The Most Distinguished Arabic-Malay Dictionary Author from Perak

Dr. Syeikh Mohamad Idris bin Abdul Rauf Al-Marbawi was a prominent figure in literature, particularly in the fields of Arabic language, Hadith, tafsir, and fiqh. His most distinguished work, which has remained the most prominent in the entire archipelago since it was first published, is the Al-Marbawi Dictionary. The Al-Marbawi (Arabic-Malay) dictionary was written by him and published in the 1950s in Malaysia.

The Al-Marbawi dictionary is available in two different sizes: large and small. This dictionary has been published by many publishers, including Darul Nu'man and Darul Fikir.

To this day, the dictionary he wrote has been reprinted no less than 25 times. This Arabic-Malay dictionary contains 18,000 Arabic words with their Malay meanings and 700 words illustrated with pictures. This popular dictionary is written in Jawi script and organized using a method that is easy to read and understand.

For your information, Dr. Syeikh Mohamad Idris bin Abdul Rauf Al-Marbawi was born in a village called Misfallah in Makkah on May 10, 1896. His parents were originally from Kampung Lubok Merbau, Kuala Kangsar.

By the age of 10, he was already capable of memorizing 16 juzuk (parts) of the Al-Quran, in addition to memorizing several other books. In 1905, his family finally returned to Tanah Melayu.

Upon returning to his homeland, Dr. Syeikh Mohamad Idris bin Abdul Rauf Al-Marbawi continued his studies at Sekolah Melayu Lubok Merbau, which is now known as Sekolah Kebangsaan Syeikh Mohd Idris Al-Marbawi.

He then continued his studies at several pondok schools, including Pondok Wan Mohammad, Bukit Chandan in Kuala Kangsar (now known as Madrasah Idrisiah), Pondok Tuan Hussien Al-Masudi in Kedah, Pondok Syeikh Ahmad al-Fatani in Bukit Mertajam, and Pondok Tok Kenali in Kelantan. After completing his studies, he served as a religious teacher in the state of Perak.

In 1924, he continued his studies at Al-Azhar University, Egypt, and successfully obtained an 'Aliyah (highest) degree. He was among the earliest individuals to pursue higher education in Makkah.

While in Makkah, he compiled the Arabic-Malay dictionary known as the Al-Marbawi Dictionary, which was published in 1937 and has been reprinted more than 25 times.

This distinguished dictionary was initially compiled by three individuals: Syeikh Mohamad Idris himself, Syeikh Juned Tola, and Syeikh Tahir Jalaluddin. However, when the latter two returned to their homeland without completing the dictionary, the work was continued by Syeikh Idris al-Marbawi himself as the author.

For his immense contributions to religion and literature, Syeikh Mohamad Idris was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Letters by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) on July 5, 1980.

On August 28, 1987, Syeikh Mohamad Idris was declared the first National Ma’al Hijrah Figure in our country. On April 19, 1988, he was awarded the Ahli Mahkota Perak (AMP) medal by the late Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan, in conjunction with his birthday.

He was a pious scholar who placed great importance on family ties. People who knew him were clearly very fond of and respected him.

His noble character, combined with his sharp mind even in his 90s, was his most valuable asset. His deep appreciation for knowledge, humility, and thirst for learning were undeniable.

In fact, when asked to speak after being awarded the Ma’al Hijrah Figure title, he frankly stated that he was not worthy of speaking there because he felt he still lacked knowledge.

Interestingly, in another instance, he was seen performing wudhu (ablution) using a very minimal amount of water, not even a dipper full.

During his nearly 60 years in the Middle East, he traveled extensively and witnessed various forms of Islamic resurgence, in addition to carrying out missionary work. These travels provided him with much awareness and useful experience.

Driven by a desire to see more young people receive a perfect education, he used the prize money from his Ma’al Hijrah award to enable his children to establish an Islamic studies college named Kolej Idris Al-Marbawi Al-Islami in Ipoh, Perak. Its teaching staff consisted of his daughter, Mariam, his grandchildren, and several external instructors.

Syeikh Mohamad Idris returned to the mercy of Allah at the age of 93 on Friday, October 13, 1989, at exactly 8:30 AM at the Ipoh General Hospital, Perak.

His remains were laid to rest at the Kampung Lubok Merbau Muslim Cemetery in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, next to the grave of his wife, Khadijah binti Mohamad Idham, who had passed away 14 months earlier.

To commemorate his services, which have greatly benefited our society today, his name has been immortalized at a residential college at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, known as Kolej Idris al-Marbawi.

His name has also been immortalized at the school where he studied in Kampung Lubok Merbau, namely Sekolah Kebangsaan Syeikh Mohd Idris Al-Marbawi.