Timeline of the Malay Peninsula

The timeline of the known history of the Malay Peninsula (40.000 BCE - 2018 CE). From the arrival of the first modern humans, the spread of cultures, the emergence of Hindu-Buddhist city-states, the era of Srivijaya Empire, rise of Islamic sultanates, European colonialism, up until modern-day states in 2018.

(Reference: Lazardi Wong Jogja youtube)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

What is what anymore?

Sejarah Melayu (The Malay Annals) 2012.
Translated by John Leyden (first publication 1821)
ISBN 978-983-3221-38-7

This 19th-century book has been rewritten and refurbished to present-day written English, even though the Ye Olde English verbose composition is still evident. Sometimes one has the feeling that it appears like a direct translation from Classical Malay Language (Bahasa Klasik, Bahasa Istana). The author claims that the book is the result of the narration to him by the descendants of the Malacca Sultanate. It even has an introduction written by the 'founder' of Singapore, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles.

History is said to be the noble truth as told by the victors. History has always been the political tool to push particular agendas. This cannot be truer in the case of the Malayan scenario. Its syllabi have changed so much over the years that it appears that my understanding of the past had been totally misunderstood or perhaps I was not paying attention in history class!

This book gives yet another perspective on the origin of our Mother Land. I had to peruse it a second time just to ensure that I got my facts right. It narrates the source of people from this side of the earth, i.e., the ruling class as descendants of Alexander the Great (Iskander Dzulkarnain).

After many so and so marrying so and so, the rulers of Tanah Keling finally made it to the Malay archipelago.  There is mention of many small kingdoms and islands like Champa, Sumatra, Riau, Rokan, Bintan and such. However, sore missing is the Gangga Negara and Bujang Valley. 

Sang Nila Utama was a carefree prince who was marooned on an island. He and his henchmen witnessed the appearance of a majestic beast which disappeared in a whisker. Awed by the animal, the prince wanted to know the name of the beast. None of those around him but one of his yeomen said that he had heard of such a magnificent creature which was called 'Singa'. Hence, the name 'Singhapura' was given to the island. He decided to reside there. It had nothing to do with a lion seen over the hill as was narrated to us.

The tale of the legendary strongman of the Malay world, Badang, is told. As we have read, he is said to have acquired unique strengths from a troll whom he caught red-headed trying to steal fish from his trap. He had eaten the beast's vomitus to gain these powers. What the folktales did not tell us is how he had defeated a visibly not-his-match wrestler from Tanah Keling using underarm tactics, like getting him drunk the night before the fight!

There was a brief mention of the Boy Wonder in Singhapura when flying swordfishes terrorised the island. We know him as Hang Nadim, but here he has no name. The political scene then and now is no different. The up and coming shining star unceremoniously met an early death at the schemes of the jealous noblemen who felt threatened by the presence of a smart alec.

What do you know, there is no mention of a character anywhere in the book referred to as Parameswara! The renegade runaway prince who created hubbub all over the place and sat under a tree to witness the brave act of a strong-willed mouse-deer to fight hunting dogs was named Raja Sekunder Shah (Raja Iskandar). He named the place after a tree. 

After a series of successions by his sons, his grandson, Raja Kichil Besar, embraced Islam through an epiphany of a dream. Within his dream, he was allegedly taught to recite Quranic verses and to speak Arabic overnight. He was also told in his sleep that a Muslim missionary from Jeddah would arrive at the port the following day. Sure enough, he did, and the king embraced Islam, taking the name Sultan Muhammad Shah.  

Sultan Muhammad is credited to have proposed many rituals and orders of the throne. The prohibition of yellow clothing, donning of golden and silver ornaments, yellow umbrella and the use of musical instruments (nobut) and the social mores of civilian conduct were his doing. His Bendahara was rebranded as Sri Wa Raja.

Just like the mythological tale of Ramayana where one of Dasaratha's wives held him to ransom to get her son to the throne, Sultan Muhammad's second wife from Rokan somehow tried to get her bloodline into the lineage of the Sultanate. The affable heir-in-waiting, Raja Kasim, whose mother, a Keling, was chased away to live with and as a fisherman. An Arabic holy man is the one who cajoled him back to the throne after a devious plan executed in cahoots with the Bendahara, Sri Wak Raja and with bloodshed, of course. Raja Kasim became Sultan Muzafar Shah. And the Arabs had the privilege of moving closer amongst the royal circles.

The Bendahara lineage too continued with Sri Wa Raja. One of his offspring, Tun Perak, the headman of a small district of Calang, showed his mettle when the Siamese attacked the kingdom of Malacca. With his wit, he outwitted the foes not once but twice. 

