Al-Munir

Inaugurated by the initiative of Abdullah Ahmad in early April 1911, Al-Munir was listed as the first Islamic mass media in Indonesia.

Carrying the mission as a medium for Kaum Muda (young people) movement, the magazine played an important role in the second wave of Islamic reform in West Sumatra in the early 20th century.

[5] Returning from a visit to Singapore, with the support of local merchants, Ahmad began initiating the publication of Al-Munir in Padang.

[6] Its members consist of scholars from the Islamic reform group in Minangkabau or often called Kaum Muda (young people).

In the ranks of the editorial board, headed by Sutan Djamaluddin Abubakar, there were a number of prominent Islamic figures including Abdul Karim Amrullah (father of Hamka), Muhammad Thaib Umar, and Sutan Muhammad Salim (father of Agus Salim).

[9] According to Masoed Abidin in Encyclopedia of Minangkabau, the name Al Munir means torch, which in turns connotes the light of enlightenment.

[10] Most editions were 16 pages long, and the inscription used Jawi alphabet, as in the early 20th century some Minang people were still proficient in writing and reading the Arabic-Malay script.

[11] To distribute the magazines and collect subscriptions, Al-Munir had 31 agents in various areas spread across Sumatra, Java, and the Malay Peninsula.

In addition to advocacy on the compatibility of Islam and modern science and rationality, Al-Munir actively called on Muslims to return to pure Islamic teachings by abolishing taqlid (conformity to legal precedence) and opposing the practice of ecumenical bidah (religious innovation), khurafat (superstition) and tariqa (Sufi order).

Although the circulation of Al-Munir had reached no more than 2,000 copies, the magazine was widely read in a number of areas in Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Java.

The network of Sumatra Thawalib in various regions published limited issue magazines, such as Al-Bayan in Parabek, Al-Basyir in Sungayang, Al-Ittiqan in Maninjau, and Al-Imam in Padang Japang.