Buya Hamka

Writing

Born: February 17, 1908 · Maninjau, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Died: July 24, 1981 (age 73)

Buya Hamka, whose full name was Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, (was born on February 17, 1908, in Maninjau, West Sumatra), and passed away on July 24, 1981, in Jakarta. He was an Indonesian Islamic scholar, writer, historian, and politician who had a significant influence on the world of Islam and Indonesian literature.

Buya Hamka came from a family of Minangkabau scholars. His father, Dr. Abdul Karim Amrullah, was a reformist Islamic figure in Indonesia. Hamka studied Islam in depth from a young age, including at Sumatera Thawalib, a modern Islamic school in Padang Panjang. He also expanded his knowledge of Islam through self-study and traveled to Mecca at a young age.

As an Islamic scholar, Buya Hamka was active in Muhammadiyah and served as the first Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) from 1975 to 1981. He was known as a moderate preacher with broad insights. In politics, he was a member of the Constituent Assembly representing the Masyumi Party before the party was dissolved.

Buya Hamka was also recognized as a novelist and Islamic book writer. His most famous work is "Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck", a romance novel set against Minangkabau traditions. His writings often explored themes of religion, culture, and life's struggles. Besides novels, he also wrote a monumental Qur’anic commentary, "Tafsir Al-Azhar".