Masjid Ubudiyah di (The Ubudiyah mosque in) Kuala Kangsar, Perak...

Subhanallah. Sungguh hari ini cukup sesuai untuk membuat posting terbaru di sini. 1 Mac untuk yang ke 100. Kebetulan pula senarai gambar-gambar yang sedang ditelaah kini membawa kepada masjid ini... Sungguh sungguh sesuai kerana posting ke 99, Senjata lama di Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Old weapons at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) ada menunjukkan gambar-gambar keris dan pedang... Mari! :]
Praise be to Allah. What an apt day to make my latest posting here. 1st March for the 100th one. Coincidently my list of travel pictures currently worked on shows this mosque... All the more fitting as the 99th posting, Senjata lama di Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Old weapons at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) shows some pictures of keris and sword... Come! :]

Rasanyakebanyakan rakyat Malaysia kenal akan masjid ini... Mungkin generasi sekarang kurang mengenalinya kerana sudah banyak terdapat masjid-masjid baru pelbagai bentuk di Malaysia. Tetapi bagi generasi saya, masjid di Kuala Kangsar, Perak yang pernah menghiasi setem Malaysia (kalau tak salah ingatan, samada setem 10 atau 20 sen) ini adalah salah sebuah masjid tercantik di negara ini, kalau tidak pun paling cantik. Inilah Masjid Ubudiyah, masjid diraja Perak yang terletak di Bukit Chandan, tidak jauh daripada Istana Iskandariah dan bersebelahan makam diraja.

I believe most Malaysians recognise this mosque... Maybe the current generation do not recognise it as there are now so many new mosques of all shapes and size in Malaysia. But for my generation, this mosque in Kuala Kangsar, Perak which was once immortalised in Malaysian stamps (if memory serves me right, either the 10 or 20 cent stamp) is one of the most beautiful mosque in this nation, if not the most. Let me present the Ubudiyah mosque, the royal mosque of Perak situated at Bukit Chandan, not far from the Iskandariah Palace and besides the royal mausoleum.

Tetapi berapa ramai yang sudah masuk ke dalam dan melihat apa yang terdapat?

But how many have been inside and see what's available?

Sudah tentulah untuk masuk ke dalam, seseorang itu harus sampai ke Kuala Kangsar terlebih dahulu... Berapa orang daripada kita (selain penduduk setempat) yang pernah sampai ke bandar diraja Perak ini?

Of course in order to get inside, one was reach Kuala Kangsar first.... But how many among us (except for the local populace) have reach this Perak royal town?

Di antara mereka yang pernah sampai ke masjid ini pula, bukan semuanya pernah masuk ke dalam, apalagi untuk duduk lebih lama menikmati suasana tenang yang memenuhi segenap ruang... Apa yang pasti, sebagai sebuah masjid diraja, ruangan dalamnya dihiasi indah dengan motif-motif tertentu yang melambangkan sebuah tempat ibadah yang dihormati. Lebih penting lagi, ada suasana tertentu yang susah hendak diterangkan... Mungkin kerana ada barakah yang berkait dengan keturunan darah diraja yang berdaulat?

And among those who have been to this mosque, not all have been inside, what more to sit and spend time enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that permeates the air... What is sure, as a royal mosque, the inside is beautifully decorated with certain motifs signifying its position as a venerated place of worship. What's more important, it has a certain atmosphere which is hard to describe... Maybe because of the aura of blessings associated with a very charismatic royal lineage?

Saya pula telah banyak kali ke masjid ini tetapi ketika dalam perjalanan terbaru lebih sebulan lalu, barulah saya tergerak untuk mengambil cukup gambar (dahulu setakat ambil di luar sahaja) yang boleh dikongsi di dalam blogspot ini. Itupun setiap kali datang, saya masih terasa sedikit janggal dengan saiz ruangan di dalam yang saya rasa terlalu kecil berbanding the saiz keseluruhan masjid apabila dilihat daripada luar.

I've been to this mosque many times but only in the latest visit made more than a month ago do I feel the need to take enough pictures (previously I only took pictures from outside) which could be shared in this blogspot. Still at every visit, I would still feel strange at the size of the space inside which I feel is just too small compared to the overall size of the mosque as seen outside.

Mungkin kerana ruangan serambi berbumbung yang mengelilingi masjid membentuk sebahagian besar daripada ruangan keseluruhan masjid. Rasanya lebar serambi itu sendiri hampir sama dengan lebar ruangan utama di dalam. Keseluruhan serambi yang mengelilingi masjid kecuali di bahagian hadapan nampaknya mampu menampung lebih 5 kali jumlah jemaah yang muat di dalam!

Maybe because the roofed verandah circling the mosque constitutes a major part of the overall mosque building. I think the width of the verandah itself is almost the same as the width of the space inside the main hall. The overall verandah which circles the mosque except for the front looks like its able to hold more than 5 times the size of congregation which could fit inside!

Dalam lawatan terbaru ini, saya baru sahaja selesai menziarahi makam diraja Perak untuk melihat lagi makam moyang saya Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin dengan lebih dekat. Lihat In Perak's royal mausoleum to give justice to Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin di blogspot BERPETUALANG KE ACEH ... Sebelum itu, saya telah melawat Kota Ngah Ibrahim di Taiping. Daripada lawatan itu, jadilah cerita-cerita berikut di blogspot-blogspot saya... Senjata lama di Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Old weapons at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) , Sekitar Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Around the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) , The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim... dan Taiping dan akibat Perjanjian Pangkor 1874...

In my latest visit here, I've just completed a tour of the Perak royal mausoleum to have another closer look at the tomb of my great-great grandfather Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin. Look In Perak's royal mausoleum to give justice to Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin at the blogspot BERPETUALANG KE ACEH ... Before that, I visited the fort of Ngah Ibrahim in Matang, Taiping. That visit led to the following stories in my blogspot... Senjata lama di Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Old weapons at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) , Sekitar Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Around the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) , The main players of the Perak-British war as depicted at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim... dan Taiping dan akibat Perjanjian Pangkor 1874...

Setelah sampai ke Kuala Kangsar daripada Taiping, saya perlu berjalan lagi sekitar 2km menaiki Bukit Chandan kemudian ke makam lalu ke masjid ini. Akibat kepenatan yang amat sangat, saya telah tertidur sebentar di serambi sebelum mandi kemudian baru menunaikan solat di dalam ruangan utama.

After arriving at Kuala Kangsar from Taiping, I had to walk again for some 2km up Bukit Chandan before going to the mausoleum and then this mosque. Due to extreme tiredness, I came down sleeping for a moment at the verandah before taking a shower and then doing the prayers inside the main hall.

