| Terengganu Inscription Stone | |
|---|---|
| Batu Bersurat Terengganu | |
 A replica of the Terengganu Inscription Stone at the National Historical Museum inKuala Lumpur | |
| Material | Granite |
| Height | < 89 cm (35 in) |
| Width | < 53 cm (21 in) |
| Writing | Jawi script |
| Created | 1303 or 1387 CE |
| Discovered | 1887 Kampung Buluh,Kuala Berang, Hulu Terengganu |
| Present location | Terengganu State Museum |
| Language | Malay |
Terengganu Inscription Stone (Malay:Batu Bersurat Terengganu;Jawi:باتو برسورت ترڠݢانو) is agranitestele[1] carryingClassical Malayinscription inJawi script that was found inTerengganu, Malaysia.[2] The inscription, dated possibly to 702AH (corresponds to 1303CE) or 789 AH (1387 CE) constituted the earliest evidence ofJawi writing in theMalay world ofSoutheast Asia, and was one of the oldest testimonies to the advent ofIslam as astate religion in the region.[3] It contains the proclamation issued by a ruler ofTerengganu known asSeri Paduka Tuan, urging his subjects to extend and upholdIslam and providing 10 basicSharia laws for their guidance.[4]
The stone was found half-submerged by a bank of Tersat river inKuala Berang, Hulu Terengganu, in 1887 CE after the floods had receded. A Terengganuan nobleman, Pengiran Anum Engku Abdul Kadir bin Engku Besar and his tin-prospector friend, Saiyed Husin Ghulam Al Bukhari came across the stone and brought it on araft toKuala Terengganu where it was presented toSultan Zainal Abidin III, and placed atop ofBukit Puteri ('Princess hill').[5]
In 2009, a meeting of theUNESCO's International Advisory Committee (IAC) held inBarbados, included the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu in a heritage list ofMemory of the World Programme, making it the fourth heritage recognition accorded toMalaysia after theHikayat Hang Tuah,Sejarah Melayu, and the correspondence ofSultan Abdul Hamid in 2001.[6]
With theadvent of Islam into Southeast Asia in the 10th or 11th century, a life based on the teachings ofQuran and theHadith became widespread and together with this, the use of theArabic script. Over the time, the script was modified and adapted to suit the spokenClassical Malay language, and thusJawi script was created. This development heralded a new age ofliteracy, when converts to the new faith gradually replaced the previous Indian-derived scripts with Jawi, in expressing their new belief.[7]
As a testimony to the spread of Islam that originated from theMiddle East, the artefact offers more than just a glimpse of the life of the people of the era. It also depicted the growing Islamic culture subsumed under a set of religious laws. A concomitant feature of this historic movement was the growth ofmaritime trade that centred around Kuala Berang, the place where the stone was discovered. The inscribed stone alludes to regional trade that flourished in the course ofIslamisation, with its trading pattern and movement of peoples during that time.[8]
While the Islamisation of Terengganu was pursued effectively with the rise of the new way of thinking, it did not completely put an end to the old way of life. The inscribed stone still contained a number ofSanskrit terms, a memorial toSoutheast Asia's Hindu past.[9]
The inscribed stone was first discovered by villagers at a steep sloping riverbank of Tersat river, Kampung Buluh,Kuala Berang, Hulu Terengganu in 1887, and was later brought to a nearbysurau, known asSurau Tok Rashid. From there, the stone was further moved to Surau Kampung Buluh. In 1902, a Terengganuannobleman, Pengiran Anum Engku Abdul Kadir bin Engku Besar and hisTin-prospector friend, Syed Husin bin Ghulam Al-Bokhari, came to Kampung Buluh. While they were at Surau Kampung Buluh to perform theZuhr prayer, they noticed a stone with inscriptions used as apedestal by the villagers, to step onto before entering the main prayer hall. After the prayer, they requestedPenghulu Ali and his villagers to carry the stone on a raft to be brought to the capital,Kuala Terengganu. When it reached Kuala Terengganu, the stone was presented toSultan Zainal Abidin III who ordered it to be placed atop of Bukit Puteri ('princess hill'), near to the royal palace.[10]
