He is said to be at the origin of the wayang golek (traditional Sundanese puppet arts from West Java),[1] and to have founded the mosque (masjid) at Kudus - using the doors from the palace of Majapahit.
[citation needed] Kudus, Islamic hardliner of Arabic origin, was a proponent of a rigorist shariatic sufism.
In this he was opposed to moderate Islamists also belonging to the Wali Sanga, such as Siti Jenar who proned a more mystical approach of sufism,[2] called pantheist sufism (union of man and God, wujûdiyah, manunggaling kawulo gusti); or Javanese Sunan Kalijaga (or Kalijogo) who wanted to spread Islam in Java while respecting Javanese customs and traditions.
[3] Sheikh Siti Jenar[3] and his disciples Pangeran (Prince) Jipang and Sunan Panggung (Pengging) were executed upon the order of either Ja’far Sadik or Sunan Kudus, who was at that time at the head of religious affairs in Demak Sultanate.
[4] The sultan of Demak sent Kudus as ambassador to the small kingdom of Pengging, at the foot of Mount Merapi (Central Java), in an attempt to obtain the submission of the reigning prince who was an adept of Sheikh Siti Jenar.