Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

brill.nl/jal

The Significance of the Arabic-Modelled Malay Novel

Hikayat Faridah Hanum
Prof. Dr. Mujahid M. Bahjat
University of Malaya

Dr. Basil Q. Muhammad

Petra University

Abstract
Arabic literature had a great impact on Malay literature, due to the cultural connection with
Arabic through Islam. This article attempts to uncover the extent to which the Malay narrative
tradition has been influenced by Egyptian literature through the example of the novel Hikayat
Faridah Hanum, published in 1925-6 by Syed Sheikh bin Ahmad al-Hadi, which appears to
have been influenced by Muhammad H ussain Haykals novel Zaynab, first published in 1914. It
also reveals that the similarity between the two works does not indicate plagiarism, but rather
al- Hadis concern for the Malaysian narrative forms and their preference for happy endings. As
a reformist, Syed Sheikhs novel is an embodiment of his intellectual ideals of liberating Malay
women from traditional social bonds well established in Malay society.
Keywords
Hikayat Faridah Hanum, modern novel, Malay literature, Syed S. al-Hadi, Zaynab, Arabic literature, Muhammad H . Haykal

Arab culture and Arabic literature and thought had an impact on diverse literatures of the Muslim world in the twentieth century, a point oft forgotten by
scholars. The significant ties and exchanged influences among the literatures
of Muslim nations have fallen victim to unexplained neglect by modern literary studies, and it is only recently that scholars are considering, for instance,
the clear influence of Egyptian literature and social debates on the 1925-26
Malay novel Hikayat Faridah Hanum. Light has usually been shed on the
influence of Western literatures on Eastern national literatures, giving rise to
deep convictions in the trope of the Eastern collective consciousness that, had
it not been for the West and Westerners, modern Eastern literatures would not
have developed. However, if it is correct to assert that Malay literature was
influenced by Western culture and civilization, it is no less true that this literature has also been significantly influenced by Arabic literature, due to the
Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011

DOI: 10.1163/157006410X546010

246 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

substantial cultural bond with Arabic through the Islamic faith, as well as
through cultural contact with Arab countries.
As scholars have noted in the case of the celebrated Malay novel Hikayat
Faridah Hanum (The Story of Faridah Hanum), modern Malay narrative tradition has been notably influenced by Egyptian literature, culture, and religious
debates from the early twentieth century. Published in 1925-6 by Syed Sheikh
bin Ahmad al-Hadi, Faridah Hanum seems in particular to have been written
in light of Muhammad H usayn Haykals novel Zaynab, first published in Egypt
in 1914. After considering the authors life and works, this article goes on to
enumerate Syed Sheikhs contributions as an author, journal editor and publisher. It then situates the novel Hikayat Faridah Hanum in the context of Malay
narrative traditions and their development, and comments on the poetic form
used within the novel itself, to finally conclude with an analysis of the novel in
question in light of debates surrounding a Muslim womans right to choose her
husband. An extract of Faridah Hanum appears as an appendix.
Born in the Malaccan village of Hulu, Syed Sheikh bin Ahmad al-Hadi
(1837-1934)1 did not receive regular, formal schooling. After spending a few
years in an Arabic school in Kuala Terengganu, he travelled at the age of fourteen in the company of his brother, to be educated in Pulau Penyengat, the
capital of the Sultanate of Riau in Indonesia, where their father had some connections with the ruling family.2 At that time, Riau epitomized for many the
Islamic spirit of Malaya. While there, Syed Sheikh studied under renowned
scholars, including one outstanding personality who adopted him, Raja Ali
Kelana bin Raja Ahmad. This man, then the Crown Prince of Riau, being the
Sultans cousin, was also the Mufti and one of the most prominent scholars
1
Syed Sheikh bin Ahmad al-Hadi (1867-1934), was born in Hulu, the same Malaccan village
in which his father was born. His father was part of a community of Arab immigrants working
in agriculture and trade in Malaya, while his grandfather al-Sagoff (al-Saqqf ) had immigrated
to Malaysia towards the end of the 18th century from Yemen. Al-Sagoff settled in Malacca, one
of the oldest and most important Malaysian ports. Like many of the Arab immigrants to Malay
and as an unmarried man, he married a native Malay woman, who gave birth to Syed Sheikhs
father, Ahmad al-Hadi. At the age of twenty-one, he married a woman from the Malaccan royal
family who gave him seven children of whom only three survived: Syed Sheikh, Sharifah Noor
and Syed Hussain. Syed Sheikh married his cousin Sharifah Shekhon bint Sharifah Hasmah bint
al-Sagoff in 1916. Their marriage produced four children: Alwi, Ahmad (who died young), Aisha
and Om Hani. Syed Sheikh took a second wife in Singapore, who bore a daughter named
Maryam. For more about the authors revolutionary mission and accomplishments, see: Alijah
Gordon (ed.), The Real Cry of Syed Shaykh al-Hady: With Selections of His Writings by His Son Syed
Alwi Al-Hady (Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Sociological Research Institute, 1999). In Malay, see:
Talib Samat, Syed Syeikh al-Hadi: Sasterawan Progresif Melayu (Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa
dan Pustaka, Ministry of Education, 1992).
2
Ibrahim Abu Bakr, Islamic Modernism in Malaya: The Life and Thought of Sayid Syekh
al-Hadi (1867-1934), pp. 50-53.

