Haji Zakaria bin Muhammad Amin

Zakaria with his relatives in Malaysia in December 1969

Zakaria bin Muhammad Amin was born in Bangkinang, Kampar, in March 1913 as the eldest child of Muhammad Amin and his wife Taraima.[1] He has three brothers and two sisters: Hasyim bin Muhammad Amin, Ahmad bin Muhammad Amin, Siti Mariam binti Muhammad Amin, Syarafiah Norwawi binti Muhammad Amin (1935–2002), and Ahmad Sanusi bin Muhammad Amin (d. 2022); three of them are paternal half-siblings.[2]

His father worked as a trader, and his mother worked as a seamstress.[1] Zakaria spent his childhood herding buffalo in the rice fields, and played the gambus.[3][1] He began his schooling in 1920 at Tweede Inlandsche School, a public school during the Dutch colonialism in Bangkinang.[4] In 1923, along with his maternal aunt, Fatimah, he traveled to Mecca.[4]

After arrived in Mecca, he then performed the hajj.[5] Zakaria continued his education by studying with the scholars in Mecca like Ali Al-Maliki, Syekh Umar Al-Turki, Umar Hamdan, Ahmad Fathoni, and Syekh Muhammad Amin Quthbi.[5] He then studied various of islamic knowledge such as Interpretation of the Quran, Hadith, Tawhid, Arabic literature using Halaqa method.[5]

After completed his study in Mecca, Zakaria moved to Temerloh, Pahang, and continued his islamic knowledge study for six years to Muhammad Saleh, until Saleh's death in 1929.[5] Zakaria then studied Matan Jurumiyah, an arabic science book.[5] He then moved to Kuala Lipis, a district in Pahang, until it flooded in late 1929.[5]

After Kuala Lipis was flooded, Zakaria with his friends moved to Bengkalis, the capital city of Bengkalis Regency, Riau.[5] He then continued his islamic study to Tuan Guru Haji Ahmad, the first ulama in Bengkalis Regency.[6] He then moved to Bagan Datuk, Perak, after his marriage with Ahmad's daughter, Mariah, in 1933.[6]

During Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, he led the resistance movement along with nationalists in Bengkalis.[7]

On Dutch Military Aggression II, Zakaria led the resistance movement in Bengkalis as a captain.[8] After the soldier moved to Dumai, he joined and continued to lead resistance movement, and later received the titular mayor title.[9]

Zakaria (six from left) in December 1969

Zakaria started his career as a preacher and teacher at Parit Bangkong Mosque in Parit Bangkong, Bengkalis, at the age of 16.[6]

In 1930, one year after returning from British Malaya, he began to wrote two books: Balqurramhi fi Sunniyyati Qunut Subhi (1930), and Kumpulan Khutbah Jumat dan Hari Raya Sebanyak Dua Belas Judul Khutbah (1939).[10] This two books discuss about Zakaria's opinion regarding the issue of Salah, which became the subject of academic discussion at that time.[11]

In 1937, along with Tuan Guru Haji Ahmad, he established Al-Khairiyah, a first Islamic boarding school in Bengkalis Regency.[6] Al-Khairiyah was then successful due to multitude students came from various regions in Riau, studying there.[9] He continued preaching and teaching his student at Al-Khairiyah and at various mosque in Bengkalis.[8] After Japanese occupied the Dutch East Indies in 1942, Al-Khairiyah was closed.[8]

In 1948, he was appointed to become the first head of Islamic religious administration in Bengkalis.[8] From 1950 until 1972, he was the head of Ministry of Religion in Bengkalis, and was the first person to held the position.[8] He later became a jury for the district level of Musabaqah Tilawatil Quran in Bengkalis, from 1964.[8]

Zakaria with his son, Gamal, and the staff of MDTA Mahbatul Ulum in c. 1980s

On July 17, 1963, Zakaria established MDTA Mahbatul Ulum, a Islamic school for children and youth levels.[8] This school has six classroom at the beginning of construction, which then used for teaching various Islamic knowledge such as Nahwu Shorof, Fiqh, Tawhid, Akhlaq, Hadith, Tarikh, and Interpretation of Quran, with a classical education method.[12] Mahbatul Ulum was reportedly success in motivating the younger generation to became a preacher, it also used as a place to celebrated religious events in Bengkalis.[13] The school floor was renovated in 1977 by Bengkalis regent, Himron Saheman, at a cost of Rp 350.000 (USD 23).[13]

In 1986, the school underwent second renovation on the wall and attic with the help from Riau Governor, Imam Munandar, at a cost of Rp 9.600.000.[13] In 1989, it went into the third renovation on the class wall with the help from Abri Masuk Desa program by President Suharto.[13] Through the local revenue fund education facility assistance project (Indonesian for Proyek Bantuan Sarana Pendidikan Dana Pendapatan Asli Daerah) from 1990 to 1991, four additional classes and a prayer room were built at the school.[10]

Zakaria was a member of Masyumi Party until it was banned on August 15, 1960, by President Sukarno, for supporting the PRRI Rebellion.[14] He was a member of the People's Representative Council (DPR) in Bengkalis.[15] When Central Sumatra became a stronghold of PRRI, Zakaria was one of the Bengkalis delegation at Riau DPRDS conference on August 7, 1955, who signed the petition for the former Riau residency to be separated from Central Sumatra.[16] It was later successful because on August 9, 1957, Indonesian government issues Emergency Law Number 19 of 1957, who made Central Sumatra divided into three provinces, Riau, Jambi and West Sumatra.[17]

Zakaria with Fadlah Sulaiman, Bengkalis Regent in c. 1990s

From 1974 until 1986, he worked as a councilman, represented United Development Party.[8] He also worked as a administrator of Nahdlatul Ulama in Bengkalis Regency.[8]

Zakaria with his son, grandchildren, and relatives

Zakaria married his first wife Mariah binti Ahmad in 1933. Mariah was the daughter of Tuan Guru Haji Ahmad and Rohimah binti Sani, Zakaria's teacher.[2] Their marriage lasted until Mariah's death in 1955, due to illness after the events of Dutch military aggression II.[2] The couple had seven children.[2] He married his second wife, Siti Zainab binti Kimpal, 22 years his junior, in 1956.[4] Zainab was an Indonesian actress and singer from Ratu Asia Troupe.[20] Their marriage lasted until Zakaria's death in 2006, due to diabetes.[4] The couple had seven children.[4] One of his son is Dr. H. Gamal Abdul Nasir Zakaria, M.Ed, an Arabic and Islamic education lecturer at Universiti Brunei Darussalam in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.[21]

Zakaria's death news report, incorrectly gave his age as 94

Zakaria died at his residence in Kelapapati, Bengkalis, on January 1, 2006, due to diabetes at the age of 92.[22] He was buried at Taman Makam Islam Harapan in Kelapapati, Bengkalis, on the same day.[22]

Zakaria remained as one of the charismatic ulama from the first generation in Bengkalis.[1]