Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah (Buya Hamka)

Prof. Dr. Haji Abdul Malik bin Dr. Sheikh Haji Abdul Karim Amrullah, better known by his nickname Hamka. He was born in Kampung Molek, Sungai Batang, Tanjung Raya, in Agam District, West Sumatra, the Dutch East Indies on February 17, 1908 and died in Jakarta, Indonesia on July 24, 1981 at the age of 73. He is an Indonesian scholar, novelist, philosopher and political activist.

Hamka was born on February 17, 1908 (Hijri Calendar: 13 Muharram 1362AH) in Minangkabau, West Sumatra, as the first of seven children. He grew up in a devout Muslim family. His father was Abdul Karim Amrullah, a reformer of Islamic creationism in Minangkabau known as Haji Rasul. His mother, Sitti Shafiyah, came from Minangkabau artists. Abdul Karim's father, Hamka's grandfather, Muhammad Amrullah was known as the ulema cleric Naqsyabandiyah.

Before going to formal school, Hamka lived with her grandmother in a house south of Maninjau. At the age of six he moved with his father to Padang Panjang, West Sumatra. Following the common tradition in Minang, as a child he studied the Quran and slept in a mosque near his residence because Minang's son has no place to sleep in a family home. In the mosque he studied Quran and silek. Outside he loves listening to kaba, a story sung along with traditional Minangkabau music. The interaction with these storytelling artists gave him a knowledge of the art of storytelling. Then, through his novel, Hamka often drew the term Minang. Minang rhymes and phrases adorn his work.