Novel
Bustan as-Salatin
Not translated into English
Nuruddin al-Raniri · 1638
Synopsis
An encyclopaedia in seven books, written in Malay from Arabic sources, that embraces the history of the world from the creation: the prophets, the Muslim kings of the Middle East and then those of the Malay world, the chronicle of the sultanate of Aceh itself, the duties and conduct of rulers, and several sciences, including medicine. The fourth book, devoted to just kings and wise ministers, has by itself been the subject of a thesis.
Context
The work was begun in 1638, the year after its author's arrival in Aceh, at the request of the reigning ruler, whose religious affairs he was then directing. It draws on the Arabic and Persian sources he had gathered during his training, and also serves as a platform: in it he condemns several popular Malay tales as devoid of religious value. The book devoted to Aceh remains the standard narrative source on the founding of the sultanate, and it has been edited and studied separately.
Who it is for
A seventeenth-century compendium, dense and learned, which presupposes an interest in early Islamic history as much as in the lessons in government it draws from it.
Prizes and reception
The standard Malay text on Islamic history and on the origins of Aceh, translated into other languages of the archipelago.