Abu Bakar of Pahang


Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abdullah Al-Mu’tassim Billah Shah , was the fourth modern Sultan of Pahang.

Personal information

Born at 29 May 1904 at Istana Hinggap, Pekan, he was the second son of Sultan Abdullah Al-Mu’tassim Billah Shah by his wife, Kalsum binti Abdullah.
Succeeding his father in 1932, he quickly became known as a friendly and approachable ruler by his subjects. During the Japanese occupation of Malaya, he discreetly encouraged resistance movements such as the Askar Wataniah, Force 136 and the MPAJA.
However, due to his penchant for marrying commoners, including several popular actresses and singers, he was less popular with other Malay rulers and they declined five times to choose him as Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.

Family

He was married to Tengku Ampuan Pahang, Raja Fatimah, the daughter of Sultan Iskandar Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah Rahmatullah, in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. His marriage was a marriage between two royal relatives who had a brotherhood relationship with his cousin Tengku Ampuan Fatimah called Tengku Nong Fatimah Binti Sultan Ahmad Mu’azzam Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Ali.

Death

He died on Sunday 5 May 1974 at 12:44 am at the Istana Peninjau, Kampung Padang Polo, Pekan at aged 69 and was succeeded by his son Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Honours

Honours of Pahang