Sulu Sultanate
Encyclopedia
The Sultanate of Sulu Dar al-Islam
Sometimes known as the Royal Sultanate of Sulu or Sultanate of Sulu Darul Islam. was an Islamic
Tausūgstate
that ruled over many of the islands of the Sulu Sea
, in the southern Philippines
and several places in northern Borneo
. The sultanate was founded in 1457. by a Johore-born Arab explorer and religious scholar Sayyid Abu Bakr Abirin
Abu Bakr may be interchanged to Abubakar. Though his birth name was Sayyid Abu Bakr Abirin, he is also known as Shari'ful Hashem Syed Abu Bakr; Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim became his full regnal name
, with shorter name Sharif-ul Hashim or Shariful Hashim. after he settled in Banua Buansa Ummah (ummah
is an Arabic term for "settlement" or village), Sulu
. After the marriage of Abu Bakr and local dayang-dayang (princess) Paramisuli, he founded the sultanate and assumed the title Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hāshim. Sharif ul-Hāshim was a direct descendant of Islamic prophet Muhammad
.
Currently the issue of who would be the legitimate Sultan of Sulu is disputed by several branches of the Royal Family, although the line of succession fell on the Kiram branch of the royal family from 1823.
, Jolo
. During these times, Sulu
was called Lupah Sug. The Principality of Maimbung, populated by Buranun people (or Budanon, literally means "mountain-dwellers"), was first ruled by a certain rajah who assumed the title Rajah Sipad the Older. According to Majul, the origins of the title rajah sipad originated from the Hindu shri
paduka, which symbolizes authority. The Principality was instituted and governed using the system of rajahs. Sipad the Older was succeeded by Sipad the Younger.
During the reign of Sipad the Younger, a mystic named Tuan Mashā′ikhaMashā′ikha is an Arabic term which originated from mashā′ikh, which means "an intelligent or pious man". arrived in Jolo in 1280 AD. Little is known to the origins and early biography of Tuan Mashā′ikha, except that he is a Muslim "who came from foreign lands" at the head of a fleet of Muslim traders, or he was issued from a stalk
of bamboo
and was considered a prophet
, thus well respected by the people. Other reports, however, insisted that Tuan Mashā′ikha together with his parents, Jamiyun Kulisa and Indra Suga, were sent to Sulu
by Alexander the Great (who is known as Iskandar Zulkarnain in Sejarah Melayu
). However, Saleeby dismisses this fact by concluding that Jamiyun Kulisa and Indra Suga were mythical names. According to tarsila, during the coming of Tuan Mashā′ikha, the people of Maimbung worship tombs and stones of any kind. After he preached Islam in the area, he married Sipad the Younger's daughter, Idda Indira Suga and bore three children: Tuan Hakim, Tuan Pam and 'Aisha. Tuan Hakim, in turn, begot five children. From the genealogy of Tuan Mashā′ikha, another titular system of aristocracy called "tuanship" started in Sulu. Apart from the Idda Indira Suga, Tuan Mashā′ikha also married into another "unidentified woman" and begot Moumin. Tuan Mashā′ikha died in 710 A.H.
(equivalent to 1310 AD), and was buried in Bud Dato near Jolo, with an inscription of Tuan Maqbālū.
A descendant of Tuan Mashā′ikha named Tuan May also begot a son named Datu Tka. The descendants of Tuan May did not assume the title tuan, instead, they started to use datu
. It is the first time datu was used as a political institution.
During the coming of Tuan Mashā′ikha, the Tagimaha people (literally means "the party of the people") coming from Basilan
and several places in Mindanao
, also arrived and settled in Buansa. After the Tagimaha came the Baklaya people (which means "seashore dwellers") and believed to be originated from Sulawesi
, and settled in Patikul
. After these came the Bajau people
(or Samal) from Johor
. The Bajau were accidentally driven towards Sulu by a heavy monsoon
, some of them to the shores of Brunei
and others to Mindanao
. The population of Buranun, Tagimaha, and Baklaya in Sulu created three parties with distinct system of government and subjects. At least in 1417, according to Chinese annals, three kings (or monarchs) ruled three civilized kingdoms in the island. Patuka Pahala (Paduka Batara) ruled the eastern kingdom, he was the most powerful; the west kingdom was ruled by Mahalachi (Maharajah Kamal ud-Din); and the kingdom near the cave (or Cave King) was Paduka Patulapok. The Bajau settlers were distributed among the three kingdoms.
