CELEBRATING 11-GENERATION HERITAGE
560 descendants of first Perak ruler’s religious adviser gather to strengthen family bond
FOR many years, Wan Kamariah Mior Yahya was unaware that one of her relatives lived barely 20 minutes away from her home in Sungai Long, Kajang.
All that changed during the planning for her extended family’s reunion.
The 64-year-old from Perak found out, much to her surprise, that one of her many relatives whom she had never met lived close to her abode.
“I have a relative that lives just 20 minutes from me and if it were not for the fact that we had a WhatsApp group for the reunion, I would not have known her.”
Wan Kamariah was among 560 people from 130 families who attended a reunion of members of the Syed Hussain Al Faradz Jamalullail clan here yesterday.
The man’s ancestry can be traced to Hadramawt in Yemen. Syed Hussain was the religious adviser to the first sultan of Perak Sultan Mudzaffar Shah I, who reigned from 1528 to 1549.
Meor Harun Meor Osman, 58, said the family came from a long line of prominent religious and civil service figures in Perak.
“Syed Hussain Al Faradz was from Hadramawt, which according to modern-day borders, is located in Yemen. He and his kin arrived in the Malay archipelago in the 16th century to spread Islam and trade.
“He was appointed ‘Orang Kaya Menteri’, which is equivalent to menteri besar at the time.
“At least six descendants of the family were appointed to the post.”
Meor Harun learned a lot about his family’s history through his father and grandfather.
He said Syed Hussain Al Faradz had passed down advice from generation to generation for his kin to always be loyal to Allah, Prophet Muhammad, the ruler and to give back to society.
The family’s lineage has spanned 11 generations since the 16th century and it is something that the family is proud of.
Wan Kamariah said while rediscovering one’s roots was important, maintaining family ties mattered the most.
“Most of the time, families will only meet when there is a death or wedding, and these encounters are usually just ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’.
“But by having this kind of gathering, we get to meet the wider family circle with plenty of storytelling, laughter and have our pictures taken together.
“No matter how big or small your family is, it is important to stay connected.
“Our relatives will not be around forever, so make use of the time that we have to get to know each other and bond despite living far apart,” said Wan Kamariah, a mother of three and grandmother of five, who runs a small business making “sambal hijau kurau”.
The reunion’s organising chairman, Datuk Shuhery Shuib, 60, said it was all about making an effort to meet up every now and then.
“It is not about the price of accommodation or flight tickets as my relatives and I can bear such expenses for any of our kin who cannot afford them.
“Some family members will isolate themselves as they think that they are being sidelined by everyone else.
“In reality, nobody is isolated as we want every single member to be part of the gathering,” said Shuhery, adding that the idea for the reunion came when family members rediscovered their ties following deaths in the extended family last year.
“The reunion is themed ‘Juahan Kasih Kita Bersaudara’. Perakians use the term ‘Juah’ to refer to love and affection, and that aptly describes the close bond shared by our large extended family.
“Our reunion is a success as we managed to gather 560 people from about 130 families.”
Architect Mior Zawari Hassan, 60, who sponsored the venue at the MZH2 Convention Centre in Hulu Klang, said he was unfamiliar with most of the people who attended the gathering.
“I do not know about 90 per cent of the guests.
“But many elders recognised me and they approached me to tell me how they had known me since I was a child.
“I moved to Kuala Lumpur from my hometown in Karai, Kuala Kangsar, after taking my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia more than 40 years ago.
“I suppose all that time away made me a bit unfamiliar with my extended family.”
Mior Zawari offered to sponsor the venue at MZH2 Convention Centre after finding out that his relatives faced problems in finding a suitable place.
“I offered to fully sponsor the venue. ‘Ada rezeki lebih’ (I have some extra sustenance).
“I am glad that it went well as there were many relatives who came from Ipoh and Kuala Kangsar,” said Mior Zawari, who is CONSIST (Construction and Industrial Safety) College chief executive.
His son, Mir Zafriz, 32, said the reunion gave him the opportunity to appreciate his roots.
“Because of this event, I got to know that my family is from Karai, Kuala Kangsar, which is home to the famous Victoria Bridge.
“Before this, I did not have any attachment to Karai, but now, I have a deeper understanding of it,” said Mir Zafriz, who is an architect in his family’s firm.
The firm has embarked on a project to build a new kampungstyle resort in Karai, which is expected to be opened by the end of this year.
Syed Abu Bakar Syed Ahmaluddin, who served as emcee for the reunion, said many side events such as a forum, a cultural show and a Best Dressed competition gave the younger family members a chance to discover their heritage.
“We even explained the many name prefixes that we use such as ‘Syed’, ‘Sharifah’, ‘Meor’, ‘Miro’ and ‘Mir’.
“Not many know that ‘Meor’, ‘Mior ’ or ‘Mir ’ originated from Perak and that there is a registered association that checks the authenticity of people who want to use these prefixes to their names.”