From Hostility to Conciliation: Charting Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi’s Attitude towards Colonialism through the Analysis of al-Imam and al-Ikhwan
Abstract
Syed Sheikh al-Hadi (1867–1934) is a central figure in the study of Islamic reformism in the Malay world. To propagate his ideas, he established three journals: al-Imam (1906–1908), al-Ikhwan (1926–1931) and Saudara (1928–1941). Among these, al-Imam has been the most extensively studied, while al-Ikhwan remains significantly overlooked as a primary source for understanding al-Hadi’s thoughts. This neglect disregards critical insights into potential shifts and developments in his ideas, especially since al-Ikhwan was published nearly two decades after al-Imam ceased publication. Specifically, this gap has led to unsatisfactory conclusions regarding al-Hadi’s attitude towards the British colonisers. Without accounting for any shift that had taken place over the decades, several existing studies either depict al-Hadi as fervently and consistently anti-colonial or conclude otherwise, directly contradicting each other. Through a textual analysis of al-Ikhwan and comparison with his earlier writings in al-Imam, this paper argues that a significant shift in his stance towards the colonisers had occurred from hostility in al-Imam to conciliation in al-Ikhwan. Using a socio-historical analysis, it further demonstrates that this shift can be explained by the differing contexts in which al-Hadi was writing for each periodical. This highlights al-Hadi’s critical approach to reform—one that was not merely an imitation of prominent reformists elsewhere, but firmly grounded in the circumstances he faced.
Full text: PDF
References
Abdul Rahman Haji Ismail. (2003). Syed Syeikh al-Hadi: Penggerak kebangkitan Melayu abad ke-20. In Sohaimi Abdul Aziz (Ed.), Cendekia dan sasterawan ulung (pp. 9–36). Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abu Bakar Hamzah. (1981). al-Imam: Its role in Malay society, 1906-1908. Media Cendekiawan Sdn. Bhd.
Ahmad Dzulfahmi Muhamad, & Mohammad Redzuan Othman. (2020). Pengislahan sistem pendidikan Islam di tanah Melayu: Peranan mudir Madrasah al-Mashoor alIslamiah Pulau Pinang, 1916-1957. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 15(1), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol15no1.9
Alatas, Syed Farid. (2005). Ideology and utopia in the thought of Syed Shaykh al-Hady. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1907). Menuntut ketinggian akan anak-anak negeri. al-Imam, 25–31.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1927a). Akhbar dalam negeri. al-Ikhwan, 1(10), 202–204.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1927b). Akhbar luar negeri: Bin Sa’ud dan Kerajaan Inggeris. al-Ikhwan, 1(11), 219–223.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1929a). Ulama’ di Kelantan dengan al-Ikhwan dan Saudara. alIkhwan, 3(7), 215–220.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1929b). Tafsir al-Quran: Surah An-Naziat, sambungan al-IkhwanPenggal 6 Jilid 3. al-Ikhwan, 3(7), 195–203.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1930). Apa dalam majalah guru. al-Ikhwan, 4(5), 141–146.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (2018). Kritikan Pandita Za’ba terhadap ‘teriak sebenar’ dan suran balasan daripada al-Ikhwan. In A. Gordon (Ed.), Seruan islah Syed Syeikh al-Hadi. (p. 167–179). Islamic Renaissance Front Berhad. (Original work published 1926).
al-Hady, Syed Alwi. (1999). The life of my father. In A. Gordon (Ed.), The real cry of Syed Syeikh al-Hadi (pp. 69–84). Malaysian Sociological Research Institute.
al-Hady, Syed Mohamed Alwi. (1999). Syed Syeikh: Through the prism of a child’s eyes & the al-Hady clan. In A. Gordon (Ed.), The real cry of Syed Syeikh al-Hadi (pp. 85–108). Malaysian Sociological Research Institute.