Moumin's descendants, the son of Tuan Mashā′ikha populated Sulu. After some time, a certain Timway Orangkaya Su'il was mentioned by the second page of tarsila, that he received four Bisaya slaves from Manila (presumably Kingdom of Tondo) as a sign of friendship between the two countries. The descendants of Timway Orangkaya Su'il then inherited the title timway, which means "chief". On tarsilas third page, it accounts the fact that the slaves were the ancestors of the inhabitants in the island to Parang, Lati, Gi'tung, and Lu'uk respectively. The fourth page then narrates the coming of the Buranun (addressed in the tarsila as "the Maimbung people") Tagimaha, Baklaya, then the drifted Bajau immigrants from Johor.
This is the situation of Sulu
before Islam
came in the area. The island is inhabited by several cultures, and is reigned over by three independent kingdoms ruled by the Buranun, Tagimaha, and Baklaya people. Similarly, the socio-political system is functioned by the rajahship, datuship, tuanship and timwayship. The coming of Tuan Mashā′ikha hence established a core Islamic community in the island.
May be interchange to Karimul Makhdum, Karimal Makdum or Makhdum Karim among others. Makhdum came from the Arabic word makhdūmīn, which means "master". from Mecca
arrived in Malacca
. He preached Islam to the people, the reason why many citizens, including the ruler of Malacca, converted to Islam.
In 1380 AD,Another uncertain date in Philippine Islamic history is the year of arrival of Karim ul-Makhdum. Though other Muslim scholars place the date as simple as "the end of 14th century", Saleeby calculated the year as 1380 AD corresponding to the description of the tarsilas, which Karim ul-Makhdum's coming is 10 years before Rajah Baguinda's. The 1380 reference originated from the event in Islamic history when a huge number of makhdūmīn started to travel to Southeast Asia from India
. See Ibrahim's "Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia." Karim ul-Makhdum
arrived in Simunul island
from Malacca
, again, with Arab traders. Apart from being a scholar, he is a trader and believed to be a Sufi
missionary
whose origin is from Mecca
. He preached Islam in the area, and was thus accepted by the core Muslim community. He was the second person who preached Islam in the area, since Tuan Mashā′ikha. To facilitate easy conversion of nonbelievers, he established a mosque
in Tubig-Indagan, Simunul, which became the first Islamic temple to be constructed in the area, as well as in the Philippines
. This was later known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque
. He died in Sulu, though the exact location of his grave is unknown. In Buansa, he was known as Tuan Sharif Awliyā. On his alleged grave in Bud Agad, Jolo, an inscription was written as "Mohadum Aminullah Al-Nikad". In Lugus
, he is referred to Abdurrahman. In Sibutu
, he is known to as his name.
The different of beliefs on his grave locations is due to the fact that Karim ul-Makhdum travelled to several islands in Sulu Sea
to preach Islam. In many places in the archipelago, he was beloved. It is said that the people of Tapul
built a mosque honoring him and that they claim descent from Karim ul-Makhdum. Thus, the success of Karim ul-Makhdum of spreading Islam in Sulu threw a new light in Islamic history in the Philippines. The customs, beliefs and political laws of the people were changed and customized to adopt the Islamic tradition.
who made a treaty of allegiance in 1761 with Sulu, had to make a similar agreement with the rulers of Tempasuk and Abai on the north Borneo coast in 1762.
The territory ceded to Sulu by Brunei initially stretched south to Tapean Durian (now Tanjong Mangkalihat) (another source mentioned the southern most boundary is at Dumaring), near the Straits of Macassar (now Kalimantan). However by 1800-1850, these area had been effectively controlled by the Sultanate of Bulungan
in Kalimantan, reducing the boundary of Sulu to a cape named Batu Tinagat and Tawau River
.
The island of Sulu and its dependencies (excluding North Borneo) were annexed to the Spanish crown on 19 April 1851.
Sultan of Sulu "granted and ceded" to Alfred Dent and Baron von Overback on 1878, all his rights and powers over:
There are two main social classes in Royal Sultanate of Sulu:
Whereas, their spouses should automatically hold the title of Dayang Dayang (princess of the first degree) and should hold the style: Her Royal Highness or Her Highness.
Whereas their spouses should hold the title of Dayang and should hold the style: Her Excellency.
The commoners are those who do not trace their descent from royalty. The Wakil Kesultan's, Panglimas, Parkasa's and Laksaman's who are commoners hold responsible positions involving administrative matters.
The males who hold offices above shall be addressed by the title of nobility Tuan (the title is directly attached to the office), followed by the rank of the office they hold, their given name, surname and region.
The females who hold offices above shall be addressed by the title of nobility Sitti (the title is directly attached to the office), followed by the rank of the office they hold, their given name, surname and region.
