Ulama Besar: a Father Figure

Bureau Report, "News Focus: Honeymoon led to Pattani 'affair'" - The News Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia
Monday, June 2, 2008

Francis R. Bradley cuts a distinctive figure in the Malay manuscript centre. Look closely at what he has on his desk - Malay manuscripts written in old Jawi.

The researcher, from University of Wisconsin in the United States, was studying an old Kitab Sembahyang (prayer book) and Collection of Hadith at the National Library recently.

Bradley, who speaks fluent Malay, has been to Malaysia a few times to conduct research.

He is studying old manuscripts written in the 18th century by an Islamic scholar from Pattani, Thailand. Works of Syeikh Daud Abdullah Al-Pattani on legal treatises and Sufism, written in Mecca, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, can easily be found here.

"I went to Pattani in 2006 but people told me to come to Malaysia. It has been overwhelming here. "I found about 700 manuscripts on Syeikh Daud in the library and 300 more in the Islamic Arts Museum."

He added that the manuscripts were also in good condition although they were about 200 years old.

The manuscripts in the library are stored in a strong room at a temperature between 20°C and 22°C for preservation purposes.

Bradley said he was interested in the scholar's work as Syeikh Daud was the "Ulama Besar" and was portrayed as a father figure by Pattani folk. He said Syeikh Daud was also important to the idea of Pattani as a place.

Bradley's interest in Islamic culture began when he went to Istanbul with his wife for their honeymoon. He initially studied the Turkish language and decided to study Southeast Asian history on his professor's recommendation.

In 2004, he studied Bahasa Indonesia and learned Jawi language in the Language and Cultures of Asia Department in his university. He chose to focus on Pattani history as it was under studied.

Bradley is currently pursuing his PhD in History and visits the library daily to conduct his research before he returns to the United States later this month.

"I never expected to find this much information. I'm really grateful that this place offers convenient research facilities," he said.

[Picture: Francis R. Bradley studying one of the manuscripts written in old Jawi at the Malay manuscript centre in the National Library].