Azyumardi Azra. (1999). The transmission of al-Manar’s reformism to the Malay-Indonesian world: The cases of al-Imam and al-Munir. Studia Islamika, 6(3), 75–100. https://doi.org/10.15408/sdi.v6i3.723
Bashiri, I. (2023). Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī. EBSCO Information Services. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/jamal-al-din-al-afghani
Carr, E.H. (1986). What is history?. The Macmillan Press Ltd.
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.
Gordon, A. (2018). Seruan islah Syed Shaykh al-Hady. (Mohd Rashidi Nashruddin &
Shuhaib Ar Rumy Ismail, Trans.). Islamic Renaissance Front Berhad.
Haddad, Y. (2005). Muhammad Abduh: Pioneer of Islamic reform. In Ali Rahmena (Ed.), Pioneers of Islamic revival (pp. 30–63). Zed Books.
Hafiz Zakariya. (2017). Colonialism, society and reforms in Malaya: A comparative evaluation of Shaykh Tahir Jalaluddin and Syed Shaykh Ahmad Al-Hady. Intellectual Discourse, 25(Special Issue), 477–501. https://doi.org/10.31436/id.v25iSpecialIs.1054
Hafiz Zakariya & Wiwin Oktasari. (2017). From Riau to Singapore: A content analysis of the Rushdiah Club’s major published writings (ca. 1890-1950). International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies, 4(3). 11–25. https://doi.org/10.11113/umran2017.4n3.162
Hashim Ismail. (2019). Syed Syeikh al-Hadi dan jaringan pengaruh pemikirannya. In Mohamad Mokhtar Abu Hassan & Mohd Hanafi Ibrahim (Eds.), Pembaharu semangat Islam dan sosial (pp. 28–57). Produksi Nur-Johan Sdn. Bhd.
Ibrahim Abu Bakar. (1994). Islamic modernism in Malaya: The life and thought of Sayid Shekh al-Hadi, 1867-1934. University of Malaya Press.
Ibrahim Abu Bakar. (1991). The divine decree and determination in al-Hadi’s thought. Islamiyyat, 12, 15–24.
Keddie, N.R. (2005). Sayyid Jamal al-Din ‘al-Afghani’. In Ali Rahmena (Ed.), Pioneers of Islamic revival. (pp. 11–29). Zed Books.
Marina Merican. (1960). Sayed Shaikh al-Hadi dan pendapatnya mengenai kemajuan kaum perempuan (sebagai tersiar didalam majallah al-Ikhwan) [Academic Exercise, Universiti Malaya].
Meriboute, Z. (2009). Islam’s fateful path: The critical choices facing modern Muslims. (J. King, Trans.). I.B. Tauris.
Mohamed Fairoz Ahmad. (2010). Orientalism and integrative history: A study of an early 20th century Islamic periodical in Singapore. [Master’s thesis, National University of Singapore]. ScholarBank@NUS. http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/18808
Muhammad Tamim Abdul Qadir. (1927). al-Ikhwan dan keberhentiannya. al-Ikhwan, 1(10), 185–187.
Shaharom TM Sulaiman. (2003). Jaringan pengaruh luar terhadap pemikiran dan sikap Syed Syeikh al-Hadi. In Sohaimi Abdul Aziz (Ed.), Cendekia dan sasterawan ulung(pp. 58–72). Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Smith, T.W. (1994). Concepts and methods in the study of anger, hostility, and health. In A.W. Siegman & T.W. Smith (Eds.), Anger, hostility, and the heart (pp. 23–42). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Talib Samat. (1992). Syed Sheikh al-Hadi: Sasterawan progresif Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Talib Samat. (2019). Biografi Syed Syeikh bin Syed Ahmad al-Hadi. In Mohamad Mokhtar Abu Hassan & Mohd Hanafi Ibrahim (Eds.), Pembaharu semangat Islam dan sosial, pp. 3–27. Produksi Nur-Johan Sdn. Bhd.
Tan, L. (1999). Syed Shaykh: His life & times. In A. Gordon (Ed.), The real cry of Syed Syeikh al-Hadi (pp. 109–162). Malaysian Sociological Research Institute.
