Written by: Averroes
(1.0) Introduction
I had the opportunity to visit Pulau Besar, an island located off the coast of Malacca, which is among the most historical States and rich in culture and heritage in Malaysia. I have heard several versions of stories and folklore about the island. I can't remember what year it was when I was first introduced to this island. You may watch my 25 minutes documentary of going to the island here;
Though, I did remember that I came across this island after reading several hoaxes and conspiracy theories during my past time, perhaps some years ago. The only information I had about the island was that, many cult groups and fanatics of strayed teachings, (depending on your religious faith and beliefs) were quite vehement for decades.
I read that these people waved their hands from mainland Malacca toward the island, as there is a religious or spiritual leader on the island who was entombed there for his contributions. They do this so that, the dead leader would respond to their rituals and prayer, thus granting their wishes.
The further I read, this practice endangered the Islamic religion as it was heretical. It may cause confusion among Muslims, since it was contrary to the tenets of Islam. The Islamic State Authority in Malacca took prompt action and eliminate any remaining practices and to preserve the sanctity of Islam.
Not just the tombs, but I also read that there were ancient or mythical sites which the fanatics also revere. It was also heresy to worship any natural or artificial formations on the island. Though, amidst all of it, a tahfiz school (Qur'anic school for teenagers) was erected there. A hotel-resort was also built on the island and I have always wondered how they could maintain their operations.
Due to the island's reputation for its cult rituals and faulty practices, rumours began to spread about spiritual apparitions and cloaks of shadows lurking around. As stated before, I read this from an online article and countless of others have varying accounts with many alterations. There is no standardised story or experience wandering on the island as they are passed on by oral representations.
(2.0) Plan to embark onto the island
As years passed after reading the online article, I was very curious. I wanted to visit the island myself to verify the authenticity of many version of stories concerning it. My uncle in Klebang Besar, Malacca (Pak Ngah) shared his bit of stories and experience going onto the island.
He said that he got lost in the jungles when two random strangers approached him and his other friend. They led him to a well which is said to be one of the mystical sites on the island. They invited my uncle to bathe with the well's water and rest.
Later, when they got lost again, the two strangers appeared and guided them throughout the island. To him, he was speculative of their intents on the island and how they knew the routes. My uncle is a good storyteller, almost chronicler-like.
With the right intonation and body-language, he began by saying that the Island has the tomb of a cleric known as Sultan Ariffin. He is said to be the 18th descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, and before he departed from Medina, one of the holiest cities in Islam, he was given a revelation to preach Islam on the Island of Java, today part of Indonesia and parts of Malaysia as it was in the past.
He passed away at the age of 58 in 1495AD. His other relatives include Syarifah Rodziah where she is buried down a slope of a hill, some distance from him, by the entrance of the Pulau Besar Mosque.
This cleric is said to the religious leader that everyone is paying homage and seeking spiritual refuge from, including the cult groups. Even non-Muslims such as those practicing Hinduism and Chinese traditional religion come to the island and supplicate towards him.
Since these cults and irresponsible individuals adorn their tombs and other sites with joss sticks, shower them with potent fragrances and sprinkled flower petals, that is where the ghosts or evil spirits begin to emerge. Again, these cults would also manipulate other Muslims to partake in their rituals, which then perverts the sacredness of Islam.
(3.0) The day has come
Finally, on the 27th December 2021, my Pak Ngah decided to take me along a trip to the island. My cousin also participated and as we drove the car toward the jetty, Pak Ngah invited his friend too. I don't know why he called him in, but I guess it was for safety precautions if any accidents occurred. He may be the friend who accompanied him when he met the 2 strangers.
We left our grandfather's house at around 8am and I think we arrived at 10am. I can't remember what the name of the jetty was, but there were so many seafood restaurants there. We didn't take the ferry because it wasn't available on that day. Instead, we took a speedboat to the island. A quick Google Map search, I suppose the jetty or pier was known as, Pulau Besar Boat Service, in Umbai or Pernu district.
