Classical Malay Literature is a categorization on living literary works composed before and after the Islamic period due in the 1920s, when Balai Pustaka was first established. Post Islamic period is seen as the most remarkable progress on the Malay literature since a number of Islamic prominent figures worked out collectively developing the Malay literature.

Before the arrival of Islam at the Malay Archipelago, most of literary works take the form in oral literature with great influences from Hinduism, animism, dynamism, and Buddhism. Rarely do the literary works at this time discuss Islamic themes.

Some of the oral tradition‘s forms before the arrival of Islam are pantun, peribahasa (proverb), teka-teki (conundrum), and mantra. Especially for mantra, it is likewise known as jampi serapah, sembur, and seru.

Another form is prose like what we can see on written folklores. Predominantly this category raises themes like fantasy, ghost, and memorat – almost the same as legend but mostly covers the story relating to the beyond living.

The Arabic script usage amongst the Malay people signed the arrival of Islam and the development of Malay literature. The Arabic script, or known also as Jawi letters, then became known as the Malay Arabic script as an effort to strengthen the identity of Malay. The script was introduced to the Malay people by Islamic clerics, who were mainly from Arab countries.

They came to the Malay Archipelago for economic purposes like commerce. Further, they did not only introduce Islam and its teachings, but also literary tradition. Hence, the writing tradition amongst the Malay people can be said as an inevitable outcome of Islamic teaching allowing all people to express their ideas through writing.

Translated by Irfan Nugroho (ter/86/12-08)

1. Oral Literature. (2)
2. Writing Literature. (2)

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