Syeikh Abdullah Fahim

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Shaykh Ibrahim is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Shaykh Abdullah Fahim. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.

Tuan Guru Abdullah Fahim عبدالله فهيم‎
Mufti of Penang
In office 1951–1956
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Abdullah Ismail
Personal details
Born	1869 (1869) Mecca, Sharifate of Mecca, Ottoman Empire (now Hejaz, Saudi Arabia)
Died	April 28, 1961(1961-04-28) (aged 91–92) Penang, Federation of Malaya
Resting place	Jami'ul Badawi Mosque, Kepala Batas, Penang
Education	Al-Azhar University
Occupation	Islamic scholar, astronomy
Religion	Sunni Islam

Shaykh Abdullah bin Ibrahim Badawi Fahim (Jawi: شيخ عبد الله فهيم‎; 1869 – 27 April 1961) was a Malaysian nationalist and Islamic scholar. He served as the first Mufti of Penang following Malaysian independence and was the paternal grandfather of Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Early life and education

Abdullah Fahim was born in 1869 in Mecca, then under the Ottoman Empire. He was widely known by the names "Pak Him" and "Chaiain." Trained in Islamic scholarship, he would go on to become a respected religious figure in British Malaya.

Religious and educational work

He established and administered several religious schools (madrasah or sekolah pondok) throughout Malaya. He served as the mudir (director) of Madrasah Idrisiah in Kuala Kangsar, and later founded a religious school in Kepala Batas, which would later become the political stronghold of his grandson.

Political involvement

Abdullah Fahim was actively involved in the nationalist movement and was one of the founding figures of Hizbul Muslimin, an early Islamic political party that later evolved into the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS). His descendants, including his son Ahmad Badawi and grandson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, became prominent leaders in UMNO, a rival political party historically opposed to PAS.

Legacy

He passed away on 27 April 1961 in Kepala Batas, Kedah.

On 12 February 2008, then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launched the inaugural Chair of the Islam Hadhari Institute at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, named in honour of his grandfather. The institute was described as the first of its kind in the country, intended to promote a deeper understanding of Islam nationally and internationally.

Further reading

• Mesut Idriz and Syed Ali Tawfik al-Attas, THE IJAZAH OF ‛ABDULLAH FAHIM: A UNIQUE DOCUMENT FROM ISLAMIC EDUCATION (Kuala Lumpur: MPH Publishing, 2006)
• Case of three Abdullahs at launching of institute, The Star, 13 February 2008.
• Haji Abdullah Fahim
• Abdullah Fahim: The man who decided the Independence date, - Sunday, 29 July 2007.
• Sheikh Abdullah Fahim, - Tuesday, 22 July 2008
• Abdullah Fahim Penentu Tarikh Kemerdekaan Negara
• Haji ADBULLAH BIN HAJI IBRAHIM (SYEIKH ABDULLAH FAHIM)