Dalam permulaan artikel ini, saya ada menyebut bagaimana sesuainya artikel ini menjadi posting ke 100 blogspot ini setelah posting ke 99, Senjata lama di Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Old weapons at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) telah memaparkan gambar-gambar keris dan pedang. Sebagai rekod, saya tidak pernah mengenengahkan gambar senjata di mana-mana blogspot saya sebelum ini! Lalu di bawah posting itu, ada pembaca membuat komen bahawa gerak penulisan yang membawa saya untuk meletakkan gambar-gambar senjata itu membawa makna tersirat yang akan saya akan bertemu jodoh tidak lama nanti...

At the start of this article, I have mentioned how apt that this article becomes the 100th posting in this blogspot after the 99th, Senjata lama di Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Old weapons at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) have shown pictures of keris (the Malay wavy blade) and swords. For the record, I have never featured weapons in any of blogspots before! And so under that posting, a reader made a comment that the instinctual drive which made me put the pictures of the weapons carries the meaning that I fill find my matching mate soon...

Adapun orang Melayu selalu membuat kiasan masuk ke alam perkahwinan itu ibarat mendirikan sebuah masjid. Kebetulan (ya, kebetulan... bukan saya sengaja mengatur OK!), posting seterusnya ini memang memaparkan sebuah masjid, masjid diraja Perak... Lebih-lebih lagi, baru-baru ini ada seseorang mengaitkan kemungkinan jodoh saya yang akan datang ini mempunyai nasab keturunan diraja daripada Aceh, kampung halaman nenek-moyang saya dahulukala yang mempunyai kaitan sangat rapat dengan Perak. Mungkin akhirnya saya akan mendapat home sweet home yang didambakan sekian lama? Allah!

As it is, the Malays always made proverbs that entering a marriage is just like building a mosque. Coincidently (ya, coincidently... I didn't consciously arrange this OK!) the following posting which is this does feature a mosque, Perak's royal mosque... Especially when recently, someone associated the possibility that my soon to be coming mate is of Aceh's royal lineage, the home of my forefathers which has very close ties with Perak. Maybe at last I will get the home sweet home I often asked for after so long? Allah!

Ah... Cukuplah cerita tentang itu... Kembali kepada cerita masjid ini yang mula didirikan oleh Sultan Perak ke 28, Sultan Idris Shah (memerintah 1887-1916) sekitar tahun 1913. Tetapi baginda yang mangkat 1916 tidak sempat melihat ia siap kerana kerja pembinaannya tergendala. Apa yang menarik, ia menjadi tergendala kerana bahan-bahan yang digunakan termasuk baru mar-mar daripada Itali (seingat saya le.. ) telah musnah akibat pergaduhan antara gajah!

Ah... Enough story about that... Back to the story of this mosque which was first built by the 28th Sultan of Perak, Sultan Idris Shah (ruled 1887-1916) sometime in the year 1913. But the ruler who died in 1916 couldn't see it completed because of the delay in work progress. What is interesting, it was delayed because the materials to be used including marble from Italy (that's what I remember) were destroyed because of a fight between elephants!

Lebih menarik lagi, gajah-gajah yang bergaduh itu adalah gajah milik Sultan Idris dengan gajah milik almarhum mertuanya iaitu Sultan Yusuf Sharifuddin, Sultan Perak ke 27 yang meninggal tahun 1887. Gajah milik Sultan Yusuf itu bernama Kulup Chandan. Mengikut ceritanya, nama kawasan Bukit Chandan yang mengandungi Masjid Ubudiyah, makam diraja Perak serta Istana Iskandariah ini mendapat nama sempena nama gajah itu!

What's more interesting, the elephants fighting were one owned by Sultan Idris aginst the one own by his deceased father-in-law who is Sultan Yusuf Sharifuddin, Perak's 27th Sultan who died in the year1887. The elephant owned by Sultan Yusuf has the name Kulup Chandan. According to the stories, the area of Bukit (hill of) Chandan which contains the Ubudiyah Mosque, Perak's royal mausoleum and the Palace of Iskandariah got its name based on the name of that elephant!

Untuk mengetahui lagi sejarah tentang masjid ini, klik dan lihat lebih dekat gambar di atas. Sekian! :]

To know more about the mosque's history, click and have a closer look at the picture above. That's all! :]

Senjata lama di Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Old weapons at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim)

OK... Saya tidak mahu komen panjang kerana terasa penat. Cukuplah komen dihadkan pada permulaan cerita lalu disajikan gambar-gambar senjata Melayu lama seperti keris, tombak dan pedang yang terdapat di Kota Ngah Ibrahim di Matang, Taiping, Perak, kota yang telah dijadikan sebuah muzium. Nilai sendiri senjata-senjata yang ditunjukkan Cuma saya terfikir, gambar-gambar ini diambil dalam lawatan ke 3 saya ke sana yang dibuat lebih sebulan lalu... Dalam lawatan-lawatan sebelum itu, saya sekadar masuk ke ruang utama sahaja, tidak terfikir pun hendak melihat apa yang terdapat di ruangan lain termasuk tempat menyimpan senjata-senjata lama ini...

OK... I don't want to give out long comments as I feel tired. Enough that the comments are confined to the start of story followed by pictures of old Malay weapon such as the keris (the wavy dagger), spears and sword available at the fort of Ngah Ibrahim in Matang, Taiping, Perak, a fort which has been turned into a museum. Evaluate yourself the weapons showed. Its just that it occured to me, the pictures were taken in my 3rd visit there made over a month ago... In my previous visits, I just entered the main hall, didn't cross my mind at all to look at what's available at the other halls including the place where these old weapons are kept at...

Dalam pada itu terfikir juga, inilah kali pertama saya tergerak untuk memaparkan gambar-gambar senjata lama Melayu di blogspot ini malah di mana-mana blogspot saya! Kebetulan pula ini akan menjadi posting saya yang ke 99 di sini... Saya telah merancang untuk membuat posting ini malam ini juga semasa sibuk menyediakan posting ke 98 tadi yang bertajuk Sekitar Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Around the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) ...

At the same time it crossed my mind, this is the first time I felt urged to feature pictures of old Malay weapons in this blogspot or at any of my blogspots! Coincidently this would be my 99th posting here... I've planned to make this posting this very night while busy churning out the 98th just now titled Sekitar Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Around the fort of Ngah Ibrahim) ...