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 247

and writers of Malaya, well-known for his resistance to the Dutch. He personally taught Syed Sheikh the Malay language and Islamic knowledge.
Syed Sheikh was highly influenced by the cultural atmosphere in Riau, and
he became a member of a club for Muslim scholars and Arabic-educated intellectuals. He worked probably as a scribe at the royal palace, particularly after
Raja Ali became Sultan. Later on, during his pilgrimage to Mecca, he travelled across the Arabian Peninsula, and visited Egypt. His writings reveal deep
knowledge and profound understanding of the writings and views of Imam
Muhammad Abd (usually written Abdu) and his protgs Rashd Rid and
Jamluddn al-Afghn. Zaba, the famous Malay scholar and linguist, suggests very strongly that Syed Sheikh attended Abds gatherings, and critic
S. H. Tan believes that he was influenced especially by Abds modernistic
views on Islam.3 However, Syed Sheikhs acquaintance with these personages
should not be overstated, as he did not get any formal education at any Egyptian university.
Later, having left Egypt, Syed Sheikh focused his intellectual and practical
activities in Singapore. While he worked in business there, trading in building
materials, he was also occupied with reformist Islamic literature. He was
among those who had been highly influenced by the system of Islamic education at al-Azhar in Cairo, and opened two schools following the model of the
Egyptian education system, which differed considerably from the long established Pondok system. In Melacca, he opened his Madrasah in 1917 and then
in 1919 in Penang, he opened Madrasah al-Mashhor which became wellestablished and continued for some time.4
Prior to these forays into education, in 1906 Syed Sheikh co-founded a journal called Al-Imm, the first modernist periodical in Malaya, modelled on
Al-Manr, the Egyptian reformist journal published by Rashd Rid. Al-Imm
represented a radical departure in the field of Malay publications. Even though
its main interest was religion, its approach was a very new one to the local community. It was unlike previous publications in its intellectual character, objective, and socio-economic orientation. It became a medium for the articulation
of new and progressive ideas. Al-Imm5 continued to appear until 1908 when its
publishing company, Al-Imam Publishers Ltd, was unfortunately closed.6
3
S. H. Tan (Linda Chen). The Life and Times of Sayyid Shaykh Al-Hadi, B.A. Thesis, University
Malaya, Singapore, p. 26.
4
Mohammad Redzuan Othman. Egypts Religious and Intellectual Influence on Malay
Society KATHAThe Official Journal of the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue Vol 1, 2005.
5
The name of the journal refers to Imam Muhammad Abd.
6
Ibrahim Abu Bakr, Islamic Modernism in Malaya: The Life and Thought of Sayid Syekh
al-Hadi (1867-1934 ), pp. 58-60.

