The Hadramaut Sayids of Perak and Siak
This note by R. O. Winstedt traces the genealogical origins and political influence of a Hadramaut Sayid family that rose to prominence in Perak and Siak during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Summary
Winstedt draws on a genealogical tree copied by the former Perak mufti Raja Haji Yahya, together with Van den Berg’s account of Hadramaut Arab colonies in the Indian Archipelago, to establish that the family in question descended from Ahmad bin Esa al-Mohajir, founder of the Sayid house of Hadramaut, and specifically from the Jamal-al-ail branch (p. 50). The family’s prestige in Perak is attributed to its claim of superior nobility among Sayid houses and to the religious authority of Sayid Husain al-Faradz, who served as religious teacher to the first Sultan of Perak in the first half of the 17th century (p. 51).
The note then documents the family’s political entanglements: members held the offices of Orang Kaya Besar, Manteri, and Bendahara in Perak, and intermarried with the ruling families of both Perak and Siak (p. 49). Winstedt provides a genealogical chart for the Siak royal line, showing Sayid Usman’s marriage into the Siak court and the subsequent succession of rulers through the 19th century, supplemented by dates from Dutch sources (p. 54). He also notes a subsidiary branch that went to Terengganu and returned to Perak, producing the rajas of Chenderiang (p. 52).