Nama : Matias Serius Sarumaha

NPM : 71200422002
Mata Kuliah : Islamic Literature
Semester : I (Satu)

Abdullah Bin Abdul Al Kadir and His Literary Work

Abdullah bin Abdul al Kadir also known as Munshi Abdullah, was a Malayan writer of
mixed ancestry. He was a famous Malacca-born munshi of Singapore and died in Jeddah, a part
of the Ottoman Empire. Munshi Abdullah has been popularly regarded as among the most
cultured Malays who ever wrote, one of the greatest innovators in Malay letter and the father of
modern Malay literature. The term Munshi means "teacher" or "educator". Munshi Abdullah was
a great-grandson of a Hadhrami Arab trader, and also had Tamil and to a smaller
extent, Malay ancestry. Owing to his ethnic and religious background, the Malays would refer to
him as a Jawi Peranakan or Jawi Pekan. Munshi Abdullah followed his father's career path as a
translator and teacher of colonial officials in the Malay Archipelago, mainly the British and
the Dutch.
His writing career took off after a missionary, Alfred North, encouraged him to write an
autobiography after reading Abdullah's account of a voyage along the east coast of Malaya. His
most important works are the Hikayat Abdullah (an autobiography), Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah
ke Kelantan (an account of his trip for the government to Kelantan), and Kisah Pelayaran
Abdullah ke Mekah (a narrative of his pilgrimage to Mecca 1854). His work was an inspiration
to future generations of writers and marks an early stage in the transition from classical Malay
literature to modern Malay literature.
Hikayat Abdullah was the major literary work of Munshi Abdullah. It was completed in
1843 and first published in 1849, making it one of the first Malay literary texts to be published
commercially. Abdullah's authorship was prominently displayed in this text and the contents
were conveyed in simple, contemporary Malay. Unlike typical classical Malay literary works
that contain fantasies and legendary stories, Abdullah's work was realistic. The book remains a
reliable and accurate reference on early Malay history to this day.
Abdullah was known as an ardent critic of the Malay political system
of Kerajaan ("kingship"). His work, Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Kelantan contained his advice
to Malay rulers and comparisons he made between the British system of governing and that
of Malay rulers.
Abdullah argued that the system of Kerajaan was detrimental to the Malay individual, as
it was an impediment to the social improvement of the Malays. The Malay Sultan was deemed to
be someone who was selfish, with no concern toward his subjects, to the extent they were treated
like animals rather than humans.
The idea of modernity and striving for excellence within the Malay community stemmed
from his ideas and stinging criticisms of the ancient Malay polity of the Kerajaan. Under
the Kerajaan, the Malays were deprived of education and hence they were easily oppressed.
Without education, they did not have the ability to question the injustice meted out to them and
could not take the initiative to institute changes to improve their lives.
 Although the condemnation may be exaggerated, Munshi Abdullah's allegations were not
without basis. He is regarded by many to be the first Malayan journalist, taking Malay literature
out of its preoccupation with folk-stories and legends into accurate historical descriptions.