248 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

Much later, after founding another publishing house called Jelutong Press
in Penang, Syed Sheikh started a second periodical entitled Al-Ikhwn in
1926. This periodical focused on education and social issues, propagating
Islamic modernism, teaching general knowledge, commenting on the news,
and giving special attention to the conditions of women, their education, and
their civil rights.7 In his call for womens emancipation, Syed Sheikh was influenced by some of the ideas of Qsim Amn. The new periodical was no less
remarkable than its predecessor in articulating feelings of uneasiness over the
fate of the Malays. It lasted for more than five years, closing at the end of
1931. After its closure, Syed Sheikhs next periodical, Saudara, which he
started in 1928, was still being issued. Like Al-Ikhwn, it examined social
questions and reformist Islamic issues in a highly polemical fashion. Leveling
an uncompromising critique of the living conditions of the Malays, it addressed
contemporary problems and news, and was for some time one of the most
influential newspapers in Malaya. It survived until 1941.
Syed Sheikh published a number of his own books between 1927 and 1933,
included his exegesis of the last thirtieth part of the Quran (Tafsr Juz Amma,
his exegesis of the first chapter of the Quran (Tafsr al-Ftih ah), a book entitled Al-Dn al-Islm wa-l-Aql (Islam and the Intellect), another book entitled
lam al-Nis (The World of Women), and a collection of articles. He also
translated a book of ethics from Arabic into Malay (Al-Tah liyah wa-l-Targhb
fi-l-Tarbiyah wa-l-Tahdhb)8 and wrote fiction in Malay, with his most important narrative work being his 1925-26 novel Hikayat Faridah Hanum, the
focus of the present study.
Before turning to the novel, it will be helpful to consider the history of narrative forms in the last two centuries of Malay literature. The title of the
Father of modern Malay Literature has been commonly given to Munshi
Abdullah (1797-1854), one of the first Malays involved in scholarly pursuits
alongside religious affairs, and the first Malay writer to have his literary works
appear in print. More importantly, he was the first Malay to depart from the
traditional literary style, and to write in a lively and realistic colloquial language, rich in Malay idioms and proverbs.
Munshi Abdullahs first publication, Hikayat Abdullah (The Story of
Abdullah), was an autobiographical work written between 1840 and 1843,
and published in March 1849. It charts the early years of British colonization
and is an important source on Singapores early history. His other works
include Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Kelantan (The Tale of Abdullahs Voyage
7
8

Ibid., 74-75.
Ibid., 75-76.

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 249

to Kelantan), which describes his experiences on an 1837 trip from Singapore

to Kelantan, and Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Negeri Jeddah (The Tale of
Abdullahs Voyage to Jeddah), which was published posthumously.
Abdullahs progressive and bold social criticism needed almost a century to
be revived again; it became practicable only with the turn of the twentieth
century and the growth of Malay journalism. Local newspapers and magazines
succeeded in bringing Abdullahs voice everywhere in the Malay community,
allowing it to develop soon into an outspoken common consciousness. In fact,
nearly the whole development of modern Malay literature began in the pages
of Malay newspapers and magazines, and alongside the growth of nationalism
among the indigenous people.
During the development of Malay journalism, the old native tradition of
entertaining yet didactic storytelling continued to exist orally in Malay villages. Replete with unrealistically presented stories of fantasy and romance
that revolved around a make-believe world of famous figuresprinces and
princesses among them, these stories were surrounded by a sense of magnificence and magic. In journals, this tradition took the form of short stories,
though there were no standard conventions yet to follow. Pioneered by Nor
bin Ibrahims Kecelakan Pemalas (The Misfortune of a Lazy Man), published in February 1920 in the magazine Pengasuh, Malay short stories soon
became a highly popular genre in modern Malay literature. Until just before
World War II, no less than 734 short stories were published in Malay newspapers and magazines.9
However, there was that other form of traditional Malay storytelling, other
than myths, legends and the like. The stories of entertainment that Munshi
Abdullah had started in his biography and the narratives of his journeys, his
hikayat and kisah, formed another local narrative tradition that tended more
towards realism. Its presentation of accounts of the travels of true-to-life heroes
confronted by all sorts of challenges and trials made it easier to develop this
genre into the novel form.
Syed Sheikh al-Hadis Hikayat Faridah Hanum is considered the first Malaysian novel proper. It appeared for the first time in two parts, in 1925 and in
1926, under the title Hikayat Taat al-Ashiq li Maashuqatuhu (The Story of
the Lovers Subservience to His Sweetheart). The second edition of the whole
novel appeared with a new title Hikayat Faridah Hanum (The Story of Faridah