Dalam posting itu, terkeluar sedikit cerita pengembalian jasad Ngah Ibrahim dan moyang saya Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin daripada Singapura ke Malaysia iaitu di Perak... Teringat pula tarikh berlakunya peristiwa itu iatu 9 September 2006 atau 9 haribulan 9... Apakah ada kena-mengena dengan posting ini yang ke 99? Posting di mana-mana blogspot saya yang buat julungkalinya menunjukkan senjata-senjata Melayu lama? Hmm...

In that posting, there came out a bit of story on the return of the body of Ngah Ibrahim along with that of my ancestor Laksamana Raja Mahkota (royal admiral) Muhammad Amin from Singapore to Malaysia that is in Perak... Came to mind the date this happened which is 9th September 2006 or 9th on the month of 9... Has it got anything to do with this posting being the 99th? Posting in any of my blogspots showing for the first time Malay old weapons? Hmm...

Gambar baju perang Bugis ini pula pernah saya ambil dalam lawatan sebelum ini iaitu setahun lalu. Tetapi kali ini baru saya tergerak untuk meneliti tulisan di bawah itu lebih dekat lalu mendapati catatannya menyebut baju perang in pernah dipakai ketika berlaku satu peperangan antara orang-orang Bugis dengan orang-orang Aceh! Sayangnya tidak dicatitkan bilakah ianya berlaku. Inilah kali pertama saya mendapat tahu pernah terjadinya perang antara orang-orang Bugis dengan Aceh! Entah betul entahkan tidak... Saya sendiri memiliki darah pahlawan Raja Bugis dan Raja Aceh! Dan satu lagi soalan saya musykil... Kenapa baju perang ini dipaparkan di sini? Sekian...

This picture of a Bugis war clothes has been taken in the visit before which happened a year ago. But it's only this time that I felt the urge to look and study the notice below properly and found out it says the war clothes was once used in a battle between the people of Bugis stock against people from Aceh! Too bad it didn't say when it happened. This is the first time I found out that there was a war between the Bugis and the Aceh people. I'm not sure if it has really happened or not... Me in turn have the warrior blood of Bugis kings and Aceh kings flowing inside! And one more question plagues me... Why is this war clothers displayed here? That's all...

p/s: Saya akan membuat sebuah posting yang menunjukkan rupa-paras para pejuang Melayu Perak yang telah melawan British seperti yang terpapar di Kota Ngah Ibrahim Sila lihat blogspot BERPETUALANG KE ACEH nanti!

p/s: I will make a posting showing the looks of the Perak Malay fighters who fought against the British as featured at the fort of Kota Ngah Ibrahim. Do have a look at the blogspot BERPETUALANG KE ACEH soon!

Sekitar Kota Ngah Ibrahim (Around the fort of Ngah Ibrahim)

Saudara dan saudari sekalian, mari kita melihat sekitar Kota Ngah Ibrahim di Matang, Taiping, Perak...
Ladies and gentleman, let us have a look around the fort of Ngah Ibrahim in Matang, Taiping, Perak...

Kota ini terletak di selekoh jalan daripada Taiping menghampiri Matang...

The fort is situated at the corner of road from Taiping approaching Matang...

Kota ini dibina pertengahan abad ke 19 Masihi...

The fort was build in the middle of 19th century AD...

Selain menjadi pusat pentadbiran daerah sekelilingnya iaitu Larut, ia juga menjadi pusat penyimpanan jongkong bijih timah untuk di eksport. Pada zaman itu Larut menjadi pengeluar bijih timah yang terbesar di dunia!

Besides being the administration centre for the surrounding district which is Larut, it also served as the centre for storing tin ingots for export. During thar time, Larut was the biggest tin producer in the whole world!

Hmm... Baca sendirilah sejarah rasmi yang diberi...

Hmm... Just read yourself the official history given...

Papan-tanda arah...

Signboard pointing ways...

Turut ditunjukkan adalah arah ke rumah Kapteen Speedy, seorang askar British di luar kawasan kota. Untuk makluman, Kapten Speedy pernah menjadi setiausaha Ngah Ibrahim, orang besar Perak yang mentadbir Larut. Tetapi selepas pembunuhan Resident pertama British ke Perak J.W.W. Birch tahun 1875 menyaksikan ramai orang besar Perak dihukum bunuh atau dibuang negeri, Kapten Speedy boleh diangkat menjadi penolong Residen British pula! Agaknya kenapa ya? Fikirkan...

Also shown is way to the house of Captain Speedy, a British solder outside the fort compound. For information, Captain Speedy was once the secretary to Ngah Ibrahim, the Perak noble in charge of Larut. But after the murder of British's first Resident to Perak J.W.W. Birch in the year 1875 saw many Perak nobles either sentenced to death or exiled, Captain Speedy was on the other hand appointed as the British assistant Resident! Now why is that? Think about it...

Inilah Makam Ngah Ibrahim selepas tinggalan tubuhnya dibawa kembali daripada Singapura di mana beliau pernah dimakamkan selama 120 tahun! (Beliau meninggal dunia tahun 1887 semasa dalam buangan). Jenazahnya baru dibawa kembali ke Malaysia pada 9 September 2006 dalam satu acara gemilang, berserta tinggalan seorang lagi bangsawan Melayu yang turut dibuang negeri, Laksamana Raja Mahkota Muhammad Amin yang juga merupakan bapa mertua Ngah Ibrahim. Sila lihat Pengembalian jenazah Laksamana Muhammad Amin ke Makam Diraja Perak ...

This is the tomb of Ngah Ibrahim after his remains were brought back from Singapore where he was buried for 120 years! (He died in 1887 while in exile). The body was brought back to Malaysia on 9 September 2006 in a grand ceremony, along with the remains of another Malay noble who was also exiled, Laksamana Raja Mahkota (a royal admiral title) Muhammad Amin who was Ngah Ibrahim's father-in-law. Do have a look at The return of Admiral Muhammad Amin's remains to the royal mausoleum of Perak ...

Apapun, ada pihak yang menyanggah mengatakan tinggalan yang dibawa itu bukan tubuh Ngah Ibrahim. Mereka mendakwa Ngah Ibrahim telah berjaya melepaskan diri senyap-senyap untuk kembali ke Perak. Dan kematiannya tahun 1887 di Singaoura itu sekadar satu lakonan untuk menutup pandangan supaya tidak dicari British.

Whatever, certain parties were in dispute saying the remains brought back was not the body of Ngah Ibrahim. They claimed Ngah Ibrahim actually managed do escape undetected to return to Perak. And his death in the year 1887 in Singapore was staged to cover his tracks so that the British won't be on the look-out.

