The Demise and Rise of Singora’s Sultan Sulaiman Lineage

Authors

  • Graham Dalrymple Muslim Studies Centre, Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University
  • Christopher M. Joll Muslim Studies Centre, Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University and Religious Studies Program, School of Social and Cultural Studies, Victoria University of Wellington

Abstract

This article presents research findings from a project seeking to plug gaps in accounts of Muslim actors in Siam between the early 17th and the mid-19th century, between the reigns of King Prasat Thong (r. 1629–1656) and King Rama III (r. 1824-1851). We limit ourselves to the legacy of the descendants of Sultan Sulaiman (r. 1620–1676), which—for comparative purposes—we juxtapose with Sheikh Ahmad Qomi. We begin by contextualising both of these by documenting Siam’s administrative structure and culture. This is followed by the succession, rebellion and rehabilitation of Sultan Sulaiman’s eldest son, Mustapha (between 1676 and 1692), before considering the administrative and military careers of Hussein (d. 1693) and Hasan (d. 1691), and the range of contributions by the descendants of Mustapha, Hussein and Hasan. These reveal hitherto overlooked connections between South and Central Thailand, similarities between these Muslim lineages, their mixed fortunes, the contributions of the Sultan Sulaiman lineage to the military, the side forms that co-option by Ayutthaya and Bangkok took, that led some to forsake the religion of these lineages for Buddhism.

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2022-12-06

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