He belonged to the Malay-Bugis royal house of Riau and underwent a broad education, which was to equip him to make a significant contribution to various areas of learning.
Raja Haji Ali is best known for his writing:
*Tuhfat al-Nafis (1865) – The Precious Gift
*Salasilah Melayu dan Bugis 1890
The Tuhfat is a history of the Johor-Riau-Lingga area from the late seventeenth to the mid-seventeenth century. Parts of the book contain long sections of genealogies of the royal families, including the major achievement of each reign.
Raja Haji Ali completed Tuhfat al-Nafis during a period when the Malay world was in great flux. Rivalry and conflicts were evident between the Bugis, their Malay hosts and the Dutch colonial authorities.
The diverse skills of Raj Ali Haji were displayed his expertise in various field, which cover Malay language, theology, law, history, grammar, poetry, custom and traditions, and statecraft.
The principal works of grammar by Raj Ali Haji are composed in:
*The Bustan al-Katibin 1857
*The uncompleted Kitab Pengetahuan Bahasa
Two works on statecraft:
*Intizam Waza’if al-Malik 1857
*Thamarat al-Mahammah 1857
Among the elements of reform that are found in the works of Raja Ali Haji are the disclosure of dates, acknowledgment for using other sources as reference and validation and the author’s own statement that any errors found in his writings would be corrected by his descendents on the future.
Raja Haji Ali (1808-1873)