Saudara-mara terdekat Ngah Ibrahim yang berusaha membawa tinggalan ini kembali ke Malaysia pula sudah tentu tidak bersetuju dengan dakwaan itu. Mereka sudah lama mencari di manakah Ngah Ibrahim dimakamkan di Singapura lalu batu nesan asli, malah seluruh binaan makam yang dipakai dahulu turut dibawa kembali ke Malaysia dan dipasang semula di sini!

Ngah Ibrahim's close kith and kin who worked hard to bring the remains to Malaysia of course don't agree with the claims. They have been looking for the Ngah Ibrahim's place of burial in Singapore for sometime and so the original gravestone, in fact the whole tomb used then was also transported back to Malaysia and re-erected here!

Ini pula tinggalan binaan lama di belakang bangunan utama kota...
These are the remains of an old building behind the main one in the fort...

Di belakang kawasan kota kelihatan sebuah rumah Melayu lama yang saya rasakan menarik...

Behind the fort compound could be seen an old Malay house which I find interesting...

Ini adalah gambaran Kota Ngah Ibrahim semasa zaman kegemilangannya dahulu...

This is a depiction of the fort of Ngah Ibrahim during its golden ages long ago...

Saya cuba memadankan kawasan di luar kota yang kelihatan dengan gambaran yang diberi... Tidak kelihatan sungai (atau terusan?) yang kelihatan dalam gambaran... Cukup...

I tried to match the area outside the fort as seen here with that given in the depiction... Can't see the river (or canal?) seen in the depiction... Enough...

Sebuah makam berumur 1,100 tahun di Kedah! (A 1,100 year old tomb in Kedah!)

Di bahagian selatan pekan Langgar, Kedah pula terdapat sebuah makam purba, makam yang sangat tua. Lihat ini...
On the southern side of the small town of Langgar, Kedah lies and ancient tomb, a very old one. look at this...

Lihat makam tua ini yang terletak di sebalik kubur-kubur biasa orang Islam zaman moden... Rupanya memang menonjol. Tunggu sehingga anda tahu makam siapakah ini...

Look at this old tomb located behind some common modern day Muslim graves... The looks does stand-out. Wait till you know who this tomb belong to...

Nama yang disebut iatu Sheikh Abdul Qadir (maaf. Saya lebih suka ejaan Sheikh daripada Syeikh atau Syaikh yang bermakna guru agama) mungkin kedengaran seperti mana-mana nama biasa. Tetapi tarikh kemangkatannya bersamaan 904 Masihi atau lebih 1,100 tahun lalu itu yang boleh membuat orang terkejut!Maklumlah, ini berlaku hampir 500 tahun sebelum kemunculan keSultanan Melaka yang sering diwar-warkan sebagai kerajaan awal kebanggaan Melayu. Berapa ramaikah orang yang kamu tahu di Tanah Melayu mangkat pada zaman ini?

The name mentioned which is Sheikh Abdul Qadir (sorry. I prefer the spelling Sheikh rather than Syeikh or Syaikh which means a religious teacher) might sound just like any common name. But the date of decease equivalent to the year 904 AD or more than 1,100 years ago is what could shock people! What do you expect, this happened nearly 500 years ago before the advent of the Melaka Sultanate which is often highlighted as the early Malay kingdom to be proud of. How many people do you know died in the Malay Archipelago during this era?

Catatan rasmi menyatakan Sheikh Abdul Qadir sebagai seorang ulamak yang datang menyebarkan Islam. Ada pihak tertentu pula mendakwa beliau adalah seorang Sultan!Pada saya kedua-keduanya betul... Sheikh Abdul Qadir ialah seorang ulamak yang datang menyebarkan Islam ke Tanah Melayu lalu diangkat menjadi pemerintah ataupun Sultan...

The official records said Sheikh Abdul Qadir is a religious scholar who came to spread Islam. Certain parties on the other hand claimed he was a Sultan, a ruler! To me, both are right... Sheikh Abdul Qadir was a religious man who came to spread Islam in the Malay Archipelago and then raised as a ruler or Sultan...

Ada pihak pula mendakwa Sultan ini adalah keturunan watak legenda Raja Merong Mahawangsa yang dikatakan telah membuka kerajaan Kedah tua. Pihak ini cuba mengaitkan Merong Mahawangsa sebagai seorang berketurunan Maharaja China. Saya pula percaya, Sheikh Abdul Qadir adalah berketurunan Arab yang pernah menetap di Parsi. Saya juga percaya Merong Mahawangsa adalah keturunan Parsi dan memang Sheikh Abdul Qadir ada darah keturunan Merong Mahawangsa tetapi daripada sebelah perempuan... Keturunannya bapa atas bapa adalah daripada satu keturunan yang perlu dirahsiakan identiti sebenar mereka.

There's parties who claim this Sultan is a descendant of the legendary person King Merong Mahawangsa who is said to have opened the old Kedah kingdom. These parties tried to link Merong Mahawangsa as a descendant of the Emperor of China. I on the other hand believe, Sheikh Abdul Qadir is of Arab descent staying in Persia. I also believe that Merong Mahawangsa is of Persian descent and Sheikh Abdul Qadir is truly a descendant of Merong Mahawangsa but on the distaff side... His staff side that is father to father is from a lineage whose real identity has to be kept a secret.

Cuma satu sahaja petunjuk yang saya boleh beri... Bandingkan nama Sheikh Abdul Qadir ini dengan senarai Sultan-sultan Perlak (sekarang dalam Aceh) daripada Dinasti Dum Makhdum yang dikatakan membawa ajaran Sunnah untuk memansuhkan ajaran Syiah yang dibawa para pemerintah terdahulu.

I could only give one clue... Compare the name of Sheikh Abdul Qadir to the list of Sultans of Perlak (in modern day Aceh) from the DumMakhdum Dynasty who was said to have carried the Sunnah teachings in order to abrogate the Syiah leaning held by previous rulers.

Inilah senarai nama Sultan-sultan Perak seperti yang terdapat di Wikipaedia... Sultan ke 5 hingga 8 adalah pasti daripada Dinasti Dum Makhdum sedangkan yang lain mungkin adalah campuran dan pertukaran dengan Dinasti lain yang dikenali sebagai Dinasti Sayyid Maulana.

This is the list of the Sultans of Perlak as shown in Wikipaedia... The 5th to 8th Sultans are surely from the Dum Makhdum Dynasty while the others could be a mix or alternate with the other Dynasty known as the Sayyid Maulana Dynasty.

