The Philippines represent the most eastern place reached by Islam. It was Islamised from the 15th century onwards through multiple networks from China and the Malay world. Two political entities emerge between the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century: the sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao‑Bwayan. While only two funerary inscriptions have survived, those of Bud Dato (1310) and Bud Tumantangis (1480‑1481), the history of these sultanates can be found in other documents. The sermons (khotbah) and the sarsila record the succession of sultans, and the second also provide the outline of the sultanates’ social organisation. The codes provide an overview of the legal framework and the textual sources of authority. Finally, a large body of letters dating back to the 18th and the 20th century, provide information on the administration, but also on the cultural practices brought by Islam (seals, scriptural practice, etc.). Besides these documents, several texts, recent copies or those transmitted through oral tradition inform religious life: the kitab, which represents mystic Islam, and the Korans, which are illustrated in the Southern Philippines with motifs specific to the region.