Sultan Abdul Jalil Muhammad Al Hafiz Zussalam ~1490 – 1512
The third and last Sultan of Santubong ~1490 – 1512 (The last sultan who used the title Abdul Jalil after his late brother and father)
Abdullah Muhammad became the Sultan upon the retirement of his brother. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad had two wives. The first wife was his second cousin, Pangiran Sri Empuan Dang Mila Manis daughter of Pangiran Sri Tuan Gubel, the Menteri Seri Darma Wangsa Indra Setia Raja. Abdullah and Mila had two daughters, Pangiran Sri Empuan Dang Sariah who is also known as Dang Sariah Kemala Kembang. She died and was buried in Kampong Pasey Putih.
Sultan Abdullah Muhammad remarried the daughter of Raja Sapurong named Puteri Nur Fatimah aka Putri Sariyana. She bore two sons named Pangiran Seri Tuan Ibrahim Abdul Rahman and Pangiran Seri Tuan Muhammad Daud. The boys were sent to Madinah when they were fifteen to learn Islamic teachings.
Iban and Malay Silat
Sultan Abdullah Muhammad built a training centre at Santubong. The young men who learned the martial arts from the Chinese and the Bertawi were appointed as instructors to teach the future army made up of Malays and Ibans. Seni Pencak Kuntowas taught to future armies. There are eight types of mencak (silat) that were passed down through the generations. The Seni silat are:
1. Mencak/silat bintang tujoh
2. Mencak/silat sandang
3. Mencak/silat sika angin
4.Mencak /silat pamedih paloh
5. Mencak/silat tanapas angin
6. Mecak/silat pelampas gerak
7. Mencak/silat selempang gores
8. Mencak/silat pasong gerengseng
In addition, the Malays learned four other types. Menchak Kunto was derived from the self-defence of Batawi people and the Chinese Kuntau. The four are:
1. Kunto Batawi
2. Kunto Sendeng
3. Kunto Hailam
4. Kunto Kibao
These 12 have become the base of the silat in Sarawak today. These martial arts were practised and passed down by the Malays and the Ibans.
The Religious Center at Darul Hanna
Sultan Abdullah also built an Islamic centre named Darul Hanna in Santubong. This centre was situated in Kampung Mungguk Maras at the foot of Bukit Maras where Batu Boyak is today. This centre functioned as a place to train religious teachers.
Islam had expanded in Indera Samudera Punik and it became an Islamic centre. Pusat Dakwah Darul Hanna (an Islamic centre) has produced many Islamic preachers. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad had sent clerics to areas in Indera Punik and nearby settlements. They were also sent to establish Islam in the south of Sumatra, the east of Tanjong Datok, Sulu, areas north of Kalaka, Barunah (Brunei) and to Kelantan. Islamic teachers from the Kingdom of Pasai and Malacca were invited to come and teach in Darul Hannah.
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NOTE
The pedestrian bridge and the housing complex both in Kuching and both named Darul Hannah are not associated with the original Darul Hannah located in a government housing estate in Santubong.
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Trade with other countries
The Sultan also encouraged the people of Indera Punik to expand trade with the countries in the east (now Kalimantan ) and west of Tanjong Datok, like Kedah and areas in Sumatra. The traders of Indra Punik also exchanged goods as far as Kelantan. The gold and silver from Bau and Santubong were pounded into foils. There was also a system of barter trade. Trading relationships between Pasey and Malacca continued.
Kampong Sungey Buntak was a shipyard for repairing boats in Santubong. Other than Santubong, other new boat repair enterprises that opened were Kampong Pasey Panjang located at Mora Sungey Salak, Telaga Aik at Tanjong Kembang and Semat Rotan.
The transition from Animism to Islam in Santubong
Syirik is a system of rules that embraces both customary traditions (adat) and the laws of Islam. It compromises the ways of animism with the demands of the new religion. For example, the curing of people from disease in the kampongs may continue but they must give credit to Allah and not to the spirits of nature. The Sultan had made it clear for those who have embraced Islam, to not call upon the spirits of nature nor praise the spirit of nature in curing the sick because it is considered syirik.
These rituals that have the nature of syirik or forbidden behaviours:
1. upacara deng ngadeng (memuja semangat)(to worship the spirits of any kind)
2. upacara mendeng (memuja semengat Alam) (to stop nature from giving harm)
3. upacara perubatan yang dinamakan nurun berasok dan babayoh (to call upon the spirit to enter the body)
4. upacara menunggah (puja semengat laut) (to call upon the spirit of the sea the help prevent the boat from capsizing)
5. upacara kundak kundan(memuja semengat bukit dan gunong (to call upon the spirit of the hills and mountains to protect them against bad things.)
