Malaysia Classic Story : Cruelty Brings Misfortune

Researched by: Henry Eo
 
While Tun Jana Khatib who possessed magic skill passed through a palace, he tested his magic skill on a betel-nut tree which eventually broke into two. Paduka Seri Maharaja, the king, was told of this story by a lady who witnessed this incident. He became angry for thinking Tun Jana Khatib was trying to show off his skill and as a result, he ordered his people to kill Tun Jana Khatib. While Tun Jana Khatib was being killed, his blood dropped to the ground but his body disappeared suddenly. Later, it was told that his body was found in Langkawi.

 

Very soon after the death of Tun Jana Khatib, Singapore was invaded by todak (swordfish). This is an abnormal phenomenon and many fishermen were killed by these todak. Paduka Seri Maharaja asked people to build stockade to avoid the attack of todak. At this time, a little boy came out and suggested that they used the banana tree trunk and Paduka Seri Maharaja immediately followed his suggestion. All the todak, while trying to attack the people again, stuck by the sticky stem of the banana tree trunks and were killed easily. Therefore, Singapore returned to its original peace. Unfortunately, Paduka Seri Maharaja believed the bad words told by the ministers that the clever boy might oppose the king sometime in the future and he killed this boy in the end.

 

Raja Iskandar Syah, the son of Paduka Seri Maharaja became the successor and took the duty to rule Singapore after his father died. Raja Iskandar Syah had a few Ministers of Finance (Treasurers) and one of them was the son of Sang Rajuna Tapa. Other treasurers became jealous of the son of Sang Rajuna Tapa as Raja Iskandar Syah liked him very much. They tried to slander him and their words were believed by Raja Iskandar Syah who sentenced the death of the son of Sang Rajuna Tapa by using hukuman sula (sharp-pointed death sentence by which a person is impaled to death).

 

Sang Rajuna Tapa was angry with the action taken by Raja Iskandar Syah. He wrote a letter to Betara Mejapahit and asked him to attack Singapore. During the attack, Sang Rajuna Tapa rebelled against Raja Iskandar Syah and the armies of Mejapahit finally took over Singapore. Raja Iskandar Syah was forced to run for his life from Singapore to Seletar and then to Muar. In the end, Allah destined both Sang Rajuna Tapa and his wife to become stones.