Friday 29 September 2023

Haji Mohd Sharif bin Ismail (1) Biodata


Haji Mohd Sharif bin Ismail
@ Tok moyang Hj Mohd Sharif*

*There is no portrait of him. His portrait was created from combining that of his middle brother Hj Noordin (in his 70s) and his son Hj Mohd Yusope (in his 50s). However, Haji Mohd Sharif would have looked much younger, aged between 35-40-50.
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HAJI MOHD SHARIF BIN ISMAIL (c.1866-c.1912)

Full name: Haji Mohamed Sharif bin Ismail Al-Yamani Al-Jailani. His father, Ismail Al-Jailani @ Ismail Jelani, was said to have descended from the famed ulama' besar Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani @ Jailani @ Al-Jailani of Gilan, ancient Persia. Persia does not use Al names; Arabs used Al-names and Egyptians used El-names. Orang Melayu sebut Jelani. So I was told by my paternal grandmother that we were Persians.

Call names: His grandchildren referred to him as Tok Haji Mohd Sharif. His great-grandchildren referred to him as Tok Moyang Haji Mohd Sharif. He is actually Jaddi Hj Mohd Sharif in Arabic, tawkey gula Melaka and gold jeweller of Kg Banda Hilir in Banda Hilir, Melaka. His mother is Inche Nyonia bt Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin. 
  • Born: Estimated circa 1866/1871/1874 ... depending on what age he married - 30/25/22.
Hj Mohd Sharif bin Ismail was probably born earlier than 1866, because his close friend, Haji Khalil bin Haji Husin (Mufti Pertama Melaka selepas Merdeka), was born in 1855.
  • Birthplace: Hj Mohd Sharif bin Ismail was most probably born in an old dilapidated house that stood on the site of 262-T Banda Hilir house, and which was most probably built circa 1820 (ie the same time as Madrasah Banda Hilir was built**), before he (Hj Mohd Sharif) re-built 262-T Banda Hilir house in 1897 (or later, after 1899) ie after returning from the Hajj with Haji Khalil (his close friend) and Haji Noordin (his younger brother). However, Hj Khalil's youngest son, Hj Zakaria, Imam Masjid Batu Berendam said his father never went to Hajj or returned from the Hajj with Hj Mohd Sharif of Banda Hilir. Could be "lain kapal Haji atau lain Sheikh Haji"? Tak tahu lah details of cerita Haji bagi Tok Hj Mohd Sharif.
  • Marriage: Estimated circa May 1895. His eldest son (tulisan Jawi) Mohamed Usof @ (tulisan Rumi) Mohd Yusope was born on 11 February 1896, while he was away performing the Hajj (i.e., on Hajj pilgrimage). 
I used a pregnancy calculator to calculate last menstrual period (LMP) and date Pahmah conceived her first child.
  • Hajj pilgrimage: Haji Mohd Sharif probably had performed a previous Hajj. He was away to perform the Hajj in late 1895 or early 1896, before his eldest and only son was born on 11 February 1896. His youngest brother, whose name was written as Zenal, registered the birth of his eldest and only son (Mohamed Usuf @ Mohd Yusope) while he (Mohd Sharif) was away in Makkah to perform the Hajj and to learn the gold trade. He was probably in Makkah for quite sometime, maybe between c.1896-1899. We don't know exactly (exact dates) when he went for Hajj and when he returned from the Hajj. 
  • His youngest sibling was Zainal Abidin bin Ismail. He was simply referred to as Zenal.
  • Residence: Hj Mohd Sharif rebuilt Rumah 262-T Banda Hilir in 1897/ 1898/ 1899/ 1900, after returning from the Hajj in late 1896/ 1897/ 1898/ 1899. His friend, Haji Khalil, returned from Makkah in 1899 (from his son Hj Zakaria's account). His house was built in the style of a Malay house, not Rumah Bagondang, but a normal Rumah Bumbung Panjang roof style and floor plan, with 12 stilts (12 tiang). The wooden house was built without any metal nails but wooden pegs and with "Made in Melaka" clay roof tiles (genting).
Note: Can try and check the Indonesian archives on Kapal Haji between 1890 and 1900.
  • Occupation: Hj Mohd Sharif was a jaggery boiler (pembuat gula Melaka) and had many workers working for him in his backyard. He had many rental huts (rumah berdinding zinc) built for his workers and Chinese labourers between his big black wooden house and the sea (Strait of Malacca). His was probably a big business in Kg Banda Hilir, considering the land acreage of his estate (an acre in Kg Banda Hilir alone). He was a jeweller, a goldsmith who made golden rings (buat cincin bersadur emas; after 1896) after learning the gold plating trade in Makkah during the Hajj from 1896 to 1899. He must have been a good physical chemist to understand the properties of gold and gold plating techniques in the late 1890s. Bukan calang2 orang Melayu jika boleh berkerja macam ni. He was talented! Setanding orang Cina di Banda Hilir pada zamannya.
Note: Suatu hari dulu saya sudah kira berapa tiang di bawah rumah lama ini sebelum ia dirobohkan, tapi nota tu dah hilang.

