Friday 29 September 2023

Great men and places

This part is about the history of the Malacca and Penang settlers of the Straits Settlements from late 1890s to early 1930s. Initial unedited text was written on 22 March 2016

The following passages are written with an aim to find the link(s) between HABHAL's second wife and existing known family members at Masjid Kg Hulu area.

This piece of research tries to link the famous men and the places where they had lived and worked.

This post includes Nakhoda nan Intan and his descendants in Tengkera in Malacca, the people of Banda Hilir in Malacca, Haji Khalil and Syed Sheikh al-Hadi of Kg Hulu.

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NAKHODA NAN INTAN built MASJID TENGKERA

Haji Muhammad Saleh @ Nakhoda nan Intan probably married a wife in Tengkerah. He also built Masjid Tengkera in 1728.

Nakhoda nan Intan's son is Haji Nuruddin bin Haji Muhammad Salleh. His son is Abdul Latiff bin Haji Nuruddin, better known as Ulama' Nusantara. Nuruddin was popularly known as Tambi, Haji Tambi and Haji Tambi al-Malakawi.

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TRIO'S HAJJ IN 1897 AND MINANGKABAU GRAND HOUSE DESIGN

Tok Haji Mohd Sharif, Tok Haji Noordin and Haji Khalil went to Makkah to perform the Hajj together and returned in 1897, after which the trio decided to each build a similar and typical style of Malay Minangkabau house.

Tok Haji Mohd Sharif built his big Minangkabau house in Banda Hilir - at 262-T Banda Hilir (the house I lived in after I was born).

Tok Haji Noordin built his big Minangkabau house at 302 Ujong Pasir. The house at Ujong Pasir was later dismantled and moved to Duyong.

Haji Khalil was then the Mufti of Malacca. I don't know the whereabouts of his house. The house could be in Kg Hulu or some other place in Malacca.

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MUNSHI ABDULLAH in MALACCA & SINGAPORE

Munshi Abdullah was from Kg Pali, some 5 minutes walk from Masjid Kg Keling in Malacca.

Tok Haji Noordin was said to have visited a wealthy relative in the area where Munshi Abdullah had lived.

Munshi Abdullah served both in Malacca as well as in Singapore. He worked under Stamford Raffles in British Singapore.

There is no clue as to who was the wealthy relative in Kg Pali. It could be Munshi Abdullah's family or some other family.

Munshi Abdullah was regarded as a traitor as he had assisted the British officers to translate British documents into Malay. He had also assisted Christian missionaries to translate the Bible into Malay, knowing very well that the Malays were Muslims.

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HABHAL from TENGKERA

Haji Latiff's son from his first wife is Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abdul Latiff (HABHAL).

HABHAL was from Tengkera. His father and ascendants were from Tengkera - they are the descendants of Nakhoda nan Intan.


HABHAL in SINGAPORE

HABHAL managed a successful soy sauce (kicap) manufacturing in Singapore.


HABHAL in KG. HULU

The newspaper article published about HABHAL's second marriage provides evidence of involvement of Masjid Kg Hulu in Malacca:

"Mereka telah melangsongkan perkahwinan ini di-Jalan Masjid Kampong Ulu, Melaka, pada 12 April yang lalu."

HABHAL remarried on 12 April 1970. HABHAL's second wife, Che Mahani bt Haji Khalil could be related to Syed Sheikh Al Hadi.

Che Mahani bt Haji Khalil could also be related to Tok Haji Noordin bin Ismail, the younger and middle brother of Tok Haji Mohd Sharif, Nenek Amnah's father. Nenek Amnah's uncle is Haji Noordin bin Ismail.

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SYED SHEIKH AL-HADI from KG HULU

Syed Sheikh Al Hadi originated from Kg Hulu in Malacca.


SYED SHEIKH AL-HADI in RIAU

Syed Sheikh Al Hadi went to work and lived in Pulau Penyengat, where he served the Sultan's family - Raja Haji Ali.

Syed Sheikh al-Hadi married Sharifah Sheikhun and had 4 children. He raised the family at Pulau Penyengat, Riau. His children are:

  1. Syed Alwi bin Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (born 15 Muharam 1310 Hijrah, Pulau Penyengat)
  2. Syed Ahmad bin Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (born 1314 Hijrah, Pulau Penyengat) - died small
  3. Aishah bt Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (born 24 Safar 1314 Hijrah; died 2 Ramadan 1352 Hijrah/19 December 1933, Kg Baru, Air Itam, Penang)
  4. Umhani bt Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi (born 18 Zulkaedah 1316 Hijrah; died 17 Zulkaedah 1344/4 April 1931, Jelutong, Penang)


SYED SHEIKH AL-HADI in SINGAPORE

Syed Sheikh al-Hadi established Madrasah al-Iqbal at Seligi Road in Singapore in 1907.

Syed Sheikh next married a Malay Singaporean lady and had a daughter named Mariam. She was referred to as Mariam Telok Belanga, and was Syed Sheikh's fifth child. She was born in Telok Belanga in 1321 Hijrah and died in Mukim Jelutong, Penang on 4 Syawal 1373 Hijrah/5 June 1954.


SYED SHEIKH AL-HADI in JOHOR

Syed Sheikh al-Hadi also worked for the Johor Sultanate, after which he quit. He then returned and taught in Malacca.


SYED SHEIKH AL-HADI in KG HULU

Syed Sheikh al-Hadi established Madrasah al-Hadi in Malacca in 1917.

However, his Madrasah closed down due to an old faction that did not like his way of teaching and approach to matters of Muslim interests. Some say he disguised and escaped from Kg Hulu to Penang.


SYED SHEIKH AL-HADI in PENANG

Syed Sheikh al-Hadi established Madrasah al-Mashoor in Penang in 1919.

Syed Sheikh al-Hadi then married his third wife, Sharifah Zainah al-Mashhur in Jelutong, Penang. They had no children, but helped to raise his eldest grandson, a week after he was born - Syed Mohamed bin Alwi Al-Hadi, who later became a doctor.

Syed Alwi Al Hadi's son is Datuk Dr SMA Alhady, an eminent gastrosurgeon at General Hospital Penang.

Syed Sheikh Al Hadi is the grandfather of Datuk Dr SMA Alhady.

Syed Sheikh al-Hadi's descendants were mainly at Jelutong in Penang in the early to mid-1900s (1930s to mid-1960s). They lived together with Nakhoda Kechil Ismail's descendants near Masjid Jelutong at Jelutong, Penang.

In Penang, Syed Sheikh Al Hadi operated the famous Jelutong Press at 431 Jelutong, which was close to his house (refer Encyclopedia Britannica). The exact site of Jelutong Press today is unknown - it could have been his son's house. Jelutong Press printed Saudara, a weekly magazine written in Jawi. Jelutong Press closed down soon after Syed Sheikh's demise in 1934.

Syed Sheikh passed away in 1934 in Jelutong. He is interred at Kubor Syed enclosure for deceased Syed family members. Most of Syed Sheikh's family members and descendants are interred here.


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