Wan Suhana Wan Sulong. (2003). Saudara (1928-1941): Its contribution to the debate on issues in Malay society and the development of a Malay world-view [Doctoral dissertation, University of Hull]. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212293
Wan Suhana Wan Sulong. (2006). Saudara (1928–1941): Continuity and change in the Malay society. Intellectual Discourse: 14(2), 179–202. https://doi.org/10.31436/id.v14i2.97
Zainal Abidin Ahmad. (1927). Kemiskinan orang Melayu. al-Ikhwan, 1(8), 151–154
Abu Bakar Hamzah. (1981). al-Imam: Its role in Malay society, 1906-1908. Media Cendekiawan Sdn. Bhd.
Ahmad Dzulfahmi Muhamad, & Mohammad Redzuan Othman. (2020). Pengislahan sistem pendidikan Islam di tanah Melayu: Peranan mudir Madrasah al-Mashoor alIslamiah Pulau Pinang, 1916-1957. Journal of Al-Tamaddun, 15(1), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.22452/JAT.vol15no1.9
Alatas, Syed Farid. (2005). Ideology and utopia in the thought of Syed Shaykh al-Hady. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1907). Menuntut ketinggian akan anak-anak negeri. al-Imam, 25–31.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1927a). Akhbar dalam negeri. al-Ikhwan, 1(10), 202–204.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1927b). Akhbar luar negeri: Bin Sa’ud dan Kerajaan Inggeris. al-Ikhwan, 1(11), 219–223.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1929a). Ulama’ di Kelantan dengan al-Ikhwan dan Saudara. alIkhwan, 3(7), 215–220.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1929b). Tafsir al-Quran: Surah An-Naziat, sambungan al-IkhwanPenggal 6 Jilid 3. al-Ikhwan, 3(7), 195–203.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (1930). Apa dalam majalah guru. al-Ikhwan, 4(5), 141–146.
al-Hadi, Syed Sheikh. (2018). Kritikan Pandita Za’ba terhadap ‘teriak sebenar’ dan suran balasan daripada al-Ikhwan. In A. Gordon (Ed.), Seruan islah Syed Syeikh al-Hadi. (p. 167–179). Islamic Renaissance Front Berhad. (Original work published 1926).
al-Hady, Syed Alwi. (1999). The life of my father. In A. Gordon (Ed.), The real cry of Syed Syeikh al-Hadi (pp. 69–84). Malaysian Sociological Research Institute.
al-Hady, Syed Mohamed Alwi. (1999). Syed Syeikh: Through the prism of a child’s eyes & the al-Hady clan. In A. Gordon (Ed.), The real cry of Syed Syeikh al-Hadi (pp. 85–108). Malaysian Sociological Research Institute.
Azyumardi Azra. (1999). The transmission of al-Manar’s reformism to the Malay-Indonesian world: The cases of al-Imam and al-Munir. Studia Islamika, 6(3), 75–100. https://doi.org/10.15408/sdi.v6i3.723
Bashiri, I. (2023). Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī. EBSCO Information Services. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/jamal-al-din-al-afghani
Carr, E.H. (1986). What is history?. The Macmillan Press Ltd.
Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.
Gordon, A. (2018). Seruan islah Syed Shaykh al-Hady. (Mohd Rashidi Nashruddin &
Shuhaib Ar Rumy Ismail, Trans.). Islamic Renaissance Front Berhad.
Haddad, Y. (2005). Muhammad Abduh: Pioneer of Islamic reform. In Ali Rahmena (Ed.), Pioneers of Islamic revival (pp. 30–63). Zed Books.
Hafiz Zakariya. (2017). Colonialism, society and reforms in Malaya: A comparative evaluation of Shaykh Tahir Jalaluddin and Syed Shaykh Ahmad Al-Hady. Intellectual Discourse, 25(Special Issue), 477–501. https://doi.org/10.31436/id.v25iSpecialIs.1054
Hafiz Zakariya & Wiwin Oktasari. (2017). From Riau to Singapore: A content analysis of the Rushdiah Club’s major published writings (ca. 1890-1950). International Journal of Islamic and Civilizational Studies, 4(3). 11–25. https://doi.org/10.11113/umran2017.4n3.162
Hashim Ismail. (2019). Syed Syeikh al-Hadi dan jaringan pengaruh pemikirannya. In Mohamad Mokhtar Abu Hassan & Mohd Hanafi Ibrahim (Eds.), Pembaharu semangat Islam dan sosial (pp. 28–57). Produksi Nur-Johan Sdn. Bhd.