6. upacara ngancak (menmuja dan memberi hidangan kepada semengat laut, darat, hutan, sungai, dan kebun) ( leaving or sending food to the spirit of the sea, the land, the jungle and rivers).
7. upacara ngendong indok (memunja semengat tanaman terutama semangat padi (to worship the spirit of plants especially rice plants).
8. upacara puja ngaek (memunja semangat orang mati) (to worship the spirit of the dead ).
9. pancong belanang (Upacara puja perubatan) (to call upon the spirit for a cure).
The practice of Jampi Mentera in Tuca, which has the nature of spirit, is also not allowed. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad decided to leave some of the practices and perform some modifications.
Sultan Abdullah Muhammad had changed upacara perubatan nurun berasok (to call upon spirit to enter the body) into acara hiburan. (entertainment event) He called the event “begendang” which is now called Gendang Melayu Sarawak. This ritual suits Islam because men and women will not mix and it also suits the hundreds of years of adat of the Malays of Indera Samudera Punik.
The bergendang activity is a tool for those who can communicate with the unseen world. They negotiate with the spirits to heal a sick person. They associate the ill person with a clash between them and the spirits.
The new Islamic activity changed the musical instruments used. The seruling (flute) was switched to the gambus (stringed musical instrument) because the seruling was the main instrument used to call upon the spirits.
The pantun involved in the performing of the gendang was traded from calling upon the spirits to calling upon Islamic elements. Love pantuns, however, could remain.
The following are the events or activities modified to suit the Islamic practice found in begendang that replaced the old rituals that were against Islamic teachings
1. Gendang Ngaek (asalnya upacara puja ngaek) (The beating of drums to call upon spitits)
2. Gendang Ngendong (asalnya upacara ngendong indok) (The beating of drums to ease the child. The song in the form of a pantun sung by the mother that brought forward the spirits)
3. Gendang mencak (asal dari saduraan lagu Arab/ Zapin) The beating of drums for the purpose of silat (martial arts)
4. Gendang Topeng (asalnya dari upacara nurun berasok) To call upon the spirits so that another person may enter a trance. The person who wears the mask is to who the spirits are directed.
5. Gendang Mukun (asalnya dari upacara ngancak dalam perubatan nurun berasok) the beating of drums and reciting a pantun to call the spirits to a boat going out to sea with offerings such as pop rice, yellow rice, cooked glutinous yellow rice, siriah, betel nuts, palm leaf cigarettes a big nail and three hard-boiled eggs. This was to appease the spirits.
Many of the beliefs and practices of the tradition of the Malays have been adopted by the Iban who are not Muslim. During the Rule of Sultan Abdullah Muhammad, some of the Ibans embraced Islam.
Although these rules were put in place, the people blended a combination of animism and Islam that lasted until today.
During the fourth year of his rule, his brother, Hasanuddin, died in Tanah Berlidah and was buried there. His nephew, Pangiran Sri Tuan Abdullah, who was also his adopted son, travelled to Tanah Berlidah to perform the burial of his father according to the adat di Raja Istiadat Diraja Indera Samudera Punik. (the customs of the times)
When Hasanuddin died, his son Sulaiman was very small. He was adopted by his uncle, Abdullah Muhammad Hafis, who was still a bachelor and was also studying in Mecca. Sulaiman was also sent to Mecca to study with his Uncle. They were taken care of by Maulana a relative of Radiah, Abdullah’s mother.
Sultan Abdullah Muhammad adopted Sulaimna when he was eleven years old after the death of his mother. At that time he had a second wife. Sulaimna was also referred to as Baginda Kulup (not circumcised) because he was invincible since birth and even his hair could not be cut.
Sulaiman’s father-in-law, Sultan Saifudin Malek (Raja Sapurong) fell sick. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad, his wife and Sulaiman Abdullah travelled to Tanjungpura. Upon their arrival, his father-in-law became worse. The father-in-law wanted the rule of Tanjungpura to be handed to him and the administration of Indera Samudera Punik to be handed back to Hasanuddin, not knowing Hasanuddin had died.
Sultan Abdullah Muhammad suggested his brother-in-law, Baginda Jalaluddin (Baginda Karang Tanjong), rule instead. Therefore, Jalaluddin reigned and he was called Sultan Jalaluddin Tanjong.
While Sultan Abdullah Muhammad was in Tanjungpura, Sulaiman fell in love with the daughter of Sultan Jalaluddin Puteri Cemara Embun. They got married. After about a year, Sultan Abdullah Muhammad left for Indera Punik. However, Sulaiman remained in Tanjungpura at his father-in-law’s request.
Abdullah, because of Sulaiman and the Princess of Tanjungpura, requested a place where they could worship and become rulers. The rulers of Tanjungpura agreed and the place became known as Sambas. Sulaiman took the title of Sultan Saifudin or Safiudin to honour his grandfather, Jaffarudin . Din, at the end of names, means kingdom, government or religion. Sambas became a centre of Islamic thought.
