Royal Malay Edicts from Kedah: A Diplomatic Study of Istimi

Royal Malay Edicts from Kedah: A Diplomatic Study of Istimi

Author: Annabel Teh Gallop

Annabel Teh Gallop. 2024. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volume 97, Part 2, No. 327, December 2024, pp. 43-86.

(Reference from Light Letters Collection: MS 40320/7, f.191)

Abstract: 

From at least the 17th century through to the early 20th century, the term istimi was used in Kedah to refer to royal edicts or letters of appointment. This study of Kedah istimi is presented through the lens of diplomatics, by analysing the formal structure and formulaic components of this genre of Malay court documents, and draws on both original manuscript royal edicts and copies of istimi contained in secondary sources. Two original istimi are presented, one of which is probably the oldest known Malay document from Kedah, a royal edict issued by Sultan Muhammad Jiwa Zainal Adilin Syah appointing Raja Mangku Putera as governor of Kota Kuala (the fort at Kuala Kedah) in 1757. These original istimi are then compared with copies of istimi reproduced in Malay manuscript compilations of Kedah laws (Undang-undang Kedah). This study reveals the unique structure of document headings (kepala surat) on istimi in Kedah, and suggests that legal texts were probably used as source books for the composition of new istimi. It also highlights the significance of istimi as primary sources for the study of the traditional governance of Kedah.

Ya 'Aziz al-Karim

Ya 'Aziz al-Karim (MS40320/7, f.15)

 

The Library of an Eighteenth-Century Malay Bibliophile: Tengku Sayid Jafar, Panglima Besar of Selangor

The Library of an Eighteenth-Century Malay Bibliophile: Tengku Sayid Jafar, Panglima Besar of Selangor

Author: Annabel Teh Gallop

Annabel Teh Gallop, ‘The library of an 18th-century Malay bibliophile: Tengku Sayid Jafar, Panglima Besar of Selangor’. In: Social codicology: the multiple lives of texts in Muslim societies, ed. Olly Akkerman; pp.199-258.  Leiden: Brill, 2025. (Leiden Studies in Islam and Society; 21).

(References from the Light Letters collection, specifically the letters from Tengku Sayid Ja'far: MS 40320/3 f.38; MS 40320/4, f.44).

"...Despite the diverse nature of the Selangor library, the contents demonstrate certain preoccupations, with a particular emphasis on jurisprudence, Arabic grammar, and devotional poetry, alongside, as in all parts of the Malay world, a strong interest in divination and supplications for particular purposes. Some volumes certainly came from considerable distances, while others are more evidently local products. Interestingly, the only manuscript in the collection that we can firmly assign to production within Selangor itself is the great, unfinished Qurʾan, conceived on what was perhaps a more grandiose bibliographical scale than had previously been seen in the region...."

PENANG, THE HAJJ, AND THE ROLE OF HAJJ SYEIKHS, 1786–1977

PENANG, THE HAJJ, AND THE ROLE OF  HAJJ SYEIKHS, 1786–1977

Authors: Mahani Musa & Aiza Maslan @ Baharudin 

Musa, M. and Baharudin, A. M. 2024. Penang, the Hajj, and the role of hajj syeikhs, 1786–1977. International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies 20 (2): 87–116.

https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2024.20.2.4

(References from the Light Letters collection pertaining to Hajj: MS 40320/1 f.4; MS 40320/1 f.14; MS 40320/3, f.72; MS 40320/4, f.48; MS 40320/7, f.100; MS 40320/7, f.209; MS 40320/10, f.13)

Abstract: 

The history of Penang is often highlighted from the perspective of its development and contribution as a port or centre for trading that involves international trading networks, specifically with India and China. However, these discussions have overlooked the island’s role and contribution as the embarkation port for pilgrims from Malaya and the Malay Archipelago when sea travel was the primary mode of transportation to Makkah. Penang’s role as the embarkation point for hajj pilgrims could have taken place before Francis Light became the Superintendent of the Prince of Wales Island in 1786, while the existence of the Light Letters proved that besides trade, hajj activities had become an important aspect that linked Penang with people from other regions. Light’s good relations with the Malay rulers were a fundamental factor in sending prospective pilgrims to Makkah by sea on British trading ships. Hajj activities became more organised in the nineteenth century with the presence of more viable modes of transport and the management of hajj pilgrims under the supervision of representatives appointed by specific shipping companies. The emergence of pilgrim brokers, popularly known as hajj syeikhs among local residents in the twentieth century, further established Penang as the departure point for hajj pilgrims. This study focuses on the management of hajj pilgrims and the roles of hajj syeikhs in relation to the services they offered. Also raised are issues arising from the provision of services to pilgrims throughout the period when Penang became the point for departure and pilgrims embarking on their journey to Makkah. 

Surat Sibawan kepada Charles Miller Muko-muko (MS 40320/2, f.31 & 32) berkaitan opium, lada dan kerbau (12 November 1781)

Bahawa inilah tabik banyak2 ialah daripada Sibawan di Air Ji juga adanya itupun barang disampaikan Allah apalah kiranya datang menjelang Tuan Komandor Mister Charles Miler atas Kota Gedung Muko2 selamat umur panjang juga adanya adapun biar tahu kiranya tuan daripada surat hamba ini adalah mengatakan seperti lada nan hamba kirim surat kepada tuan dahulu orang mau bayar harganya dengan kain separa dengan rial separa dan sekarang sudah berdacing lada tidak pula suka dianya kain mana2 kain nan tidak di situ inilah tanda mana2nya ditipuan hamba bayar dengan rial semuanya harga lada itu biar tuan tahu juga adanya semuanya lada nan baru hamba terima ini ada barang lada pun bara begitu itulah biar tuan tahu juga adanya juga lada nan akan datang ada dua buah jalur kecil lagi katanya orang lambang itu

Indah Berseni...

 

"Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim" (MS40320/11, f.151)

Surat Saja Mualim kepada Charles Miller (MS 40320/2, f.29) berkaitan pinjaman wang (1775)

Ma'a al-ibn 

Dalam ripada Saja Mualim padanya tabik banyak2 sampai apalah kiranya kepada Tuan Peter Mister Charles Miller dalam Kota Muko2 juga adanya akan hal surat saya ini adalah mengatakan seperti surat daripada tuan telah sampai dengan selamatnya sepertilah saya dalamnya itu