Editing East Java (section)

=== Islamic era ===
{{Main|Spread of Islam in Indonesia}}

[[File:Ampel Mosque in 2008.jpg|thumb|The [[Ampel Mosque]] in [[Surabaya]], the [[List of the oldest mosques|oldest surviving mosque]] in [[Java]] and second oldest in [[Indonesia]], was built in 1421]]

The precise date when Islam entered Java remains unclear. This is due to the absence of a definite source regarding the arrival of Islam in Java. However, according to some experts{{Like whom?|{{subst:August 2020}}|date=August 2020}}, it is estimated that Islam entered Java around the 11th century, with the tomb of Fatimah Binti Maimun in the village of Leran in [[Gresik Regency]] which dates from 475 AH (1085 AD). The tomb also shows that by the 11th century, the North coast of Java had been frequented by [[Arabs|Arab]] traders from the Middle East. In addition, several Islamic tombs were discovered in [[Trowulan]], located in what is now part of the [[Mojokerto Regency]], near the site of the former Majapahit palace.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-40319665 |title=Arkeolog dan ahli naskah tanggapi klaim Majapahit sebagai kerajaan Islam |last=Affan |first=Heyder |date=2017-06-19 |access-date=2019-03-01 |language=en-GB |archive-date=2 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302033140/https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-40319665 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 15th century, a Chinese [[Hui people|Hui]] voyager named [[Ma Huan]] visited East Java. He then wrote the book ''[[Yingya Shenglan]]'', which tells the story of the countries he visited over the course of the [[Ming treasure voyages]]. He mentioned that at that time, there were three different peoples inhabiting Eastern Java: Arabs from the Middle East, the ancestor of the modern [[Arab Indonesians]]; Chinese Muslims originating from modern-day [[Guangdong]] province, and the native [[Javanese people]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ying-Yai Sheng-Lan |publisher=Ma Huan, Translated from the Chinese text edited by Feng Ch’eng-Chün with introduction, notes and appendices by J. V. G. Mills |year=1433 |pages=138}}</ref>

By the 16th century, the Majapahit Empire was defeated by Islamic kingdoms in Java, resulting in the exile of many Majapahit aristocrats to the neighbouring island of [[Bali]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P3btDAAAQBAJ&q=majapahit+kabur+ke+bali&pg=PA57 |title=Muslim Bali: Mencari Kembali Harmoni yang Hilang |last=Mashad |first=Dhurorudin |date=2014-01-01 |publisher=Pustaka Al Kautsar |isbn=9789795926665 |language=id |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=1 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501012210/https://books.google.com/books?id=P3btDAAAQBAJ&q=majapahit+kabur+ke+bali&pg=PA57 |url-status=live }}</ref> Those who remained in Java were forced to convert to Islam, while a small pocket of isolated people living in the [[Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park]] spread around [[Pasuruan Regency|Pasuruan]], [[Probolinggo Regency|Probolinggo]], [[Malang Regency|Malang]], and [[Lumajang Regency|Lumajang]] [[Regencies of Indonesia|Regencies]] remains adhered to [[Hinduism]] to this day. They are known as the [[Tenggerese people]]. Their population of roughly 100,000 is centered in 30 villages in the isolated Tengger mountains.<ref>{{cite book |author=James Minahan |title=Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia |year=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-660-7}}</ref>

When Islamic sultanates started ruling Java, cities in the northern coast started developing, becoming thriving ports. One of them was the town of [[Tuban]], which was a wealthy and important port with many Chinese settlers. Being a port of the Majapahit and the point of departure for the [[Maluku Islands|Moluccas]], it exported an abundant supply of foodstuffs and imported a rich variety of products from the Moluccas.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Yingya Shenglan |publisher=Ma Huan, Translated from the Chinese text edited by Feng Ch’eng-Chün with introduction, notes and appendices by J. V. G. Mills |year=1970 |pages=89}}</ref> At the end of the 16th century, Islam had surpassed Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religion in Java. At first, the spread of Islam was very rapid and was accepted by ordinary people, until the [[da'wah]] entered and it was carried out by the rulers of the island.