The port prospered. Chinese vessels had plied the trade route and had a cordial relationship with Malacca. The Indian link had always been there as their ancestry continued with blood relations and economic prowess. Hang Tuah showed his presence around this time. He came to prominence when he managed to quieten down an amok Javanese man with crisse (kris). Very much like Krishna in the Hindu scriptures,  he is said to be a head-turner. He had a sort of a rock star persona that every girl (virgin and married ones) went weak on their knees. Husbands had to cage their raging wives behind closed doors metaphorically; such was his allure!

The legendary duel between Hang Tuah and his supposed deputy in his gang of five, Hang Jebat had always been agreed among the literary circles as the clash between the feudalistic minded simpletons and the thinking revolutionaries. Interestingly, in this book, the duel that had taken place was actually between Tuah and Casturi! Just like many other turning points in the Malacca Sultanate history which involved scuffle over the fairer sex, the duel sparked off after Casturi apparently bedded one of Sultan Mansur Shah's concubines.

Sultan Mansur Shah was also portrayed as a playboy, having sired an illegitimate child before ascending the throne. Sultan Alla ed din was famous for his undercover missions to maintain law and order in the state.

Hang Tuah is visualised here as a living person rather than a mystical being. Yes, he did have a daughter, and his son-in-law succeeded him as the Laksamana. And he did die, not mysteriously disappear into the foothill of Gunung Ledang as the legend says.

Women problem also rocked the kingdom during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah. Mesmerised by a fair maiden, he practically killed her husband to marry her. Unfortunately, she became a social recluse, depressed and was prone to induce self-abortion. She subsequently succumbed to her illness. The griefing Sultan, upon the insistence of the noblemen around him, gave a wild desire to ask the unattainable Princess of Gunung Ledang for her hand in marriage.

In one of his last mission, the aged Tuah followed an entourage to the mountain. Tuah did not complete the hike. Someone else, Mamat did the actual audience with the princess. The proposition failed, of course, with her preposterous demands.

By the time, the Frangis (the Portuguese, Bengali Puteh) arrived to canvass the area; Malacca had over 190,000 inhabitants. It was gleaming with prosperity. The Indian Muslim traders were actually more prosperous than the royalty and had a stronghold on the economy. Awed by its success, the Portuguese wizier, Albuquerque, sent ships to attack the port, unsuccessfully, twice.

Sultan Mahmud Shah was involved in life-changing events. He wrongly put to death a Bendahara who was bad-mouthed by a Keling trader over money issues. Lust also brought the monarch down. He used his power to snatch somebody's drop-dead wife, Tun Fatimah. She became a melancholic recluse who refused to come out of her room. Sultan Mahmud was indeed not the last ruler of Malacca. Later in life, he abdicated from his throne and rode away into the jungle after appointing his son, Sultan Ahmad as King. Sultan Ahmad was around when Malacca fell.

Munshi Abdullah

http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_503_2004-12-27.html

Munshi Abdullah a.k.a Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir (b. 1797, Kampong Pali, Malacca - d. October 1854, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), son of Sheikh Abdul Kadir d. 1820 Malacca). With a very strict Muslim upbringing and scholarly education, Abdullah's abilities made him a language teacher and interpreter proficient in Arabic, Tamil, Hindustani, English and Malay. He wrote the critically acclaimed "Hikayat Abdullah" which in Malay means the "Story of Abdullah". He was the first local to give a written account of everyday life in Malaya, published in 1849. For his early literary contributions, he was given the name, "The Father of Modern Malay Literature."

Early life
Abdullah was born in 1797, in Malacca, the fifth and only surviving child of Sheikh Abdul Kadir, a religious Muslim of Arab-Indian descent. At the age of four, he learnt to scribble on a schoolboy's slate. At the age of six he suffered a severe attack of dysentry. Abdullah could not read the Koran, and while other children chanted their verses, he traced out the written Arabic characters with his pen. He was seven years old, when his strict father, furious at his son's backwardness, sent him to the Kampong Pali Koran School. His father closely monitored, and was careful not to let his son neglect his Koran studies. For writing exercises, for example, he made Abdullah write the Arabic names of all the people he saw at the mosque, and was severely punished for mistakes, until he was word perfect. He had to write the complete Koran, and translate an Arabic text into Malay.

Career
First job
At age eleven with an implanted passion for the written word, Abdullah was earning money writing Koranic texts. By 13, he was teaching religion to mostly Muslim soldiers of the Indian garrison stationed in the Malaccan Fort. From them he learned Hindustani. The soldiers called him Munshi (sometimes spelt munsyi, it is Malay for a "teacher" of language), a title which stuck to him for the rest of his life, and by which he is still known. But his father insisted he get on with his Malay studies which were just beginning, and his first real chance of a secular education. The first big opportunity he had to prove his worth to his parents, was when his father was away from the office, he wrote out the bond, a signed document required for a ship's Captain. As the Captain was leaving with his document, and Abdullah having beeen paid a dollar for his efforts, in walked his father, Abdul-Kadir. Pleased at his son's abilities, Abdullah was allowed to understudy his father in his petition-writing business, and was sent to study under the finest scholars in Malacca. He was an avid reader of all the Malay manuscripts he could lay his hands on, and his inquiring mind gave his teachers no rest until they answered his questions. He went through great lengths to find tutors who could expound to him the intricacies of Malay idiom. He sat at the feet of and impressed learned visitors from other countries. At the age of 13, Abdullah was writing Koranic Texts for the Muslim Soldiers of the Malaccan Garrison. In 1811, when he was merely fourteen years old, he was already considered an accomplished Malay scholar.

