When Words United People

Day was turning into night at the residence of Teuku Abdullah Sakti in Banda Aceh on Thursday (12/1) as the 63-year-old man sang the tale of “Taj al-Salatin”. Accompanied by the sound of the rain softly falling outside, the song in the Acehnese language soothed the ears.

The song the Syiah Kuala University historian was singing took us back to the year 1603, when it was written.

“Taj al-Salatin” was written by Bukhari al-Jauhari, who lived when the Aceh Darussalam sultanate was led by Sultan Alauddin Riayat SyahSayid al-Mukammil, between 1589 and 1604. It was often sung in front of the king, royal ministers, district commanders, other royal officials and the people. The song is about proper behavior and statehood duties according to the teachings of Islam.