1. Sultan Alaiddin Syed Maulana Abdul Azis Shah (840 – 864)
2. Sultan Alaiddin Syed Maulana Abdul Rahim Shah (864 – 888)
3. Sultan Alaiddin Syed Maulana Abbas Shah (888 – 913)
4. Sultan Alaiddin Syed Maulana Ali Mughat Shah (915 – 918)
5. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Abdul Kadir Shah Johan Berdaulat (928 – 932)
6. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Muhammad Amin Shah Johan Berdaulat (932 – 956)
7. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Abdul Malik Shah Johan Berdaulat (956 – 983)
8. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Ibrahim Shah Johan Berdaulat [1] (986 – 1023)
9. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Mahmud Shah Johan Berdaulat (1023 – 1059)
10. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Mansur Shah Johan Berdaulat (1059 – 1078)
11. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Abdullah Shah Johan Berdaulat (1078 – 1109)
12. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Ahmad Shah Johan Berdaulat (1109 – 1135)
13. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Mahmud Shah Johan Berdaulat (1135 – 1160)
14. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Usman Shah Johan Berdaulat (1160 – 1173)
15. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Muhammad Shah Johan Berdaulat (1173 – 1200)
16. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Abdul Jalil Shah Johan Berdaulat (1200 – 1230)
17. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Muhammad Amin Shah II Johan Berdaulat (1230 – 1267)
18. Sultan Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Abdul Aziz Johan Berdaulat (1267 – 1292)

Lihat bentuk batu nesan di Makam Sheikh Abdul Qadir ini yang termasuk di dalam kategori batu nesan Aceh. Apalah yang hendak dihairankan jika orang ini pernah merajai Perlak di Aceh juga Kedah di Semenanjung kerana kerajaan-kerajaan Melayu dahulukala saling berkaitan...

Look at the tombstone at the tomb of Sheikh Abdul Qadir which belong in the categories of the Aceh gravestones. What is there to be perplexed if this man once ruled Perlak in Aceh along with Kedah in the Peninsular as Malay kingdoms of old are related...

Mungkin ada makam-makam lama yang lebih tua di Tanah Melayu... Kenapa tidak? Bukankah beribu tahun dahulu sudah wujud ramai raja-raja di bumi sebelah sini. Tentu ada makamnya bukan walaupun mungkin sudah hilang ditelan zaman.

Maybe there's ancient tombs much older in the Malay Archipelago... Why not? After all thousands of years ago there already existed many kings in this side of the world. Surely they have tombs although lost because of the times.

Cuma setahu saya, setakat ini tidak ada makam lain sebegitu tua yang diwartakan... Malah diberi tarikh kemangkatan pemiliknya ditunjukkan jelas berlaku lebih 1,100 tahun dahulu! Baguslah begitu... Kalau tidak, takut nanti ada pihak senang-senang mengambil mana-mana makam lama yang disukai lalu mendakwa makam tersebut milik orang tertentu yang hidup 1,200 tahun dahulu atau sebagainya tanpa bukti kukuh kecuali dakwaan pihak yang menyokong mereka. Risau juga bila ada pihak yang mengaku mahu menimbulkan sejarah Melayu yang sebenar, bukan versi Barat. Tetapi apabila dikaji lebih mendalam, mereka sebenarnya cuba mencampur-adukkan kajian sejarah sebenar dengan fantasi ciptaan sendiri kerana ada hati hendak menjadi raja. Maka sebuah carta salasilah baru yang agak lengkap pun dicipta menggunakan nama-nama pemerintah yang memang pernah wujud lalu dikaitkan dengan keluarga mereka untuk menguatkan dakwaan mereka. Itu sahaja!

It's just that, as far as I know there's no other tomb this old gazetted... In fact the date of death of the person buried is pointed out clearly as happening more than 1,100 years ago! This should be good... If not, I'm worried there would be parties who would whimsically take any old tombs they like and claim it as belonging to certain people who lived 1,200 years ago and such without concretre proof except that as claimed by those who supports them. This is worrying as there are parties who claims to want to uncover the real Malay history, not the Western version. But when studied deeper, they actually tried to mix actual historical research with their own concocted fantasy because they dream of becoming rulers. So an elobarate new set of genealogy involving names of actual existent rulers is created and linked to their families to justify their claims. That's all...

Apapun, biarlah pihak-pihak yang berkepentingan ini terus berangan-angan dengan dunia ciptaan mereka sendiri. Di sebelah Makam Sheikh Abdul Qadir ini terdapat sebuah makam yang kurang terserlah tetapi turut memakai batu nesan Aceh... Cuma daripada jenis lain iaitu berkepak...

Whatever, let this parties with self-interest keep on dreaming with their concocted world picture. Next to the Sheikh Abdul Qadir tomb is another tomb which does not stand out but also use Aceh gravestone... Just from a different type, that is those with wings...

Sampai masanya meninggalkan makam. Al-Fatihah untuk Sheikh Abdul Qadir. Semoga selepas ini tiada lagi orang cuba bermain-main dengan salasilah Ahlul Bait anak cucu Nabi Muhammad SAW. Tamat! :]

Time to leave the tomb. Al-Fatihah (the opening Quranic verse to be read) for Sheikh Abdul Qadir. Hopefully after this no one would play with the genealogy of the Ahlul Bait, the descendants of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Ends! :]

Sebuah masjid lama di (and old mosque in) Langgar, Kedah...

Sekarang saya ingin berkongsi gambar-gambar sebuah masjid lama berdekatan Makam Diraja Kedah di Langgar tanpa memberikan penerangan. Sila!

Now I want to share pictures of an old mosque nearby the Kedah Royal Mausoleum in Langgar without giving explanation. Come!

Menara masjid...

The mosque's tower...

Dalamnya...
The inside...

Bahagian tepi dalam...

The sides inside...

Dinding tepi bahagian luar...

The sides outside...

The main door...

Pintu masuk utama...

Ukiran pada panel atas tingkap dan pintu...

The carvings on the top panel of the windows and doors...

Gambar-gambar ini diambil dalam satu lawatan pendek ke sini yang dibuat lebih sebulan, ketika sedang mengembara menjelajah beberapa lokasi terpilih di Kedah. Beberapa gambar yang menunjukkan masjid ini dengan lebih terang telah diambil lebih setahun lepas lalu turut dipaparkan dengan beberapa gambar lain di dalam artikel Bertandang ke makam diraja Langgar, Kedah? (A visit to the royal mausoleum at Langgar, Kedah?). Sekian! :'

These pictures were taken in a short visit here made over a month ago, while travelling and exploring certain selected locations in Kedah. Some pictures showing the mosque more clearly have been taken over a year ago and thus were displayed along with some other pictures in the article Bertandang ke makam diraja Langgar, Kedah? (A visit to the royal mausoleum at Langgar, Kedah?). That's all! :]

Makam Tok Soh di Kedah dan kaitannya dengan Merong Mahawangsa (The tomb of Tok Soh in Kedah and its relation to Merong Mahawangsa)...

