Tuhfat al-Nafis (The Precious Gift)

Winstedt had described the Tuhfat al-Nafis as the most important work of Malay historical literature after the Sejarah Melayu. Tuhfat-an-Nafis is indeed a ‘precious gift’ not only to Malay history but also, even more importantly, to Malay historiography.

The book provide us with genealogies of Malay, Buginese, Siak and Johor kings down to the founding of modern Singapore by Raffles. The book offers a realistic and accurate narrative of events and personalities of the Malay archipelago - in particular of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and West Kalimantan - from the late seventeenth to the mid-nineteenth century.

Specifically, it detailed the fortunes of the Johor-Riau Empire during the 18th century vis-a-vis the various participants in the Malay Archipelago – Malay, Bugis, Minangkabau, Dutch and English. The events narrated are given exact dates.

Details about the expansionist deigns of the Dutch, another major player in the Malay Archipelago, are featured including Anglo-Dutch relations to the mid-nineteenth century.

The authorship of the Tuhfat is clear and undisputed: Raja Ali Haji Ibn Raja Ahmad (1809-1869). Raja Ali Haji himself wrote theological and didactic prose and poetry, A ‘linguistic’ study of Malay also stands to his credit. However, his most famous work, the Tuhfat-al-Nafis, is the first historical work in Malay which not only sets out its sources with previously unknown precision but also covers a world much larger than the one known form most Malay historical texts.
Tuhfat al-Nafis (The Precious Gift)

Raja Haji Ali (1808-1873)

Ali Haji bin Raja Haji Ahmad also known as Raja Haji Ali was a greatest Malay writers of the 19th century. He was the grandson of Raja Haji, Marhum Teluk Ketapang, whose demise occurred in battle during the attack on the Dutch in Malacca.

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)