Mir'at al-Tullab by Syeikh Abdul Rauf Singkel: A Preliminary Study of Manuscripts Kept in the Special Collections, Leiden University Library

Jelani Harun

doi:10.37052/ml.26(2)no1

Abstract

Mir’at al-Tullab by Syeikh Abdul Rauf Singkel is one of the masterpieces in the history of Malay writing in Aceh. The work written in 1661 demonstrates knowledge of Shari’ah law including the subjects on commercial law, matrimonial law and criminal law. The major idea that runs through the whole work is that of the role of sultan and ulama in preserving Islamic laws of the state. The importance of Mir’at al-Tullab is reflected in the large number of manuscripts that are available. In spite of its importance, there is still a lack of studies of the work especially those based on several Jawi manuscripts that are known to exist in Leiden University Library. This article is a preliminary study of five manuscripts of Mir’at al-Tullab kept in the Special Collections, Leiden University Library, and to identify basic features of the Islamic laws in Aceh in the mid-seventeenth century based on the manuscripts. Mir’at al-Tullab portray an early example of the implementation of Islamic law in Aceh as to replace the adat law practices that existed before. Keywords: Mir’at al-Tullab, Syeikh Abdul Rauf Singkel, history of Malay, Islamic law, manuscripts

Highlights

Malay adat laws can be described as a system of customary laws containing a list of rules based on the customs, norms or values that existed in the traditional Malay society
In the introductory part of Mir’at al-Tullab, Syeikh Abdul Rauf mentioned that he obtained the instruction from Sultanah Safiyyat al-Din to write the text in Malay language
In the introductory part of Mir’at al-Tullab, Syeikh Abdul Rauf mentioned that the difficulty he faced in writing the book, because his command of Malay was insufficient, as he had lived in Yaman, Mecca and Madinah for a long time

Summary

Introduction

Malay adat laws can be described as a system of customary laws containing a list of rules based on the customs, norms or values that existed in the traditional Malay society. In the introductory part of the text Syeikh Abdul Rauf states his purpose of his work to write a book regarding the duty of qadhi as had been requested by Sultanah Safiyyat al-Din. He states his sources of reference. In the introductory part of Mir’at al-Tullab, Syeikh Abdul Rauf mentioned that he obtained the instruction from Sultanah Safiyyat al-Din to write the text in Malay language (bahasa Jawi).

Results

Conclusion