OK... Malam ini kita pergi menziarahi satu tempat tertentu di Kedah... Mari!

OK... Tonight we pay a visit to a certain place in Kedah... Come!

Dalam perjalanan dari Sungai Petani ke Kulim, ada sebuah tempat bernama Pinang Tunggal. Masuk ke sana dan akan terpapar papantanda ini...

On the way from Sungai Petani to Kulim, there's a place called Pinang Tunggal. Enter there and there appears this signboard...

Lalu kelihatanlah sebuah makam lama yang mempunyai sejarahnya yang tersendiri, makam milik seseorang yang cuma dikenali sebagai Tok Soh...

And so could be seen an old tomb with its own history, a tomb of someone known only as Tok Soh...

Batu nesannya yang terukir cantik termasuk dalam kategori batu-batu nesan lama yang dikenali sebagai batu nesan Aceh. Apakah ini bermakna pemilik makam ini ada kena-mengena dengan Aceh? Mungkin ya...

The beautifully engraved tombstones are among those included in the category of old tombstones known as the Aceh gravestones. Does this mean the person buried here has something to do with Aceh? Maybe yes...

Ada pula pihak mendakwa makam ini milik seseorang bernama Sharifah Mariam Al-Jefri, iaitu seorang wanita daripada keturunan Nabi Muhammad SAW. Jika ini benar maka kemungkinan besar ia ada kaitan dengan Aceh kerana boleh kata semua keturunan Rasulullah SAW yang masuk ke Nusantara atau Tanah Melayu ini berbuat begitu melalui Aceh... Walaupun ketika ia belum bernama Aceh.

There are parties who claim the tomb belongs to someone named Sharifah Mariam Al-Jefri, that is a woman from the lineage of Prophet Muhammad SAW. If this is true then most probably it has links to Aceh as it could be said all descendants of the Prophet who came to Nusantara or the Malay Archipelago did so through Aceh... Eventhough when Aceh is yet to be known by that name.

Ini adalah disebabkan kedudukan Aceh itu sendiri merupakan tempat pertama masuk laluan kapal daripada belah Barat terutama Tanah Arab ke Nusantara. Kata orang, sebab itu juga Aceh dikenali sebagai bumi Serambi Mekah. Dan ia juga tempat terakhir di Tanah Melayu untuk berlepas menunaikan haji di Mekah!

This is because Aceh's location itself is the first place for ships from the West especially that from the Arab lands to pass to get to Nusantara. Some people said, that's why Aceh is also known as the Veranda of Mekah. And that's also the Malay Archipelago's last embarkation point to do the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mekah!

Yang menjadi kemusykilan ialah apabila ada pihak mendakwa Sharifah Mariam ini adalah permaisuri kepada watak legenda bernama Merong Mahawangsa yang dikatakan telah membuka kerajaan Kedah Tua. Ini kerana tarikh kemunculan Merong Mahawangsa itu sendiri boleh menimbulkan pelbagai pertikaian.

What is perplexing is when certain parties claimed Sharifah Mariam was the queen to a legendary figure named Merong Mahawangsa who was said to have opened the ancient kingdom of old Kedah. This is because the date when Merong Mahawangsa showed up itself is open to speculations.

Cuba baca kitab lama Melayu bertajuk Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. Menurut kitab itu, Merong Mahawangsa sampai ke Kedah ketika Gunung Jerai, gunung tertinggi di Kedah masih lagi dikelilingi air lalu dikenali sebagai Pulau Serai! Pada zaman manakah ini agaknya berlaku? Dan kitab itu menambah, ketika itu Nabi Sulaiman AS masih hidup dan memerintah dunia! Zaman manakah ini?

Try reading the old Malay text titled Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa (the annals of Merong Mahawangsa). According to the text, Merong Mahawangsa arrived in Kedah when Gunung (mount) Jerai, the highest peak in Kedah was still surrounded by water and was known as Pulau (the island of) Serai! In which period did this happen? And the text added, at the time the Prophet Solomon was still alive and ruled the world! In which time was this?

Menurut ahli sejarah, Nabi Sulaiman bersemayam di Baitul Muqaddis lebih 900 tahun Sebelum Masihi. Jika Merong Mahawangsa hidup di zaman ini, maka tentulah mustahil baginda boleh berkahwin dengan Sharifah Mariam yang dikatakan berketurunan Nabi Muhammad SAW. Bagaimana mungkin sedangkan Nabi Muhammad lahir tahun 570 Masihi iaitu 1,600 tahun selepas zaman Nabi Sulaiman yang diketahui mangkat agak awal?

According to historians, the Prophet Sulaiman ruled in Jerusalem more than 900 years before Christ. If Merong Mahawangsa had lived then, surely it is impossible that he could have married the Sharifah Mariam said to be a descendant of Prophet Muhammad SAW. How could this be when Prophet Muhammad was born in the year 570 AD which is 1,600 years after the time of Prophet Solomon who is known to have died quite early?

Catatan rasmi yang terdapat pada Makam Tok Soh ini tidak dapat mengenal pasti identiti sebenarnya. Ia cuma dapat menyebut pemilik makam ini mestilah seorang orang besar atau ternama zaman dahulu. Tak mengapa, mari kita cuba mengupas dahulu akan identiti Merong Mahawangsa.

The official statement at the tomb of Tok Soh could not tell its identity for sure. It could only say the owner of the tomb must be someone high-ranking or famous a long time ago. Doesn't matter, let us try to delve into the identity of Merong Mahawangsa first.

Ada sebuah legenda lama kaum Minang di Sumatera yang menyebut bahawa 3 orang anak Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain telah belayar ke bumi sebelah sini. Mereka adalah Maharaja Alif, Maharaja Diraja dan Maharaja Dipang. Ada yang menyebut Maharaja Alif yang tua diikuti Maharaja Diraja seterusnya Maharaja Dipang. Apapun, menurut ceritanya mereka bertiga telah berebut sebuah mahkota peninggalan ayahanda mereka lalu mahkota itu terjatuh dan hilang di dalam air.

