Malikus Shaleh (w 696 H / 1297 AD). The founder and first king of the Pasai Samudera Kingdom, the first Islamic empire in the archipelago. The time and place of birth is not known for certain. His death can be known by writing on a tombstone in Pasai. On the granite headstone it can be seen that he died in Ramadan in 696 H, which is expected to coincide with the year 1297 AD.
That he is the first king and is the founder of the Pasai Ocean Kingdom, is known through the Hikayat of Pasai Raja and Hikayat Melayu. From this saga is also known that his title before becoming king is Red Sile or Merah Selu. Red Selu is the son of the Red Elephant. In the Encyclopedia of Islam it is explained that the name Red is a noble title that is commonly used in North Sumatra. While Selu probably derived from the word Sungkala originally derived from Sanskrit Chula.
In the saga it is mentioned also that the Red Selu wanders from one place to another with the rejection of the regions concerned, but then he was successfully appointed king in an area. From there it is also known that the first place as the center of the Pasai Ocean Kingdom is the Peusangan river estuary, a long and wide river along the coastline that allows boats and ships to paddle inland and vice versa. The saga mentions "... one day Red Selu went hunting. Then there was a dog he was bringing to the Selu Red hunt named Pasai. So he let go of the dog. Then he saw a big ant like a cat, then he caught by the Red Selu then eaten. So the high ground was told to Meru Selu slash on all those who were with it. So after that he made the palace. After it was then Red Selu sat there with all the upstream balangnya and all the people, silence he was there then named by the Red Selu Ocean country, meaning the ant is very big."
About the name Pasai, the saga mentions; "... After the country was so then the hunting dog named Pasai was dead in that place. So he put him there too. It is named after the name of the dog of that land. "
From the saga is known also that Red Selu converted to Islam thanks to his meeting with Shaykh Ismail, a messenger of Sharif Mecca who later gave him the title of Sulthan Malikush Shaleh. The tale mentions, "... After all the dream of the Red Selu, he sees in his dream a man riding his chin with his fingers, saying: 'Hi Meru Selu, said by you two sentences of shahadah.' So said Red Meru: 'No servant knows "Then he opened the mouth of the Red Selu, then spit the mouth of Merah Selu it was sweet fat. Then he said it would be Meru Selu: 'Hi Red Selu Anda Sulthan Malikush Shaleh your name, now Islamlah you by saying those two sentences ... ". Since then he became the sultan of an Islamic kingdom called Samudera Pasai.
What is found in the Hikayat Pasai Raja and Hikayat Melayu appears to be in line with the results of research on several sources conducted by Western scholars, especially pre-war Dutch scholars, such as Snouck Hurgronje, J.P. Moquette, J.L. Moens, Hushoff Poll, G.P. Rouffaer, H.K.J. Cowan, and others. They mentioned that the Pasai Islam Ocean Kingdom was established in the middle of the 13th century, and its founder was Sulthan Malikush Shaleh.
However, in the Islamic encyclopedia, it is also pointed out that lately there are other sources that tend to contain different news. There is a local manuscript found in Aceh, namely Idah al-Haqq fi Mamlakat Peureula by Abu Ishaq Makarani and Tawarikh Raja Pasai. Both of these manuscripts are owned by Tgk. Junus Jamil Kampung Alui Banda Aceh, and the latter has even been published. According to this source, the Samudera Pasai Kingdom was established in 433 AH / 1042 AD The kingdom occupied by the Meurah Khair dynasty continued until 607 AH / 1210 AD This year the King died and left no son. After that the land of Samudera Pasai became a seizure between the court dignitaries. The unstable political situation lasted approximately 50 years. The new political situation changed for the better after the Red Selu, which later took on Malikush Shaleh.
In contrast to the saga of Raja-raha Pasai who said that Merah Selu was originally a Hindu and then converted to Islam in the hands of Sheikh Ismail, this source mentions that Merah Selu comes from the descendants of the Islamic King of Peurlak. According to him Merah Selu is the son of Makhdum Malik Abdullah (Meurah Seulangan / Seurah Jaga) son Makhdum Malik Ibrahim (Meurah Silo) son of Makhdum Malik Egypt (Meurah Mersa / Toe Mersa) son Makhdum Malik Ishaq (Meurah Ishaq) son of Sultan Makhdum Malik Ibrahim Syah Johan Sovereign , Sultan of the Peureulak Kingdom who ruled in 365 - 402 H / 976 - 1012 AD). proponents of this opinion argue that the first Islamic kingdom in the archipelago is not Samudera Pasai, but the Kingdom of Peureulak.