Consul
to Brunei, Claude Lee Moses, obtained a ten-year lease for the territory of North Borneo from the Brunei. However, the post-Civil War United States wanted nothing to do with Asian colonies, so Moses sold his rights to the Hong Kong-based American Trading Company. Besieged with financial difficulties, the company had to its right on North Borneo Consul of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Hong Kong
, Baron Von Overbeck. Von Overbeck managed to get a ten-year renewal of the lease from the Temenggong of Brunei.
To finance his plans for North Borneo, Overbeck found financial backing from the Dent brothers – Alfred and Edward Dent. However, he was unable to interest his government in the territory. Von Overbeck withdrew in 1880, leaving Alfred Dent in control. Dent was supported by Sir Rutherford Alcock
, and Admiral Sir Harry Keppel.
In July 1881, Alfred Dent and his brother formed the British North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd and obtained an official Royal Charter November 1 the same year. In May 1882, the British North Borneo Chartered Company
replaced the Provisional Association. Sir Rutherford Alcock became the first president, and Alfred Dent became managing director.
In spite of some diplomatic protests by the Dutch, Spanish and Sarawak governments, the British North Borneo Company proceeded to organize settlement and administration of the territory. The company subsequently acquired further sovereign and territorial rights from the sultan of Brunei, expanding the territory under control to the, Putatan river in May 1884, the Padas district in November 1884, the Kawang river in February 1885, the Mantanani Islands
in April 1885 and additional minor Padas territories in March 1898.
In 1888, North Borneo together with Sarawak and Brunei became a protectorate of Great Britain
. Its administration however remained entirely in the hands of the British North Borneo Company, with the crown reserving only control of foreign relations.
A January 7, 1883, letter from the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Granville confirms the position that the “takeover” of the British of Sabah, a Sulu property was a lease, not a purchase.
It states: "The British Charter [representing the British North Borneo Company] therefore differs essentially from the previous Charters granted by the Crown... in the fact that the Crown in the present case assumes no dominion or sovereignty over the territories occupied by the Company, nor does it purport to grant to the Company powers of government thereover; it merely conveys upon the persons associated the status and incidents of a body corporate, and recognizes the grants of territory and the powers of government made and delegated by the Sultan in whom the sovereignty remains vested. It differs also from previous Charters in that it prohibits instead of grants a general monopoly of trade.
"As regards the general features of the undertaking, it is to be observed that the territories granted to the Company have been for generations under the government of the Sultanate of Sulu and Brunei, with whom Great Britain has had Treaties of Peace and Commerce."
In retrospect, the British Foreign Affairs communique conceded that the matter of sovereignty remained vested in the Sultan of Sulu and could not be delegated to any party because the Deed of 1878 expressly prohibited it.
Perhaps the thorniest item in the Sabah / Sulu agenda was whether the Overbeck-Dent pact with the Sultan of Sulu was a lease or sale (Padjak=Lease? or locally in north Borneo mean buy or lease ALL, and not part of something, paying rental of $5000 per year is the clear evident of lease and not sale). Scholarly sources, including those officially issued by Britain and the US, pointed out that the sovereignty over Sabah, as stipulated in the Philippine claim, was never, at any time in the past and present, relinquished in favor of any person, organization, or entity. Legally and technically, it remained to this day as the exclusive property of the heirs of the sultanate of Sulu. This statement confirms the observation that the transfer of rights made by the lessees to the British North Borneo Company was ab initio flawed and illegal.
In 1963 when a negotiation was made in London with Britain for the recovery of North Borneo. The British, in defense of their own argument, insisted the covenant entered into by Overbeck and Dent with Sulu Sultan Hadji Mohammad Jamalul Kiram was a sale, not a lease.
What came out as a strong proof in favor of the sultanate was when US Governor General Francis B. Harrison, on February 27, 1947, furnished Philippine vice-president and foreign affairs secretary Elpidio Quirino a photostat copy of the lease document, which was later translated from Malay language and the Arabic script by Professor Henry Otley Bayer of the University of the Philippines.
Moreover, Overbeck and Dent, in a statement before the Royal Colonial Institute on May 12, 1885, admitted that the deal they forged with the rightful owners of Sabah did not forfeit the sovereign rights of the Sultan of Sulu and Brunei over the territories administered by the British Borneo Company.
Dent declared openly: "As to the Charter, some friends of the enterprise seem to believe that the enormous powers we hold were given by Her Majesty the Queen. It is not so at all. All our powers were derived entirely from the Sultan of Brunei and Sulu, and what the British Government did was simply to incorporate us by Royal Charter, thus recognizing our powers, which recognition is to us, of course, of vital importance."
