The Terengganu state legal text of 1911 analysis of Islamic influence in statecraft and the authority of the ruler in a Malay state

• Main Author: Musa, Hashim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2012
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/40800/1/The%20Terengganu%20state%20legal%20text%20of%201911%20analysis%20of%20islamic%20%20Influence%20in%20statecraft%20and%20the%20authority%20of%20the%20ruler%20in%20a%20%20Malay%20state.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/40800/; http://pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2020%20(3)%20Sep.%202012/08%20pg%20683-694.pdf

The Terengganu state legal document ItqânAl-mulûkbi Ta`dîlAl-sulûk: Undang-Undang bagi Diri Kerajaan Terengganu is a printed text ordered to be written by the then ruler of Terengganu Sultan Zainal `Abdin the Third, dated 11th Zulqa`idah 1329 (H) or 2nd November, 1911. It comprises of an introduction, 53 articles and a conclusion. The contents clearly show a strong Islamic influence in the formulation of legal text pertaining to statecraft, while still maintaining some forms of Malay state tradition in several features. It also clearly indicates that this particular law was ordered to be written by the Sultan to resist the encroaching influence of the European colonial powers in the Malay world, particularly in the state of Terengganu at the end of the 19th Century and early 20th Century. This paper will not seek to discuss details of the contents of the legal text but focuses on only two aspects, namely, the extend of the Islamic influence in the legal text, and the particular clauses that gave the full authority and legal right to the present Sultan vis-a-vis the Constitution of Malaysia to appoint or reject any candidate to the office of Menteri Besar or the Chief Minister. The research methodology used was the content analysis of the text