The boat speared through the strong waters, I saw towers of electrical poles about 50 meters high on the sea. The towers I believe supplied electricity from the mainland to the Island. If not, Pak Ngah said that the island would have their own electrical generators and it caused too much noise.
Upon arriving, the island was not what I expected. My first impression was that, the island had thickset jungle trees with it's canopies and gigantic roots. There were sounds of monkeys howling and insects in the background. In all of it, there would be shrouds of fog and the sense of uneasiness.
What I actually saw was the emerald coloured waters, its beaches and a food court. There were showers and people actually camped by the beach!
We walked to the food court and had a sip of hot milk tea before proceeding to the Pulau Besar Mosque.
(4.0) Pulau Besar Mosque
When we were about to enter the mosque, we were greeted with a huge sign warning us of the cult rituals and that those practicing it would be prosecuted. Now, the horror stuff was beginning to materialise.
Then, a Pakistani man gave us packages of Briyani Rice and porridge.
We accepted it. Pak Ngah said that, people come to the island for all sorts of intentions and reasons. Apart from the negative perceptions of cult rituals, people came to practice Islam legitimately to its fullest extent. Some perfected their silat (martial arts). Some did their Nazar, or a promise on the island.
I am no expert in Nazar, so I would not comment further. People like me, came to explore due to our own curiosity. Perhaps, the Pakistani men were offering us the food because they were performing charitable work or wanted to do their Nazar.
We took our ablution, performed our tahiyyatul prayers. The architecture of the mosque was very old, it must have been there for decades or even hundreds of years. It had windows where natural air could be ventilated inside through the hole carvings.
The Mosque had a small pulpit and a small half-cylindrical area where the imam would lead the prayers. Though, I think the most had small renovations, because it had extended walls which were thinner and more modern. Pak Ngah confirmed this, because many of the structures and buildings on the Mosque's vicinity have transitioned after many years, since his childhood.
My mom, uncle, grandfather and the whole family went to the island before I was born and there was a large arch that bore the words, Makam Sultan Ariffin. It must have brought so much nostalgia to my Pak Ngah when he stepped foot on the island again and this would be a nostalgia for me too soon.
I saw a copy of a fatwa issued in a glass board, together with the annual donations collected by the Mosque from several parties, including the Boat Service business at the pier earlier. There was even a notice that the mosque could host Friday prayers, since there are more than 40 tahfiz students on the island.
I noticed that there were many Tamil translations of the Quran and other Islamic texts on the Mosque's rack. I suggest that, not just Pakistanis, but the mamak or Indian Muslims from Penang and Singapore might have visited this island and performed their religious practices, whether it conforms to Islamic teachings or not.
Then went to the tombs of the deceased religious clerics. First, the main tomb was Sultan Ariffin. As said before, he was a prominent figure whom helped spread Islam in the Malay archipelago. His grave was guarded by tall green spiked fences and there was a sign that bore a fatwa (religious edict) ban on cult rituals. The entire tomb complex had roofs on top too.
Next to Sultan Ariffin were the 7 beradik, or seven siblings. I tried to read the inscriptions on their grave mark, but it was too obscure. I was only able to read 'kutty'.
His grave was very long, a human is naturally below 2 meters tall, but how can his grave be around 10 or 8 meters in length? I remembered in the past, I was told that the long length of the grave isn't the height of the deceased, but it is only symbolic of his honourable stature and respect while was alive. The grave was made of marbles and small white stones covered the surface of the grave.
This include royal families, aristocrats and intellects, including Sultan Ariffin who was a cleric. The same Pakistani man who offered us food sat infront of the tomb began chanting religious prayers or zikir. I am sure that the sign warned him of the practice. The sign was huge, visible and had red coloured fonts. Especially it was bolded and in capital letters.
He even told us that he lived in Malaysia for 10 years and he spoke good Bahasa Melayu, despite a tinge of accent. However, we did not bother to advise or interrupt him, so we minded our business as long as he did not harm others.
I did saw bottles with its capped opened. I read that, the essence of the grave would dissolve into the water and therefore, becomes holy water. I doubt it and it is an inaccurate teaching of Islam, at least from my understanding.
