The pivotal role of Shaykh Mu\u1e25ammad Sa’\u00ecd al-Linggi (1875\u20131926) in spreading the A\u1e25madiyya-Idrisiyya in Kelantan and Negeri Sembilan over the early-twentieth century might be well known, but this presentation focuses upon aspects of his career missed by others. These incrementally came into focus while working on a compendium of Malay \u2018ulamaconnected the Meccan-based Patani School of Malay \u2018ulama connected to the former Malay Kerajaan of Patani (in present-day South Thailand). I present reasons for conceiving Shaykh Mu\u1e25ammad Sa’\u00ecd al-Linggi as a member of this mobile and culturally cosmopolitan Patani Malay diaspora. In addition to his maternal grandmother being one of Shaykh D\u0101\u2019\u016bd bin \u2018Abd All\u0101h al-Fa\u1e6d\u0101n\u012b\u2019s (1769\u20131847) sisters, he spent ten years in Patani between 1882 and 1992. Furthermore, five of these were spent studying with the famous Shaykh Zayn al-\u2018\u0100bid\u012bn bin Mu\u1e25ammad al-Fa\u1e6d\u0101n\u012b, or Tuan Minal (1820\u20131913). Reconsidering the career of this murshid presents an opportunity to reimagine the importance of the A\u1e25madiyya-Idrisiyya in Mecca during the late-nineteenth century, during which other Malay \u2018ulama from the east coast of Siamese-Malay Peninsula were inducted into this \u1e6dar\u012bqa. I present reasons for arguing that his decision to relocate from Mecca to Kelantan\u2014rather than Patani\u2014in the early twentieth century was related to the arrest (in 1902) of Patani\u2019s last Sultan that led to another exodus of Malay \u2018Ulama from Patani to Kelantan, Kedah\u2014and Mecca. I conclude with a note about a lesser-known chapter of Shaykh Mu\u1e25ammad Sa’\u00ecd al-Linggi\u2019s legacy. This is connected with his having spread the A\u1e25madiyya-Idrisiyya to one of the many Malay communities in Central Thailand around the former Siamese capital of Ayutthaya, at the end his career. This represents a timely reminder about Malay elements in Central Thailand\u2019s cultural geography.<\/p>\n
Dr. Christopher M. Joll<\/strong> is a New Zealand religious anthropologist and historian, who has spent most of the last two decades studying Thailand’s scattered between Central Thailand and the Malaysian border. He is the author of Muslim Merit-making in Thailand’s Far-south (Springer, 2011). In addition to being a research fellow at the Centre of Excellence for Muslim Studies at Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Asian Studies, he supervises a cohort of post-graduate students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Ethnic Studies.<\/p>\n Date: 21 October 2025 (Tuesday) 2.30 p.m.: Introduction & Welcoming Remarks by the Moderator<\/p>\n 2.35 p.m.: A revisionalist take on the role of Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Linggi and his spreading of the A\u1e25madiyya-Idrisiyya \u1e6car\u012bqa in the Malay World during the early twentieth century<\/em> \u2013 Dr. Christopher M. Joll<\/p>\n 3.35 p.m.: Q & A Session<\/p>\n 4.00 p.m.: End<\/p>\n Disclaimer: <\/strong>The views expressed in the presentation(s) are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of KITA.<\/p>\nProgramme:<\/h3>\n
\nTime: 2.30 p.m. – 4.00 p.m.
\nVenue: KITA Meeting Room, 4th Flr Administration Block, Kolej Keris Mas, UKM Bangi
\nPlatform: Zoom (link below)<\/p>\n