Works by Terengganu’s Scholars of the 19th Century in Dignifying the Study of Islamic Knowledge Based on the al-Qur’an

Abstract

Works by famous Muslim scholars from the state of Terengganu, Malaysia are still being inherited in the form of hand written manuscripts. It is worrying and very apparent that inherited knowledge and scholarly proof of past Muslim scholars from Terengganu who have dignified the encompassing system of Islamic learning based on the al-Qur’an will be forgotten and not benefited by future generations. This research have been undertaken to highlight a few manuscripts which are the works of three Muslim scholarly figures from Terengganu during the 19th Century, namely Sayyid Muhammad bin Zayn al-Abidin al-Aydarus ( Tok Ku Tuan Besar ), Sayyid Abd al-Rahman bin Muhammad al-Aydarus ( Tok Ku Paloh ), and Sayyid Ahmad bin Muhammad al-Aydarus ( Tok Ku Melaka ), as proof of their personification and scholarliness in dignifying teaching based on the al-Qur’an. We have listed, catalogued, digitally documented the works we have found and made Romanized transliterated copies. The research have identified and ascertained that Tok Ku Tuan Besar as having contributed 11 forms of work in various fields of teaching based on the al-Qur’an, such as faith ( aqida ), Islamic jurisprudence ( fiqh ), teaching on the Life of the Prophet ( sira ) and daily prayers ( wird ). While Tok Ku Paloh’s contributions were focused on the aspect of in violating monotheism ( tawhid ) to Allah The Almighty and a manual on specific practices aimed at achieving that particular purpose in a famous work. Tok Ku Melaka had contributed in the field of Islamic jurisprudence ( fiqh ) and daily prayers ( wird ) in three works of his own.