Sufism as the Ideological Basis of Resistance: An Analysis of Prince Diponegoro’s Movement in the Java War (1825–1830)

This study is a piece of library research examining the link between the Sufi tradition within Prince Diponegoro’s circle and the formation of an anti-colonial resistance ideology during the Java War (1825–1830), highlighting lesser-known historical figures and often-overlooked aspects of this Sufi-inspired resistance ideology. The research employs a critical literature review utilizing intellectual and socio-religious historical approaches; the sources analyzed include Sufi manuscripts, Sufi order (tariqa) treatises, colonial archives, pesantren (Islamic boarding school) chronicles, oral traditions, and relevant secondary literature. Research procedures involved the identification and selection of sources based on relevance and authenticity, contextual textual analysis, cross-source evidence triangulation, and thematic synthesis to formulate the ideological construct. The findings indicate that Diponegoro’s religious experiences rooted in the Syattariyah Sufi order tradition shaped his moral legitimacy and collective identity while providing the social network infrastructure essential for mass mobilization. The widespread Sufi order network served as a medium for disseminating ideas of resistance and articulating a religious narrative that framed the conflict as a holy war against a rule perceived as tyrannical. This study argues that the ideological dimension rooted in the Sufi tradition was a crucial element in understanding the scale, duration, and character of Diponegoro’s resistance movement.