Monday 5 July 2021

The Story of Prince Sharif, Betawi Folklore

When the Jakarta area was still Jayakarta, there lived a well-known propagator of Islam, named Prince Syarif. Prince Sharif is very familiar with religious knowledge. He taught Islam to the people of Jayakarta with great affection. People are happy because they can worship according to the teachings of Islam. He is very familiar with the Qur'an and the Sunnah. 
The story of Prince Sharif, Betawi Folklore

The people of Jayakarta really like Prince Syarif, not only because of his kindness, Prince Syarif is also known as a figure full of humor. He spread the religion of Islam to the people. He did not hesitate to spread Islam to all circles. However, Prince Syarif did not like the violence carried out by the Dutch colonialists against the people of Jayakarta. Thus, Prince Syarif also intended to gather strength in the face of Dutch colonialism.

Prince Syarif went to Bendungan Village

One time, Prince Sarif was walking towards Bendungan Village, he passed the Pasar Minggu area. The drizzle also approached Prince Syarif's journey when he arrived at the Ciliwung river. On the way, he saw a boat moving towards the city. Prince Syarif felt something strange with the owner of the boat.

Finally the owner of the boat approached Prince Sharif. They had spoken a few words. Seeing the boat owner's strange behavior, Prince Syarif finally asked to resign to say goodbye. Prince Syarif had a feeling that the person he had just met was a Dutch spy.

He finally got into the bushes to get rid of the trail. It turned out that the owner of the boat followed Prince Sharif from behind. When Prince Syarif looked back, the owner of the boat immediately fell silent and tried to hide his boat to a place that could be used as a hiding place. This incident was repeated many times, so Prince Syarif had to find a way to eliminate his traces, because he had to be aware of the spies of the invaders who wanted to catch his whereabouts. Moreover, the Dutch were looking for his whereabouts in Jayakarta.

Prince Sharif entered the tunnel

Prince Sharif began to enter into a tunnel. It turned out that the owner of the boat also entered the tunnel to follow Prince Syarif. The tunnel through which Prince Syarif passed through to Sunter near Pondok Gede.

According to folklore from Jakarta, someone who was stalking Prince Syarif was quite surprised by the existence of the tunnel he was going through. The tunnel felt dark and narrow. He had time to think, maybe the tunnel was a magical tunnel, because he had never been through such a tunnel in his life. Never even seen the tunnel, let alone go through it. Finally he returned to the Ciliwung River, but he did not find the tunnel again, only a pitch black atmosphere that he felt. So he couldn't come back safely.

Finally, in a state of anxiety and amazement, the owner of the boat returned to Prince Syarif. He pedaled his boat with all his might to approach Prince Sharif who was quite far in front of him. He believes that Prince Sharif has a very high knowledge so that anyone who harms him will get a bad thing.

Become a loyal disciple of Prince Sharif

The boat owner finally asked for forgiveness from Prince Syarif for his actions following him since he was on the Ciliwung River. Prince Syarif gently said that the owner of the boat did not need to ask for forgiveness from him (Prince Sharif), but asked Allah SWT for forgiveness, the owner of the universe. Since then, the boat owner finally asked to be taught Islamic religious knowledge from the sharif prince. He was really fascinated by the charisma and depth of religious knowledge possessed by Prince Sharif. Thus, the owner of the boat eventually became one of Prince Sharif's loyal students.

This is a Betawi folk tale entitled The Story of Prince Syarif (Jakarta). It is said that the tunnel that was passed by Prince Syarif and the stalker was dubbed the crocodile hole by the locals. The lesson we can take from the story of Prince Sharif's story is to be a forgiving person, and don't be a person who likes to do evil. If we commit a crime, then we will also get a reward or punishment that is appropriate. In addition, the wisdom we can take is to always stay close to God, then God will always provide help to us. 

Prince Syarif is a guardian who spreads Islam who is quite well known among the Betawi people. Prince Syarif was respected and respected among the Betawi people at that time. However, the Dutch colonialists did not like the presence of Prince Syarif. Prince Syarif was considered to have troubled the movement of the Dutch East Indies government.

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