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House of Jamalullail (Perlis)
Encyclopedia
The House of Jamalullail is the current ruling house of the state of Perlis
in Malaysia. It was founded in 1843 together with the formation of the state of Perlis, after the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin II
gave his endorsement to the Jamalullail family for the secession of Perlis from Kedah
with the Jamalullail family as its hereditary rulers.
The hereditary ruler of Perlis is also the head of its royal household. Unlike most of the other Malaysian states with its own hereditary rulers which are accorded with the title of "Sultan
", the hereditary rulers of Perlis are accorded with the title of "Raja". As with other rulers from other states in Malaysia, the Raja of Perlis participate in the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
and is qualified to serve a five-year term as the Agong if elected.
origin and founded as an offshoot from the greater Alawi lineage in the 15th century. The name "Jamal Al-Layl" is loosely translated into English as "Beautiful in Night"; legend mentioned of its clan founder, Muhammad Jamal Al-Layl had a habit of wandering around at night to fill the wells and fountains of the mosques. Members of the Jamal Al-Layl clan migrated to the Madagascar
, Zanzibar
, India
, Aceh
, Comoros
and Malaysia, where descendants of these migrants either rose to influential political positions or established ruling houses.
The ancestor of the Jamalullail clan of Perlis, Sayyid Ahmad bin Husayn Jamal Al-Layl, migrated to Kedah
from Hadhramaut sometime in 1735 and married the daughter from an Arab
-Malay family, Sharifah Aminah Al-Qadri. He earned his living as a trader and was reportedly a well-respected figure in the state. Sayyid Ahmad's son with Sharifah Aminah, Sayyid Harun followed his father's footsteps as a trader, in addition to being a well-known religious scholar. He was later admitted into the Kedah royal court and became a close aide of the Sultan of Kedah, Ahmad Tajuddin (II) Halim Shah. He later married a princess from the Kedah royal family, Tengku Safiah, and was later made the Penghulu (district chief) of Arau
in 1797.
army invaded and occupied Kedah
between 1821 and 1842, local Arab families supported the Sultan's efforts to lead resistance efforts against Thai rule. Arab leaders employed a two-pronged approach of religious militancy and diplomacy to free Kedah from Thai rule, among which the Jamal Al-Layl family played a leading role in these efforts and often carried out negotiations to persuade the Thais to regain the state's independence. The Thais later agreed to restore the Sultan of Kedah to his throne in 1842. The following year, Sayyid Hussein Jamal Al-Layl was installed as the first Raja of Perlis, after the Sultan of Kedah gave his endorsement for the formation of Perlis.
The State Council held another vote, and elected Syed Hassan's son, Syed Putra as the new heir presumptive. Another contender, Syed Hamzah, a younger half-brother of Syed Alwi and the Vice-President of the state council, dissented on the outcome of the choice as it ran afoul of the Islamic inheritance laws. The Raja (Syed Alwi) and the British maintained their support for Syed Putra, but as Syed Alwi fell ill at the outbreak of World War II
in 1941, Syed Hamzah seized the opportunity to exert influence over the political affairs of the state. Following the demise of Syed Alwi in 1943, Syed Hamzah was installed as the Raja of Perlis, with the support of the Japanese. When the British returned in 1945, Syed Hamzah abdicated under pressure from the British and moved in to install Syed Putra as the Raja of Perlis.
and the first election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
and his deputy in 1948 and 1957 respectively, both of which were also participated by the eight other Malayan states with its own hereditary rulers. In 1960, Syed Putra became the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and served a five year term from 1960 to 1965.
Perlis
Perlis is the smallest state in Malaysia. It lies at the northern part of the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and has Satun and Songkhla Provinces of Thailand on its northern border. It is bordered by the state of Kedah to the south...
in Malaysia. It was founded in 1843 together with the formation of the state of Perlis, after the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin II
Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II
Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Halim Shah II was the 21st Sultan of Kedah. His reign was from 1797 - 1843.The Sultan's reign was marked by Siamese rule where its army invaded and occupied Kedah between 1821 and 1842. Local Kedahan Arab families supported the Sultan's efforts to lead resistance efforts...
gave his endorsement to the Jamalullail family for the secession of Perlis from Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
with the Jamalullail family as its hereditary rulers.
The hereditary ruler of Perlis is also the head of its royal household. Unlike most of the other Malaysian states with its own hereditary rulers which are accorded with the title of "Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
", the hereditary rulers of Perlis are accorded with the title of "Raja". As with other rulers from other states in Malaysia, the Raja of Perlis participate in the election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya gained independence....
and is qualified to serve a five-year term as the Agong if elected.
