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The reign of Mohamed, the son of Haaji Ali Thukkalaa 1692-1701 from Committee of Maldive History and Culture (editors), Dhivehi Thaareekhu, published in Maldives, Malé, National Centre of Linguistics and Historical Research 1981, pp. 75-82. translated by Maldives Culture editors The new king's name was Sultan Mohamed Ibn Al-Hajj Ali Thukkalaa. His Dhivehi title was proclaimed as Siri Kularanmani Mahaaradhun. This king was pious, scholarly, and kind. He had been a magistrate for fourteen years. The king spent treasury money on the scholars, and many were trained. Every ashura day, many laari, rupee, and gold coins were distributed, and people owing money had help with their repayments. Hearing about this, debtors would come from northern India and Malabar, and return happily after receiving the money they needed. The mosques built by previous kings were restored, and new mosques were built here and there. Waqf were returned to the previous traditional holders, and taxation was greatly reduced. During this period, the people were happy and well-off. Many ships came from Surat, other places in northern India and Acheh. It was forbidden to sell coir rope, fish and cowrie shells directly to foreigners. All these things had to be brought to the treasury and sold to the foreigners from there. The government bought rice at a special low price without import tax. The foreign minister and the chief treasurer were given permission to buy, at the low government price, 15,000 kg of rice from each arriving ship. These two men exercised their right the first year, and in following years the amount they received increased, and included not only rice but other things as well. The public had to buy almost everything from them. In spite of all this, people enjoyed a life of plenty. Hassan Thaajuddheen, aged 32, was made judge on the seventh day of the king's reign, Wednesday 12 November 1692. Before accepting the position, he received a promise from the king that the monarch would adhere strictly to the judge's decisions. Then Hassan Thaajuddheen prohibited the employment without pay of free women as if they were slaves, and also prohibited the sale of these people among the elite. Before this, the aristocracy made common people work without payment, and sold them just like slaves. If a slave appealed to Hassan Thaajuddheen, he instructed that the person be released and a symbolic payment be made. If a person was bonded by debt, the accounts were checked and any outstanding debt was paid by the treasury. For the first time in Maldives, Hassan Thaajuddheen declared that the ownership of independent people as slaves, was a forbidden and sinful act. He gave homeless orphans the right to inherit a deceased relative's property. The use of swords and daggers to avenge adultery was banned. Regarding this practice, the public was instructed to accept the judgments of the court where evidence was taken and floggings carried out. Due to the embarrassment of public humiliation, men stopped attacking their wives' alleged lovers. It was also prohibited for women to attack their husband's lovers by cutting off the woman's hair or tearing her dress. By decree, offerings for prayer recitations in honour of Holy Prophet Muhammad were limited to twelve laari. The king's wife, Khadeeja Kabaafaan died. She was the daughter of Isdhoo Velaana Thakurufaan, and after her death, people were sent to her tomb to recite prayers for four months and ten days. Immense public distributions were made. The king married Sanfaa Kabaafaan, the daughter of Hussein Thakurufaan who was the son of Isdhoo Ibrahim Velaana Thakurufaan. A year later, this queen became pregnant, and immediately the king became seriously ill. While he was sick, Kurendhoo Ali Khatheeb Thakurufaan and Isdhoo Ali Velaanaa Thakurufaan went to see him, and told the king a story that made him furious with his maternal sister and her son Ali Khatheeb Thakurufaan and her husband Ibrahim Faamuladheyri Thakurufaan. Instructions were given to ban this family from the king's presence. The king had intended to pass on the crown to Ali Khatheeb Thakurufaan. While those people were banned, Kurendhoo Ali Khatheeb Thakurufaan, Isdhoo Ali Velaanaa Thakurufaan and Sanfaa Kabaafaan stayed beside the king until his death. After he passed away, Ali Thakurufaan came out and said the king's command was that the royal sister, her son, her husband, and Rannaban'deyri Thakurufaan and his mother were all to be exiled to Dhevvadhoo island in northern Huvadhu atoll. This was done, and after the exiles left Malé, the general population was informed that the king had died. Judge Hassan Thaajuddheen bathed and dressed the king for burial, and the next day the monarch and Khadeeja Kabaafaan were buried in a tomb built on the western side of the Friday mosque in Malé. The king had died on Sunday night 16 January 1701. He had reigned for eight years nine months and ten days. After the funeral, the high officials and nobles went to the royal palace, where Sanfaa Kabaafaan distributed one hundred gold coins among them. Then fifty thousand laari was allocated to the armed forces. The queen did this on the advice of Ali Velaanaa Thakurufaan. Five days after the king's death, she also gave permission for Judge Hassan Thaajuddheen to leave with his wife and children for Mecca. Four days later, Sanfaa Kabaafaan had labour pains and Ali Velaanaa Thakurufaan brought in a person who wrote on a plate and then dissolved the writing with water before mixing in a deadly poison. It was given to Sanfaa and she drank it. Sanfaa died after giving birth.
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Maldives Culture is an independent internet magazine of Maldivian cultural issues.
Editors and translators: Michael O'Shea and Fareesha Abdulla, Australia
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