30 A TAMIL MALAY MANUSCRIPT. 
So with the subject of the present paper, a manuscript which 
clearly shows that the Islam of Indonesia is South Indian in its 
origin, and was introduced by Indian Moslems, who came from the 
Dekhan, especially from the Tamil country. The MS. I review, 1s 
an eae looking folio, described in my recently published sup- 
plementary catalogue of the Malay manuscripts in the Leyden 
University Library sub No. 754.1. It mentions neither the place 
where it was written nor the name of its original owner. Yet it 
speaks an eloquent language, as it is composed in two idioms, Tamil 
and Malay, and contains moreover passages in Persian. So here 
we find the three Islamic languages in question employed in one 
book. 
This manuscript, moreover, presents an example of Tamil 
written in Arabic characters and used for the rendering of an Arabic 
text. Tamil books, it is true, printed in Arabic characters are by 
no means unknown—(1 was shown some specimens in the library 
of the India Office at London in 1907), but such manuscripts so far 
as I know, are very rare, and this one at least is unique both in 
Holland and Dutch India. 
I will not tax the reader’s patience by an exposition of the 
system followed in rendering Tamil sounds by Arabic characters; 
it will suffice to state that a copious use has been made of the so- 
called emphatic letters and dental letters with dots beneath them. 
Moreover the transliteration does not seem to be quite consistent. 
The very first page is typical of the nature of the whole book, Malay 
being mixed with Tamil without any apparent transition. This 
page is taken up by a myyah-formula in Malay (the formulary for the 
inward intention to perform the ritual prostrations, sembahyangq), 
ending in an Arabic prayer, which in its turn is followed by an ex- 
planation in Tamil, all by one and the same hand, and in one con- 
tinuous handwriting. So, after an Arabic prayer, at once the text 
continues with an explanation in Tamil,? and so on. Evidently the 
author or scribe wrote the three languages with equal ease and 
understanding. 
After some introductory matter a regular text begins, 71z. an 
Arabic treatise styled: Izam al-fawa’id fi nizam al-aka id, on the 
tenets of the creed, accompanied by a Tamil version with fully 
vocalised Arabic transcription, many diacritical signs but not a 
single Tamil letter; so it is all in queer-looking Arabic writing. 
The Arabic dogmatical treatise, by Mahmid Ibn Muhammad Labai 
Kumaran begins, after the usual eulogy in honour of Allah and the 
Prophet, as follows: ‘‘ The poor slave, who needs the intervention 
of the Prophet, says: this is a short treatise which deals with what 
1. A MS. in folio 90 folios (180 pp.) written on European paper in a 
bold and clear handwriting, dated 5 Sha ‘ban, 1192; worm-eaten. 
2. me lems gS z.il id est inda kalimawai connanagil = if one has 
recited his prayer. The original has diacritical marks. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