9
Johan Jaafar et al., History of Modern Malay Literature, Volume I. (Kuala Lumpur: Dewan
Bahasa dan Pustaka, Ministry of Education, 1992). Trans. Ahmad Kamal Abdullah et al. First
published in Malay, Sejara Kesusasteraan Melayu in 1981, quoted on http://chuahguateng
.blogspot.com/search/label/Malaysian%20Lit-in-Malay.

250 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

Hanum).10 With this novel, Syed Sheikh reached for a realism that could not,
yet, really escape the influence and structure of the traditional stories for entertainment. This connection with traditional narrative is also easily discernable
in the rest of the early Malaysian novels, all named hikayat, written by novelists like Ahmad bin Rashid Talu, Zulkarnain Yaakub, and Ahmad Kotot. The
hikayat of these writers, like the earlier Hikayat Faridah Hanum, represented a
transition from the romance tradition of the past to the rise of the novel. They
were characterized by two conflicting structural tendencies: one toward
description that focused on life, attempting to portray realistic people against
a believable background, comporting themselves in a manner becoming of
human beings; while the other tendency pointed towards romance stories,
through the clichd travels of the hero.11
Faridah Hanum marked a shift in Malay literature in more than one way. As
a poetic text, it heralded a new direction for Malay literature, which at the
time was characterized by dry didacticism and, sometimes, plain, prosaic narration. Including passages written in the poetic style of the traditional gurindam, Syed Sheikh revived the form in Faridah Hanum in a manner no less
significant than what renovators of Malay poetry have achieved, such as Chairil
Anwar, Usman Awang, and Masuri bin Salikun. Faridah Hanum not only
marked a new direction for the gurindam; the work is also considered the first
modern novel in Malay literature. Though the text displays an artistic simplicity at the level of narrative, due to the lack of a number of elements of the
novel, it is nevertheless this relative simplicity that also contributes to its
importance as a groundbreaking attempt. It revolves around three main characters: Faridah Hanum; her cousin Badrudin; and her beloved Shafiq Afandi.
The novel ends with the marriage of the two heroes, Faridah Hanum and
Shafiq Afandi who continue to live happily ever after.
From a comparative perspective, Faridah Hanum corresponds a great deal
to the early Egyptian novel, written around the same time, in such examples
as Muhammad H usayn Haykals Zaynab and Abbs Mahmd al-Aqqds
Sr. This reference to Egypt is in fact made explicit in Faridah Hanum, which
is itself set in Egypt, as geographical names indicate (such as Alexandria), and
the characters are also made Egyptian (as given titles denote, namely, hanum
and afandioriginally Turkish titles that came to heavily imbue Egyptian
etiquette). This suggests the strong influence of Egyptian literature on the
Malay literary milieu. The Egyptian influence on Malaya and Malay culture
10
The first edition, in two parts, was printed in Jawi letters, while the second one was published in Latin letters.
11
Johan Jaafar et al., History of Modern Malay Literature, Volume I as quoted on http://chuahguateng.blogspot.com/search/label/Malaysian%20Lit-in-Malay.

