By Nurhaizatul Jamila Jamil written on 12-Aug-2010
National Library Board Singapore

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Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad Milatu (b. August 1922, Desa Pingging, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia – d. 12 August 2010, Singapore) was a prominent ulama (“religious scholar”) who played a critical role in the development of Islamic education and the nurturing of ulamas in Singapore and the region. He was a founding member of the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association or PERGAS, formed in 1956. He also held numerous positions in the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and was a respected advisor on Islamic religious matters.

Early life
Born to Mohamad Milatu bin Hj Haromain and Raden Ummi Salamah Binti Haji Anwar, Ustaz Sonhadji came from a family of renowned religious preachers. Some of his family members were experts in Quranic recital and were even teachers to the fourth Sultan of Surakarta. They also founded madrasahs in Indonesia.

In 1927, his father brought him to Singapore and they lived at Pasir Gembur, near Jalan Sultan. The family later moved to Riau, Indonesia, where he received a religious education as his father worked as a religious teacher there. At the age of 14, he returned to Singapore and enrolled in Madrasah Aljunied. While studying here, he set up a nasyid group, a religious choir, among the madrasah students. He remained at the school until the Japanese Occupation disrupted his education and he was compelled to return to Riau. There, he co-founded a madrasah called Perguran Agama Islam Rengat (Rengat Muslim Teachers’ College). He returned to Singapore in 1944 and completed his studies at Madrasah Aljunied.

A lifetime of teaching
Upon the completion of his studies, Ustaz Sonhadji worked as a trainee teacher at Madrasah Aljunied for a year before becoming a full-time teacher at the school. In 1945, he was invited to start a religious class at Persatuan Bustanul Ariffin (Bustanul Ariffin Organization) at Coronation Road. He taught here for a while, then left to start his own religious class at his house. He had more than 100 students and the classes went on for seven years.

While serving on the education ministry’s Islamic Education Council from 1958 to 1960, he helped to plan the curriculum of religious education in Singapore and wrote more than a dozen religious books that became the textbooks used at local madrasahs.

He also taught at Sekolah Menengah Arab Hassanul Bolkiah (Hassanul Bolkiah Arabic High School) in Brunei for some time. He was Head Teacher there from 1966 to 1970 and composed its official song. Many prominent public figures in Brunei were once his students.

After the stint in Brunei, he returned to Singapore and held several key appointments. He was the principal of Madrasah Aljunied from 1973 to 1980, and in the 1980s he was made imam (“religious leader”) of Muhajirin Mosque. In 1992, he was invited by MUIS to serve as the chairman of Madrasah Al-Irsyad. During his chairmanship at the school from 1993 to 1996, he introduced the revolutionary Iqra’ method of learning to read the Quran. Even in his late 80s, he continued to teach at Muhajirin Mosque.

Religious advisor
Described as a progressive scholar, Ustaz Sonhadji was a member of the Fatwa Committee of MUIS since 1975 and influenced the committee’s rulings on various issues such as the inclusion of Muslims under the Human Organ Transplant Act and the acceptability of NEWater.

He was also an advisor to the Religious Rehabilitation Group, which provides expert resources on issues related to terrorism and Islam in Singapore and engages in the rehabilitation of detained terrorists.

Literary legacy
Ustaz Sonhadji, whose name was inspired by the author Syeikh Sonhadji, wrote many books. His best-known publication is Abrul Athir, which means “through the air waves”. A translation and interpretation of the Quran in the Malay language, the 30-volume work took him more than 25 years to complete. When he began translating the Quran in 1959, his main aim was to write it in the format of a script for a programme on Radio Singapura every Friday night. From there, he began to work on the book versions, which he managed to complete on 26 April 1984. The publishing process was done in stages, from the first volume in 1960 to the final volume in 1988. Abrul Athir has been acknowledged as one of the most credible translations ever written and it has been republished many times.

