SHAMSU’L BAHRAIN SEBAGAI WIRA LEGENDA DI BERUAS, PERAK

THE LEGEND HEROS OF SHAMSU'L BAHRAIN IN BERUAS PERAK

Abstract

Makalah ini membincangkan Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain sebagai salah sebuah karya histirografi bagi mengangkat kedudukan Shamsu’l Bahrain sebagai wira legenda di Beruas, Perak. Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain berkisar tentang kehidupan Shamsu’l Bahrain daripada kecil sehingga dewasa namun, kehebatan dan sifat kepahlawanan beliau merupakan asas yang paling utama ditonjolkan oleh pengarang. Menelusi isi kandungan Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain, Shamsu’l Bahrain atau juga disebut Qamaru’l Bahrain digambarkan sebagai anak raja handal yang dapat menewaskan semua musuh sama ada anak raja, jin, peri, hantu dan sebagainya. Sehingga ke hari ini cerita tentang ketokohan Shamsu’l Bahrain masih disebarkan melalui tradisi lisan oleh masyarakat setempat walaupun amat sukar dibuktikan tanpa adanya naskhahnaskhah dan sumber rujukan. Sesungguhnya, amat sukar menemukan naskhah yang dapat dikaitkan dengan ketokohan Shamsu’l Bahrain sebagai wira legenda di Beruas, lebih-lebih lagi untuk mendapatkan sebuah penulisan yang kursus tentang sejarah awal kerajaan Beruas. Penemuan naskhah Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain dan sudut pandangan R.O Winstedt & T. Bottom terhadap hubung kait antara Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain dengan kerajaan Beruas telah membuka ruang dalam kajian ini bagi membuktikan Shamsu’l Bahrain sebagai wira legenda di Beruas sebagai sumber bertulis. Kewujudan makam, bukit dan beberapa tempat lagi yang terdapat di Beruas, Perak dapat dikaitkan dengan identiti Shamsu’l Bahrain seharusnya diberi perhatian sewajarnya kerana tradisi kelisanan ini telah membentuk budaya dan kepercayaan masyarakat di Beruas yang diwarisi daripada tradisi leluhur nenek moyang mereka. Justeru, kajian ini akan cuba mengetengahkan kedudukan Shamsu’l Bahrain sebagai wira legenda Beruas berdasarkan analisis terhadap Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain dengan disokong dengan sumber-sumber lisan bagi melebarkan hubung kait sejarah awal kerajaan Beruas dengan ketokohan Shamsu’l Bahrain. 

This paper discusses the Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain as a historiography work. This is to revitalize the position of Shamsu’l Bahrain as a warrior legend in Beruas, Perak. Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain is a life story of Shamsu’l Bahrain from his childhood days to adulthood nonetheless, the author focuses on his greatness and his characteristics of a warrior. In-depth reviewing of the contents of Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain, Shamsu’l Bahrain or called Qamaru’l Bahrain is being portrayed as a prince of a powerful king that was able to defeat all enemies regardless of a prince, demons, fairies, ghouls and many others. Up till today, stories on the iconic Shamsu’l Bahrain are still being discussed through verbal traditional communication by local communities even though it is a challenged to locate original scripts and source of references. It is rather demanding to find scripts that can be associated to Shamsu’l Bahrain as a legend warrior in Beruas, including searching for specific writings on early history on the governance of Beruas. The discovery of the Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain script and the opinions of R.O Winstedt and T. Bottom on the relationship between Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain with the governance of Beruas have opened up the path to this research process. This is to prove that Shamsu’l Bahrain as a legend warrior in Beruas is the main written source. The existence of his tomb, hill and other places that are situated in Beruas, Perak are able to link between the identity of Shamsu’l Bahrain that ought to be given the utmost attention to the verbal traditional form of communication which has shaped the cultural and beliefs of the local communities in Beruas. This is also to highlight that the people of Beruas have inherited the old traditions of their pioneer generations. Therefore, this research focuses on Shamsu’l Bahrain’s traditional belief as a Beruas legend warrior based on the analysis of Hikayat Shamsu’l Bahrain that was being reinforced by verbal sources to create a link between the early histories of Beruas with the iconic Shamsu’l Bahrain.