Barunah (Brunei) and an uneasy alliance
Meanwhile, Sultan Abdul Majid of Barunah (Brunei) had only a daughter. The daughter married a royal from China named Ah Huang. The family did not agree to the arrangement. A civil war broke out. Sultan Ahmad, the Chinese husband who became the Sultan, was killed.
Hia Wang was the Chinese name for Sultan Ahmad. He was deposed by Sultan Bolkiah of Brunei. The descendants of the Hia Wang became known as Awang-Awang (males) and Dayang- Dayang (females). They were forced to work in the Astana of Brunei. That was why the female was addressed as “Dayang” which means servant and the male as “Awang”. Some fled to Santubong where they were given refuge. They continued using the title Dayang -Dayang or Awang- Awang.
The presence of Islamic teachers in Barunah (Brunei) caused an uneasy feeling. The Sultan of Barunah, (Sultan Bolkiah) felt that the government of Indera Punik wanted to invade Barunah. The Barunah (Brunei) people thought the Islamic preachers were spies of Indera Punik.
These clerics were close with the Awang/ Dayang who are the descendants of Hia Wang (Sultan Ahmad,) who was overthrown by the government of Barunah. The royals thought that they were instigating groups of rebels against the Sultan of Barunah.
In 1489, two Islamic teachers were sentenced to death by the Sultan Bolkiah. The preachers who were killed were Tuan Guru Baqi and his son Tuan Guru Halel. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad sent a messenger to Sultan Bolkiah in 1490 demanding that he apologize. The Sultan Bolkiah became angry and killed the messenger. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad intended to send an army to attack the Kingdom of Barunah (Brunei).
The news of the forthcoming invasion was leaked to the Sultan Bolkiah. He became scared and sent Pangiran Abdul Bahar as a messenger to apologize and pay compensation for the loss of the two teachers. Pangiran Abdul Bahar also acted as a representative to discuss the situation. The Sultan of Barunah requested that Indera Punik not invade Barunah. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad agreed and granted forgiveness with the condition that the traders from Indera Samudera Punik would be allowed to trade freely with Barunah (Brunei) without taxes and that the Kingdom should recognize the sovereignty of Kingdom Indera Samudera Punik.
The terms and conditions were agreed to by Pangiran Abdul Bahar. The details of Sultan Abdullah Muhammad were conveyed to the Sultan Bolkiah. He had to accept the conditions because the strength of the army of Indera Punik was stronger than the army of Barunah (Brunei). However, a feeling of dissatisfaction lingered.
Troubles to the South
In ~1505 a messenger from the Ruler of Tanjungpura came to the Sultan of Indera Punik. The courier was sent by Raja Samsudin seeking military help to launch an attack on the Kingdom of Ta Nunggal. The Ruler of Ta Nunggal, named Japai Sedum, was an aggressive person and planned to attack the Kingdom of Tanjungpura. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad sent 1,500 army troops to Tanjungpura. The attack on Ta Nunggal was led by Pangiran Sri Tuan Sulaiman Abdullah. Raja Japai Sedum was successfully defeated and was punished by his people by being placed in a large jar together with his valuable possessions and by being buried in an area upriver near the riverbank.
Pangiran Sri Tuan Sulaiman Abduallah was appointed by Raja Samsudin as the Sultan of Ta Nunggal and was given the title Sultan Saifuddin Shah. The Kingdom of Ta Nunggal was renamed the Kingdom of Saambas. However, the kingdom was constantly raided by a group of Suku Dyak Sungkong Rara who were the soldiers of the army who had disbanded and were followers of Raja Sedum. The Kingdom of Saambas fell and was conquered by the Jawa Hindu in 1528. Jawa Hindus were the remainders of the Majapahit army that took refuge in Borneo after Java was taken over by the kingdom of Demak.
Sultan Saifudin Shah retreated to Sukadana (Tanjungpura). All of his family members were killed in the attack except his grandson Pangiran Tuan Hussain. He and his family were saved because they were in Sukadana.
After Pangiran Sulaiman Abdullah became Sultan of Sambas, a section of the army of Indera Punik stayed in Sambas and another segment returned to Indera Punik. In 1508 there were large groups of Suku Dayak Sungkong Rara entering Indera Punik through the mountains and joining the Dayak Bidayuh. These intermarried in the area of Bawuk (Bau).
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NOTE
Pangiran Tuan Hussain had a son named Pangiran Tuan Raden Ibrahim. He was grandfather to Raden Sulaiman Safiuddin who then became the first Sultan of Sambas in 1670. The other Sulaiman who was the adopted son of Sultan Abdullah Muhammad used the title Saifuddin (difference in spelling from Safiuddin).
Borneo History.Net