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 251

clearly extended beyond the intellectual dimension inspired by the reform

movement of al-Afghn and his students to the narrative realm as well, and it
is this literary-geographical affiliation that Faridah Hanums intertext claims.
In a comparison to Zaynab and Faridah Hanum, Ala Husni, a critic specialized in Egyptian-Malay literary issues, argues that the rural setting of Faridah
Hanum points away from Zaynab (many of whose events are set in the city),
towards that of Must af Lutf al-Manfalts al-Abart tragedy. Husni observes
that Syed Sheikh might well have been acquainted with al-Manfalt and his
universally influential works particularly given that al-Manfalt was himself
a major figure in the reform movement in Egypt, in which Syed Sheikh had
much interest. This point, however, needs further study and validation. In
another study, Rosni bin Samah compares the climax, characters, plot and
background of Haykals Zaynab and Syed Sheikhs Faridah Hanum, concluding that there is a heavy influence of the former on the latter at the levels of
theme, plot and character.12
Haykals Zaynab influenced Syed Sheikh Al-Hadis Faridah Hanum in a
number of ways, most prominently in the eponymous heroines and their dual
dilemma of being loved by an undesired relative as they yearn for the love of
another man. In Zaynab, Zaynab falls in love with Ibrhm, a man she sees
daily in her work environment. Ibrhm seems better than her cousin H mid,
to whom she barely relates, due to the social gap between them. In the end,
however, Zaynab marries neither Ibrhm nor H mid, but rather H asan. In
accordance with local social norms, she is forced to accept this marriage. She
is loyal to her husband as a wife, yet deep in her heart, she cannot love him.
The novel ends with Ibrhm leaving Egypt for Sudan, and Zaynabs severe
illness, which eventually leads to her death.
In Faridah Hanum, Ibrhms character is replaced with Shafiq, with whom
Faridah Hanum is preoccupied despite the difficult social conditions in which
she lives that will destine her to marry instead her cousin Badruddin, who
strives in vain to win her heart. Though she is forced to marry, Syed Sheikhs
novel ends happily when Faridah Hanum manages to get divorced from
Badruddin, and writes a letter to Shafiq informing him of her freedom. This
novels concludes with a second, joyful marriage, an ending altogether unlike
that of Zaynab.
A fundamental dilemma of love and marriage nevertheless creates parallels
between Faridah Hanum and Zaynab in theme and aspects of plot development,
however Faridah Hanum significantly departs from Zaynab as it draws to a
12
Samah, Rosni. The Influence of The Egyptian Novel Zainab in the Malaysian Novel Faridah Hanom. University of Sharjah Journal vol. 6, no. No. 1 (Feb 2009): pp. 134-142.

252 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

close, and far fewer characters appear in the pages of Faridah Hanum. In Zaynab, there are numerous heroes such as H mid, Ibrhm, H asan, Zaynab,
Azzah and others, while the heroes of Faridah Hanum are limited to Faridah
Hanum, Badruddin, and Shafiq only. Another significant difference between
the novels is the strictly prose style of Zaynab, in contrast with the poetic stanzas included within the prose text of Faridah Hanum.13 See Appendix I for an
English translation, and Appendix II for an Arabic translation, of a passage
from the novel, contextualized below.
Syed Sheikh al-Hadis insertion of poetic passages in a novel was quite innovative. The most important forms of Malaysian poetry14 are syair, pantun,
seloka and gurindam, and while it is not an objective of this article to differentiate between these forms, it was the last of thesegurindamthat Syed
Sheikh creatively employed in Faridah Hanum. Gurindam stands for a Malay
poetic form that has no fixed restrictions, but some common features. Written
usually in couplets or quatrains that deal with a single, simple idea, the gurindam uses a direct, lyric, and highly-rhythmical style, employing simple diction, as well as proverbial and humorous statements.15 It may be rhymed or
unrhymed.16 The gurindam used in Faridah Hanum, as is evident from the
transliterated Malay excerpt below, was written in rhymed quatrains:
Orang yang mesra darah badannya
Penyakit asyik telah meliputinya
Hendaklah sabar suatu ketikanya
Bila di marahi oleh maksyuknya

This poem17 in Faridah Hanum is composed of 18 stanzas. The first two of

these stanzas are soliloquized by the loathed Badruddin, who, fervently in love
with the eponymous young Faridah, expresses his desire for her, as well as his
conviction that she should never be anyones but his. The other 16 stanzas
comprise a dramatic monologue spoken by Faridah herself, addressing
Shafikthat ideal man of virtue and virilitywith boundless, spiritual love.
To her, he stands for everything beautiful in life. He used to love her as pas13

