Regarding the origin and figure of Sheikh Mutamakkin, there are many versions. The first version is the version of K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid. According to him, Sheikh Mutamakkin came from Zabul, Khurasan, South Iran. However, the local community believes in the second version, which states that Sheikh Mutamakkin was a Javanese nobleman. According to this version, from the father's line, Sheikh Mutamakkin was a descendant of Raden Fatah, Sultan Demak I who came from his son, Sultan Trenggana. From the mother's line, he was a descendant of Sunan Bejagung in Tuban, East Java, through Sayid Ali Asghar, son of Sayid Ali Akbar. Sayid Ali had a son named Raden Tanu, while Raden Tanu had a daughter who became the mother of Mutamakkin. Syaikh Mutamakkin is also believed to be a descendant of the Sultan of Pajang, Raden Jaka Tingkir, the great-grandson of the last King of Majapahit, Brawijaya V. Syaikh Mutamakkin's father (Raden Sumohadijaya), was Prince Benawa II (Raden Sumahadinegara), the son of Prince Benawa I (Raden Hadiningrat), the son of Jaka Tingkir (Sultan Hadiwijaya), the son of Ki Ageng Pengging, the son of Ratu Pembayun, the daughter of Brawijaya V. Ratu Pembayun was the sister of Raden Patah who married Ki Ageng Pengging Sepuh (Bizawie, 2014: 118).
According to Zainul Milal Bizawie's estimate, Syaikh Mutamakkin was born around 1645 (Bizawie, 2014: 119). He was born in Cebolek Village, 10 km from Tuban. Therefore, he is also known as Mbah Cebolek. The name Al-Mutamakkin, which means a person who strengthens the heart or is believed to be pure, is actually the name he got after he returned from Mecca. He spent his youth in Cebolek Village, Tuban. In the following period, Sheikh Mutamakkin made an intellectual journey to Banten and the Middle East. He also stopped in Tegal. The tomb of his father, Prince Benawa II, is in this area. In fact, in this area there is also a village called Kajen. After he returned from the Middle East, it seems that he did not return to Tuban, but to the north of Pati, precisely to the Tayu area. Here, he rebuilt a settlement and gave it the same name as his hometown, Cebolek.
After living in Cebolek Village, Pati for quite some time, Sheikh Mutamakkin decided to move from this village. At that time, after finishing the Isya prayer, he received a sign in the form of a beam of light from the west. After investigating, in the morning, after the Asyar prayer, it was discovered that the light came from Kajen Village. This village was led by Haji Samsudin or Surya Alam. Seeing the figure of Sheikh Mutamakkin, Haji Samsudin then handed over Kajen Village (Kaji Ijen) to him. In fact, he also married Sheikh Mutamakkin to his daughter, Nyai Qadimah. The former residence of Haji Samsudin still exists today, namely to the north of the Mathali'ul Falah Islamic Boarding School, while the tomb of Haji Samsudin is located to the west of Sheikh Mutamakkin's tomb or to the south of the pond (blumbang).
In Kajen, Sheikh Mutamakkin continued his Islamic preaching and teaching. From Kajen too, the figure of Sheikh Mutamakkin was later known as a controversial figure. The controversial side of Syaikh Mutamakkin is actually based on his moderate understanding of Islam and tends to be close and friendly to local traditions. His Sufism thoughts became one of the builders of the controversial Javanese Islamic tradition. This has placed Syaikh Mutamakkin on the same level as Syaikh Siti Jenar, Sunan Panggung, and Syaikh Among Raga. The four of them are representatives of philosophical Sufism which represents the esoteric Islamic movement vis a vis Islamic Sharia which represents the exoteric Islamic movement. This has created debates, disputes, and even trials. Syaik Mutamakkin's teachings are often considered heretical and not in line with Islamic law.
One case that attracted quite a lot of attention was between Syaikh Mutammakin and a religious figure from Kudus named Ketib Anom Kudus. Syaikh Mutamakkin was a religious scholar and khatib (preacher), who in addition to having a lot of knowledge about the teachings of Islam also had extensive knowledge about Javanese mystical traditions. He was also known as an artist who was good at playing the tambourine, being a puppeteer, and a skilled menak dancer. It is said that this incident began when Sheikh Mutammakin was said to be teaching the science of nature and ignoring the sharia. Many scholars tried hard to prevent him from destroying the sharia, but he still refused to change his actions and was not afraid of the king's punishment. In fact, over time his actions became more reckless by naming his two dogs, Abdul Kahar and Kamarudin, the names of the penghulu and khatib in Tuban. The scholars led by Ketib Anom Kudus went to Kartasura to report Sheikh Mutammakin's actions to Sunan Amangkurat IV (reigned from 1719 to 1726). However, because Sunan fell ill, this case was postponed until the coronation of Susuhunan Paku Buwana II (reigned from 1726 to 1749). It is said that Ketib Anom Kudus was involved in a long discussion with Syaikh Mutammakin (Soebardi, 2004).
Regardless of all the controversies regarding his figure, Syaikh Mutamakkin was certainly a charismatic cleric. This is indicated by his tomb which is never empty of pilgrims. Every day, his tomb is never empty of pilgrims, just to pray, tour, or seek blessings from his figure who is believed to be a guardian, a lover of Allah SWT.