Raja Ali Haji

Raja Ali Haji (or alternatively known by his patrilineal name as Raja Ali Haji bin Raja Haji Ahmad bin Raja Ali Haji Fisabilillah bin Daeng Celak bin Upu Tenribong Daeng Rilaka) was a 19th-century (1808–1873) Muslim Penyengat Bugis historian, poet, scholar, and . He was elevated to the status of National Hero of Indonesia in 2004. His notable works also are recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. He is also well-known with his status as the ‘Father of Indonesian language’ due to his great influence in Indonesian linguistic development.
Life
Background
Raja Ali Haji was born in the Indonesian island of Penyengat (part of Riau Archipelago) in 1808 or 1809, and ethnically Bugis through the patrilineality and matrilineality kinship. His father, Raja Haji Ahmad was the son of Raja Ali Haji Fisabilillah bin Daeng Celak, who are the Bugis warrior originating from southern Sulawesi. His mother, Hamidah binti Malik was a cousin of her father and also of Bugis descent.
Early life
In 1822 when Raja Ali Haji was young, he was taken by his parents to Batavia (modern-day Jakarta). At that time, his father, Raja Haji Ahmad, became Riau's envoy to meet the Governor General Baron van der Capellen. For several times, Raja Haji Ahmad regarded to became the envoy of the Riau kingdom to Java, and during his tenure, that opportunity was used by his son Raja Ali to meet many scholars to deepen his Islamic knowledge, especially the science of fiqh. Among the Betawi scholars, Raja Ali Haji often visited Saiyid Abdur Rahman al-Mashri, he had the opportunity to study astronomy with him. Apart from being able to deepen his knowledge of Islam, Raja Ali Haji also gained a lot of experience and knowledge due to his social networking skill with Dutch cultural scholars, such as T. Roode and Van Der Waal who later became his close friends.
About the year of 1827 C.E. or 1243 H. (Islamic lunar year system), Raja Ali Haji following his father Raja Ahmad went to Makkah al-Musyarrafah to perform the pilgrimage. Raja Ahmad and Raja Ali Haji were among the first children of Riau kings to perform the pilgrimage in that era. Raja Ali Haji lived and studied in Mecca for quite some time. While in Mecca, Raja Ali Haji had the opportunity to associate with Sheikh Daud bin Abdullah al-Fathani. He had the opportunity to study several areas of Islam and Arabic language with Sheikh Daud bin Abdullah al-Fathani who was then the Chief Sheikh of Hajj (pilgrimage) and very influential among the native Indonesians community in Mecca. He was friends with one of the sons of Sheikh Muhammad Arsyad bin Abdullah al-Banjari, namely Sheikh Syihabuddin bin Sheikh Muhammad Arsyad bin Abdullah al-Banjari. Probably around that time, Raja Ali Haji managed to invite the ulama from Banjar to come to Riau, and if the ulama agreed to come, the ulama would be made Mufti in the Riau kingdom. On his way to Mecca, Raja Haji Ahmad and his son Raja Ali Haji also took the opportunity to visit Cairo (in Egypt), and after accomplished their journey, he returned to his hometown of Penyengat Island (nowadays part of Riau Islands Province).
Notable works and awards
Raja Ali, a man of affairs, was also a religious and literary scholar and did much to establish Riau as the intellectual centre of the Malay world in the mid-19th century. His own writings include several didactic texts, such as Muqaddimah fi intizām (1857; "Introduction to Order") on the duties of kings, a Johnsonian dictionary of Malay usage, Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa (1869; "Book of Linguistic Knowledge"), and the historical work of Silsilah Melayu dan Bugis (1865; "Malay and Bugis Genealogy"). His most outstanding contribution to learning, however, is the history begun by his father that he rewrote and expanded as the Tuhfat al-Nafis (1866; "Precious Gift"), which remains an invaluable source for the history of the Kra Peninsula, Borneo (Kalimantan in native language), and Sumatra.
In 2004, Raja Ali Haji awarded as one of the National Heroes of Indonesia by the national government of the Republic Indonesia due to his revolutionary and persistent works.
Death
Raja Ali Haji died in 1872 at his hometown in the Indonesian island of Penyengat (part of Riau Archipelago), but the precise date of his death was debated. Among the best-known evidences was a letter written in 1872 when Raja Ali Haji wrote a letter to Herman Von De Wall, a Dutch cultural scholar, who later died at Tanjung Pinang in 1873.
Ancestry
List of notable works
Poems
1847: Syair Abdul Muluk ('The Poem of Abdul Muluk' or 'The Poem of the King's Servant')
1847: Gurindam Dua Belas
Books
1860s: Tuhfat al-Nafis ('The Precious Gift')
1865: Silsilah Melayu dan Bugis ('The Genealogy of Malay and Bugis')
Other writings
1857: Bustan al-Kathibin
1850s: Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa (uncompleted)
1857: Intizam Waza'if al-Malik
1857: Thamarat al-Mahammah
Pop culture
In 2009, an Indonesian movie ’’ created by a local movie director, Gunawan Paggaru, as a tribute to Raja Ali Haji. The main actor who played the role as Raja Ali Haji was Saifin Nuha Alex Komang. This movie highlighted the major role and significant influence of Raja Ali Haji, especially in the scope of the development of Malay literature, featuring three sequels: the Raja Haji Fisabilillah era, the Engku Putri Raja Hamidah era, and the era of Raja Ali Haji himself. This movie also aims to remind the Indonesian people that Raja Ali Haji is an important native Indonesian figure in the journey of Malay literature through his notable works.
Named after Raja Ali Haji
Indonesia
Maritime University of Raja Ali Haji, a public university located at Tanjung Pinang city in Riau Islands Province.
Social and Politic Science Institute of Raja Ali Haji, a private institute located at Bestari Hill, Tanjung Pinang city in Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Museum, a tribute museum and mosque complex for Raja Ali Haji located in Batam Island, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Museum, a complex of museum and mosque located at the coastal area of Tanjung Pinang city, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Dormitory (a college dormitory of the Tanjung Pinang diaspora students' union located at Pandeyan, Yogyakarta.
Raja Ali Haji Historical Site, located at Penyengat, Tanjung Pinang city, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Mosque located at Tanjung Riau, Batam city, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Stadium, a local little sports stadium located at North Kundur, Karimun Regency, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Foundation, a private foundation located at Marpoyan Damai, Pekanbaru city, Riau Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located near the Jodoh River in Batam city, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located at Sei Jang, Tanjung Pinang city, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located at Bagan Batu, Rokan Hilir Regency, Riau Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located nead the Beringin River, Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located at Bandarsyah, Natuna Regency, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located at Kijang Kota, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located at Empang Baru, Siak Regency, Riau Province.
Raja Ali Haji Street (, a street located at Dompak, Bestari Hill, Tanjung Pinang city, Riau Province.
Local Reading House of Raja Ali Haji (, a social library-like place dedicated to local community to engage and improve the linguistic skills of young generations through reading and writing, located at Pinang Kencana, Tanjung Pinang city, Riau Islands Province.
Malaysia
Raja Haji Street, a street located at the Javanese settlement village (Kampung Jawa) in Malacca.
References
External links
1808 births
1873 deaths
Indonesian male poets
Indonesian writers
Bugis people
19th-century Indonesian poets
National Heroes of Indonesia