See Appendix I.
Zabas Study on Malay Literature (1934) was the first academic study to classify the classical
Malay poetic forms. Other important studies followed in the same vein, such as Mohd Taib
Osmans (1975), Muhammad Yousif Mutanawir and Abdurrahman Kayas (1985), and Harun
Mat Piahs (1989).
15
Zaba, Ilmu Mengarang Melayu, p. 242, quoted in Ala Husni, Islamic Directions in Modern
Poetry: Between Egypt & Malaysia, PhD dissertation presented to the Department of Arabic
Studies & Islamic Civilization, National University of Malaysia (UKM), Kuala Lumpur, 2001,
p. 666.
16
Alwi Salim, Puisi Melayu, pp. 48-50, quoted in Husni, p. 667.
17
Included in the excerpt in Appendix I.
14

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 253

sionately before, but has now abandoned her and gone away. She dreams constantly of seeing him again, and lives with the blissful (though shameful)
memories of the two of them together. Now neglected and dispirited, she complains to him of this madman, this Devil, who has come to take her away.
Interestingly, however, she actually complains to Shafik of Shafik himself for
abandoning her, for leaving her unprotected against evil, and for not caring to
come now to save her. Apparently, she does not give up hope that he may still
come for her. Hence, she concludes the gurindam with two stanzas of supplication, wherein she beseeches Allah to bring Shafik back to her, and to make him
her lawful husband, for she is determined not to accept any other man.
From a social point of view, Faridah Hanum represents a revolution against
the traditions that deprived women of their right to choose their husband, or
at least the qualities of their future husbanda great social problem that was
given priority by Arab social reformists of the day. Interestingly, the spiritual
position of Egypt, especially among scholars at al-Azhar University, is utilized
by Syed Sheikh, whose choice of Egypt as a setting for his novel affirmed the
weight of the social problem, and gave credit to its solution (whereby restrictions are ultimately broken, and a woman gains the right to choose her future
husband).
The Malay novel Hikayat Faridah Hanum charts the deep influence of the
early Egyptian novel, and in particular Muhammad H usayn Haykals Zaynab
on the early Malay novel. It also lays bare the considerable role that Arabic
texts and periodicals of the Islamic reformist movement in Egypt played in
Syed Sheikhs Malay milieu. Himself a Muslim reformist who had spent time
in Cairo at al-Azhar and reading the work of Abd, Rid and al-Afghn, Syed
Sheikhs novel is an embodiment of his intellectual ideals of liberating Malay
women from traditional social bonds well established in Malay society. The
trajectory of his heroine Faridah Hanum enacts this liberation over the course
of this poetic early Malay novel, leaving a traditional marriage in order to
achieve a more ideal one able to meet her needs and intellectual standards.

Appendix I
An Extract from Hikayat Faridah Hanum18
The following passage was selected from the novel for its incorporation of the
novels two gurindams, and was translated into English from the original Malay
text.19
18
Syed Sheikh, Hikayat Faridah Hanum, pp. 131-134. For a rendering of the same extract in
Arabic, see Appendix II.
19
The translation has been made with the generous interpretative assistance of Mrs. Habsah

254 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

When Faridah Hanums heart fell out of patience with him, she said, Stay
away from me! And keep that in mind! Dont you ever try to come near me,
because I frankly mayoh, I hate you! I hate you! I cant bear to look at you.
Badruddin listened, and felt so sorry, so depressed and miserable. His heart
was deeply injured, and heavily burdened with anxieties. He walked out of his
beloveds garden, his heart moaning all the while, as Faridah went indoors.
He told himself, Why dont I turn round at least once? Maybe she would
feel sad for me and all my love for her. But no! She hates me, and will always
hate me, as she always has! His agony got even more intense. His heart
screamed in pain:
He whose bodys blood is genial
Will always be surrounded with disease.
Then, he should have patience at the time
When his love with him is displeased.
There may come a time
When anger would turn into affection,
When what is hard and out of reach
Is attained with perfect ease.