Although a referendum sanctioned by the United Nations brought the part of North Borneo
called Sabah into Malaysia in 1963, its status is disputed by the heirs of the Kiram branch as well as by the Philippine government; meanwhile attempts to resolve the issue at the International Court of Justice is blocked by unwillingness of the Malaysian government. This is because to the people of Sabah and Malaysia, it is a non-issue as there is no desire from the actual people of Sabah to be part of the Philippines or of the non-existent Sultanate of Sulu.
Dar al-Islam
The idea of geographical divisions along religious lines i.e. the dur is neither mentioned in the Qur'an nor in the sayings of the Prophet , which are considered the primary sources in Islamic jurisprudence...
Sometimes known as the Royal Sultanate of Sulu or Sultanate of Sulu Darul Islam. was an Islamic
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law...
Tausūgstate
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
that ruled over many of the islands of the Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
, in the southern Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and several places in northern Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. The sultanate was founded in 1457. by a Johore-born Arab explorer and religious scholar Sayyid Abu Bakr Abirin
Sharif ul-Hāshim of Sulu
Sharif ul-Hashim was the regal name of Sayeed Abubakar Abirin. He was an Arab - Filipinized Muslim explorer and founder of the Sultanate of Sulu...
Abu Bakr may be interchanged to Abubakar. Though his birth name was Sayyid Abu Bakr Abirin, he is also known as Shari'ful Hashem Syed Abu Bakr; Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim became his full regnal name
Regnal name
A regnal name, or reign name, is a formal name used by some monarchs and popes during their reigns. Since medieval times, monarchs have frequently chosen to use a name different from their own personal name when they inherit a throne....
, with shorter name Sharif-ul Hashim or Shariful Hashim. after he settled in Banua Buansa Ummah (ummah
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
is an Arabic term for "settlement" or village), Sulu
Sulu
Sulu is an autonomous island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi...
. After the marriage of Abu Bakr and local dayang-dayang (princess) Paramisuli, he founded the sultanate and assumed the title Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hāshim. Sharif ul-Hāshim was a direct descendant of Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
Currently the issue of who would be the legitimate Sultan of Sulu is disputed by several branches of the Royal Family, although the line of succession fell on the Kiram branch of the royal family from 1823.
Pre-establishment
The earliest known settlement in the areas soon to be occupied by the sultanate was in MaimbungMaimbung, Sulu
Maimbung is a 5th class municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 24,982 people in 3,920 households.-Barangays:Maimbung is politically subdivided into 27 barangays....
, Jolo
Jolo
Jolo may refer to:* Jolo Island* Jolo, Sulu* Jolo, West Virginia* Jolo is also the nickname of Swedish author Jan Olof Olsson....
. During these times, Sulu
Sulu
Sulu is an autonomous island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi...
was called Lupah Sug. The Principality of Maimbung, populated by Buranun people (or Budanon, literally means "mountain-dwellers"), was first ruled by a certain rajah who assumed the title Rajah Sipad the Older. According to Majul, the origins of the title rajah sipad originated from the Hindu shri
Sri
Sri , also transliterated as Shri or Shree or shre is a word of Sanskrit origin, used in the Indian subcontinent as polite form of address equivalent to the English "Mr." in written and spoken language, or as a title of veneration for deities .-Etymology:Sri has the root meaning of radiance, or...
paduka, which symbolizes authority. The Principality was instituted and governed using the system of rajahs. Sipad the Older was succeeded by Sipad the Younger.
During the reign of Sipad the Younger, a mystic named Tuan Mashā′ikhaMashā′ikha is an Arabic term which originated from mashā′ikh, which means "an intelligent or pious man". arrived in Jolo in 1280 AD. Little is known to the origins and early biography of Tuan Mashā′ikha, except that he is a Muslim "who came from foreign lands" at the head of a fleet of Muslim traders, or he was issued from a stalk
Stalk
Stalk may refer to:* Plant stem, one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant* Leaf stalk, also known as Petiole* Flower stalk, also known as Peduncle* Stalking, an act of intrusive behavior or unwanted attention towards a person...
of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and was considered a prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, thus well respected by the people. Other reports, however, insisted that Tuan Mashā′ikha together with his parents, Jamiyun Kulisa and Indra Suga, were sent to Sulu
Sulu
Sulu is an autonomous island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi...
by Alexander the Great (who is known as Iskandar Zulkarnain in Sejarah Melayu
Sejarah Melayu
Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals is a Malay literary work which covers a period of over 600 years that chronicles the, then and now, Genealogies of Rulers in the Malay Archipelago...
