Abu Syahid Shah

Who is Abu Syahid Shah?

Sultan Abu Syahid Shah, whose real name was Raja Ibrahim, was the 4th Sultan of Malacca from 1444 to 1446. Despite the fact that Malacca was a Muslim kingdom, Syahid Shah was a practising Hindu.He styled himself as Raja Sri Parameswara Dewa Shah. Appointment of Raja Ibrahim as 4th Sultan of Malacca was unpopular because he was too young and raw. His predecessor, Sultan Muhammad Shah had alleged a meeting with the Prophet Muhammad and converted to Islam. Syahid Shah on taking a Hindu title represented a traditionalist reaction in Malacca against Islam, the new religion. He reigned for only seventeen months, after which he was murdered in a plot allegedly conspired by the Tamil Muslim Bendahara, Raja Kasim, son of Muhammad Shah, Tun Perpatih Sedang and Datuk Bendahara Seri Amar Diraja. Syahid Shah was then given the title Abu Syahid which means the Martyred King.