Just realized this comment was made in 2009! Terribly sorry for the late response. I actually have an archive of Brother Halim Shin’s articles, as well as the articles uploaded in MACMA websites. With regards to MACMA, I visited the MACMA HQ on Nov. 09 and got in touch with Sister Maswani Chung. I shall liaise with her in future if the need arises. Insha’Allah. Thank you so much.

Anak Alam :: Perhaps I should provide more details.

The Inscribed Stone Slab of Terengganu was written in ancient Arabic and Persian script, however the manner of writing is similar to the ancient classical Chinese script known as Wen Yan Wen.

On Fo-Lo-Ann; Kuala Berang. The traders arrived in large vessels through Sg Terengganu or other routes that passed through Pahang and Kelantan to reach Kuala Berang. At that time, Sg Terengganu was more than 15 metres deep and it could hold large vessels.

Regarding the Al-Yunani family; The Al-Yunani adopted the family name Al-Yunani (of the Yunnan) to notify the people they are Muslims, although they were not from Yunnan.

I am stating these based on memory. Pls correct me if I’m wrong. As for now, I’m reading about the Cham Malays residing in Cambodia. Appreciate the references and I shall look into them in due time, Insha’Allah.

Broomhall, Marshall. Islam in China. New York: Paragon Book Reprint Corp., 1966.

Kim, Hodong. Holy War in China: The Muslim Rebellion and State in Chinese Central Asia, 1864 – 1877. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2004.

Chu, Wen-Djang. The Moslem Rebellion in Northwest China, 1862 – 1878. The Hague: Mouton & Co., 1966.

Israeli, Raphael. Muslims in China. Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press, 1980.

Israeli, Raphael. Islam in China. New York: Lexington Books, 2002.

Ancient China and India were respectively known to the Arabs as As-Sin and Al-Hind respectively, with whom they had trade connection both on land and sea-routes, mainly on silk-routes. There were sea-silk routes too.
About the need to go to China even, to educate is a genuine hadith and it is much popular among the Arabs and Persians to abouth this hadith of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and they really believe it is shahi/genuine hadith. Look:

Mohd. Sharif Khan, 1986, Islamic Education, New Delhi: Ashish Publishing House, page, 15- quoted the hadith on the authority/ reference of Ibn Adi (925 AD) and Abul Fazl Baihaqi that :

“Obtain Knowlwdge even if in China”
(Ibn Adi & Behaqi).

It will be a great disservice if you, in lack of knowledge and research, try to discredit this hadith. Prophet (pbuh) only stressed on secular education, which is much essential to know the Holy Quran in letter and spirit. Some Anogo-American, and European authours try to discredit this hadith, thus trying to belittle the all round achievement of early Chinese education. We also find a hadith that “Heaven smells from the East (India?)”.

Another Hadith: “Learn the language of the Turks, for they will have a long reign” (Muhammad al-Kashghari, 940 AD).
(see the “Bulletin of the School of African and Oriental Studies”, University of London London, vol XLI, part
1, 1986, page 69).

see the Seljuk Turk who arose out of Abbasid Empire/Baghdad of the Turks in c. 1056 AD from whom the Ottoman Empire (1299-1924 AD) sprung up which ruled much of SE Europe, N. Africa, Arabia, ex-Ummayad and ex-Abbasid domains.

Don’t be surprised by such Hadith. The Rashidi Khalifs ruled in 632-661 AD only, Ummayad in 661-750 only and Abbasid in 750-1258 AD only. Take the single example, Ottoman/Usman Empire that ruled for more than 600 years, when Musatafa Kamal Pasha abolished the Caliphate in 1924. Even today, Turkish role in Islamic Affairs is paramount. Its Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was recently conferred the Arab Nobel Prize for Service to Islam by king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Even OIC General Secretary is Ecmeleddin Ishanoglu, a Turk. How true the latter Hadith is which the Prophet spelt out in his lifetime!!!!!

God only knows whether the hadith is strong or weak. but since the message in the hadith (i.e emphasising on learning)is strong, we should follow it.

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I get really curious when I read that the proposition that Terengganu Inscription Stone bears writing resembling that of the Chinese ancient scripture. This is certainly not true as the Stone, which is widely researched, is wholly written in the Jawi script i.e. written in Malay language using Arabic characters. There might also be an error in relating the fact that there was a Chinese settlement in Kuala Berang. As far as I know, the name Fo-lo-an is used to refer to the district of Kuala Terengganu or one of the coastal settlements on the Terenganu seaboard. Kuala Berang is too far inland to have seaport; the related Chinese accounts as far as I know refer to seaports that were visited by the Chinese chroniclers.

I am also interested to find out why the al-Yunani family who first settle and still currently live in Kuala Terengganu adopt the family name of al-Yunani if they have come from Guangdong?

On the other hand, you might be interested in finding out about the Brunei King that was buried in Nanking, a group of Mindanawon who went to the Emperor’s court asking for refuge, a group of Cham Malay who reside til today in Hainan, and also facts from the Dali Sultanate of Yunnan’s record of at least 3 ministers who came directly from the Malay Archipelago?

Wassalamualaikum.

Just to inform that pictures with the Arabic inscription Raudhah Abi Waqqas and the red gateway are not of the Huaisheng Mosque, but could be found at the tomb-complex purpotedly belonging to Sayyidina ABi Waqqas r.a. The tomb-complex lies about 20 minutes fast-walk away from Huaisheng Mosque, to the north part of the city, close to where Canton Fair is located, and next door to the Orchid Garden.

Wassalam.