Penelitian Awal Terhadap Penglibatan Orang Arab dalam Kerja Amal di Malaysia Sebelum dan Selepas Perang Dunia Kedua

A Preliminary Study on the Involvement of Arabs in Charity Work in Malaysia Before and After World War Two

Abstract

Dahulu, orang Arab pada umumnya lebih dikenali sebagai ulama atau golongan agamawan dalam kalangan masyarakat Melayu di Malaysia. Orang Arab khasnya daripada keturunan Sayyid dari Hadhramaut, Yaman tidak hanya terlibat dalam aktiviti dakwah, tetapi mereka juga turut melibatkan diri dalam perniagaan dan keusahawanan. Oleh kerana kebanyakan daripada mereka lebih dikenali masyarakat sebagai pendakwah atau dai dan ulama, maka, makalah ini cuba mengetengahkan penglibatan beberapa orang tokoh Arab keturunan Sayyid dalam aspek kebajikan dan kerja amal mereka di Malaysia sebelum Perang Dunia Kedua. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah penyelidikan berbentuk kualitatif, mengkaji dan menganalisis penglibatan orang Arab dalam kerja amal dengan mengakses bahan daripada rekod arkib seperti surat dan dokumen serta penulisan ilmiah. Kajian mendapati keluarga Arab seperti al-Kaff, al-Sagoff, al-Junied dan al-Attas merupakan antara keluarga Arab yang berjaya di Malaysia dalam pelbagai bidang perniagaan. Walaupun mereka berjaya dalam bidang perniagaan, namun mereka juga turut menyumbang kepada masyarakat melalui aktiviti dan kerja amal seperti mewakafkan tanah perkuburan, membina masjid dan mendirikan madrasah yang dibiayai oleh dana wakaf.

The Arabs popularly known as orang Arab among Malays were once known as religious men in the society. The Arabs especially the Hadhrami Sayyids who originated from Hadhramaut, Yemen were not only involved in dakwah activities but also engaged in business and entrepreneurship. Since many of them were only known by the society as preachers (dai) and religious scholars (ulama), therefore, this paper attempts to highlight the humanitarian aspect of the Arabs in particular the prominent Arabs in fulfilling their social responsibilities in Malaya before the World War Two. This article employed a qualitative research method studying and analyzing the Arabs’ engagement in charity works by accessing records from archives such as letters, records, and documents as well as literature from scholarly works. It is found that the Arab families such as al-Kaff, al-Sagoff, al-Junied and al-Attas were among those Arab families who succeeded in Malaya. They were not only concerned about their business ventures, but also involved in philanthropic works such as endowing funeral grounds, building mosques, and establishing madrasah that are mostly funded through endowment funds.