The name ‘Fansuri’ had been long used to seamen or traders who were associated with that town. Fansuri was fluent in Persian, Malay and Arabic. He traveled widely both east and west.
In addition to having studied in the Middle East, he also spent time in Ayutthaya; which was known to its sizable Persian population as ‘Shahr-i Nav’ Persian for ‘city of boats and canals’.
After his travels to Siam and Arabia, Hamzah returned to Aceh and taught in that location as well as in Barus.
Most of Hamzah Fansuri’s works were written in syair verse forms. In fact, his syairs were among those first written in Malay.
As is well-known Hamzah Fansuri was the first scholar writing in Malay to have articulated the monist doctrine of Wahdat al-wujud, associated with Ibn Arabi.
Though Hamzah’s greatest legacy rests in his poetry, he also wrote various prose works:
*Sharab al-'ashiqin ("The Lovers' Beverage")
*Asrar al-'arifin ("The Secrets of the Gnostics")
*Muntahi ("The Adept")
Hamzah Fansuri
