The Hundred-word Eulogy () is a 100-character praise of Islam and the Islamic prophet Muhammad written by the Hongwu Emperor of the Chinese Ming dynasty in 1368. Copies of it are on display in several mosques in Nanjing, China. The eulogy signalled the beginning of a series of policies significant to the development of Islam in China.
After living as a monk to escape poverty, the Hongwu Emperor (born Zhu Yuanzhang) rose to power as a military leader within the Red Turban Rebellion. After unifying China in 1368, he founded the Ming Dynasty and restored Han Chinese rule. As the dynasty's first emperor, the Hongwu Emperor instituted several major social and administrative reforms, most of which were codified within the Great Ming Code. Among his many goals was redefining morality and order in Chinese society.
The Hongwu EmperorâÂÂs reign was marked by an aggressive regulation of minority religions such as Buddhism and Taoism, but also relative tolerance towards Islam. It was recorded that "His Majesty ordered to have mosques built in Xijing and Nanjing (the capital cities), and in southern Yunnan, Fujian and Guangdong. His Majesty also personally wrote baizizan (eulogy) in praise of the Prophet's virtues."
The emperorâÂÂs motivations for writing the 100 word eulogy, and the reasons for his broader tolerance of Islam, are not definitively known. Many prominent military commanders of the time, including Lan Yu, Mu Ying, Feng Sheng, Ding Dexing and Hu Dahai, are claimed to be Muslim by the Hui people, but these identifications are disputed by historians.Some even speculate that the emperor himself was Muslim, though there is no evidence to support this claim.
The Hundred-Word Eulogy was composed during a period of concerted assimilation policies implemented by the imperial administration. Under the Hongwu Emperor, the use of some foreign languages and certain forms of dress were prohibited or strictly regulated. These policies disproportionately affected Hui and Uyghur muslims, who often recited the Qur'an in Arabic and wore turbans for worship.
The Hongwu EmperorâÂÂs combination of tolerance toward Islam and relative isolationism also contributed to the development of new Islamic and syncretic traditions in China. With customary pilgrimages restricted, Chinese Muslims consolidated existing literature and established institutions known as Scripture Halls, which became centers of Islamic education. These schools combined teachings from the Qur'an with Confucian styles of management and education. During his visit to China, famed Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta wrote that âÂÂâ¦In every town there is a special quarter for the Muslims inhabited solely by them where they have their mosques; they are honored and respected by the Chinese.âÂÂ