Tarikh al-Filibin

Tarikh al-Filibin (The History of the Philippines) is an Arabic historical and geographical treatise detailing the geography of the Philippines, the introduction and spread of Islam across the archipelago, and the historical and modern struggles of the Moro Muslim population up to 1392 AH (1972 CE) Tarikh al-Filibin+1.

Geography and Demographics

The treatise opens with an overview of the Philippine archipelago, noting that it comprises 7,100 islands divided into three main regions: Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao Tarikh al-Filibin. It lists the largest islands in descending order as Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, and Panay, with a combined land area of 115,600 square miles Tarikh al-Filibin. The text records the population at the time of writing at 38 million—comprising over 4 million Muslims, 30 million Catholics, 3 million Protestants, and 1 million unaffiliated Tarikh al-Filibin.

Geographically, the islands are bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east, China to the north, the South China Sea to the west, and Celebes, Borneo, and Indonesia to the south Tarikh al-Filibin. The work surveys major urban centers and landmarks, including:

• Manila and Quezon City: Manila served as the capital from early Spanish rule until the adjacent Quezon City was established as the new capital Tarikh al-Filibin. Key landmarks noted include Luneta Park, where crowds assembled upon independence in 1946, and the Manila Zoo Tarikh al-Filibin+1.
• Cebu: A central-southern commercial hub and the country's second-largest port after Manila, retaining fortifications from early Spanish colonizers Tarikh al-Filibin.
• Iligan: A city in Mindanao situated below the Maria Cristina Falls Tarikh al-Filibin.
• Baguio: A highland mountain resort city prized for its mild climate Tarikh al-Filibin.
• Lake Lanao and Zamboanga: Lake Lanao in South Lanao is described as a Muslim center harboring over forty fish species, while Pasonanca Park in Zamboanga is highlighted for its gardens and springs Tarikh al-Filibin+1.

Arrival and Expansion of Islam

The work dates the arrival of Islam in the Philippines to 800 AH (1380 CE) through Arab merchants traveling between the Hijaz, Yemen, and Hadramawt toward China, as well as Muslim preachers from Malaya and Indonesia, while noting archaeological indications of contacts dating back to the Abbasid era Tarikh al-Filibin. It highlights the establishment of three independent sultanates:

1. The Sultanate of Sulu: Founded by the Hashemite Sharif Abu Bakr, an immigrant from Hadramawt Tarikh al-Filibin.
2. The Sultanate of Maguindanao: Established by Sultan Sharif Muhammad Kabungsuwan, who arrived from Malacca (reportedly of an Arab father and a Malaccan mother) Tarikh al-Filibin.
3. The Sultanate of Manila: Ruled by its first sultan, Rajah Sulayman Tarikh al-Filibin.

Colonial Eras and Muslim Resistance

The book outlines the arrival of Spanish expeditions in 941 AH (1521 CE) led by Ferdinand Magellan, who was killed alongside local Muslim leader Lapu-Lapu on Mactan Island Tarikh al-Filibin. Formal Spanish rule lasted from 980 to 1316 AH (1560–1898 CE), naming the territory after King Philip II of Spain Tarikh al-Filibin. While Spain conquered Luzon and central regions, it failed to subdue Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago Tarikh al-Filibin+1.

Following Spain's defeat in 1898, the United States assumed control and pursued military campaigns against Muslims in Mindanao and Sulu without achieving total conquest Tarikh al-Filibin. After Philippine independence in 1366 AH (1946 CE), a democratic republic was established, though governance shifted following President Ferdinand Marcos's declaration of martial law in Sha‘ban 1392 AH (21 September 1972 CE) Tarikh al-Filibin+1.

Islamic Institutions and Revival

The book details Muslim educational and organizational efforts after 1946, centering on Jam‘iyyat Iqamat al-Islam (The Society for the Establishment of Islam), founded in Marawi in 1375 AH (1955 CE) Tarikh al-Filibin. The society aimed to advance Islamic missionary work, promote the Arabic language, and unify Philippine Muslim organizations, successfully bringing twenty-four societies together under the Federation of Islamic Associations in the Philippines Tarikh al-Filibin.

