Maulana Malik Ibrahim, atau Makdum Ibrahim As-Samarkandy diperkirakan lahir di Samarkand, Asia Tengah, pada paruh awal abad 14. Babad Tanah Jawi versi Meinsma menyebutnya Asmarakandi, mengikuti pengucapan lidah Jawa terhadap As-Samarkandy, berubah menjadi Asmarakandi
Maulana Malik Ibrahim kadang juga disebut sebagai Syekh Magribi. Sebagian rakyat malah menyebutnya Kakek Bantal. Ia bersaudara dengan Maulana Ishak, ulama terkenal di Samudra Pasai, sekaligus ayah dari Sunan Giri (Raden Paku). Ibrahim dan Ishak adalah anak dari seorang ulama Persia, bernama Maulana Jumadil Kubro, yang menetap di Samarkand. Maulana Jumadil Kubro diyakini sebagai keturunan ke-10 dari Syayidina Husein, cucu Nabi Muhammad saw.
Maulana Malik Ibrahim pernah bermukim di Campa, sekarang Kamboja, selama tiga belas tahun sejak tahun 1379. Ia malah menikahi putri raja, yang memberinya dua putra. Mereka adalah Raden Rahmat (dikenal dengan Sunan Ampel) dan Sayid Ali Murtadha alias Raden Santri. Merasa cukup menjalankan misi dakwah di negeri itu, tahun 1392 M Maulana Malik Ibrahim hijrah ke Pulau Jawa meninggalkan keluarganya.
Beberapa versi menyatakan bahwa kedatangannya disertai beberapa orang. Daerah yang ditujunya pertama kali yakni desa Sembalo, daerah yang masih berada dalam wilayah kekuasaan Majapahit. Desa Sembalo sekarang, adalah daerah Leran kecamatan Manyar, 9 kilometer utara kota Gresik
Aktivitas pertama yang dilakukannya ketika itu adalah berdagang dengan cara membuka warung. Warung itu menyediakan kebutuhan pokok dengan harga murah. Selain itu secara khusus Malik Ibrahim juga menyediakan diri untuk mengobati masyarakat secara gratis. Sebagai tabib, kabarnya, ia pernah diundang untuk mengobati istri raja yang berasal dari Campa. Besar kemungkinan permaisuri tersebut masih kerabat istrinya.
Kakek Bantal juga mengajarkan cara-cara baru bercocok tanam. Ia merangkul masyarakat bawah -kasta yang disisihkan dalam Hindu. Maka sempurnalah misi pertamanya, yaitu mencari tempat di hati masyarakat sekitar yang ketika itu tengah dilanda krisis ekonomi dan perang saudara. Selesai membangun dan menata pondokan tempat belajar agama di Leran, tahun 1419 M Maulana Malik Ibrahim wafat. Makamnya kini terdapat di kampung Gapura, Gresik, Jawa Timur.n
Maulana Malik Ibrahim, or Makdum Ibrahim As-Samarkandy was thought to have been born in Samarkand, Central Asia, in the first half of the 14th century. The Meehmanic Land of the Meydans named Asmarakandi, following the pronunciation of the Javanese tongue against As-Samarkandy, turned into Asmarakandi Maulana Malik Ibrahim sometimes also called as Sheikh Magribi. Some people even call it Grandfather Pillow. He is related to Maulana Ishak, the famous cleric in Pasai Ocean, and father of Sunan Giri (Raden Paku). Ibrahim and Isaac were the sons of a Persian cleric, named Maulana Jumadil Kubro, who settled in Samarkand. Maulana Jumadil Kubro is believed to be the 10th descendant of Syayidina Husein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Maulana Malik Ibrahim once settled in Campa, now Cambodia, for thirteen years since 1379. He even married a princess, who gave him two sons. They are Raden Rahmat (known as Sunan Ampel) and Sayid Ali Murtadha aka Raden Santri. Feeling enough to carry out missionary mission in that country, in 1392 M Maulana Malik Ibrahim moved to Java Island to leave his family. Some versions state that his arrival was accompanied by several people. The first targeted area is Sembalo village, an area still within Majapahit's territory. Sembalo village now, is Leran district Manyar district, 9 kilometers north of the city of Gresik.
The first activity he did at that time was to trade by opening a stall. The shop providing basic needs at a low price. In addition, specifically Malik Ibrahim also provide themselves to treat the community for free. As a physician, reportedly, he had been invited to treat the king's wife from Campa. The possibility of the consort is still his wife's relative. Grandfather Pillow also teaches new ways to grow crops. He embraces a lower-class society set aside in Hinduism. So perfect his first mission, which is to find a place in the hearts of the people around when it was hit by economic crisis and civil war. Completed building and arranging the cottage for religious study in Leran, in 1419 M Maulana Malik Ibrahim died. His grave is now located in the village of Gapura, Gresik, East