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refrained from hostilities in the neighbourhood of its meunasah. Even members of hostile parties could meet one another there without fear of a disturbance.
The most prominent ulama of the time in Tirò, to distinguish him from the other teungkus in the place, was usually called Teungku Chiʾ (the Old) and was elsewhere known simply as Teungku di Tirò or Teungku Tirò. As a rule blood relations or collaterals succeeded each other in this position.
When Teungku Tirò Muhamat Amin (the then Teungku Chiʾ di Tirò) died in December 1885, he was succeeded by his collateral relative Chèh Saman (Shaikh Sammān) who had long been his righthand man. As the son of the deceased, although a good scholar, was still too young to take his father’s place, the designation of the Teungku Tirò passed to Teungku Saman.
Favoured by the progress of the war, this man gained for himself a unique position. We have already seen how the chab sikureuëng of the Sultan could do no more than set the stamp of officialdom on the power he had already won. The authority given him over religious questions in Great Acheh was just as vague as the definition of the judicial power of the Habib at the establishment of the balè meuhakamah[1], and gave equally free play to the natural course of affairs. Teungku Tirò did not concern himself about the insignificant Sultan, nor, except in so far as was absolutely necessary, about the ulèëbalangs. As the representative of religious law he could assume full powers, and none dared to show him open hostility[2].
In his letters to the Dutch Government Teungku Tirò always tried to show the superiority of the power of the ulamas. In one of his pamphlets he expresses his astonishment that the Gōmpeuni were from the very commencement so eager to obtain concessions from the Sultan. It should, he says, have been remembered that the Sultan could do nothing without consulting Teuku Kali, Teuku Nèʾ of Meuraʾsa, the Panglima Meuseugit Raya and the Imeum of Luëng Bata; that these four were in their turn dependent upon the decision of the three
- ↑ See p. 161 above.
- ↑ In the few cases of apparent enmity against him on the part of some of the chiefs, their hostility besides being of a somewhat harmless description was in reality always directed against some panglima (military leader) of the ulama on account of some excessive interference with their traditional privileges.