There's an old Minang (a Malay stock) legend in Sumatera saying the 3 children of Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain ( a legendary king said by some to be Alexander the Great of Macedonia) set sail for this part of the world. They are Maharaja (emperor) Alif, Maharaja Diraja and Maharaja Dipang. Some said Maharaja Alif was the eldest followed by Maharaja Diraja and then Maharaja Dipang. Whatever, the story said they were squabbling over the crown left by their father and the crown fell down the waters and got lost.

Menurut cerita ini lagi, Maharaja Alif lalu pulang ke Rum di sebelah Barat sementara Maharaja Dipang terus belayar ke Timur lalu merajai China dan Jepun. Maharaja Diraja pula membuka negeri di Tanah Melayu... Maka legenda rakyat Minang menyebut baginda mendarat di Gunung Merapi ketika ia masih lagi sebuah pulau, dan daripada anak cucunya terbitlah raja-raja di sebelah sini sampai sekarang.

According to this story too, Maharaja Alif returned to Rome which is in the West while Maharaja Dipang sailed further on to the East to rule over China and Japan. Maharaja Diraja opened a new kingdom in the Malay Archipelago... And so the Minang people's legend said he landed at Gunung (mount) Merapi when it was still an island, and from his descendants came the rulers in this part of the world until now.

Menurut cerita lain pula, daripada keturunan Maharaja Alif muncullah Merong Mahawangsa yang kemudian membuka kerajaan Kedah Tua. Daripada Maharaja Diraja, muncul Raja Suran yang dikatakan pernah menguasai benua Hindi dan kemudian dan daripada keturunannya muncullah raja-raja yang pernah memerintah Melaka. Ada pihak lain pula menambah, daripada Maharaja Dipang, muncul Shi Huang Ti, Maharaja China yang dikatakan pertama sekali menyatukan seluruh negeri-negeri di China lalu mendirikan Tembok Besar China. Wallahualam.

According to another story, from the lineage of Maharaja Alif then came Merong Mahawangsa who then opened the kingdom of old Kedah. From Maharaja Diraja, came Raja Suran who is said to have conquered the whole of Hindi and then from his lineage came the kings who have ruled Melaka. Other parties added, from Maharaja Dipang, came Shi Huang Ti, the emperor who is said to be the first to have unified all of China and then build the Great Wall of China. God knows best.

Sekarang, cerita yang dikemukakan ini mungkin kelihatan mustahil jika dilihat daripada sudut kajian Barat yang berlandaskan logik akal semata. Tetapi ia tidak mustahil jika dilihat daripada sudut pemikiran Al-Quran yang mengiyakan perkara-perkara ghaib. Maka untuk mengupas perkara ini, biar kita lihat daripada sudut Al-Quran ya di mana Nabi Sulaiman AS dikatakan pernah memerintah dunia sementara Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain juga diberi kekuasaan yang hampir serupa.

Now, the story featured here might look impossible if seen from the angle of Western research based on pure logic alone. But it is not impossible if seen from angle of thinking of the Al-Quran which supports matters unseen. Thus to delve into the subject, let us see this from the Quranic point of view ya where Prophet Solomon is said to have ruled the world while King Iskandar Zulkarnain was also given a similar dominion.

Ada kajian Melayu lama menyebut Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain berasal daripada keturunan Nabi Sulaiman. Oleh kerana Nabi Sulaiman pernah memerintah dunia, maka tidak begitu pelik jika Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain mewarisi pemerintahan yang meliputi seluruh mukabumi Timur dan Barat. Soalnya siapakah dia Iskandar Zulkarnain ini...

There's old Malay research saying that King Iskandar Zulkarnain originated from the descendants of Prophet Solomon. Since Prophet Solomon once ruled the world, it is not so strange if King Iskandar Zulkarnain inherited the rule covering all of the East and West. The question is who is Iskandar Zulkarnain...

Pendapat popular menyebut Raja Iskandar Zulkarnain adalah Alexander the Great yang terkenal di Barat sebagai pemerintah kerajaan Macedonia di Greece yang kemudian mengalahkan empayar Parsi dan Hindi. Ini berlaku sekitar 300 tahun Sebelum Masihi. Pendapat kedua popular pula adalah Iskandar Zulkarnain adalah Raja Cyrus (dikenali di Barat sebagai Cyrus the Great) yang pernah memerintah Empayar Achaemeniad yang berpusat di Parsi. Ini pula berlaku 200 tahun lebih awal iaitu sekitar 500 tahun sebelum Masihi.

Popular opinion said King Iskandar Zulkarnain is Alexander the Great known in the West as the ruler of Macedonia in Greece who then defeated the empires of Persia and Hindi. This happened sometime 300 years before Christ. The second popular opinion is that Iskandar Zulkarnain is King Cyrus (known in the West as Cyrus the Great) who ruled the Achaemeniad empire centred in Persia. This happened 200 years earlier, that is around 500 years before Christ.

Pada saya pula, mungkin gelaran Iskandar Zulkarnain yang kata sesetengah orang bermakna wira yang memakai mahkota bertanduk dua (untuk menunjukkan kekuasaan ke atas Timur dan Barat) itu sesuai untuk kedua-keduanya. Malah saya percaya, Alexander the Great sebenarnya adalah keturunan Cyrus the Great daripada cabang keluarga yang terpinggir daripada kekuasaan di Parsi lalu terbawa ke pinggir Empayar Achaemeniad di sebelah Greece... Kemudian muncul untuk mengambil kembali empayar warisan nenek-moyangnya!

For me though, maybe the name Iskandar Zulkarnain which some says means the warrior wearing the crown with two horns (to signify dominion over the East and West) fits them both. In fact, I believe, Alexander the Great is actually a descendant of Cyrus the Great from a branch of family sidelined from the throne in Persia and so was pushed to the rims of the Achaemeniad empire on the Greece side... Then appearing to claim back the empire of his ancestors!

Allah... Saya sudah pergi begitu jauh pula... Berbalik pada soal Merong Mahawangsa. Jika baginda adalah keturunan Maharaja Alif anak Iskandar Zulkarnian (tak kiralah samada Alexander ataupun Cyrus) yang berasal daripada keturunan Nabi Sulaiman, maka mustahil baginda boleh berjumpa dengan Nabi Allah itu seperti yang tersebut dalam Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. Ini kerana perbezaan jarak masa era kehidupan Iskandar Zulkarnain dengan Nabi Sulaiman sendiri adalah lebih 400 tahun dan setahu saya Nabi Sulaiman tidak berumur panjang.