). However, Saleeby dismisses this fact by concluding that Jamiyun Kulisa and Indra Suga were mythical names. According to tarsila, during the coming of Tuan Mashā′ikha, the people of Maimbung worship tombs and stones of any kind. After he preached Islam in the area, he married Sipad the Younger's daughter, Idda Indira Suga and bore three children: Tuan Hakim, Tuan Pam and 'Aisha. Tuan Hakim, in turn, begot five children. From the genealogy of Tuan Mashā′ikha, another titular system of aristocracy called "tuanship" started in Sulu. Apart from the Idda Indira Suga, Tuan Mashā′ikha also married into another "unidentified woman" and begot Moumin. Tuan Mashā′ikha died in 710 A.H.
Hijri year
The Hijri year is year numbering system used in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the Hijra , or emigration of Muhammad and his followers to the city of Medina in 622 CE. In Arabic, AH is symbolized by the letter هـ...
(equivalent to 1310 AD), and was buried in Bud Dato near Jolo, with an inscription of Tuan Maqbālū.
A descendant of Tuan Mashā′ikha named Tuan May also begot a son named Datu Tka. The descendants of Tuan May did not assume the title tuan, instead, they started to use datu
Datu
Datu is the title for tribal chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs in the Visayas and Mindanao Regions of the Philippines. Together with Lakan , Apo in Central and Northern Luzon, Sultan and Rajah, they are titles used for native royalty, and are still currently used in the Philippines...
. It is the first time datu was used as a political institution.
During the coming of Tuan Mashā′ikha, the Tagimaha people (literally means "the party of the people") coming from Basilan
Basilan
The Province of Basilan is an island province of the Philippines within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Basilan is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago and is located just off the southern coast of Zamboanga Peninsula...
and several places in Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, also arrived and settled in Buansa. After the Tagimaha came the Baklaya people (which means "seashore dwellers") and believed to be originated from Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, and settled in Patikul
Patikul, Sulu
Patikul is a 4th class municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 34,396 people in 5,939 households.-Barangays:Patikul is politically subdivided into 30 barangays.* Anuling* Bakong* Bangkal...
. After these came the Bajau people
Bajau
The Bajau or Bajaw , also spelled Bajao, Badjau, Badjaw, or Badjao, are an indigenous ethnic group of Maritime Southeast Asia...
(or Samal) from Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
. The Bajau were accidentally driven towards Sulu by a heavy monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
, some of them to the shores of Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
and others to Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. The population of Buranun, Tagimaha, and Baklaya in Sulu created three parties with distinct system of government and subjects. At least in 1417, according to Chinese annals, three kings (or monarchs) ruled three civilized kingdoms in the island. Patuka Pahala (Paduka Batara) ruled the eastern kingdom, he was the most powerful; the west kingdom was ruled by Mahalachi (Maharajah Kamal ud-Din); and the kingdom near the cave (or Cave King) was Paduka Patulapok. The Bajau settlers were distributed among the three kingdoms.
Moumin's descendants, the son of Tuan Mashā′ikha populated Sulu. After some time, a certain Timway Orangkaya Su'il was mentioned by the second page of tarsila, that he received four Bisaya slaves from Manila (presumably Kingdom of Tondo) as a sign of friendship between the two countries. The descendants of Timway Orangkaya Su'il then inherited the title timway, which means "chief". On tarsilas third page, it accounts the fact that the slaves were the ancestors of the inhabitants in the island to Parang, Lati, Gi'tung, and Lu'uk respectively. The fourth page then narrates the coming of the Buranun (addressed in the tarsila as "the Maimbung people") Tagimaha, Baklaya, then the drifted Bajau immigrants from Johor.
This is the situation of Sulu
Sulu
Sulu is an autonomous island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi...
before Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
came in the area. The island is inhabited by several cultures, and is reigned over by three independent kingdoms ruled by the Buranun, Tagimaha, and Baklaya people. Similarly, the socio-political system is functioned by the rajahship, datuship, tuanship and timwayship. The coming of Tuan Mashā′ikha hence established a core Islamic community in the island.
Islamization and establishment
At the end of 14th century, a notable Arab judge and religious scholar named Karim ul-MakhdumMakhdum Karim
Makhdum Karim was a 14th century Arab trader who brought Islam to the Philippines, in 1380. He established a mosque in Sulu, known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque which is the oldest mosque in the country. There are saying about Makhdum Karim, that he has the power to walk through water , fly, and...