As for Faridah Hanum, after she left Badruddin, she went in, got to her room,
and stood in front of the window, full of hatred and anger at Badruddin.
Promising herself, she said, He will never gain my affection! Ill never allow
his love to step into my heart! Oh, I hate him and everything about him, like
I hate Hell! My deepest fondness will never be anyones but his, he whom I
love, whom I shall love forever, Shafik Effandi. Oh, how I adore him! He may
be a man like Badruddin, in appearance almost alike yet, ah, the difference
between them is like that between a master and his slave. Oh, Shafik, ever in
my mind! Always before my very eyes! Wherever he goes, my love follows. Oh,
Im fond of him; I dote on him; I dream of him. Thus, I sing:
O begotten of (the dwellers of ) Paradise!
Your beauty is juice that quenches thirst,
You so enfeeble the goldsmith that he fails to assess the price
Of gold that is pure to perfection.
Are you pleased, O my life,
To see me thus, in this condition
Enduring misery, with a heart strangled with distress,
And severe torment brought about by your passion?
Abdul Rahman and Mr. Syed Mohamad Hilmi. To them are the writers unbound thanks therefore due, as well as to Mrs. Mafaz M. Mustafa for revising the English version.

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 255

O time gone by, before this void!

Such time of constant meetings,
Shameful with the pleasures of life enjoyed!
Yet, oh, if only God made it last forever!
Meeting you brings felicity.
Seeing your face brings joy,
Refreshes the body, enlivens vivacity,
Prolongs life, and gives it dignity.
The heart is unperturbed, for pleasure arrives:
Theres nothing boring, day or night.
Your countenance is like that of stars so bright,
Pleasing the heart of any that catches sight.
O Shafik, young man so smart!
O my life, and piece of my very heart!
Check for yourself, oh please:
My heart is squeezed.
Its all your doing:
Causing your lady but more unease,
With my parents unaware
Of our devoted vow.
And this maniac comes now,
Exasperating as he will please:
Hence, Allah is sought for shelter
Lest the maniac brings about disaster.
O Shafik! How skillfully you could steal
A ladys heart and take it away;
And then, pretending not to know, you keep silent, still,
Allowing the maniac to come my way.
What now of me, in this condition,
Being harassed by this devil
All the way from Alexandria until here,
With his looks, like those of ghosts and jinn?
And now I, my dear,
Live all the time in angst and fear,
For Satan, the evil, comes in pride,
Of neither iqmah nor azn terrified.
O my God, the One and Only!
Protect me, Your humble slave, against ruin!
Make my union unblemished and blessed with rest
With my darling Shafik, the one high-born.
Shafik, who is among all men the very best
With his great manners and gentle nature,

256 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

With perseverance endures,
Resisting egos, ghosts and devils lures.
Anyone other than Shafik
I would not accept at all
To have for a thrall,
Let alone for a husband (a lifelong rafik).
My God, O Merciful and Kind!
Pray, bestow on me Your loving Solicitude!
Protect me from every danger!
And make Shafik a husband to me, with nobility endued!
My Lord! My One and Only God!
I beg for Mercy and Care!
Make Shafik my destined choice:
For to stay away from him I cannot bear.

The only relief for Faridah Hanums heart was in her ceaseless devotion to Shafik,
day and night. The maid came to know this, so she went and informed Faridahs
father and mother about their daughters case. Then, Faridah Hanum went to
take a meal with her parents, Mohd Afandi and Badruddin Afandi. Whilst eating, they talked; and Badruddin was always trying to talk to Faridah Hanum,
but she always looked away in dislike, and hardly answered his questions.

Appendix II
Arabic Translation of a Passage from Faridah Hanum20

: . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
.
. . .
.
20
This translation of this passage of Hikayat Faridah Hanum from the original Malay into
Arabic has been kindly rendered upon the writers request by Mr. Mahmoud Abdul. The writers
sincere thanks are therefore due to him, as well as to Dr. Ala Husni and Dr. Haider Al-Ghdaier
for revising Mr. Abduls Arabic translation.

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 257

.
: . . . . . .

- - . . .
:

- -

. . . :

. . .
.
. . . . . .
. . .
.

. . . . . . . . . :

258 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 259

.


. . .
:
. . . - -
.

260 M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261

Appendix III
An Extract from Zaynab

21

-4-

"

".

.
"


:

".



"

".

"

.. "..

.....

....

....

....

"
)

.
(

".




Muhammad H usayn Haykal, Zaynab, pp. 50-52.

21

M. M. Bahjat, B. Q. Muhammad / Journal of Arabic Literature 41 (2010) 245-261 261

"

22

".





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22

Ibid., the last two paragraphs are from p. 58.