The stone remained on top of the hill for 20 years, until July 1922, when the Deputy British adviser of Terengganu, Major H.S Peterson asked a Japanese photographer, N. Suzuki, to take images of the inscription and send them to C.O Bledgen to be analyzed. In 1923, British adviser to Terengganu, J.L Humphreys acquired approval from the Government of Terengganu to lend the stone toRaffles Museum, Singapore. The stone remained in Singapore for 37 years until 1960, when it was relocated to theNational Museum of Malaysia.[11]
The State Government of Terengganu have been lobbying for the repatriation of the Inscribed Stone to its home state since 1979. On 12 February 1987, the Terengganu officially wrote to the administration of the National Museum, seeking permission to relocate the Inscribed Stone to their State Museum. Only in 1991, theFederal Cabinet granted approval to the request and the Inscribed Stone was returned to Terengganu. It is now displayed at the Terengganu State Museum.[12]
The inscription is dated, however due to damage on the lower left edge of the stone, where the year of the inscription is mentioned in the 11th lines, the date is incomplete and can be variously read as ranging from 702 to 789A.H. (1303 to 1387 CE).[13] C.O. Blagden, who first deciphered the inscription, presented many possible dates that range from February – March 1303 CE to February 1387 CE. He doubted that the earlier dateRajab, 702 AH or 1303 CE would be correct, and concluded that on general grounds he was inclined to lean towards the latest possible date.[14]
This dating was challenged bySyed Muhammad Naguib al-Attas, who argued that the earlier date is the correct one through an variety of logical, mathematical, linguistic, cultural, philosophical and mystical arguments, and by attempting to reconstruct the lost part of the inscription. In his speech published by the National Museum of Malaysia, Naguib stated that the correct date of the inscription isFriday, 4th ofRajab, 702A.H., that corresponds toFriday, 22 February 1303 CE. His assertion is based on the following explanation.[15]
The year 702 AH began on 26 August 1303 CE. The day on which the ChristianJulian calendar year began for thatIslamic calendar year was aMonday (i.e. 1 January 1303 CE was a Monday, and 237 days had elapsed in the Christian year when the Islamic year began on the 1st ofMuharram (i.e. 26 August 1302 CE).Rajab is the 7th month of the Islamic calendar, and since the year 702 AH began in August 1302 CE, it therefore occurred in the month of February 1303 CE, which Christian year began on aTuesday. Bearing in mind that the Christian year began on a Tuesday, it is found that only the 4th day of Rajab, which was the 181st day of the Islamic year 702, agrees with our computation of the date. Moreover, the 4th of Rajab confirms our computation because it was a Friday of Rajab, as mentioned in the inscription.[16]
The stone is 89 cm in height, 53 cm in width at the top, and weighs 214.8 kg. All of its four facades have inscriptions written from right to left.[17] The inscription is in Classical Malay written in the Jawi script, with dots for most of the Arabic-derived letters ( ب ، ت ، ج ، ش ، ق ، ن ، ي ) and native Jawi letters ( چ ، ݢ ، ڠ ، ڤ ), being not visible, except for the letters ( ڽ ، ض ، ف ).
| Original Jawi text[18][19] | English translation[20][21] |
|---|---|
| Front facade | |
