Terengganu Inscription Stone
Terengganu Inscription Stone | |
---|---|
Batu Bersurat Terengganu | |
Hulu Terengganu | |
Present location | Terengganu State Museum |
Language | Malay |
Terengganu Inscription Stone (
The stone was found half-submerged by a bank of Tersat river in
In 2009, a meeting of the
History
With the
As a testimony to the spread of Islam that originated from the
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 of Sanskrit terms, a memorial to Southeast Asia's Hindu past.[9]
Discovery
The inscribed stone was first discovered by villagers at a steep sloping riverbank of Tersat river, Kampung Buluh,
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 to
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, the Federal Cabinet granted approval to the request and the Inscribed Stone was returned to Terengganu. It is now displayed at the Terengganu State Museum.[12]
Date of the inscription
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 789
This dating was challenged by
The year 702 AH began on 26 August 1303 CE. The day on which the Christian Julian calendar year began for that Islamic calendar year was a Monday (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 of Muharram (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 a Tuesday. 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]
Content
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 the his apostles. whilst the sun was in the north by religious reckoning.Praise the God Almighty for giving us Islam. 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 of Terengganu, the first to receive message of Islam. On the noon on Friday in the month of Rajab 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, , 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. |
Jawi spelling system
The spelling system of the Inscribed Stone of Terengganu has similarities with modern Jawi spelling system in a number of areas:
- Use of the Letters tāʼ marbūṭah (ة) and tāʼ maftūḥah (ت) - For present-day spelling, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka has determined that the /t/ sound in Malay words should be denoted in Jawi script by tāʼ maftūḥah, whereas the /t/ sound in words particularly special nouns, borrowed from Arabic should be retained in its original form with tāʼ marbūṭah, except for common words that have been absorbed by and are regularly used in Malay such as rakyat (people) ( رعيت ), nikmat (grace) ( نعمت ), hikmat (wisdom) ( حکمت ) and berkat (blessing) ( برکت ). This system was established in the Inscribed Stone as per below table, where Arabic loanword which is a special noun, Jumaat (Friday) (جمعة) does not change.[22]
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 |
- Use of the Letter
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 |
- Use of the Letter Nya (ڽ) - Based on the consonants found on the Terengganu Inscribed Stone, there were consonant sounds in Classical Malay that were not found in the Arabic alphabet. Letters of this type include ca (چ) in acara (event) ( احارا ), nga (ڠ) in dengan (with) ( دعں ), pa (ڤ) in pada (to) ( فدا ), ga (ݢ) in pinggang (waist) ( ڡعكع ), and nya (ڽ) in denda-nya (the penalty) ( داٮداڽ ). However, a special feature of the Terengganu Stone is the use of the letter nya. It is exquisitely written with three dots above it, making it the oldest known Jawi letter.[24]
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 |
References
- ^ UNESCO 2009, p. 6
- ^ Teeuw 1959, pp. 141–143
- ^ UNESCO 2009, pp. 1–3
- ^ Shahrizal Mahpol 2002
- ^ Abdul Razak Salleh 2010, pp. 1–2
- ^ UNESCO 2001
- ^ UNESCO 2009, p. 1
- ^ UNESCO 2009, p. 1
- ^ UNESCO 2009, p. 1
- ^ Abdul Razak Salleh 2010, pp. 1–2
- ^ Abdul Razak Salleh 2010, pp. 1–2
- ^ Abdul Razak Salleh 2010, pp. 1–2
- ISBN 978-0521355056.
- ^ Sayyid Qudratullah Fatimi 1963, p. 61
- ^ Syed Muhammad Naguib al-Attas 1970, pp. 22–23
- ^ Syed Muhammad Naguib al-Attas 1970, pp. 22–23
- ^ UNESCO 2009, p. 2
- ^ Abdul Razak Salleh 2010, pp. 11–15
- ^ An Ismanto 2009
- ^ UNESCO 2009, p. 2
- ^ Abdul Razak Salleh 2010, pp. 11–15
- ^ Adi Yasran et al. 2012, p. 3226
- ^ Adi Yasran et al. 2012, p. 3227
- ^ Adi Yasran et al. 2012, p. 3227
Bibliography
- Adi Yasran, A. A.; Mohd Zin, M. Z.; Hashim, M.; Halimah, H.; Mohd Sharifudin, Y.; Syed Nurulakla, S. A.; Nurhidayah, J.; A. Asmadi Sakat; M. Roslan Mohd Nor (2012), "The Jawi writing system and vocabulary of the earliest legal malay inscription and manuscripts", Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 8 (7), ISSN 1816-157X
- Abdul Razak Salleh (2010), Batu Bersurat Terengganu: Perspektif Matematik (Inscribed Stone of Terengganu, a Mathematical perspective) (PDF), Malaysian Mathematical Science Society, archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016, retrieved 22 October 2014
- An Ismanto (2009), Terengganu Stone Tablet, Melayu Online
- Hooker, Virginia Matheson (2003), A Short History of Malaysia: Linking East and West, Allen & Unwin, ISBN 978-186-4489-55-2
- Sayyid Qudratullah Fatimi (1963), Islam comes to Malaysia, Malaysian Sociological Research Institute
- Shahrizal Mahpol (2002), Penguasaan tulisan jawi di kalangan pelajar Melayu : suatu kajian khusus di UiTM cawangan Kelantan (Competency in Jawi among Malay students: A specific study in UiTM, Kelantan campus), Digital Repository, Universiti Malaya, retrieved 8 July 2012[permanent dead link]
- ASIN B0006EWWKG
- Teeuw, Andries (1959), The history of the Malay language. A preliminary survey, Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, retrieved 17 October 2012
- UNESCO (2009), Memory of the World: Batu Bersurat Terengganu (Inscribed Stone of Terengganu) (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2022
- UNESCO (2001), Memory of the World: Malaysia, archived from the original on 31 March 2022