Munshi Abdullah

Abdullah Abdul Kadir
A page of the Hikayat Abdullah written in Malay in the Jawi script, from the collection of the National Library of Singapore. A rare first edition, it was written between 1840 and 1843, printed by lithography, and published in 1849.
Born	Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir 1796 Malacca
Died	1854 (aged 57–58) Jeddah, Ottoman Empire
Occupation	Author, translator and teacher
Period	19th century
Genre	Non-fiction
Subject	Early Malay history

Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir (1796–1854) (Arabic: عبد الله بن عبد القادر 'Abd Allāh bin 'Abd al-Qādir) also known as Munshi Abdullah, was a Malayan writer of Indian origin. He was a famous Malacca-born Indian munshi of Singapore and died in Jeddah, a part of the Ottoman Empire.

Munshi Abdullah is regarded as the most cultured Malay who ever wrote, one of the greatest innovators in Malay letters and the father of modern Malay literature.

The term Munshi means "teacher" or "educator". Munshi Abdullah was a great-grandson of a Hadhrami Arab trader, and also had Tamil and to a smaller extent, Malay ancestry. Owing to his ethnic and religious background, the Malays would refer to him as a Jawi Peranakan or Jawi Pekan.

Munshi Abdullah followed his father's career path as a translator and teacher of colonial officials in the Malay Archipelago, mainly the British and the Dutch.

J.T. Thomson, a contemporary of Abdullah, described him thus: "In physiognomy he was a Tamilian of southern Hidustan: slightly bent forward, spare, energetic, bronze in complexion, oval-faced, high-nosed, one eye squinting outwards a little. He dressed in the usual style of Malacca Tamils. Acheen seluar, check sarong, printed baju, square skull cap and sandals. He had the vigour and pride of the Arab, the perseverance and subtility of the Hindoo - in language and national sympathy only was he a Malay."

Munshi Abdullah was born in Kampung Pali in Malacca, from parents of Tamil and Yemen descent. He was the youngest of five sons. All of his brothers died in infancy. He was sick most of the time and his mother took great care of him. As per the customary practices of the Malay community of that period, he was taken care of by various individuals as it was held that a child with poor immunity to diseases should be cared for by caretakers other than his or her biological parents. Munshi Abdullah was critical of the practice, describing it as stupid in the Hikayat Abdullah. He became a teacher or munshi, first by teaching Malay to the Indian soldiers of the Malacca Garrison. He then taught the Malay language to British and American missionaries and businessmen. He became a functionary in the Straits Settlements next. He became a scribe and copyist for Sir Stamford Raffles, followed by, in 1815, becoming translator of the Gospels and other text for the London Missionary Society. He also worked with the American Board of Missions.