| رسول الله دعں ىع اورح سىاىى مرٮک اسا فدا دىوٮ ملىا راى ٮرى همٮا مںكهكں اكاما اسلام دعں ٮٮر ٮحارا درما مرٮک مرٯسا ٮكى سكلںں همىا دىوٮ ملىا راى دٮٮواكو اٮى ٯٮٮٮو أكاما رسول الله صلى الله علىه وسلم راحا مٮدلٮكا ٮع ٮٮر ٮحارا سٮله دٮوٮ ملٮا راى ددالم ٮهومى. ٯٮٮٮوں اٮٮو ٯرض فدا سكلںں راحا مںدا لںكا اسلام مںورٮ سٮٮٮه دٮوٮ ملٮا راى دعں ںںر ںحارا ںرںاحںكى ںںوا ٯٮٮٮوں اٮٮو مک ٮٮٮه سرى ٯادوكا ںهں مدودوٯكى ںامرا اٮى دٮٮوا ٮرعكاٮو اد ٯرٮاما ادا حمعه دںولں رحٮ دٮاهں سرطاں دسسںكلا ںكںدا رسول الله ںله لالو ںوحه راںس دوا | Behold theProphet of God andhis apostles. Praise theGod Almighty for giving usIslam. With Islam, truth revealed to all Thy creatures On this land the religion of the Holy Prophet shall prevail. The Holy Prophet, the upholder of truth in Thy kingdom. Hear ye kings, these messages. Messages from the Almighty, ye doubt not. Goodwill, with thee fellow men, saith the Almighty. Be it known, the land ofTerengganu, the first to receive message of Islam. On the noon onFriday in the month ofRajab whilst the sun was in the north by religious reckoning. Seven hundred and two years after the demise of the Holy Prophet. |
| Rear facade | |
| كلورک دںںوا حاوه..كں داںع ںرںكں كامڡ...اورع ںرٯهوںع حاعں معامںل..ک..هںلعكں امس كلںما درما ںارع اورع...دںكا حاعں معامںل ںوكل ںوٮ ٮماس حكا امںل هںلعكں امس. كاںم درم ںارع اورع ںرںوٮ ٮلاحارا لاكى لاكى ڡرمڡوں سںںںه دںوٮ ملںا راى حک مردںكا ںوحن ڡالو سراٮس راوىں. حک مردٮكا براسٮرى اٮوا ڡرمڡواں ىرسوامى دٮاٮم هعک ڡعكع دهمىالع دعں ىاٮو ماٮكں حک اعكر...همٮالع حک اٮڡ مٮدلٮكا | Brethren of lands distant. Cometh hither to tell ye. The Fourth Commandment for debtors. Take ye not, lose ye not,gold in thy hands. Fifth Commandment give thee alms and pay thy tithes. Take thee not, gold of others. If take thee the gold, return it. Peril be toadulterers. To repent, the following be done, command the Almighty. A hundredwhips, for free man, a wife hath. A married woman, to be buried. To the waist and stoned to death. Ignore thee not. Be it the daughter of a prophet. |
| Right facade | |
| ںوحں داںداڽ سڡوله ںعه ںںكا جک اى مںںرى ںوحں داںداڽ ںوحه ںاهل سڡاها ںعه ںںكا حك ںںوا ںوحں داںداڽ لںما ںاهل ںوحه ںاهل سڡاها ماسٯ ںںدارا حک اورع مردںكا كںوحه درما ںارع ٯرمٯوں هںدٯ ںںدا داٯٮ ںرسوامى حک ںرںواٮ ىالاحارا ںرںكں | Singles, the fine, ten and a half ‘saga’ A gentry not married, the fine, seven ‘tahils’...... Two and a half ‘saga’, the fine for older singles...... Seven ‘tahils’ to the treasury if...... Free man. The Seventh Commandment; dowry for woman should....... Deny her husband, if she commit adultery. |
| Left facade | |
| ںںدا ںںر داںداڽ سںاهل سٯاها كسمںںلں درما سرى ٯادوكا ںهں سںاٯا ںںدا هرںا داںداڽ كسٯوله درما حک اںٯكو اںوا ٯماںںكو اںوا حوحوكو اںوا كلوركاكو اںوا اںٯ ںمرا اںى سكال اںسى ںمرا اںى ںارع سںاٯا ںںدا مںورٮ ںمرا اںى لعںٮ دںوٮ ملںا راى دحادںكں دںوٮ ملںا راى ںاكى ںع لعكر احارا ںمرا | ... false evidence, the fine a ‘tahil’ and a ‘paha’ commandment nine. ... Commandth the Almighty, the desolute, pay not the fine ... My children, my uncles, my grandchildren and family and their siblings. Obey ye this command, for the wrath of God is great. Perils and pain awaits those who heed not the commandment. |
The spelling system of the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu has similarities with modern Jawi spelling system in a number of areas:
| Terengganu stone | Location | Rumi script | English meaning | Modern Jawi spelling (DBP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| مٮورٮ | Front:7 | menurut | according to | منوروت |
| ٮوٮ | Rear:5 | buat | do | بوات |
| داٯٮ | Right:6 | dapat | get | داڤت |
| حمعه | Front:10 | Jumaat | Friday | جمعة |
| Terengganu stone | Location | Rumi script | English meaning | Modern Jawi spelling (DBP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| اٮٯ | Rear:12 | anak | child | أنق |
| ماسٯ | Right:4 | masuk | to enter | ماسوق |
| هٮدٯ | Right:5 | hendak | want | هندق |
| Terengganu stone | Location | Rumi script | English meaning | Modern Jawi spelling (DBP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| احارا | Left:5 | acara | event | أچارا |
| دعں | Front:3 | dengan | with | دڠن |
| فدا | Front:2 | pada | to | ڤد |
| ڡعكع | Rear:11 | pinggang | waist | ڤيڠݢڠ |
| داىداڽ | Right:1 | denda-nya | the penalty | دنداڽ |