A Document Kept Through Time

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We recently came across a beautifully handwritten Jawi note dated 30 August 1946, tucked inside our grandfather’s old folder from our Bedok kampong house - a folder our late father continued to keep long after we moved away. None of us had ever seen this document before. It surfaced only after Dad’s passing, as though it had been waiting quietly for its moment to be remembered.

The text appears to be a formal Islamic legal declaration, likely touching on matters such as inheritance, guardianship, or the transfer of rights. Its B.M.A. (British Military Administration) stamp places it firmly in the immediate postwar period, confirming that it was officially recognised at a time when Malaya was rebuilding its civic and administrative structures.

We do not know who the individuals named in the document were, nor how this paper came into our grandfather’s possession. But its survival feels meaningful. The document has now been donated to the National Library Board’s Archives, where it can be properly safeguarded as part of Singapore’s historical record.

Since it has been exactly 80 years since this declaration was written, we thought we would share this scanned copy here with our readers and followers - a small but evocative fragment of the world our kampong families once lived in, and a reminder of how memory sometimes returns to us in the gentlest of ways.

30 August 1946 - Kg Soopoo was our grandfather's previous residence before moving to Bedok

Here is an attempt by Microsoft Copilot AI to translate this text into English (kindly alert us if anything is amiss in this translation attempt):

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Praise be to God Almighty, and blessings and peace be upon His noble Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

This declaration is made by Haji Abdullah bin Haji Hassan, may God grant him forgiveness and acceptance.

I, Haji Abdullah bin Haji Hassan, residing in 2 & 4 Kampong Soopoo, hereby affirm and declare of my own free will that I have transferred, surrendered, and handed over my rights and responsibilities to Sayeh bin Taha.

This transfer concerns matters of inheritance, lineage, and rightful succession, and is made in accordance with the established customs and the laws of our faith.

The declaration identifies the family line and rightful heirs, including:

  • Sayeh bin Taha,
  • Dahaun,
  • Sheikh Abdullah,
  • and other descendants and relatives whose names are recorded to establish the legitimacy of this transfer.

This declaration is made to ensure that all rights, obligations, and entitlements connected to the estate or inheritance in question are lawfully and properly passed to the said Sayeh bin Taha, in accordance with the rules of Islamic law and the traditions of our community.

This document is signed and sealed on 30 August 1946, and bears the official B.M.A. Malaya 10-cent revenue stamp, signifying its recognition by the authorities under the British Military Administration.

[Signature]
Haji Abdullah bin Haji Hassan


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