The society ran more than one hundred primary, Quranic, intermediate, and secondary schools, alongside its flagship institution, the Mindanao Arabic Islamic Institute (Ma‘had Mindanao al-‘Arabi al-Islami) Tarikh al-Filibin. The institute offered three four-year educational stages (primary, intermediate, secondary) and dispatched graduates on scholarships to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Kuwait, and Qatar Tarikh al-Filibin. The society also issued a trilingual periodical in Arabic, English, and local dialects, established public libraries, and broadcast religious lectures Tarikh al-Filibin.

Conflict and Documented Events (1971–1972)

The treatise documents the escalating persecution, land dispossession, and violence experienced by Muslims in the early 1970s, attributing much of the armed attacks to the government-backed Ilaga militia Tarikh al-Filibin+1. It chronicles several key events:

• Cotabato Mosque Massacre: On 27 June 1971 (Jumada al-Ula 1391 AH), armed gunmen killed seventy Muslims gathered inside a mosque in Cotabato awaiting a peace meeting Tarikh al-Filibin.
• Alamada Attack: An Ilaga raid on a Mawlid celebration in Alamada, Cotabato, resulting in ninety-eight fatalities Tarikh al-Filibin.
• Tacub Ambush: On 22 November 1971 (Shawwal 1391 AH), military personnel stopped three vehicles carrying Muslim voters returning from elections in Magsaysay, forcing them out and shooting sixty-three dead Tarikh al-Filibin+1.
• Marawi Clashes (Ramadan 1392 AH): Fighting erupted around Camp Keithley after an ultimatum to surrender arms; approximately 600 people were killed, including two al-Azhar University graduates, Muslim Siddiq and ‘Abd al-Mannan Abu Bakr Tarikh al-Filibin.
• Battle of Luuk (12 Ramadan 1392 AH): Muslim fighters engaged a Philippine military force of over three hundred soldiers in Luuk, Sulu, over ten days; among the Muslim casualties was ‘Abd al-Baqi ‘Abd al-Razzaq, a student of the Islamic University of Madinah Tarikh al-Filibin.
• Basilan Clashes (Shawwal 1392 AH): Military engagement on Basilan Island, accompanied by the arrest of an Azharite envoy and the pursuit of religious scholars, including Faruq Kali, a 1390 AH graduate of the Islamic University's Faculty of Sharia Tarikh al-Filibin.

The author tallies the cumulative toll of the massacres to that point at over 3,000 dead, 8,000 wounded, 50,000 displaced, 2,234 homes destroyed, and more than 300 mosques and 70 schools burned Tarikh al-Filibin.

Analysis of the Crisis

The text attributes the crisis confronting Philippine Muslims to seven principal factors Tarikh al-Filibin+1:

1. Political proposals to eliminate the Muslim presence to enforce religious uniformity, citing a 1376 AH (1956 CE) scheme proposed by former army commander General Balao Tarikh al-Filibin.
2. Philippine Muslim solidarity with Arab causes, evidenced by demonstrations against the 1387 AH (1967 CE) visit of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, protests blocking Foreign Minister Abba Eban, and demonstrations following the 1969 arson of al-Aqsa Mosque Tarikh al-Filibin.
3. Collusion involving government officials and presidential advisers, notably Manuel Elizalde and Hans Menzi, regarding landholdings and minority affairs Tarikh al-Filibin.
4. Economic interests surrounding mineral resources discovered in Mindanao, including gold, silver, copper, iron, manganese, aluminum, and sulfur Tarikh al-Filibin.
5. Missionary campaigns that turned to coercive tactics after failing to convert the broader Muslim population Tarikh al-Filibin.
6. Systematic state bias favoring Catholic interests and shielding perpetrators of sectarian violence from prosecution Tarikh al-Filibin.
7. Religious animus against Islam, citing an anonymous threat letter received by Muslim parliamentarian Ali Dimaporo dated 12 July 1972 (10 Ramadan 1392 AH) demanding assimilation into Christianity Tarikh al-Filibin.