To conclude, there are two Syariah Law offences, non-Muslims cannot be prosecuted in the Syariah Court, but may be sued for trespass to land or nuisance, since the land is owned by the Malaccan State Authorities and a private individual whom I was informed of by the local imam (I met him by the end of the day).
The Syariah Law Offences as seen in the pictures are section 69 for 'pemujaan' under Enakmen Kesalahan Syariah (Negeri Melaka) 1991 and section 47 of the same enactment for disobeying the fatwa issued. I was perplexed as to why the fatwa board said section 36, when it refers to the formation of baitulmal. Maybe the enactment had been amended to change the provisions order.
Even if the Malaccan mufti issues a fatwa, but in the case of Sulaiman bin Takrib v Kerajaan Negeri Terengganu (Kerajaan Malaysia, intervener) and other applications [2009] 6 MLJ 354, the Malaccan State Legislative Assembly needs to gazette it to be binding as under section 30 of the Enakmen Pentadbiran Hukum Syarak (Negeri Melaka) 1991.
(5.0) Into the jungle we go
At first, I didn't know that we had to go on jungle-trekking to reach the aforesaid mythical sites. There were even small sundry shops that sold beverages and other goods. We only bought two large mineral water bottles and climbed a steep into the jungle. I was excited and nervous at the same time, because this is it...
I was sadden to see litters of plastic bottles and other trash scattered across the island. Even by the end of the day on the island, I still saw trash everywhere. My cousin saw towers of black smoke polluting the air before we landed on the island.
Now we knew the reason why it was puffing into the air all along. Since the island does not have a good waste disposal system, the inhabitants and business owners only burn the waste. It's very dangerous and unsustainable, since it increase global warming and the burning of plastic emits dangerous chemicals into the air.
There were heaps of black ashes along the roads from the burning. It was really irritating. Since we were trekking the jungle, we stumbled upon a lake known as Tasik Biawak. It literally means Lizard Lake, but I haven't seen any lizards or why it was even called as such.
Though, I was intrigued that the lake was located in the middle of an abandoned golf course. Probably, because of a Bunian Village that my Pak Ngah mentions and from online sources, many of the projects on the island met a standstill because of it. Modern developments had been cursed as it has encroached onto the lands of the spirits in another parallel universe or realm in the jungles.
Inside the jungle, Pak Ngah was brining us to Batu Belah (halved rock), which is another main attraction site. We hurdled over logs and climbed. When we reached the top, I was enthralled by the halved rock. Pak Ngah said that there used to be a warrior named Panglima Lidah Hitam, who used his own tongue to slice the huge boulder into halves.
The rock was painted in blue for unclear reasons, but assuming one article online that they sprayed blue paint to hide the gambling numbers on it for good luck. The smell of fragrance was so potent, it was annoying than pleasant. Again, plastic waste were all over the floor and joss sticks too were jutting from the edges of the rock. Flower petals were seen too.
Some group of people might have arrived here earlier than us and performed their cult rituals with those joss sticks, flower petals and poured scented water. Turns out, Pak Ngah's friend who was sitting at the corner said that they weren't joss sticks.
In fact, they were setanggi. It is similar to joss sticks, but they produce an aroma or fragrance more appealing than joss sticks which has this undesirable odour (apologies for those who use joss sticks in their religious practices).
Setanggi is used by the Malay community back in the days to remove any body smell of the deceased for days before burial. This is because, in the past, relatives who lived days-distance away from the deceased took forever to get back.
In our current modern era, everyone has cars and fast transportation, so it is no longer necessary to have setanggi during the funeral. We took several videos and pictures and attempted to climb on top of the rock.
I also took the chance to slip myself in between the two halves and managed to reach the end. It was a worthy challenge and a once in a lifetime opportunity if I manage to return to the island. I only explored half of the island and hope to visit again for camping and fishing. Later, we descended to go to our next destination.