Allah... I have gone too far now... Coming back to the question of Merong Mahawangsa. If he is a descendant of Maharaja Alif son of Iskandar Zulkarnain (never mind if he is Alexander or Cyrus) who came from the blood of Prophet Solomon, than it's impossible he have met the Prophet as told in Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. This is because the difference between the era of Iskandar Zulkarnain and Prophet Solomon itself is over 400 years and as far as I know, Prophet Solomon didn't live long.

Sekarang, berbalik pula pada dakwaan sesetengah pihak bahawa Merong Mahawangsa beristerikan Sharifah Mariam Al-Jefri yang dikatakan identiti sebenar Tok Soh yang dimakamkan di Pinang Tunggal, Kedah. Menurut pihak ini, Merong Mahawangsa yang sebenar, bukan yang dongeng seperti dalam hikayat datang ke Tanah Melayu pada Abad ke 8 Masihi. Maka tidak timbul persoalan baginda berjumpa dengan Nabi Sulaiman...

Now, back to the claim by some parties that Merong Mahawangsa wedded a Sharifah Mariam Al-Jefri who is said to the real identity of the Tok Soh buried at Pinang Tunggal, Kedah. According to these parties, the real Merong Mahawangsa, not the mythical one told in old text came to the Malay Archipelago during 8th century AD. So the question of him having met Prophet Solomon does not arise...

Baiklah... Jika ini benar maka saya cuba ingin bertanya satu soalan sahaja. Pada Abad ke 8 Masihi, apakah sudah wujud keluarga Al-Jefri? Setahu saya dan rasanya semua orang yang pernah mengkaji nasab keluarga Ba' Alawi iaitu keturunan Nabi Muhammad SAW yang beranak-pinak di Hadramaut, Yaman memulakan nasab di sebelah sana dengan seorang moyang yang dikenali sebagai Ahmad Al-Muhajir (dipanggil Muhajir sebagai orang yang berhijrah, dalam kes ini ke Hadramaut). Ahmad adalah anak kepada Isa bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq, ulamak besar dunia Islam yang dicatitkan hidup tahun 703 hingga 765 Masihi.

Good... If this is true, I would like to ask just one question. During 8th century AD, has the Al-Jefri family existed yet? As far as I know and I think everyone who have studied the Ba' Alawi genealogy, that is Prophet Muhammad's descendants who thrived in Hadramaut, Yaman knows that the genealogy there was started by a forefather known as Ahmad Al-Muhajir (called Muhajir as the person who moved far, in this case to Hadramaut). Ahmad is a son to Isa bin (son of) Muhammad bin Ali bin Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq, the big time Islamic world scholar noted as having lived from 703 till 765 AD.

Setahu saya, pecahan-pecahan keluarga Ba' Alawi seperti Al-Attas, Al-Haddad, Al-Saggaf juga Al-Jefri mendapat nama-nama keluarga ini cuma setelah beberapa keturunan Ahmad Al-Muhajir bercambah lalu meluas di Hadramaut. Saya tidak pasti bilakah Ahmad ini sampai ke Hadramaut tapi biar kita cuba buat perbandingan dengan kemunculan seorang lagi anak cucu Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq iaitu Ali bin Muhammad bin Ja'afar al-Sadiq yang muncul bersama rombongan 100 orang pendakwah diketuai seseorang yang dikenali sebagai Nakhoda Khalifah ke Perlak tahun 804 Masihi. Ali adalah cucu kepada Imam Jaafar sementara Ahmad Al-Muhajir adalah cucu kepada cucu Imam Jaafar. Maka secara logiknya, Ahmad Al-Muhajir yang hidup 2 generasi kemudian harus sampai ke Hadramaut pertengahan abad ke 9 Masihi.

As far as I know, the branches of the Ba' Alawi family such as Al-Attas, Al-Haddad, Al-Saggaf also Al-Jefri got their family names only after many generations of Ahmad Al-Muhajir's descendants have flourished in Hadramaut. I'm not sure when did Ahmad arrived in Hadramaut but let us make a comparison with the appearence of another descendant of Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq that is Ali bin Muhammad bin Ja'afar al-Sadiq who came with a party of 100 religious scholars lead by someone known as Nakhodah Khalifah to Perlak in the year 804 AD. Ali is the grandson of Imam Jaafar while Ahmad Al-Muhajir is the grandson to a grandson of Imam Jaafar. Thus logically, Ahmad Al-Muhajir who lived 2 generations after Ali could have arrived in Hadramaut in the middle of 9th century AD.

Hmm... Kita boleh juga bandingkan zamannya dengan Ali al-Hadi bin Muhammad al-Jawad bin Ali al-Ridha bin Musa al-Kazim bin Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq. Ali al Hadi yang juga adalah cucu kepada cucu Imam Ja'afar telah diabadikan sebagai salah seorang Imam-imam Syiah. Maka tidak susah untuk mencari tahun hidupnya iaitu 827 hingga 868 Masihi. Sekarang, daripada keturunan Ahmad Al-Muhajir sekurang-kurangnya 2 generasi kemudian barulah terbit nama-nama keluarga seperti Al-Saggaf dan sebagainya. Maka mustahil, sudah ada seorang ahli keluarga Al-Jefri yang berkahwin dengan Merong Mahawangsa awal abad ke 9 Masihi!

Hmm... We can also compare the period to that of Ali al-Hadi bin Muhammad al-Jawad bin Ali al-Ridha bin Musa al-Kazim bin Imam Ja'afar al-Sadiq. Ali al Hadi who is also a grandson of a grandson of Imam Ja'afar have been immortalised as one of the Syiah Imams (infallible leaders of the sect). So it's not hard to find his living period which is 827 till 868 AD. Now, from the descendants of Ahmad Al-Muhajir at least 2 generations later, then only came the family names like as Al-Saggaf and such. Thus it is impossible that there existed a member of the Al-Jefri family who married Merong Mahawangsa in the early 9th century AD!

Maka siapakah Merong Mahawangsa? Zaman mana sebenarnya baginda hidup? Yang pasti, tidak mungkin Merong Mahawangsa boleh berkahwin dengan Sharifah Mariam al-Jefri... Kecuali mereka ada melompat masa dan melawan hukum aturan dan turutan masa seperti yang diketahui sekarang. Hmm... Itu sahaja yang nak diluahkan kot. Cukuplah! :]

So who is Merong Mahawangsa? In which period does he actually lived? What is sure, there is no way Merong Mahawangsa could have married Sharifah Mariam al-Jefri... Unless they jumped across time and go against the rule and chronological order as we know it now. Hmm... That's all I want to let out methinks. That should be enough! :]