May be interchange to Karimul Makhdum, Karimal Makdum or Makhdum Karim among others. Makhdum came from the Arabic word makhdūmīn, which means "master". from Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
arrived in Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
. He preached Islam to the people, the reason why many citizens, including the ruler of Malacca, converted to Islam.
In 1380 AD,Another uncertain date in Philippine Islamic history is the year of arrival of Karim ul-Makhdum. Though other Muslim scholars place the date as simple as "the end of 14th century", Saleeby calculated the year as 1380 AD corresponding to the description of the tarsilas, which Karim ul-Makhdum's coming is 10 years before Rajah Baguinda's. The 1380 reference originated from the event in Islamic history when a huge number of makhdūmīn started to travel to Southeast Asia from 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...
. See Ibrahim's "Readings on Islam in Southeast Asia." Karim ul-Makhdum
Makhdum Karim
Makhdum Karim was a 14th century Arab trader who brought Islam to the Philippines, in 1380. He established a mosque in Sulu, known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque which is the oldest mosque in the country. There are saying about Makhdum Karim, that he has the power to walk through water , fly, and...
arrived in Simunul island
Simunul, Tawi-Tawi
Simunul is a 4th class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 31,962 people in 4,910 households. The language spoken is Sama, also known as Sinama or Samal. The first Muslims in the Philippines are said to have arrived at...
from Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
, again, with Arab traders. Apart from being a scholar, he is a trader and believed to be a Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
whose origin is from Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. He preached Islam in the area, and was thus accepted by the core Muslim community. He was the second person who preached Islam in the area, since Tuan Mashā′ikha. To facilitate easy conversion of nonbelievers, he established a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Tubig-Indagan, Simunul, which became the first Islamic temple to be constructed in the area, as well as in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. This was later known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque
Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque
The Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque was the first mosque established in the Philippines by the Arab trader Makhdum Karim in 1380.The original mosque is located inside the new building. The burial ground of Sheik Al Makdum is located beside the mosque....
. He died in Sulu, though the exact location of his grave is unknown. In Buansa, he was known as Tuan Sharif Awliyā. On his alleged grave in Bud Agad, Jolo, an inscription was written as "Mohadum Aminullah Al-Nikad". In Lugus
Lugus, Sulu
Lugus is a 5th class municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 18,839 people in 2,907 households.-Barangays:Lugus is politically subdivided into 17 barangays.* Alu Bus-Bus* Alu-Duyong...
, he is referred to Abdurrahman. In Sibutu
Sibutu Island
Sibutu Island is an island in the Sulu Archipelago in Tawi-Tawi province, Philippines. Its area is 109 km²....
, he is known to as his name.
The different of beliefs on his grave locations is due to the fact that Karim ul-Makhdum travelled to several islands in Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
to preach Islam. In many places in the archipelago, he was beloved. It is said that the people of Tapul
Tapul, Sulu
Tapul is a municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 14,881 people in 2,117 households.-Barangays:Tapul is politically subdivided into 15 barangays.* Alu-Kabingaan* Banting* Hawan...
built a mosque honoring him and that they claim descent from Karim ul-Makhdum. Thus, the success of Karim ul-Makhdum of spreading Islam in Sulu threw a new light in Islamic history in the Philippines. The customs, beliefs and political laws of the people were changed and customized to adopt the Islamic tradition.
Spanish and British annexations
In the 18th century, Sulu's dominion covered most of northeastern part of Borneo. However area like Tempasuk and Abai had never really shown much allegiance to its earlier ruler, Brunei, subsequently similar treatment was given to Sulu. DalrympleAlexander Dalrymple
Alexander Dalrymple was a Scottish geographer and the first Hydrographer of the British Admiralty. He was the main proponent of the theory that there existed a vast undiscovered continent in the South Pacific, Terra Australis Incognita...
who made a treaty of allegiance in 1761 with Sulu, had to make a similar agreement with the rulers of Tempasuk and Abai on the north Borneo coast in 1762.
The territory ceded to Sulu by Brunei initially stretched south to Tapean Durian (now Tanjong Mangkalihat) (another source mentioned the southern most boundary is at Dumaring), near the Straits of Macassar (now Kalimantan). However by 1800-1850, these area had been effectively controlled by the Sultanate of Bulungan
Sultanate of Bulungan
The Sultanate of Bulungan was a princely state of Indonesia located in the existing kabupaten of Bulungan in the East Kalimantan province of Indonesia in the east of the island of Borneo.-History:...
in Kalimantan, reducing the boundary of Sulu to a cape named Batu Tinagat and Tawau River
Tawau
Tawau is the administrative center of Tawau Division, Malaysia and the third largest town of Sabah after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.-Geography:...
