philippines Long Time Ago: A Preview

The history of a certain place is discovered by its accounts gathered through its existing remains and different archeological and cultural studies conducted by experts.

According to different studies there were already people existing in the Philippines thousand years ago. They were the Itas, Indones and Malay races. At that early time there was already a form of trade (the barter system) activities that they engaged with other foreign people like the Arab and the Chinese.

The first Filipinos have also their own culture long time ago, proven by numerous remains gathered. Accounts also give a clue that they have an early form of government, different status of living in the society and way of living.