Origins
The Jamalullail (also pronounced as Jamal Al-Layl in Arabic) clan was of Hadhrami ArabArab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
origin and founded as an offshoot from the greater Alawi lineage in the 15th century. The name "Jamal Al-Layl" is loosely translated into English as "Beautiful in Night"; legend mentioned of its clan founder, Muhammad Jamal Al-Layl had a habit of wandering around at night to fill the wells and fountains of the mosques. Members of the Jamal Al-Layl clan migrated to the Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
, Comoros
Comoros
The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
and Malaysia, where descendants of these migrants either rose to influential political positions or established ruling houses.
The ancestor of the Jamalullail clan of Perlis, Sayyid Ahmad bin Husayn Jamal Al-Layl, migrated to Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
from Hadhramaut sometime in 1735 and married the daughter from an Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
-Malay family, Sharifah Aminah Al-Qadri. He earned his living as a trader and was reportedly a well-respected figure in the state. Sayyid Ahmad's son with Sharifah Aminah, Sayyid Harun followed his father's footsteps as a trader, in addition to being a well-known religious scholar. He was later admitted into the Kedah royal court and became a close aide of the Sultan of Kedah, Ahmad Tajuddin (II) Halim Shah. He later married a princess from the Kedah royal family, Tengku Safiah, and was later made the Penghulu (district chief) of Arau
Arau
Arau is the royal capital of Perlis in Malaysia. It is located in Peninsular Malaysia, 14 kilometers southeast of the official state capital of Kangar. The red-roofed Istana is a mixture of colonial and pseudo-Moorish architectural styles...
in 1797.
Establishment
When the ThaiThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
army invaded and occupied Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
between 1821 and 1842, local Arab families supported the Sultan's efforts to lead resistance efforts against Thai rule. Arab leaders employed a two-pronged approach of religious militancy and diplomacy to free Kedah from Thai rule, among which the Jamal Al-Layl family played a leading role in these efforts and often carried out negotiations to persuade the Thais to regain the state's independence. The Thais later agreed to restore the Sultan of Kedah to his throne in 1842. The following year, Sayyid Hussein Jamal Al-Layl was installed as the first Raja of Perlis, after the Sultan of Kedah gave his endorsement for the formation of Perlis.
Succession dispute
In 1933, the fourth Raja of Perlis, Syed Alwi Jamalullail looked to the State Council to elect an heir presumptive to the royal throne of Perlis. The State Council chose Syed Hassan among several possible contenders as the heir-presumptive. Syed Hassan was a nephew by his older half-brother Syed Mahmud. An illness struck Syed Hassan the following year; he died shortly after that.The State Council held another vote, and elected Syed Hassan's son, Syed Putra as the new heir presumptive. Another contender, Syed Hamzah, a younger half-brother of Syed Alwi and the Vice-President of the state council, dissented on the outcome of the choice as it ran afoul of the Islamic inheritance laws. The Raja (Syed Alwi) and the British maintained their support for Syed Putra, but as Syed Alwi fell ill at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1941, Syed Hamzah seized the opportunity to exert influence over the political affairs of the state. Following the demise of Syed Alwi in 1943, Syed Hamzah was installed as the Raja of Perlis, with the support of the Japanese. When the British returned in 1945, Syed Hamzah abdicated under pressure from the British and moved in to install Syed Putra as the Raja of Perlis.
After World War II
The Raja of Perlis took part in the first Conference of RulersConference of Rulers
The Conference of Rulers in Malaysia is a council comprising the nine rulers of the Malay states, and the governors or Yang di-Pertua Negeri of the other four states...
and the first election of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya gained independence....
and his deputy in 1948 and 1957 respectively, both of which were also participated by the eight other Malayan states with its own hereditary rulers. In 1960, Syed Putra became the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and served a five year term from 1960 to 1965.
List of Rajas of Perlis
- Syed Hussin Jamalullail (Sayyid Hussein Jamal Al-Layl) (1843–1873)
- Syed Ahmad Jamalullail (1873–1887)
- Syed Saffi Jamalullail (1887–1905)
- Syed Alwi Jamalullail (1905–1943)
- Syed Hamzah Jamalullail (1943–1945)
- Syed Putra Jamalullail (1945–2000)
- Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail (2000–present)
External links
- Official Web Portal of the royal family of Perlis (in Malay and English), retrieved 28 March 2009