.
The island of Sulu and its dependencies (excluding North Borneo) were annexed to the Spanish crown on 19 April 1851.
Sultan of Sulu "granted and ceded" to Alfred Dent and Baron von Overback on 1878, all his rights and powers over:
The Social class system
Among the people of Sultanate of Sulu, the title of nobility could be acquired only by lineage, a "close system" whereby the titled persons inherit their offices of powers and prestige.There are two main social classes in Royal Sultanate of Sulu:
Datu
The ruling class- Datu (su-sultanun), which is acquired purely by lineage to the sultanate. Whereas, all male members of the Royal House of SuluRoyal House of SuluThe current ruling royal house of Sulu is the Royal House of Kiram. The Royal House of Kiram.descends from Sultan Jamalul Kiram I, who was the Sultan of Sulu from 1823–1844.Members of the royal house of Sulu....
should hold this hereditary title and should hold the style: His Royal Highness or His Highness, according to the traditional customs of Royal House of Sulu.
Whereas, their spouses should automatically hold the title of Dayang Dayang (princess of the first degree) and should hold the style: Her Royal Highness or Her Highness.
- Datu Sadja, which may be acquired through confirming the titles (gullal) on the middleman of the Sultan. The gullal is made if a commoner has achieved outstanding feats or services in line of duty through display of bravery, heroism, etc. Datu Sadja is life title of nobility and the title holders should hold the style: His Excellency.
Whereas their spouses should hold the title of Dayang and should hold the style: Her Excellency.
Maharlika
The commonersThe commoners are those who do not trace their descent from royalty. The Wakil Kesultan's, Panglimas, Parkasa's and Laksaman's who are commoners hold responsible positions involving administrative matters.
- Wakil Kesultanan - region representative outside Royal Sulu Sultanate
- Panglima - region representative inside Royal Sulu Sultanate
- Parkasa - aid-de-camp of region representative inside Royal Sulu Sultanate
- Laksaman - sub region representative inside Royal Sulu Sultanate
The males who hold offices above shall be addressed by the title of nobility Tuan (the title is directly attached to the office), followed by the rank of the office they hold, their given name, surname and region.
The females who hold offices above shall be addressed by the title of nobility Sitti (the title is directly attached to the office), followed by the rank of the office they hold, their given name, surname and region.
North Borneo (Sabah issue)
In 1865, the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
to Brunei, Claude Lee Moses, obtained a ten-year lease for the territory of North Borneo from the Brunei. However, the post-Civil War United States wanted nothing to do with Asian colonies, so Moses sold his rights to the Hong Kong-based American Trading Company. Besieged with financial difficulties, the company had to its right on North Borneo Consul of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Baron Von Overbeck. Von Overbeck managed to get a ten-year renewal of the lease from the Temenggong of Brunei.
To finance his plans for North Borneo, Overbeck found financial backing from the Dent brothers – Alfred and Edward Dent. However, he was unable to interest his government in the territory. Von Overbeck withdrew in 1880, leaving Alfred Dent in control. Dent was supported by Sir Rutherford Alcock
Rutherford Alcock
Sir Rutherford Alcock KCB was the first British diplomatic representative to live in Japan.-Early life:Alcock was the son of the physician, Dr. Thomas Alcock, who practised at Ealing, near London. As he grew up, Alcock followed his father into the medical profession...
, and Admiral Sir Harry Keppel.
In July 1881, Alfred Dent and his brother formed the British North Borneo Provisional Association Ltd and obtained an official Royal Charter November 1 the same year. In May 1882, the British North Borneo Chartered Company
British North Borneo Company
The North Borneo Chartered Company or British North Borneo Company was a chartered company assigned to administer North Borneo in August 1881. North Borneo became a protectorate of the British Empire with internal affairs administered by the company until 1946 when it became the colony of British...
replaced the Provisional Association. Sir Rutherford Alcock became the first president, and Alfred Dent became managing director.
In spite of some diplomatic protests by the Dutch, Spanish and Sarawak governments, the British North Borneo Company proceeded to organize settlement and administration of the territory. The company subsequently acquired further sovereign and territorial rights from the sultan of Brunei, expanding the territory under control to the, Putatan river in May 1884, the Padas district in November 1884, the Kawang river in February 1885, the Mantanani Islands
Mantanani Islands
The Mantanani Islands form a small group of three islands off the north-west coast of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, opposite the town of Kota Belud, in northern Borneo. The largest island is Mantanani Besar; the other two are Mantanani Kecil and Lungisan...
in April 1885 and additional minor Padas territories in March 1898.
