Al-Munir

Al-Munir was an Islamic magazine, written in Arabic-Malay, published in Padang from 1911 until 1915. Inaugurated by the initiative of Abdullah Ahmad in early April 1911, Al-Munir was listed as the first Islamic mass media in Indonesia. The magazine was often associated with Al-Imam magazine published under the direction of Sheikh Tahir Jalaluddin in Singapore during 1906-1909. In addition to Abdullah Ahmad, several religious figures such as Abdul Karim Amrullah, Muhammad Thaib Umar and Sutan Muhammad Salim were recorded in the ranks of the editorial board.

Carrying the mission as a medium for Kaum Muda (young people) movement, the magazine played an important role in the second wave of Islamic reform in West Sumatra in the early 20th century. The magazine features some of the rubrics that include articles covering Islamic religious matters, question and answer forums that are generally concerned with Islamic jurisprudence, the development of Islamic intellectual activity in the world, and chronicles usually translated from Islamic magazines in the Middle East. However, due to budget constraints, the magazine stopped its publishing in 1915. Even so, the birth of Al-Munir was soon followed by a similar publication by various Islamic movements throughout the archipelago.