The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

REVIEW ARTICLES 259
The coming of Islam
Marco Polo stated that Ferlac, identified as Patani, was a Muslim
state. That was in 1292. In 1297, or five years later, Malikul Saleh,
the founder and Muslim ruler of Semudra in North Sumatra, died. His
gravestone is still in the Semudra-Pasai District.
Based on this evidence,
as well as on Marco Polo's evidence on Ferlac, students of ancient
Malaysian affairs, mainly Western scholars, have thought that Islam
came to Southeast Asia from the west (Middle East), first to North
Sumatra, then to the west coast of Malaya and on to Malacca. On the
other hand, the Muslims of the east coast, or more specifically, of
Patani, have a tradition that they got their religion from the East, that
is, from China.
The Javanese also have the same tradition. Let us look
at the story of Malikul Saleh in a little more detail,
The story is found in two Malay chronicles, the Hikayat Raja Raja
Pasai and the Sejarah Melayu ("Malay Annals").
Both, of course, were
written down much later than Marco Polo, the Sejarah Melayu being at
least two centuries later, where the arrival of the Portugese is included
in the tale.
According to the Sejarah Melayu, there were two brothers
Merah who lived near Pasangan.
The younger brother, Merah Situ, fled
to Jerun when he beard that his elder brother, Merah Chaga, wanted to
kill him for eating galley worms.
Merab Silu then built Semudra. "Now
it happened that in ancient days the Apostle of God (May God Bless Him
and Give Him Peace) told his companions, 'In the latter days there shall
be a city, below the wind, called Semudra. When you hear tell of this
Semudra go thither with all speed and bring the people of that city into
the faith of Islam, for in that city shall be born many Saints of God.' 10
In due course this was done and Merab Silu, who bad just been
converted, was installed as Raja of Semudra with the title of Malikul
Saleh. The Raja bad two sons. He built Pasai as a settlement for his
elder son, Malikul Tahir, and when he died his younger son, Malikul
Mansur, became Sultan of Semudra in his stead. Semudra and Pasai
are twin cities on opposite banks of the Jambu Ayer River in Sumatra.
Malikul Saleh died in 1297 and his gravestone is still in Sumatra.