In 1888, North Borneo together with Sarawak and Brunei became a protectorate of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Its administration however remained entirely in the hands of the British North Borneo Company, with the crown reserving only control of foreign relations.
A January 7, 1883, letter from the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Granville confirms the position that the “takeover” of the British of Sabah, a Sulu property was a lease, not a purchase.
It states: "The British Charter [representing the British North Borneo Company] therefore differs essentially from the previous Charters granted by the Crown... in the fact that the Crown in the present case assumes no dominion or sovereignty over the territories occupied by the Company, nor does it purport to grant to the Company powers of government thereover; it merely conveys upon the persons associated the status and incidents of a body corporate, and recognizes the grants of territory and the powers of government made and delegated by the Sultan in whom the sovereignty remains vested. It differs also from previous Charters in that it prohibits instead of grants a general monopoly of trade.
"As regards the general features of the undertaking, it is to be observed that the territories granted to the Company have been for generations under the government of the Sultanate of Sulu and Brunei, with whom Great Britain has had Treaties of Peace and Commerce."
In retrospect, the British Foreign Affairs communique conceded that the matter of sovereignty remained vested in the Sultan of Sulu and could not be delegated to any party because the Deed of 1878 expressly prohibited it.
Perhaps the thorniest item in the Sabah / Sulu agenda was whether the Overbeck-Dent pact with the Sultan of Sulu was a lease or sale (Padjak=Lease? or locally in north Borneo mean buy or lease ALL, and not part of something, paying rental of $5000 per year is the clear evident of lease and not sale). Scholarly sources, including those officially issued by Britain and the US, pointed out that the sovereignty over Sabah, as stipulated in the Philippine claim, was never, at any time in the past and present, relinquished in favor of any person, organization, or entity. Legally and technically, it remained to this day as the exclusive property of the heirs of the sultanate of Sulu. This statement confirms the observation that the transfer of rights made by the lessees to the British North Borneo Company was ab initio flawed and illegal.
In 1963 when a negotiation was made in London with Britain for the recovery of North Borneo. The British, in defense of their own argument, insisted the covenant entered into by Overbeck and Dent with Sulu Sultan Hadji Mohammad Jamalul Kiram was a sale, not a lease.
What came out as a strong proof in favor of the sultanate was when US Governor General Francis B. Harrison, on February 27, 1947, furnished Philippine vice-president and foreign affairs secretary Elpidio Quirino a photostat copy of the lease document, which was later translated from Malay language and the Arabic script by Professor Henry Otley Bayer of the University of the Philippines.
Moreover, Overbeck and Dent, in a statement before the Royal Colonial Institute on May 12, 1885, admitted that the deal they forged with the rightful owners of Sabah did not forfeit the sovereign rights of the Sultan of Sulu and Brunei over the territories administered by the British Borneo Company.
Dent declared openly: "As to the Charter, some friends of the enterprise seem to believe that the enormous powers we hold were given by Her Majesty the Queen. It is not so at all. All our powers were derived entirely from the Sultan of Brunei and Sulu, and what the British Government did was simply to incorporate us by Royal Charter, thus recognizing our powers, which recognition is to us, of course, of vital importance."
Although a referendum sanctioned by the United Nations brought the part of North Borneo
North Borneo
North Borneo was a British protectorate under the sovereign North Borneo Chartered Company from 1882 to 1946. After the war it became a crown colony of Great Britain from 1946 to 1963, known in this time as British North Borneo. It is located on the northeastern end of the island of Borneo. It is...
called Sabah into Malaysia in 1963, its status is disputed by the heirs of the Kiram branch as well as by the Philippine government; meanwhile attempts to resolve the issue at the International Court of Justice is blocked by unwillingness of the Malaysian government. This is because to the people of Sabah and Malaysia, it is a non-issue as there is no desire from the actual people of Sabah to be part of the Philippines or of the non-existent Sultanate of Sulu.
See also
- Sabah disputeSabah disputeNorth Borneo dispute refers to the status of northeastern part of the state of Sabah in Malaysia. Sabah was previously known as North Borneo prior to the formation of the Malaysian federation in 1963...
- Sultanate of Malacca
- Sultanate of Maguindanao
- List of Sultans of Sulu
- John C. BatesJohn C. BatesJohn Coalter Bates was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from January to April 1906. He was the last American Civil War veteran still on active duty in the United States military at the time of his retirement....
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
- North Borneo dispute