This is a Muslim marriage certificate registered in Singapore in 1887, between Wasim Khan and Majiba Bibi, with a dowry of 101 Straits dollars. Both their families were of Indian Muslim descent, with Wasim’s family hailing from Peshawar (now in present-day Pakistan) and Majiba Bibi’s from Jaranpur (now in present-day Madhya Pradesh, India). This document is part of the John Koh collection which comprises of various legal documents in Arabic, Jawi, and English, and serves as a record of the 19th and early 20th century colonial legal systems in Singapore and the interactions of various ordinary individuals with the law. It is indicated on the certificate that Majiba Bibi was a divorcee (janda bercerai), and her brother Sheikh Mahmud/Muhammad acted as her guardian.Date of marriage contract (English calendar): 10 February 1887Date of marriage contract (Mohamedan calendar): 16 Jamadil Awal 1304 sanadThis document likely carries the seal of the qadi office in Singapore, although the Jawi inscriptions are rather faded. The qadi office would have come about under the Muhammadan Marriage Ordinance in 1880, which saw to what is often considered as Islamic law enactments and its codifications in the Straits Settlements coming into being and effect. Special courts for Muslim subjects were subsequently established in 1900. However, the jurisdiction of these courts and laws were limited to family law.
