Born From the Philosophy of Sufi Tradition
Part One of a Two Series of Articles

The grand white building stands imposing on top of the hill. Its huge pillars tower 4 meters high supporting the terrace where pilgrims may rest, for this building is a mausoleum.

To arrive at the location, pilgrims need to endure the hardship to climb hundreds of steps. Even though the task is daunting, there are many who undertake this pilgrimage to visit the tomb situated in the Kecamatan (local governmental administrative district) of Cikalong Kulon, Cianjur in West Jawa.

This mausoleum is the final resting place for the earthly remains of R. Arya Wiratanu Datar I, the founder of Cianjur. His burial crypt is covered with drapes and the entrance guarded by doors covered in caligraphic script. In another room there is a smaller grave fenced with iron, where the founder of maenpo Cikalong, R. H. Ibrahim lays in eternal rest. (Maenpo is Sundanese for pencak silat).

Standing in front of the grave site with its black granite gravestone, evokes the imagination to venture into days long past, into an historical era of Cianjur when R. Djaja Perbata (1816-1906) first became aquainted with pencak silat.
Djaja Perbata, who later became known as R. Haji Ibrahim after completing his religious duty of Haj to the Holy Land, grew up and lived in a time when the culture of pencak silat was strong and pervasive. His grandfather was R. Wiranagara (who is also known as Arya Cikalong), who once was a student of Abah Kahir, the founder of the Cimande pencak silat style. His brother in-law, R. Ateng Alimuddin, the husband of his older sister Nyi R. Hadijah, was also an adept and master of Cimande.

It is told that Ibrahim received the transmission of skill from over 17 guru (teachers). There is even speculation that it was 40 pesilat, however we know without dispute that there were four main teachers who became the major influences shaping the character of silat Cikalong, one of whom was Alimuddin.

Ateng Alimuddin made his livelihood as a horse trader and lived in the area of Kampung Baru, Jatinegara, Batavia. After Ibrahim had served as a disciple for some time, Alimuddin asked the young Ibrahim to seek the knowledge of Bang Ma’ruf, a silat pendekar who lived in Kampung Karet, Tanah Abang, Jakarta.
It was while he was learning from Bang Ma’ruf, that he made the aquaintance of Bang Madi who lived in Gang Tengah, Tanah Abang in Jakarta.

At first Bang Madi refused to let it be known that he was indeed a master of pencak silat, however the young Ibrahim didn’t believe the subterfuge and initiated a test of skill against him. As it turned out each time Ibrahim attacked, he’d be thwarted and sent sprawling.

Having found such a powerful awe inspiring teacher and with hopes to allow a greater freedom to enhance the learning process, Bang Madi agreed to and was escorted back to Cianjur. All of Bang Madi’s living expenses and those of his family were consequently assumed by R. Ibrahim’s father, R. Radjadiredja (Aom Raja Cikalong).

According to H. Peppen Effendi who is an elder of silat Cianjur, one of the characteristic skills of Bang Madi was that he was an expert at performing the energy dam-ing technique where the opponents’ energy is inhibited from flowing by the skillful use of “surpassing or pre-empting an expression of energy with energy”. In the Cikalong style circles, this technique is called “puhu tanaga” or “puhu gerak”.

Following Bang Madi’s instructions, R. Ibrahim was advised to meet with a pendekar by the name of Bang Kari from Kampung Benteng in Tangerang. From Bang Kari, Ibrahim received ulin peupeuhan or the striking game that emphasises speed and explosive energy.

When he returned from the Haj, H. Ibrahim kept his heart focused on bringing forth an art for self defence that would exist in harmony with the sufi teachings that he followed.

“He felt that the pencak silat that he had absorbed did not quite embody the direction nor the fundamental morality of sufi teachings, where the response to those who do evil must be to do good”, said H Azis Asy’arie, one of the masters and inheritors of the Cikalong style.

In the attempt to wrest a solution, he immersed himself in the crucible of intense concentration through meditation, isolating himself (khalwat) in a cave in the village (Kampung) of Jilebud on the banks of the river Cikundul Leutik, Cikalong Kulon in Cianjur. Thus was born the style of Cikalong silat.

H. Ibrahim taught his art with discretion, observing his pupil’s overall desire to learn, talent and character. It’s not that surprising that there were some differences of emphasis regarding various aspects of the art among his pupils when comparing one inheritor of the skills to the other.

For example R. Obing Ibrahim prefered to use the ulin tempelan or sticking skills, that emphasises the sensitivity of rasa or feel. R. Muhyidin however prefered to exploit the skill of usik puhu where the main aim is to intercept and anticipate, to move before the opponent. R. Idrus was different again in that he mastered usik tunggung, which is the performing of a counter attack once the opponents attacking move has lost it’s original momentum.

During the same period, there lived a silat personality who had attained tremendous skill. His name was Mohammad Kosim, a traveller and adventurer from Pagaruyung in West Sumatera whose travels eventually took him to Cianjur. He then settled in the village of Sabandar in Cianjur.

At the time, R. H. Ibrahim also suspected that a number of his students were learning from Mama Mohammad Kosim (died 1880), who then became famous as Mama Sabandar (Mama is an honorific for an old person in Sundanese).
Eventually the two great pendekar’s met and each acknowledged the other’s skill and that neither could defeat the other.

Because the 2nd generation of the Cikalong style also learned from Mama Sabandar, the style of Cikalong has become influenced by aspects of Sabandar.

In the beginning, the spread of this style was limited to the environs of family and nobility in Cianjur. This was because R. Ibrahim was selective in choosing pupils, afraid that they might misuse of the skills they learned from him.

Additionally as an affluent nobleman he didn’t require that his students make payment to support his livelihood so he was able to restrict the number of pupils. Fortunately at this point in time, the style of Cikalong is no longer as exclusive as it was during its early years of existence.

Authored By: AMAL IHSAN

Translated By: Krisno Pryosusilo