Philippine E-Journals

Martial Arts among the Bangsamoro Muslim: History, Tradition, Culture, and Religion

Morad Sabdullah Umpa

 

Abstract:

In Islām, there are four fundamental factors of social development and change – personality, tradition, accident, and people. The Qur’an says: “Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves [with their souls]. (Q-13:11). Therefore, the researcher’s aim is assessing the integration of Islāmic values in the teaching of martial arts in the youth for them be good followers of Islām thru inculcation in their minds and their behavior the real sense of a true Muslim. Essentially, this study is descriptive, which aimed mainly to serve as an exposition on the Religion, Traditional Culture, and History of the Muslims in the Philippines and their implication relevance to martial arts. The various data collected through in-depth study, interview and observation showed that Islām prepares people to be a fruitful citizen in the society. It also aimed for the total development of man not only in the religious aspect. Thus, Martial arts play a vital role in Islām not just as a means of self-defense, but as a system of ethics. Man and fighting are by nature intimately related; in fact, history shows that they are inseparable. Locally, the Bangsamoro has a very rich historical foundation in martial arts that is directly derivable from the roots of Islāmic propagation. And as man became civilized, hand-to-hand fighting also became specialized and humanized and, gradually. Thus, the term martial art is recognized today as a specialized field of knowledge which should be inculcated together with education for the total development of the new generations leading to a society imbued with rich morality.