This book illuminates Southeast Asia's active role in Islamic thought through a critical analysis of the writings of Hamzah Fansuri.

Amir H. Zekrgoo and Leyla H. Tajer reveal Malay Sufism's impact upon the Islamic philosophical and literary tradition through the work of 16th-century Sumatran Sufi writer Hamzah Fansuri. Building on scholarship begun by Syed Muhammad Naquib, this volume makes Fansuri's writings accessible beyond Malay-speaking audiences and showcases the rich aesthetic and theological aspects of Fansuri's poetry. Zekrgoo and Tajer resist histories which frame Southeast Asia as a passive recipient of Islamic thought; rather, this study of Fansuri reveals a complex interplay between Sufi mysticism and Malay aesthetic and religious norms. Across six chapters, Zekrgoo and Tajer trace this rich intellectual history across Islamic Southeast Asia and discuss the various cultural and religious contexts which informed Fansuri's poetry and philosophical works.

Amir H. Zekrgoo is Honorary Professor of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Leyla H. Tajer is a member on the advisory board of the Roya Institute for Global Justice, USA, and received a Ph.D. from the International Islamic University, Malaysia.