Ibrahim Abu Bakar. (1994). Islamic modernism in Malaya: The life and thought of Sayid Shekh al-Hadi, 1867-1934. University of Malaya Press.
Ibrahim Abu Bakar. (1991). The divine decree and determination in al-Hadi’s thought. Islamiyyat, 12, 15–24.
Keddie, N.R. (2005). Sayyid Jamal al-Din ‘al-Afghani’. In Ali Rahmena (Ed.), Pioneers of Islamic revival. (pp. 11–29). Zed Books.
Marina Merican. (1960). Sayed Shaikh al-Hadi dan pendapatnya mengenai kemajuan kaum perempuan (sebagai tersiar didalam majallah al-Ikhwan) [Academic Exercise, Universiti Malaya].
Meriboute, Z. (2009). Islam’s fateful path: The critical choices facing modern Muslims. (J. King, Trans.). I.B. Tauris.
Mohamed Fairoz Ahmad. (2010). Orientalism and integrative history: A study of an early 20th century Islamic periodical in Singapore. [Master’s thesis, National University of Singapore]. ScholarBank@NUS. http://scholarbank.nus.edu.sg/handle/10635/18808
Muhammad Tamim Abdul Qadir. (1927). al-Ikhwan dan keberhentiannya. al-Ikhwan, 1(10), 185–187.
Shaharom TM Sulaiman. (2003). Jaringan pengaruh luar terhadap pemikiran dan sikap Syed Syeikh al-Hadi. In Sohaimi Abdul Aziz (Ed.), Cendekia dan sasterawan ulung(pp. 58–72). Universiti Sains Malaysia.
Smith, T.W. (1994). Concepts and methods in the study of anger, hostility, and health. In A.W. Siegman & T.W. Smith (Eds.), Anger, hostility, and the heart (pp. 23–42). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Talib Samat. (1992). Syed Sheikh al-Hadi: Sasterawan progresif Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
Talib Samat. (2019). Biografi Syed Syeikh bin Syed Ahmad al-Hadi. In Mohamad Mokhtar Abu Hassan & Mohd Hanafi Ibrahim (Eds.), Pembaharu semangat Islam dan sosial, pp. 3–27. Produksi Nur-Johan Sdn. Bhd.
Tan, L. (1999). Syed Shaykh: His life & times. In A. Gordon (Ed.), The real cry of Syed Syeikh al-Hadi (pp. 109–162). Malaysian Sociological Research Institute.
Wan Suhana Wan Sulong. (2003). Saudara (1928-1941): Its contribution to the debate on issues in Malay society and the development of a Malay world-view [Doctoral dissertation, University of Hull]. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212293
Wan Suhana Wan Sulong. (2006). Saudara (1928–1941): Continuity and change in the Malay society. Intellectual Discourse: 14(2), 179–202. https://doi.org/10.31436/id.v14i2.97
Zainal Abidin Ahmad. (1927). Kemiskinan orang Melayu. al-Ikhwan, 1(8), 151–154
Published
2025-07-31
How to Cite
MOHD BAKHIT, Mohamad Tauhid.
From Hostility to Conciliation: Charting Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi’s Attitude towards Colonialism through the Analysis of al-Imam and al-Ikhwan.
Melayu: Jurnal Antarabangsa Dunia Melayu, [S.l.], v. 18, n. 2, p. 247-266, july 2025.
ISSN 2682-8049.
Available at: <http://jurnal.dbp.my/index.php/Melayu/article/view/9161>. Date accessed: 25 aug. 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.37052/jm.18(2)no5.
Section
Articles