(6.0) Water Plant, Tiger and Kemenyan Cologne
As we continued our trekking, we took a break by a water treatment facility. Pak Ngah and his friend took a few sips from the bottle while I appreciated the beauty of the jungle. I saw one tall tree with its red bark. There was this wooden vine that was twisted and it looked very bizarre.
Pak Ngah said that the water treatment in the middle of the jungle is to supply water to the hotel-resort and maybe the other small businesses on the island. At this juncture, Pak Ngah also described how Atuk, my grandfather was sleeping on this island one time and a tiger licked and clawed his face.
There were wild boars too in the jungle and they often come out to feed on the waste and trash nearby the food court and other public places. So far, I did not see or hear any monkeys. After taking a small rest, we continued and stumbled upon a Kemenyan tree.
This tree produces rubber of saps which can then be used to create cologne. That tree is its only kind on the island and there were already scratches and chips on the wood for the Kemenyan sap extraction. I don't know if that's legal or not, but since there were no warnings or restrictions such as the cult rituals, it is presumed to be permissible.
To avoid any guilt feeling, I just observed and did not assist in doing it. Though, I know that in certain laws, it is still illegal to observe only as it is considered to be collaborating as well. To smell the sap, you would have to apply it onto a stick and burn it. Pak Ngah did that, but I can't tell the difference between burnt wood and the Kemenyan cologne. Probably because I'm too dumb hahaha.
(7.0) Gua Yunus, emerald waters, sandy beaches
Once we left the jungles, we now approach another abandoned golf course. It was stunning of how huge and lush the grasses were. I wonder how it would be to have a house in the middle of this expanse. I began to wonder if Pulau Besar could be Langkawi 2.0.
I mean, Langkawi has its fair share of myths, legends, fables and its breathtaking scenery. This package is similar to Pulau Besar. However, while writing this, I think it's best for it to be a hidden gem, if not, the pollution would exacerbate.
We walked by the beaches and saw first-hand, the emerald-turquoise waters of the sea and if we look closely, it is transparent enough, the sandy surface could be seen. We kept walking and saw families also visiting the island too. Some were sleeping in hammocks. It was very breezy. Though, the mood is spoilt with litters of trash still.
We then arrived at Gua Yunus. It's not a cave per se, but its a rock formation. There were many huge boulders lifting another one huge boulder above it. Imagine a rock, but beneath it are more rocks. That's Gua Yunus. It's called Gua Yunus, because another religious cleric used to meditate there and practice his religion.
He also practiced Silat. I read from an online article, he recited the Quran and the area was his frequented place for those purposes. When he went missing, people began searching for him in that so-called cave and saw a white rock which is where he did most of those activities near to.
It became a cult ritual or heretical practice when people began to worship or communicate with the white rock in that cave. Again, like the halved rock and at the Kemenyan tree, you would regularly see setanggi, the strong smell of scented water and flower petals everywhere.
As long as it has mythical and spiritual connections, you will find those ornaments. Even on top of the cave, it is said that there is the foot print of Sultan Ariffin or my Pak Ngah would say it belongs to Hang Tuah. We tried to climb it, but the metal ladder was too neglected and rusted, it was dangerous to climb.
We tried to find another alternative and managed to see it from a distance. Though, the footprint too had flower petals. I wonder how they managed to get there, despite the damaged ladder.
It was time to head back to our starting point, which was the Pulau Besar Mosque.
(8.0) Demolished tombs, wells and forlorn chalets
Enroute back to our starting point, we came across yet again, another golf course. There, rests the grave of Nenek Kebayan. Once we got there, the grave was already demolished to prevent the spread of cult rituals. What is left is another halved rock, but this time, a sword was used instead to slice it.
In my head, I kept on thinking, did these rocks got split in half due to geographical or scientific factors or were the myths of slicing the rocks with a tongue and sword made possible?
As a Muslim, I am expected to believe in the spiritual world and myths as Allah created the Djinns, angels and other creatures. We might not know that there are extraterrestrial beings living in outer space. Once more, I became frantic to see flower petals sprinkled on the rock. The smell of scented water also crawled into my nostrils.