Rumah 262-T Banda Hilir, Melaka, 1960s. My brother and I standing in the sengkuap.

Palm sugar or gula Melaka, gula tuak, gula keret or nisae. In Melaka, these pieces would be solid cylinders or pyramidal mounds.
  • Deceased: Hj Mohd Sharif passed away between 1906-1912. There is no death certificate available for research. Tak tahu tarikh sebenar kematiannya. Kat batu nisan pun dah hilang tulisannya. His date of demise lies between 2 dates, that is, date of his Will (Wasiat 1906) and date of Probate (Cabutan dari Wasiat, 4 April 1912). His grave had 2 different tombstones. Initially, his headstone and footstone resembled those of the Aceh royal household (batu nisan di-raja Aceh). The footstone was as big as my head when I was about 5 years old. Then, his tombstones were replaced with the usual normal small cement or granite tombstones.
  • Cause of death: Unknown. There was one source (my mother) and it was tragic death at sea. I will not disclose details until I have researched and proof, the death certificate or report from the coroner/ mortuary/ forensics. Kita kena banyak sabar dan cari coroner's report (laporan koroner) atau death certificate (Surat Kematian). Banyak cerita kita dengar tapi tak pasti apa sebenarnya berlaku. We don't know what actually happened. Hanya Allah SWT yang tahu cerita sebenar.
  • Burial: Hj Md Sharif is interred at Tanah Perkuburan Islam Masjid Semabok, on Bukit Semabok, at Semabok in Melaka.
There are a set of 4 liang lahad, but only three are filled with corpses - his wife Pahmah @ Fatimah bt Mohamad (assume she died in 1905), Hj Mohd Sharif bin Ismail (assume he died in 1912), and son Mohd Yusope bin Hj Mohd Sharif (deceased 4 January 1954). Mengapa buat satu set 4 liang lahad? Siapa tahu awal2 nak buat 4 liang lahad? Hj Mohd Sharif and wife died circa 1905-1912. Mohd Yusope married Nek Inche' in April 1920 and he died on 4 January 1954. Jadi 2 liang lahad tambahan tu dikorek pada 1954? I remember visiting the graves in the early 1960s, and the mosque was farther away from these graves. However, in 2016, after extensive renovations, the mosque had encroached on the graveyard and the three filled graves are now just outside the mihrab. The three graves are situated closest on the left side of the mihrab when facing Qiblat.

It is unknown who was with him and his wife on the boat during the tragedy in the Strait of Malacca. It is unknown how his death was discovered and who discovered his remains at sea.

I asked my elder cousin, Kak Bibah, why Hj Md Sharif is buried in Semabok and not at Kubur Lorong Panjang in Banda Hilir? I asked who was Hj Rauf? Kak Bibah said Hj Mohd Sharif and Hj Rauf were close friends. His middle brother Hj Noordin is buried at Kubur Panjang in Bandar Hilir.

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FATIMAH BT MOHAMAD @ Pahmah (c.1870-c.1905)

Haji Mohd Sharif's wife was Pahmah @ Fatimah bt Shaikh Mohamad bin Salem Al-Yamani. Her Yemeni Arab father came to reside in Batu Uban, Penang, and married Hawa bt Ismail Al-Yamani in Penang. 

