Raja Ali Haji : suatu kajian mengenai pemikiran dan kepengarangannya = Raja Ali Haji : a study on his thoughts and authorship

Raja Ali Haji, a member of the Riau royal house in the nineteenth century played a significant role with his contributions to the Malay literary traditions. Some of his works are Gurindam Dua Belas (1847), Bustanul Katibin (1851), Thamarat al- Muhimmah (1857), Salasilah Melayu Dan Bugis Dan Sekelian Rajanya (1861), Tuhfat al-Nafis (1866), Syair Sultan Muluk (1847), Syair Suluh Pegawai (1866) and Syair Siti Sianah (1866). Among the prominent works of Raja Ali Haji was Tuhfat al-Nafis, a historical work which was regarded as his magnum opus. The creation of Tuhfat al-Nafis was motivated by Raja Ali Haji’s sense of familial duty to preserve the history of his ancestors and as a precious gift to the generation thereafter. Other features of Tuhfat al-Nafis include Raja Ali Haji’s deviation from the traditional historiography with the inclusion of dates, an element which was absent in the traditional historical writings. This brought a new conception of time through Raja Ali Haji’s weltanschauung. This study examines five prominent works of Raja Ali Haji, namely Tuhfat al-Nafis, a historical prose and four traditional poetries, namely; Gurindam Dua Belas, Syair Suluh Pegawai, Syair Siti Sianah and Syair Sultan Abdul Muluk. Generally, the study attempts to analyze the thoughts and authorship manifested by Raja Ali Haji into his works. These works will be analyzed through textual and contextual analysis. Through this analysis, a few approaches are adopted. They are the historical approach and the moral criticism approach. Using these approaches, the study attempts to analyze how the emphasis on genealogy in Tuhfat al-Nafis can be synthesized into smaller ideas of ‘self’, which can evolve in ‘family’ and ‘society’ found in the other four texts. The distinctive features found in these texts will reflect Raja Ali Haji’s thoughts and authorship. The study is divided into nine chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the concept of author and authorship. Chapter 2 explores the Malay court literature which highlights its difference with Malay folk literature. Chapter 3 discusses the role of Raja Ali Haji as a writer during his period. This chapter explores the contextual aspects of his works and the influencing factors that determine his thoughts and his authorship. Chapter 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 discusses the thoughts and authorship of Raja Ali Haji through the five texts selected in this study. It explores the common elements found in the styles and ideas Raja Ali employed in his works. Chapter 9 is the concluding part that summarizes all findings in the previous chapters. These distinctive features found in all the texts used in this study review evidences and attempt to offer Raja Ali Haji’s thoughts and authorship and the writing styles he employed to manifest his ideas. It identifies that the emphasis on genealogy in Tuhfat al-Nafis is supported by synthesized ideas such as ‘self’, ‘family’ and ‘society’ which makes up the thesis in this study.