Contemporary Fiqh Thoughts of Shaykh Abdul Malik bin Abdullah (1650-1736AD) in Kitab al-Kifayah

Kitab al-Kifayah is a jawi manuscript that has been written approximately 300 years ago (between 1690-1736AD) by Shaykh Abdul Malik bin Abdullah in Terengganu. This manuscript is widely regarded as the earliest writing on Islamic jurisprudence in Terengganu, which debated issues regarding beliefs and fiqh. It covers various topics on fundamental knowledge of Islam (fard al ayn) that includes 5 Pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam), Pillars of Iman (arkan al-Iman), ablution, salah (prayers), fasting and zakat (tithe payment). This article is written to highlight the contemporary fiqh thoughts that were contained in this manuscript. This article will also shed light on the life of Shaykh Abdul Malik and the background of Kitab alKifayah. To that end, methods such as documentation searches and interviews were being utilized. It was then analyzed by using inductive and deductive methods. Results from the analyses reveal that Shaykh Abdul Malik utilized contextualization approach on his fiqh rulings. His contemporary thoughts were evident in his arguments for the income level and the consequent zakat rate for the destitute and poor, the zakat rate on gold and silver as well as animals which are halal (permissible) and haram (impermissible) to be consumed. In conclusion, Shaykh Abdul Malik bin Abdullah was not a mere translator of Arabic manuscripts on fiqh rulings by Middle Eastern scholars, but he has managed to contextualize his writings to facilitate the understanding of the locals.