Abdullah Abdul Kadir | |
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 A page of the Hikayat Abdullah written in Malay in the Jawi script, from the collection of the National Library of Singapore. A rare first edition, it was written between 1840 and 1843, printed by lithography, and published in 1849. | |
| Born | Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir 1796[1] Malacca |
| Died | 1854 (aged 57–58)[1] Jeddah, Ottoman Empire |
| Occupation | Author, translator and teacher |
| Period | 19th century |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Subject | Early Malay history |
| Signature | |
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Abdullah bin Abdul al Kadir (1796–1854)[1] (Arabic: عبد الله بن عبد القادر 'Abd Allāh bin 'Abd al-Qādir) also known as Munshi Abdullah, was a Malayan writer. The term Munshi means "teacher" or "educator". He was a famous Malacca-born munshi of Singapore[2] and died in Jeddah, a part of the Ottoman Empire.
Munshi Abdullah followed his father's career path as a translator and teacher of colonial officials in the Malay Archipelago, mainly the British and the Dutch. Munshi Abdullah has been popularly regarded as among the most cultured Malays who ever wrote,[2] one of the greatest innovators in Malay letters[3] and the father of modern Malay literature.[4]
- ^ a b c Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. (2010). "Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-ak Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. pp. 23. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.
- ^ a b Ford, R. Clyde (July 1899), "Malay Literature", Popular Science Monthly, 55: 379–381
- ^ James N. Sneddon (2003). The Indonesian language: its history and role in modern society. Australia: University of New South Wales Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-86840-598-8.
- ^ World and Its Peoples: Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Brunei. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 2008. p. 1218.