Pahmah was their eldest child. She came to Tengkera (to get married), while her parents lived in Penang and had 6 other children. Pahmah was described by my father as 'putih macam Cina', meaning, Pahmah and/or her mother, Hawa Jelani, were fair maidens.

  • Wife's full name: Fatimah bt Mohamad bin Salim Al-Yamani.
  • Call name: Pahmah, Patma, Padma, Patema
Note: Orang Arab tak guna nama Fatimah macam orang Melayu sebut nama tu. Mereka guna nama Fathimah atau Fatma ... huruf F. Orang Melayu sebut Pahmah, Pat-te-ma, Pad-ma, Pat-ma ... huruf P. 

Dalam sijil lahir Mohamed Usuf @ Mohd Yusope ditulis nama Pahmah dengan pensel, dan tambah nama bapanya, Pahmah bt Mohamad, serta Mohamad bin Abdullah. Siapa Mohamad bin Abdullah? Mengapa bukan Mohamad bin Salem Al-Yamani seperti Tok Kalsom beritahu? Kenapa orang yang melaporkan kelahiran Mohamed Usuf tidak tahu nama betul atau nama penuh Pahmah, iaitu nama sebenarnya?
  • Born: Pahmah was probably 12/18/21/25 when she married to Mohd Sharif bin Ismail of Banda Hilir circa May 1895. So she could have been born in 1870/1874/1877/1883.
Pahmah's younger brother: Abdul Aziz Al-Yamani (@ Ami Aziz Alyamani) di Jelutong Timur, Penang. Ami Aziz Al-Yamani ada 6 adik-beradik. Pahmah ialah kakak Ami Aziz Al-Yamani. Anak Ami Aziz Al-Yamani juga nama Fatma Al-Yamani ... jadi orang mudah confuse berkenaan mereka. Ibu Pahmah (kakak) dan Ami Aziz Al-Yamani (adik) ialah Hawa bt Ismail @ Hawa Jelani, orang Penaga, di tanah besar, bukan di pulau. Ismail berasal dari Penaga, Penang, on the mainland.
  • Birthplace: Bapak said Pahmah came from Tengkera. But her parents could be from 2 places - Tengkera in Malacca and Jelutong Timur in Penang. We always visited Jelutong Timur for Hari Raya Aidilfitri since the 1960s (since I was 5).
Note: Dulu2, ulama' Penang bawa turun gadis from Penang to Tengkera to get them married off to Melaka, Johor or Singaporean men. From Tengkera, the girls were married off in Melaka, Johor or Singapore. Dulu2 pun gadis Bandung dibawa ke Penang dulu, dan ada yang berkahwin di Penang, baru dibawa ke Melaka, Johor atau Singapura. Some researchers said it was the 'slave trade' involving young girls.
  • Demise: Pahmah was lost to follow-up before her husband died. She probably died in 1905, after her last childbirth. In 1905, she would have been 22/28/31/35. Her name did not appear in Wasiat Haji Md Sharif bin Ismail. Bapak must have seen her wedding photo or heard about her since he described her as "putih macam Cina". Bapak was born in KL in 1931 and lived in KL till the Japanese war broke out in Malaya. Bapak and Nek Inche's family came to reside in Banda Hilir in 1941, when the Japanese war hit KL.
  1. Pahmah was born in 1870/1874/1877/1883.
  2. Pahmah married (Hj) Mohd Sharif circa May 1895. She was 25/21/18/12. 
  3. Pahmah gave birth to Mohamed Usuf @ Mohd Yusope @ Walid (first born, eldest) on 11 February 1896. She was 26/22/19/13 years old.
  4. Assume Pahmah died in 1905 after childbirth or other causes.
  5. Pahmah's husband died between 1906 and 1912. She was 36/32/29/23. Walid was 10 years old (iaitu budak kecil, belum akil baligh lagi).
  6. Mohd Yusope (Walid) married Nek Inche' at 24, circa May/April 1920. 
  • Date of death: Pahmah's date of death is unknown. She could have died in 1905 and aged in her 20s or 30s. 
  • Burial: Pahmah is interred at Semabok graveyard, beside her husband. The information on her tombstone is written in Jawi, but is illegible (sukar nak dibaca). Her husband is interred adjacent to her in Semabok. Their children were looked after by 2 surviving brothers - Haji Noordin bin Ismail (lived in Banda Hilir) and Haji Zainal Abidin bin Ismail (lived in Klang). Haji Zainal Abidin was headmaster of ACS Klang during the time of Sultan Abdul Samad of Selangor.
  • Children: 5
  1. Mohamed Usuf @ Haji Mohd Yusope bin Haji Mohd Sharif (Tok Haji Mohd Yusope, born 11 Feb 1896) .... eldest son; Volunteer Rifles Corp, entomologist, wildlife shooter (mergastua). 
  2. Mahani bt Haji Mohd Sharif (Nek Ani) ... guru Quran; unmarried, lived in a granny flat attached to the big house (rumah ibu) built by her father c.1899
  3. Amnah bt Haji Mohd Sharif (Nek Amnah) ... married to Hj Ahmad bin Hj Abdul Latiff (HABHAL) and went to live at 35 Jalan Mangga, Geylang, in Singapore; 7 anak. She made kicap HABHAL in Geylang, Singapore after the war, in 1949.
  4. Alijah bt Haji Mohd Sharif (Nek Jah) ... unmarried
  5. Asiah bt Haji Mohd Sharif (Nek Ya) ... married Haji Ibrahim, a businessman who had a provision shop (kedai runcit) in Tampin. She also taught Quran when she returned to Banda Hilir in the 1960s, after her husband died. She had no children. She adopted an Indian boy.
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From Abang Sharif (edited for clarity):
Haji Mohd Sharif bin Ismail or Tok Sharif went to study in Makkah in his younger days with the first Malacca Khadi Tuan Haji Khalil bin Haji Hussin. There were 3 of them, I can't remember his 3rd friend (not friend but his middle brother, Hj Noordin). He also picked up the gold trading skills in Makkah. Celup mas etc. He was very jealous of his wife. The Bandar Hilir house windows would always be closed. He would stock up the coconuts at the centre door (pintu tengah selalu kita duduk petang-petang). He'll go round with his horsewagon cart while Phatma will do the gold job etc.
Central staircase with a Dutch door.
The house in Bandar Hilir had 2 more of the same design somewhere in Malacca as the 3 men made a pact to build their houses with similar features - rumah Melayu bumbung panjang. If you remember, in the attic, there were bundles of flattened cigarette boxes (Rough Rider) with all the customers' items details etc. There was a gold daching and many other gold trading tools and items. I do not know what happened to them.

