State “Salafism” in Malaysia: Development of the “Sunnah” reform ideology in Perlis, Malaysia

Since the arrival of Islam in Tanah Melayu or Malaya, traditionalist scholars have dominated the Islamic discourse through their close relation with the rulers (Sultans). Their domination over religious authorities and Islamic educational institutions has shaped the state-version of Islam in Malaysia. However, in Perlis, the northernmost state in Malaysia, Middle-Eastern graduate reformists, also known as Kaum Muda were preaching the earliest version of Salafism in the early 20^th century. They found political patronage from the ruler of the state, hence imposing their version of Islamic teachings as the prevailing Islamic discourse of the state, which is also known until today as the “Sunnah Perlis” teachings. The widely presumptuous masses and researchers pointed that the dominating influence of the reform agenda or “Sunnah” in the state of Perlis was due to the state authority’s patronage based on historical facts that the “Sunnah” itself first emerged in Perlis in the early 20^th century by the blessings of the then ruler.