INTRODUCTION

T he Malay Wali of the conversion age was not a pantheist, but rather the highest form of
Thaumaturgy existent in Malaya. The cosmological and mythological aspects of the
Malay Thaumaturgist of the conversion period can best be seen in action through examination
of their Thaumaturgical skills, magico-religious worldview, ethics, and how these related to
Malay communal society.
Two forms of theurgist existed during the conversion period (1400-1500CE). These two
developed autonomously from the same Dongson Origin, firstly the Dokun (Wizards) and
second the Bomo (Sorcerers). These two specialists began as Malayu medicine-men, one
deviated from the code of the Dokun, and his deviance degenerated into base sorcery. This
base sorcery referred to as Bomo, has come to be a label brazenly used to assault the traditions
of all magic users among the Malay, incorrectly maligning those Dokun who have been the
historical enemies of the Bomo.
There are many categories of Dokun which have yet to be classified in the English
language. The Dokun of the 4th category the Healer-Dokun converted to Sufism and came to
be referred to as Khalwah. The maligning and labeling mentioned above has also been applied
to the Khalwah and continues till today.
It was upon the foundation of the Khalwah that the Islamic form of Thaumaturgy was
superimposed and further developed by the Wali. Thus he became a catalyst for the evolution
of the Malayu Dukun from a practitioner of Theurgy to a monotheist practitioner
Thaumaturgy.
We take issue with the ethnocentric alignment of Malay Wali and alchemist especially in
reference to statements such as:

“The new religion brought new methods of divination….And finally the

The original indigenous form of Theurgy utilized by the Pre-Islamic Malays was not
identical with the Thaumaturgy of the Malay Sufis, neither is it identical with the Malay Wali
who was his role model. However these forms of Malay Theurgy are important in
examination of the indigenous traditions related to energy usage and ritual healing. A major
form of influence derived from Islam is that of the Thaumaturgical aspects of Mystical
Sufism. These aspects of Sufism were extremely popular with the Malay of the conversion
period. Furthermore here we see a more prevalent example of syncretism which may be found
in the mythological misapprehension of the role of Wali and Khalwah by the common folk.
I will define in summary, the commonalities and differences in the role of Khalwah and
Wali. This will be done in order to illustrate that, the Wali as a historical figure rather than a
legend; was in fact an enlightened individual in the view of Islamic Science and a practitioner
of monotheistic thaumaturgy. Second, that his student the Malay Khalwah was a High level
Wurid on the path to enlightenment who used Monotheist Thaumaturgy not Theurgy to Heal
and assists his ummah.
We will present a summary of the most important developments in the evolution of the
Malay theurgist and Thaumaturgist, by comparison to their western equivalent the Germanic
Wizards and Occultist of the western conversion period. Although occultists were not at a
comparable level or station of ascension to that of the Wali in the view of Islamic science and
Sufism; they do none the less offer a similar comparative example of a specialist who was
marginally monotheist as a Christian and utilized thaumaturgy in the Western Gnostic
Tradition.
In specific, the question of how monotheistic Thaumaturgy and Pre-Islamic Theurgy
differ is a question of methodology. The views, practices, and ontological and cosmological
principles related to each must be examined in the context of Islamic science in order to
determine the historical and metaphysical significance of the cosmological principles related
to each of these specialist; and The manner in which these specialist interacted with nature
and the Imaginal realm through the skills they utilized in the natural realm or empirical world.
The damage to the iamge of Wali (Malay and Indonesian) is an a direct result of the
distortion of pre-Mohammedan monotheistic teachings of the prophet Khidr/Idris who are in
reality personas of the same archetype. The Khalwah’s understanding of herbs, healing arts,
exorcism, Arabic language & science of Letters, and all areas of traditional Sufism were
gained under the tutelage of the Wali who followed in the footsteps of Khidr and Mohamaad.
Our study encompasses all of the above mentioned forms of interaction exsperienced by
the ritual and spiritual specialist referred to as Khalwah and Wali who came to exemplify the
Vice- regent of creation.
The methods employed by these specialists respectively and the types of ethos they
maintained determined the manner in which they interacted with Nature. Islamic Scientist
refers to these realms specifically as ‘The gross and subtle’ realms.
When examined in union these two are referred to as the Natural realm, or ‘Nature’, one
part of the Cosmos. Western Alchemy refers to the Natural world as Terra Matter, “Mother
Earth” in reference to the feminene principle. In history we see tacitus accounts of the Irmani
and their war with the fertility cultist of the Vanir tribe chauti.This will be seen clearly the
section of this book dealing the distinction between Germanic occultist and deviant Sorcery;
those affected, and those not affect by negative fertility worship. The distinctions are at once
apparent to those familiar with both Islamic science, the Quran al Takwini and the Quran al
Tadwini.
When I examine the relationship between the Natural realm, its energies, and the role of
the Malay Khalwah and Wali as Vice-regents of the Natural realm in an un-biased manner I
have done so in via the Islamic Science and a Tawhidic Worldview. Segregation and
examination of the degeneration of this divine insight by fertility cults will be examined here
in order to make clear the innocents of the Wali from any negative digressions from the
Islamic Worldview.