When he died, Tok Moyang Zainal bin Ismail took Tok Yusope and Nek Jah (actual name is Khalijah/Halijah) under his arm while Tok Noordin took care of Mahani, Amnah and Asiah.

Hj Mohd Sharif performed the Hajj in 1896. He went with his younger brother Hj Noordin and a relative, Hj Mohd Khalil (first Mufti of Melaka). HABHAL married Hj Khalil's daughter after Nek Amnah died c.1967.

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From me, 28 April 2012 

The last time I saw the daching and a bunch of metal ring size guide was in the govt quarters at Rumah Jalan Durian Daun, Malacca. After that, I went to TKC in 1974. The same small daching was seen at the Chinese exhibition in Kota Bharu, Kelantan in the 1990s.

Ring size chart

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Family tree, 26 September 2018

I have prepared the family tree for the descendants of Haji Mohamed Sharif bin Ismail on Geni.com. You can edit and update your family photos and details on Geni.com. TQ for helping me to keep the family tree intact and updated.

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From me, 26 September 2018
Biography of Haji Mohamed Sharif bin Ismail (tentative)
  1. Khatib Usuf had a son named Mohd Salleh.
  2. Mohd Salleh bin Khatib Usuf had 3 sons: Hj Ashari, Omar and Ismail.
  3. Hj Ashari bin Mohd Salleh was imam Masjid Banda Hilir. His son is Hj Jaafar bin Hj Ashari, who was also imam Masjid Banda Hilir.
  4. Omar bin Salleh was Bilal Masjid Banda Hilir. His son is Zakaria bin Omar, who was Sidang (similar to ketua kampong or village chieftain).

