THESAURUS OF INDONESIAN ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPTS

The Hikayat Muhammad Hanafiyyah, says Braginsky quoted from Brakel, is obviously considered the oldest Malay hikayat to have existed in Pasai in the 14^th century. In the following 20 or 30 years, the Hikayat Iskandar Zulkarnain and Hikayat Amir Hamzah have been available in Malay version. These hikayats, together with the Malay Ramayana and stories on Pandawa and Panji, have become the core of Malay hikayat literature. Muhammad Hanafiah is the Son of Ali, the fourth caliph, from his slave, and lived during the political turmoil between Ali and Mu'awiyah. With regard to these riots, he took neutral position. The Shi'ites regard him a mahdi after his two brothers, Hasan dan Husain, died as martyr in the battle. They believed that Muhammad Hanafiyah still alive, and stay in the mountains, waiting for his next appearance. He who played vital role in living the myth of Muhammad Hanafiyyah is Abu Mihnaf, an Arabic writer in the medieval period, through his romance. The romance was then used as a model for its Persian version in the 14^th century. During this century, the romance was also translated into Malay language.