He also authored an instructional guidebook on Islamic prayers that is used by most Muslim Singaporeans. The book has been reprinted and translated into various languages such as Korean and Sinhalese. On his 82nd birthday, in 2004, he published another book titled Takzirah Untuk Orang Mengaji: Karya Sonhadji, which is a collection of his observations of life from an Islamic viewpoint.

In August 2008, Ustaz Sonhadji signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Library Board (NLB) of Singapore to donate his literary collection to NLB for the benefit of the public. The Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad Collection consists of more than 1,000 publications on Islam and the development of Islam in Singapore and the region, and over 500 manuscripts including his sermons and interpretations of the Quran.

Awards
1988 : Public Service Medal, National Day Awards, Singapore.
1992 : Anugerah Jasa Cemerlang (meaning “excellent contribution award”), MUIS.
2009 : 40th Anniversary Award, MUIS.

Death
Ustaz Sonhadji, whose wife passed away in 2001, died of complications from pneumonia on 12 August 2010. He was survived by 10 children, 32 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.



Author
Nurhaizatul Jamila Jamil



References
Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura. (2010, August 12). The passing of a religious scholar [Press release]. Retrieved August 13, 2010, from http://www.muis.gov.sg/cms/news/press.aspx?id=15450

Mazelan Anuar. (2008, October). Signing of memorandum of understanding between National Library Board and Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad. BiblioAsia, 4(3). Retrieved August 13, 2010, from http://libguides.nl.sg/data/files2/59430/Signing%20of%20Memorandum%20of%20Understanding_Mazelan%20Anuar.pdf

National Library Board. (n.d.). Donor collection: Ustaz Ahmad Sonhajdi Mohamad. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://donors.nl.sg/A49_intro.asp

Norman Suratman. (1997). Menyongsong Arus: Biografi Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad [Amidst the stream: Biography of Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad]. Singapore: Pustaka ASB Mohamad.
(Call no.: RSING Malay 922.97 NOR)

Religious Rehabilitation Group. (2007). About RRG: Formation period 2003-2004. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://www.rrg.sg/subindex.asp?id=A045_07

Ridzwan's MUIS term extended by five months. (1990, August 7). The Straits Times. Retrieved on March 7, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Safhras Khan. (2010, August 13). Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji meninggal. CYBERITA. Retrieved August 13, 2010, from http://cyberita.asia1.com.sg/msingapura/story/0,6879,170551,00.html

Simon, M. (1997, September 4). He is not an ordinary ulama. The Straits Times. Retrieved on March 7, 2011, from NewspaperSG.

Sinen, R. H. (2005, January). Ustaz Sonhadji: Berdakwah Melalui Pena [Ustaz Sonhadji: Spreading Islam through the pen]. Majalah Sarina. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://www.rudyherman.com/2009/10/ustaz-sonhadji-mohamad-berdakwah-melalui-mata-pena/

Sinen, R. H. (2005, May). Ustaz Sonhadji: Berdakwah Melalui Mata Pena [Ustaz Sonhadji: Spreading Islam through the pen]. Majalah I, Karangkraf. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from http://www.rudyherman.com/2009/10/ustaz-sonhadji-mohamad-berdakwah-melalui-mata-pena/

Zakir Hussain. (2010, August 13). Noted Islamic scholar Ahmad Sonhadji dies. The Straits Times. Retrieved August 13, 2010, from Factiva database.


Further readings
Ahmad Sonhadji Mohamad. [1962-1965]. Tafsir al-Quran [Interpretation of Al-Quran]. [Singapore: Almaktab Attijari Asshargi].
(Call no.: R Malay 297.1227 AHM)

Zulkifli Haji Mohd Yusoff, Noor Naemah Abdul Rahman, & Mohd Asmadi Yakob. (Eds.). (2004). Tazkirah untuk orang mengaji: Karya Sonhadji [A reminder for those who recite the Al-Quran]. Shah Alam: Mahli Training; Intel Multimedia and Publication.
(Call no.: RCLOS Malay 297.2 TAZ-[UAS])



The information in this article is valid as at 2010 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.