MUSLIM SCHOLARS OF PAHANG IN TUK SHIHABUDDIN’S CLASSICAL MALAY POEM AL-GHAFILAH

Development of the classical Malay poetry as a medium of knowledge in Pahang is seen as one of the interesting issues to be discussed. It was developed by one of the well-known Muslim Scholars in Pahang known as TukShihabuddin. Numerous classical Malay poems written by him as a medium of knowledge to local people can be used to determine the history and the events that took place during his time. alGhafilah is a beautiful poem written by him. This paper will investigate the connotative and denotative meaning behind these beautiful stanzas. Review of literature and content analysis will be employed in this research. From observation, brief and concise stanzas tell their own stories. They clarify the names of Muslim scholars and their stories during the time of TukShihabuddin. This poem also conveys information about the social life and development of knowledge and Muslim scholars of Pahang in the 18th century