Ismail Al- Yanani's real identity is a mystery as nobody seems to know him or his real origin. There were possibly 2 men named Ismail: 1) Ismail @ Ismail Jelani, an Ulama' from Penaga, and 2) Ismail bin Mohd Salleh of Banda Hilir. There was a third man named Ismail who lived before the 1790s, who was Nakhoda Kecil @ Nakhoda Kecil Ismail. Some say Nakhoda Kecil Ismail was a Chulia, i e., orang India (orang Melaka kata orang Keling). Some say Ismail had a Benggali father and a Malay mother, and was from Penaga. It is unknown how Ismail was brought from Penang to Melaka. Some say he was a trader. A British newspaper reports indicated he was a convict in Penang, and was transported to 7 years, sent to Melaka. But the report only had the first name as Ismail or Haji Ismail. He could be a different man as 'our Tok moyang Ismail Al-Yamani' was not known to be a Haji. 

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INCHE NYONIA BT TUAN SHEIKH MOHD SAHABUDIN

In Melaka, Ismail Al-Yamani married Inche Nyonia bt Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin. Inche Nyonia was from Tengkera, from the Chinese quarter in Malacca. They have 3 sons: Hj Md Sharif (lived in Banda Hilir), Hj Noordin (lived in Ujong Pasir) and Hj Zainal Abidin (lived in Klang).

Inche Nyonia was from Tengkera; her mother could be a Chinese Peranakan or a Nyonia. She could be an adopted child or a child gifted to Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin.  

* * *

TUAN SHEIKH MOHD SAHABUDIN

Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin was ulama' at Tengkera, ada makamnya di Tengkera (tapi saya belum jumpa lagi). Bapak said he was an Indian Muslim. However, he didn't look Indian at all.

A photo sent to me by a young aunt in Singapore, Nabila bt Abdul Rahman, showed that Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin wore spectackles and was of small build, dressed in baju Melayu and kain pelekat and wore a turban. He did not look Indian but had Malay-Chinese facial features. 

Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin was Imam of Masjid Batak in Singapore. The village was levelled in the 1970s. Kg Batak, Singapore has ceased to exist.

Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin was not Dato Shahabuddin bin Haji Mohd Amin. They were 2 different persons who lived at 2 different time periods. 

Dato Shahbuddin came from Cirebon, Central Java l, to Banda Hilir in 1820. He did not marry and was a Sufi Naqsbandiyah leader. He had many disciples (murid) and they are buried near Makam Dato Shahbuddin at Kubur Lorong Panjang. There are no photos of Dato Shahbuddin, indicating he lived before the camera was invented or available.

On the other hand, Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin was Imam Masjid Batak in Singapore. He did not have any followers as he was just an imam of a village in Singapore, probably in the late 1890s. His type of spectackles would indicate a later period than 1820. The camera was invented in 1850. So his photo was after 1850, which means he lived between 1850-1904 (when Hj Md Sharif wrote his wasiat).

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DATO' SHAHBUDDIN BIN HAJI MOHD AMIN

They were 2 different persons, one named Tuan Sheikh Mohd Sahabudin and the other was Dato' Shahbuddin bin Hj Mohd Amin.

Madrasah Banda Hilir was founded in 1820 by Datuk Shahbuddin bin Hj Mohd Amin. Dato Shahbuddin bin Haji Mohd Amin was the founder of Madrasah (later Masjid) Banda Hilir in 1820. He was also a Naqsbandiyah Sufi leader in Banda Hilir. He had many disciples in Banda Hilir. 
Dato' Shahbuddin bin Haji Mohd Amin was a Sufi master from Kadilangu, Cirebon in Java, Netherlands East Indies (now Republic of Indonesia). He was a descendant of Wali Songo of Kadilangu, Cirebon, possibly descended from Sunan Gunung Jati. 

His shrine (makam) is at Tanah Perkuburan Lorong (Jalan) Panjang where most of the Banda Hilir Muslim residents' graves are located. His Sufi followers are also buried in graves scattered around his shrine at this graveyard.