Stamford Raffles
In December 1810, Sir Stamford Raffles arrived in Malacca and hired young Abdullah as interpreter to communicate with the native rulers in their language. Abdullah, the youngest employee, was one of the scribes and copyists preserving Malay literature and manuscripts, in the office. In his later book, "Hikayat Abdullah", Abdullah's diary accounts are the only eye-witness records of preparations for the British "1811 Java Invasion" expedition. Raffles had suggested taking him along but his mother refused to part with her only child. They were to meet nine years later in Singapore. He had a very high regard for Sir Stamford Raffles.

Missionary connection
In 1815, Reverend William Milne (b. 1785 - d. 27May 1822 Malacca), a 'London Missionary Society' missionary arrived and started free Bible classes for local children which Abdullah attended, just to learn English. Rev. Milne soon discovered Abdullah's proficiency in Malay, and made him his teacher. Other Western missionaries followed, and Abdullah was kept busy teaching them Malay and translating the Gospels. Another missionary who arrived in September 1815, was a German, Rev. Claudius Henry Thomsen who became Abdullah's lifelong friend. He and Thomsen translated parts of the bible into Malay, and produced lots of other printed material. On 11 November 1818, Abdullah witnessed the foundation-stone laying of the Anglo-Chinese College building by the ex-Resident of Malacca, Major William Farquhar (later Resident of Singapore 1819-1823). Rev. Thomsen left for Singapore on 11 May 1822.


Singapore
Sometime after June 1819, Abdullah came to Singapore to make a living as an interpreter. He taught Malay to Indian soldiers, British and American missionaries, and on occasion, was private secretary to Raffles. Some of the leading merchants like Edward Boustead and the Armstrong Brothers learnt Malay from Abdullah.

In the late 1830s he met assisted Rev. Benjamin Peach Keasberry in his school and Mission Press, and helped Rev. Keasberry to print a large number of books. Abdullah was engaged to assist him in polishing his Malay linguistic skills, and under Keasberry's guidance and encouragement, wrote his own life story. In 1840, he began writing the "Hikayat Abdullah" and continued writing his memoirs until September 1846.

Family
Father : Sheikh Abdul-Kadir (d. 1820)
Mother : a Malacca-born half-Indian, Selama (d. 1826). She was the second wife of Abdul Kadir and they were married in 1785.
Siblings : Abdullah's first four elder brothers all died in infancy. Abdullah was the fifth son, but the first to have survived.
Children : Abdullah had four children from his marriage in 1815 to an unnamed woman (d. 17 May 1840). Towards the end of 1836 his favorite and only daughter died at the age of eight.

Literary worksAbdullah was the first Malay writer to depart from the traditional Malay literary style by writing in the colloquial language. Unlike courtly writing, it was realistic and lively, incorporating many Malay idioms and proverbs. A. E. Cooper, who translated "Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah", says, "his 'direct reporting' acts as a pleasant cool douche after the lushness of Malay romances".

"Hikayat Abdullah" ("Abdullah's Story", translated by John. T. Thomson in 1874), his autobiographical work was written between 1840 and 1843 and published in March 1849. With vignettes of early years of British colonization, it is an important source of the early history of Singapore soon after it was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles. There were two earlier English translations by John Turnbull Thomson and Rev. Dr. William G. Shellabear, but these works are regarded as out-of-date.

"Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Kelantan" (meaning "The Tale of Abdullah's Voyage to Kelantan), describes his experiences on a 1837 trip from Singapore to Kelantan. For his early literary contributions he is regarded as "Father of Modern Malay Literature".

"Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke-Negeri Jeddah" (meaning "The Tale of Abdullah's Voyage to Jeddah"), the last book was published posthumously.

Despite Abdullah's obscurities, misrepresentations of fact and occasional solecisms in his books on his literary and pilgrimage to Mecca, Munshi Abdullah became the first local Malay to have his works published, and thus has gained the title of being the "Father of modern Malay Literature", his writings remain an inspiration for modern Malay literature. His diary was brought back by a friend after Abdullah died, and so his last journey was published posthumously. Munshi Abdullah Avenue is named after him.

Author: Vernon Cornelius-Takahama