If so, all of these pieces of evidence were very recent. The petals hasn't dried up yet and the smell was still there. I theorise that they must have visited all these places at night or during peak hours of the night, maybe 12am to 5am?
It's scary to think of how brave and weird these people are, they may think that what they're doing is practically correct and right, but others may not have the same opinion or views, especially from the majority. In Islam, there is no such leniency or radical change. Islamic law remains until the end of the world where earth would be crushed and we all die to meet Allah.
After observing the remnants of the demolished, we meandered our way to another beach and its trails lead to the starting point. There were several wells along the way, but they were modern because of the material used and the shape. Pak Ngah and his friend said that, before the COVID-19 restrictions, all the waters on the island were black because of the large influx of visitors.
Now, with the numbers receding, it is emerald-turquoise. I even saw large plots of lands away from the beach, with large tractor wheel marks. Pak Ngah said that this place used to accommodate many illegal immigrants, particularly Indonesians. Pak Ngah's friend said that the demolished area is to make way for more facilities and amenities for the island, or another resort.
The illegal immigrants must have tried to evade the authorities, so they escaped to this island temporarily and built these illegal settlements as squatters. Soon, we finally reach civilisation when we stepped onto paved trails.
Along the way, there was a neglected chalet with its roof torn apart and vegetation sprouting. I dare not say anything about the chalet, but I realised that this island needs more development and attention.
I do agree while there are religious enforcement and monitoring, but why only focus on that aspect when issues of pollution and weak infrastructure is not addressed? Sometimes, we should not be too superstitious because it could hinder us to progress forward.
I was told not to take anything away from the island and talk arrogantly, I hope I didn't. Moreover, I didn't have any dreams at night about the island, but my cousin did. I don't know if I should be lucky or thankful or not, because now, I'm curious as to why I didn't have any dreams about the island.
(9.0) Concluding remarks and goodbye Pulau Besar
We reached Pulau Besar Mosque again and ate Curry Chicken and Rice. We were also served with tea milk from the dispenser. We performed our Asar Prayers, and went to the food court again to order some drinks. I had Pepsi.
As mentioned before, I only travelled 50% of the island and one day in the future, I would definitely camp and experience another 50%, because I haven't gone to Marina Resort where people dub it as the Istana Bunian (Bunian Palace) where it is built on the Bunian Village. There is Tasik Bunian and a museum on the other side of the island, perhaps more sites to visiti.
As I finished my asar prayers, me and my cousin witnessed the splashes of water on the beach. The water was slightly clean, there were some sea algae and plastic bottles on the beaches. I had a conversation why my cousin on our future. I told him that I wanted to travel the world and begin with Southeast Asia first.
We discussed about the bargain culture between tourists and business owners and the economic situation in each ASEAN countries. Suddenly, an Imam from the Mosque by the name of Haji Ahmad greeted us. He sat beside us on the stone pavement and said that he worked for MAIM (Majlis Agama Islam Melaka - the Islamic Authorities in Malacca).
He would regularly visit the island a few times a week and takes shift to be the Imam. I find his explanations about the Island very eye-opening. It broadened by horizons. After all, the graves of Nenek Kebayan and Tok Janggut never even existed. After relocating or demolishing the graves, new graves would be built the next day.
This is why sometimes, people have become too superstitious and easily deceived without proper education and awareness. They intentionally built these graves and make it seem as if they are real ones by sensationalising it. When people visit this dummy graves, people would offer coins and heirlooms as a tribute or homage.
When they leave, the perpetrators would then collect these valuable items. Now, I have more perspectives and viewpoints on the issues that are happening on the island. I felt conflicted between religion and logic. However, I always try to fuse them together and find an appropriate conclusion as to what is happening.
Hj Ahmad said that one day, the police would have their own base here. I thanked the imam for his time and expressed my hopes that this island would be cleaner and safe for future tourist arrivals. Me, Pak Ngah, his friend and my cousin after drinking at the food court went to the speedboat to pick us up.
As the boat sped off and the island shrunk, I really want to come again as a I murmured in my head.
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