I visited Makam Dato Shahbuddin bin Hj Mohd Amin in 2016 at Kubur Lorong Panjang, Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho. He was a Javanese man.

Tanah Perkuburan Islam, Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho/Jalan Panjang/Lorong Panjang, Banda Hilir, Malacca.
Many of his disciples from Kadilangu came to visit his resting place (makam), ie Makam Dato Shahbuddin at Tanah Perkuburan Lorong/Jalan Panjang, Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho, about 10 minutes' walk from Masjid Banda Hilir. 

Dato Shahbuddin probably came to Malacca when the British hired Javanese men to re-build Malacca after the Dutch gave Malacca to the British and took Bencoolen, Sumatra in exchange. Therefore, many of the masjid built in British Malacca by these Javanese builders resembled Masjid Demak in Demak, Central Java, in Indonesia. Masjid Demak is fashioned after Masjid Kg Laut in Tumpat, Kelantan. 

The British then brought in Chinese labourers for tin mining activities and Indian labourers when rubber was successfully planted by Henry Nicholas Ridley (HN Ridley 1855-1956) in Singapore, and rubber trees were planted on large scale in plantations in Malacca and the rest of Malaya from 1895 onward.

* * *

Hj Md Sharif bin Ismail was initially a jaggery boiler (pengusaha gula Melaka) and later a goldsmith (pengusaha barangan kemas atau tukang emas) after his return from the Hajj pilgrimage in 1896-1899. He was a wealthy entrepreneur and had 3 shophouses in Jalan Banda Hilir, not far from his home at 262-T Banda Hilir in Melaka. He had a number of clients, whose names and addresses where written on cigarette packs kept in a black wooden trunk in the attic of his Bumbung panjang-styled house. He lived and died during British Malacca. His black wooden trunk containing his clients' details was still in the attic in the early 1960s. The black wooden trunk was lost to follow-up when his house was demolished in 2007, that is, when Muzium Melaka (PERZIM) expanded Masjid Banda Hilir over the demolished house site.

Hj Md Sharif married Pahmah @ Fathimah bt Sheikh Mohamad bin Salem Al-Yamani. She was from Tengkera Chinese quarter. She was mostly probably brought to Tengkera from Jelutong, Penang, where her family lived. Pahmah bt Sheikh Mohamad was described as a fair maiden (putih macam Cina). She was the elder sister of Abdul Aziz bin Sheikh Mohamed Al-Yamani (Ami Aziz Alyamani) of Jelutong, Penang. Hj Md Sharif and Pahmah had 5 children: Mohd Usuf, Mahani, Amnah, Alijah and Asiah. Hj Md Sharif left his Wasiat of 1906. He died sometime between 1906 and 1912. Hj Md Sharif and wife Pahmah are laid to rest side by side at Tanah Perkuburan Masjid Semabok, Bukit Semabok in Semabok, Melaka. 

Hj Md Sharif was a good friend of Haji Ahmad bin Haji Rauf (deceased 1928), who was pre-Merdeka Mufti Melaka at the time. Haji Ahmad's bright orange shrine (makam) is not far from the graves of Pahmah (deceased circa 1905) and Hj Mohd Sharif (deceased circa 1912), and their son Mohd Usuf/Mohd Yusope (deceased 4 January 1954).

Sheikh Mohamad bin Salem Alyamani was from Yemen. He settled in Batu Uban, Penang. He married Hawa bt Ismail @ Hawa Jelani. Sheikh Mohamad bin Salem Alyamani had 7 children in Jelutong from his wife Hawa. He died and is probably buried in Jelutong graveyard. Hawa's daughter is Pahmah bt Sheikh Mohamad Al-Yamani, my nenek moyang from my father's side.

This newspaper article mentions many names and locations:
  • Penang Kebajikan Club, 262 Jalan Besar, Singapore
  • Mohd Sharif bin Ismail - Honorary Treasurer
  • Shaik Abdullah bin Shaik Mohamed
  • Shaik Mohamed bin Shaik Abdullah Allway
  • S. Mohamed bin Syed Abdullah Alkadri
  • Ibrahim bin Haji Abdul Ghani
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http://aneukagamaceh.blogspot.com/2009/01/batu-nisan-aceh.html
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