The Remains of the 24th Sultan of Perak Were Not Buried for Over a Month
Many are unaware of the poignant story of what happened after the 24th Sultan of Perak passed away, a tale fading from memory as it is rarely told to our children.
This retelling is not intended to disgrace any party, but rather to educate and open the eyes of our loyal orangperak.com readers so that this story may serve as a lesson.
The late Sultan Ali Al-Mukammal Inayat Shah was a Sultan beloved by his people. He was the 24th Sultan of Perak and reigned for only 6 years, from 1865 to 1871.
For the information of our loyal orangperak.com readers, the late Sultan Ali, who resided in Sayong, Kuala Kangsar during his reign, was the son of the late Sultan Shahabuddin Riayat Shah (the 21st Sultan of Perak).
The late Sultan Ali also served as Raja Muda during the reigns of the late Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah I (22nd Sultan of Perak) and the late Sultan Jaafar Safiuddin Muadzam Shah (23rd Sultan of Perak).
During the reign of the late Sultan Ali, the Bendahara of Perak was Raja Ismail, son of Saiyed Syeikh Al-Khairat, a Raja from Siak, and his Raja Muda was Raja Muda Abdullah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ja'afar Mu'azzam Shah.
In 1870, the late Raja Muda Abdullah Muhammad (26th Sultan of Perak) leased an area in Kerian to a Eurasian financier from Penang named Edward Bacon without the consent of the late Sultan Ali, despite having been warned not to cooperate with British merchants in Penang.
The late Sultan Idris II visiting the tomb of the late Sultan Ali in 1950
The late Raja Muda Abdullah Muhammad (26th Sultan of Perak) ignored the warnings and prohibitions of the late Sultan Ali (24th Sultan of Perak) and forced Minister Ngah Ibrahim to affix his seal to the power of attorney for Edward Bacon (as the Kerian area was part of the Larut District, which belonged to him), granting a 15-year lease at a rate of $55,000 per year.
This is the climax of the sad story regarding the late Sultan Ali (24th Sultan of Perak). His passing did not lead to an immediate succession, causing the funeral rites for his remains to be delayed for over a month. To be precise, the late Sultan Ali (24th Sultan of Perak) passed away on May 26, 1871, and was only laid to rest on June 28, 1871, at Gedong Siam, Sayong.
For approximately 34 days, the lifeless body of the late Sultan Ali (24th Sultan of Perak) lay without burial. Finally, the Great Chiefs of Perak gathered in Sayong and unanimously agreed to immediately bury the late Sultan Ali (24th Sultan of Perak), who had been deceased for over a month.
On June 28, 1871, Raja Bendahara Ismail was appointed as the 25th Sultan of Perak, and on the same day, the remains of the late Sultan Ali (24th Sultan of Perak) were laid to rest.
You may wonder why the remains of the late Sultan Ali (24th Sultan of Perak) were buried so late. This was because at the time, it was said that Minister Ngah Ibrahim was in conflict with Raja Muda Abdullah (26th Sultan of Perak) and did not agree with Raja Muda Abdullah being installed as the Sultan of Perak.
We are certain that loyal orangperak.com readers know that Minister Ngah Ibrahim was the wealthiest person and held strong influence within the state of Perak.
Sultan Nazrin visiting the tomb of the late Sultan Ali
However, Minister Ngah Ibrahim agreed for the late Raja Bendahara Ismail (25th Sultan of Perak) to be appointed as the Sultan of Perak.
During the reign of the late Sultan Ismail (25th Sultan of Perak), even worse conflicts occurred, especially between the relatives of Sultan Ismail in Belanja and the relatives of Raja Muda Abdullah in Batak Rabit, the relatives of Raja Yusuf in Senggang, and Minister Ngah Ibrahim himself in Larut.
Each claimed to have a better right to inherit the throne of Perak, and the conflict dragged on until the late Sultan Ismail (25th Sultan of Perak) fled from the threat of the British military because he was accused of being complicit in the assassination of J.W.W. Birch. He was later captured and exiled to Skudai, Johor.
image credit and story adaptation from SembangKuala
