Take the story of Abdul Rauf al-Singkili. He was born in Singkil, in 1615. His ancestors came from Persia, and moved to Singkil, Aceh, in the 13th century. Rauf began learning religion from his father, then went to live in the Middle East for 19 years and studied religion there. He later became known as a disseminator of Islam on the west coast of Sumatra.

Although he learned his religion from orthodox scholars, Rauf was clever in the way he co