Abd al-Rauf ibn Ali al-Fansuri al-Sinkili (spelling variation Abdurrauf Singkil, 1615–1693 CE) was a well-known Islamic scholar, spiritual leader of the Shattariyya tariqa and the mufti of Aceh Sultanate. He was the confidant of Sultana Safiyat al-Din. He was considered the first person to spread the Shattari Sufi order in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Many of his students also became disseminators of Islam. He is commonly known as Shaikh Abd al-Rauf al-Sinkili, and also known posthumously in Aceh as Teungku Syiah Kuala, which translates to "Sheikh in the Estuary". Al-Sinkili was believed to be a native of Singkil, a town on the western coast of Aceh. Beside being called Al-Sinkili, his other attribution (Arabic: nisba) was Al-Fansuri, which relates him to the town of Barus. He could be related to another prominent Sufi poet and writer from that town, Hamzah Fansuri. Early life His full name is Amin al-Din Abd al-Rauf ibn Ali al-Jawi tsuma al-Fansuri al-Sinkili. His family came from Persia or Arabia to Singkil, Aceh in the 13th century, but this is not certain due to lack of the historical records, as well as the fact that his family name is not Arabic. Some experts believe he was an ethnic Minang from Singkil, while others say he is a Batak. Al-Sinkili's first teacher was probably his own father, Sheikh Ali Fansuri, a well known Acehnese scholar at the time. Later, he went on to study with ulama in Fansur and Banda Aceh. After completing his studies in Banda Aceh, Al-Sinkili went to Mecca for Hajj and to further his education. Education Al-Sinkili was thought to depart to Arabia around 1642. He studied various knowledge of Islamic teaching for around twenty years in many places, including in Doha, Yemen, Jeddah, Mecca, and mostly Madina. While Al-Sinkili was in the Middle East, he became acquainted with Sufi scholars Ahmad Kusyasyi and Mula Ibrahim Kurani, who taught Al-Sinkili to study Sufism. He listed in his book Umdat al-Muhtajin ila Suluk Maslak al-Mufridin 19 teachers and 27 other scholars with whom he had personal contacts. His two most respected teachers were Ahmad al-Qushashi and Ibrahim al-Kurani. Al-Qushashi gave Al-Sinkili authorization (ijazah) as the formal successor (khalifa) for Shattariyya and Qadiriyya. After Al-Sinkili went back to Aceh, he maintained correspondence with Al-Kurani, and asked for Al-Kurani's opinions regarding religious matters. Islamic missionary activity After finishing his studies of Arabic and Sufism, Sheikh Abd