Najeeb M. Saleeby

“ Having a fair admixture of Malay blood in him and sufficient Arabian energy and enthusiasm to push on, he came and conquered and soon found himself at home in Mindanao as well as at Juhūr. There was no racial prejudice to contend against and the language of the new land was akin to his own. But true to his religion, as he was true to his ancestry, his faith suffered no defeat. No submission was accepted without conversion, and no friendship was cultivated with the unfaithful. ”

“ May God perpetuate his kingdom, his power, his justice, and his kindness. May God forgive him and his forefathers and be good to all of them and give them a place in paradise. O God, aid all who befriend him; be the enemy of all his enemies ”

“ For a Sulu Hajji Būtu is a man of talent and understanding. He knows some Arabic and is probably the best Sulu scholar in the Archipelago.
This code greatly increases the fines exacted from the people, creates a treasury under the control of Hajji Būtu, and entitles the sultan to a share of the fines collected by the various datus and chiefs. The chiefs and the people look upon it as another form of unjust taxation. The opposition to its adoption is so strong and so bitter that nothing except force of arms can enforce its use. ”

“ If a married woman commits adultery, she shall become the slave of her husband, and the guilty man shall pay a fine of one hundred pesos to the treasury, and in case he can not pay that sum he shall become a slave himself. ”

“ If the owner of a slave dies and his heirs claim the slave, and the slave objects on the ground that he had been liberated by his deceased master, the slave shall take an oath to that effect, which oath shall confirm his statement; but if an oath is not taken by the slave, the claim of the heirs shall be sustained. ”

“ If a person buys property or a slave, and another person recognizes the slave or property as his own and lays claim thereto, and is able to produce a witness to that effect, the buyer shall return the purchased property or the slave to the seller, but shall recover whatever he has paid. ”

“ O God, drive away famine and distress, and disease, and iniquity, and oppression, and all calamities, and all evils outward and secret that may exist in our country especially and the countries of the Mohammedans in general, for Thou hast power over everything. Our Lord, forgive us and forgive our brothers who preceded us in the faith, and cast away from our hearts all jealousies and ill feeling toward the faithful. ”

“ He married in the land of his conquest, and the ties of faith were soon strengthened by the ties of blood and kinship; and as the first generation passed and the second generation followed, the conqueror and the conquered became one in blood and sympathy, one in faith, and one in purpose. A new dynasty which stood for Islam, for progress, and for civilization arose on the ruins of barbarism and heathenism. Savage and fierce as the Moros look, they are greatly superior to the surrounding pagans who inhabit the hills and the interior of Mindanao. ”

“ God is greatest. He is the Lord of Lords and the Liberator of the World. He inspired the Book and commands the clouds. He overcomes all difficulties. He is the Cause of all Causes. He opens all doors and answers all who call Him. ”

“ Mamālu answered that all the tree was felled except one young stalk. Tabunaway then said, “Finish it all, because it omens ill to our fish corral to leave that one alone.” Mamālu struck it and it fell down, and there came out of it a child who was called Putri Tunīna. Her little finger was wounded, for the bolo had cut through the bamboo. ”

“ If a person loans or sells to a slave without the knowledge or consent of the master of the slave, the person who loans or sells shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; and the master of the slave shall not be held responsible for the transaction of his slave.
Article XXIII
If in the course of an agreement for the sale of property questions arise respecting the price or the amount of the sold property, and no witness can be obtained, the seller shall be sustained if he confirms his statement by oath; but the statement of the buyer shall be sustained if the seller fails to take oath. ”

“ If a person claims that a certain child was born of a female slave who conceived the child while in his possession, and confirms his claim by witness and by oath, his claim shall be valid and the child shall be regarded as a free child. ”

“ An oath on the Quran is so firmly binding and the fear of perjury is so strong in the mind of the Moro that oaths are generally taken and are always regarded as sufficient confirmation even in the absence of evidence. [66]
The Moros are not strict nor just in the execution of the law. The laws relating to murder, adultery, and inheritance are seldom strictly complied with. ”

“ The two greatest powers that figured prominently in the Rio Grande Valley are the sultan of Magindanao and the raja of Bwayan. These rulers have at all times been considered as greater in power and higher in rank than any other ruler in the valley. In the latter part of the eighteenth century and during the main part of the nineteenth century the sultan of Kabuntalan also figured prominently and held a very intimate relation and a close position to both of the other sultans, which position he still holds at the present time. ”

“ Immediately south of the mouth of the south branch of the Rio Grande and rising above the seashore at Līnuk is the lofty and picturesque pyramidal peak of Mount Kabalalan. From Kabalalan and the hills of Taviran there stretches an extensive mountainous region or table-land which extends as far south as the Bay of Sarangani. This table-land is designated as the Tiruray table-land or mountains for the reason that its northern half is inhabited by the tribe of pagans of the same name who are not met with anywhere else. The Bay of Sarangani is called in Moro Sugud Bwayan. ”

“ The story of Putri Tunīna and her marriage to Kabungsuwan is universally known to the Moros of Mindanao. The custom of burying the dead next to the house, as practiced by Tabunaway, is still common everywhere, and trees are often planted around the tomb.
By Sarabanun, the sister of Tabunaway, Kabungsuwan begot no children. By Putri Tunīna he begot three daughters, one of whom, Putri Māmūr, married the first Moslem datu of Bwayan, Mālang-sa-Ingŭd. At Malabang Kabungsuwan married Angintābu, the daughter of the chief of that place, and begot Sharif Maka-alang, who succeeded him. ”

“ In case you find his decision right, bring both the appellant and the appellee to the panglima. If the panglima does not furnish a solution, he shall bring them to the sultan, together with the authority from [100] whose decision the appeal was made and the authority to whom the appeal was made.
If the authority to whom they appeal does not investigate or inquire from the authority from whom they have appealed, his decision shall be null and void.
Any person who exercises the right to judge without authority from the sultan shall be fined one male unmarried slave. ”

“ A slave is liable to fine for his crimes; his master shall either pay his fine for him or sell him to pay the fine, if the price exceeds the fine. If the fine exceeds the price, the slave shall be held personally responsible.
88. In case the plaintiff can not produce evidence or witness, the defendant shall take the oath. But if the defendant refuses to take oath, the plaintiff shall take oath and confirm the charge. ”

“ If a slave is guilty of cutting another, he shall be liable for the fine thereby incurred; if his master does not pay the fine, he may sell the guilty slave and pay the fine from the amount received therefor. ”