Dato Meor Abdul Rahman, Founder of Silat Gayong Malaysia from Taiping
Anyone in the martial arts world surely knows the name Dato Meor Abdul Rahman Bin Uda Mohd Hashim. For the information of our loyal readers at orangperak.com, Dato Meor Abdul Rahman is the founder of Silat Gayong Malaysia.
This great and respected figure was born on August 17, 1915, in a village called Kampung Lake Garden, located in the town of Taiping, Perak. The late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman was of Bugis descent, with ancestral ties to the
Panglima Hitam in the history of Perak
.
Syarifah Aluyah Binti Syed Zainal al–Attas was the mother of Dato Meor Abdul Rahman, while his father was named Uda Mohd Hashim Bin Daeng Che Ngah. Daeng Che Ngah, who was Dato Meor Abdul Rahman's grandfather, was the son of a Bugis King from Makassar, Sulawesi, and he was the
Panglima Hitam in the state of Perak
. Dato Meor Abdul Rahman Bin Uda Mohd Hashim had two full siblings, Meor Abdul Aziz and Siti Saadiah. Additionally, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman also had three half-siblings from his mother's previous marriage. When Dato Meor Abdul Rahman reached his teenage years, his family moved to Kampung Pokok Asam in Taiping. He began his early education at the Taiping Malay School and continued his secondary education at the Kamunting English School, Ipoh Trade School, and subsequently the Technical School, Ipoh, until 1936. For the information of our loyal readers at orangperak.com, Dato Meor Abdul Rahman originally began learning martial arts from his own grandfather (his mother's father), named Syed Zainal Bin Syed Idris al–Attas. His maternal grandfather was a famous warrior from the state of Pahang.
His grandfather, Syed Zainal Bin Syed Idris al–Attas, lived during the same era as other great Malay warriors such as Datuk Bahaman, Mat Kilau, and Tok Gajah. From a young age, Dato Meor Abdul Rahman was regaled with stories of warriors and the historical struggles of the Malay people by his grandfather. Unlike his peers who studied under the same grandfather, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman received intensive training every day, day and night. It took him only a few months to study and master the martial arts taught by his grandfather. Since his secondary school days, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman often traveled to the home of his sister, Hendon (a half-sister from his mother's previous marriage), in Kota Sarang Semut, Kedah. The late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman was said to be very close to Hendon and her husband, Zainal Abidin, an inspector in the police force. There is a story that once, when the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman went hunting with his brother Meor Abdul Aziz and his cousin Bidin in Kuala Dang, Ulu Kedah, he became distracted while hunting in the forest and wandered off, eventually getting lost as far as Padang Senai.
In Padang Senai, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman met a married couple named Pak Choh and Tok Mek Jah, who sold birds at the Pekan Rabu market. Dato Meor Abdul Rahman received help from the couple, who led him out of the forest and directly to southern Thailand, to their home in Mee Nam. Upon arriving at Pak Choh's house in Mee Nam, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman bathed in a nearby river and rested there. In his sleep, he dreamt of a figure appearing, dressed elegantly like a warrior from the era of the Melaka Malay Sultanate. The figure introduced himself as Hang Tuah and stated that Dato Meor Abdul Rahman needed to present himself to the Sultan of Perak to pledge his loyalty. When he jolted awake, he felt a change within himself, as if he had been infused with extraordinary strength. Upon returning to Taiping, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman recounted his dream to his family. After hearing the story, his grandfather, Syed Zainal Bin Syed Idris al–Attas, instructed his grandson, Dato Meor Abdul Rahman, to go and present himself to
the late Sultan Iskandar Shah
(the 30th Sultan of Perak) who resided in Manong, Perak.
Without wasting time, Dato Meor Abdul Rahman went to meet the Sultan of Perak, and he was then commanded by the Sultan to demonstrate his extraordinary strength before him. That night, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman was ordered to perform silat at the Istana Iskandariah located in Bukit Chandan. The Sultan of Perak at that time,
the late Sultan Iskandar Shah
as the 30th Sultan of Perak, was satisfied with the performance and strength of Dato Meor Abdul Rahman. His Majesty gave him the title 'Rahman Sendo' and made him his adopted son. For your information, the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman, who was the adopted son of the 30th Sultan of Perak, lived in the palace with the Sultan until
the late Sultan Iskandar Shah
passed away in 1938. There was also a time when an individual declared himself to be Mat Kilau. Dato Meor Abdul Rahman traveled to Pulau Tawar in Jerantut, Pahang, to meet him. There were reports suggesting that the martial arts knowledge possessed by Mat Kilau was the same as that held by Dato Meor Abdul Rahman.
The video recording below was made by a French television program, featuring the late Dato Meor Abdul Rahman Bin Uda Mohd Hashim at the age of 70, six years before he passed away.
On June 23, 1991, Dato Meor Abdul Rahman returned to the mercy of God, breathing his last. He passed away while in the arms of his beloved daughter, Puan Siti Fadzilah, at the Ipoh Specialist Hospital, Perak.
