(untitled) (Applied History Journal of Merong Mahawangsa, 2025)
Syeikh Abdullah merupakan tokoh pendakwah yang mengislamkan Raja Kedah iaitu Seri Paduka Maharaja Derbar Raja sekaligus menyebarkan Islam di Empayar Kedah. Yahya Said yang merupakan pengasas Silat Kalimah menisbahkan ilmu persilatannya berasal daripada Syeikh Abdullah atau digelar Syeikh Tajrid, tetapi kesemuanya adalah berdasarkan riwayat lisan semata-mata. Silat Cekak yang diasaskan oleh Hanafi Ahmad yang beliau pelajari ilmu silat itu daripada Yahya Said turut menyebut mengenai Syeikh Tajrid. Berdasarkan permasalahan tersebut, maka artikel ini memiliki dua objektif. Pertama, mengenal pasti kebenaran gelaran Syeikh Abdullah iaitu Syeikh Tajrid. Kedua, mengenal pasti pengajaran silat Syeikh Abdullah dalam catatan sejarah. Kajian ini dilakukan secara kepustakaan yang menjadikan tiga buku sebagai rujukan utama bagi memenuhi objektif iaitu Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, Salasilah Atau Tarikh Kerajaan Kedah dan Al-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah. Selain itu, bahan-bahan penulisan daripada Silat Cekak dan Silat Kalimah juga dijadikan rujukan. Dapatan kajian dianalisis secara kritis. Hasil kajian mendapati tiada langsung catatan bahawa Syeikh Abdullah membawa gelaran Syeikh Tajrid melainkan penisbahan “Qumairi” yang terdapat beberapa perbezaan sebutan. Selain itu, tiada dalam mana-mana catatan sejarah bahawa Syeikh Abdullah mengajarkan silat, melainkan beliau ditampar dan ditumbuk oleh Iblis dalam Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. Penelitian awal mendapati bahawa silibus Silat Kalimah atau Silat Cekak yang wujud sekarang ini berkemungkinan adalah hasil pengalaman Kesultanan Kedah mengambil ilmu persilatan daripada pelbagai sumber. ABSTRACT Sheikh Abdullah was a prominent Islamic missionary who converted the King of Kedah, Seri Paduka Maharaja Derbar Raja, to Islam and subsequently spread Islam throughout the Kedah Empire. Yahya Said, the founder of Silat Kalimah, attributed his martial arts knowledge to Sheikh Abdullah, also known as Sheikh Tajrid, although this claim is based solely on oral tradition. Silat Cekak, founded by Hanafi Ahmad who learned the martial art from Yahya Said, also references Sheikh Tajrid. Given these issues, this article has two objectives. First, to verify the authenticity of the title "Sheikh Tajrid" attributed to Sheikh Abdullah. Second, to identify any historical records of Sheikh Abdullah teaching silat. This study was conducted through a literature review, using three main books as primary references to fulfill the objectives: Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, Salasilah Atau Tarikh Kerajaan Kedah, and Al-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah. In addition, written materials from Silat Cekak and Silat Kalimah were also used as references.The research findings were critically analyzed. The results show that there is no historical record indicating that Sheikh Abdullah held the title Sheikh Tajrid, except for the attribution "Qumairi," which appears with varying pronunciations. Furthermore, there is no historical evidence that Sheikh Abdullah taught silat, apart from an account in Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa where he was slapped and punched by Iblis (the Devil). Preliminary observations suggest that the current syllabus of Silat Kalimah or Silat Cekak may be a product of the Kedah Sultanate’s accumulated experiences, drawing martial arts knowledge from various sources.