By Nadiah Zamlus
The sixth Sultan of Selangor Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah Alhaj (1898-1960), to empower local youth with Islamic education, endowed his personal palace to start the Muslim College Malaya.
The palace, located along Jalan Kampung Jawa in Klang, was the residence of the Selangor royal family during the rule of His Royal Highness’ father, Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah (1865-1938).
Named Istana Jemaah after his queen, Tengku Ampuan Jemaah Raja Ahmad, the palace is also known as Istana Bandung due to its twin left and right porches.
The same area housed Istana Kota Negara (the residence of Sultan Hisamuddin’s mother Tengku Ampuan Zabedah, Istana Anjung (the residence of Sultan Hisamuddin’s wife), and Istana Hijau (the residence of Sultan Hisamuddin’s younger sister, Tengku Raihani, who was Brunei’s 27th queen).
According to Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) curator Faisal Surani, Istana Jemaah was also the residence of Sultan Hisamuddin’s son and eighth state ruler, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj.
“Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj was also born at Istana Jemaah on December 24, 1945,” he told Selangorkini on December 3.
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Klang Royal City Council curator Faisal Surani.[/caption]
Sultan Hisamuddin’s personal property, situated on a 5.7ha site, became a religious college, sparking the historic development of the Islamic education system. This was published in the Singapore Standard newspaper on September 10, 1950, with the title Offers Palace For Muslim College.
The college opened on February 24, 1955, with 43 students, with the officiation ceremony by the ruler on April 8 the same year. His Royal Highness kept tabs on the development of the college.
Islamic education
In the book Sultan Hisamuddin ‘Alam Shah al-Haj: Payung Kema’muran Negeri Selangor by Muhamad Adha Abd Jalil, there is a mention of the ruler expressing dissatisfaction that lessons at the college were not “Islamic teachings at their root”.
“Do not assume His Royal Highness is satisfied with the education at Muslim College Malaya. Subjects at the college are not yet satisfactory to His Royal Highness,” said an unnamed mufti in the book.
The book also mentioned the ruler’s generosity in endowing the palace and devotion to developing Islamic education to the standard of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University.
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Istana Jemaah seen in 1930.[/caption]
Muslim College Malaya then moved to Petaling Jaya on March 19, 1965, and the old palace was leased to the Education Ministry as the nation’s first fully Islamic secondary school.
In 1968, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj announced the upgrading of Muslim College Malaya to Southeast Asia’s first Islamic university. However, the move was delayed to make way for the establishment of a national university.
After 45 years, Muslim College Malaya was officially registered as Universiti Islam Malaysia on July 14, 2014.
MBDK curator Faisal said Istana Jemaah was then demolished with only the main building remaining on the site, which now houses the Sultan Alam Shah Islamic College (Kisas) administrative centre, the Kisas hall, and a dormitory.
Though Kisas is under the Education Ministry’s purview, Faisal said the MBDK will always monitor historic heritage monuments in Klang.
“Recently, Kisas requested the MBDK’s help to set up the Kisas Historic Gallery, and as curator, I was asked to help and cooperate with Kisas,” said Faisal.
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Istana Jemaah photographed between the 1970s and 1980s.[/caption]
