Sharif ul-Hāshim of Sulu

Sharif ul-Hashim (began reign 17 November 1405) was the regal name of Sayyed Abubakar Abirin. He was an Arab-Muslim explorer and the founder of the Sultanate of Sulu. He assumed the political and spiritual leadership of the realm, and was given the title Sultan, and was also the first Sultan of Sulu.
During his reigning era, he promulgated the first Sulu code of laws called Diwan that were based on Quran. He introduced Islamic political institutions and the consolidation of Islam as the state religion.

Origins and personal life

Very little is known about Sharif ul-Hashim's early life. Born in Johore (in present-day Malaysia), his proper name was known to be Abu Bakr, while his regnal name was known as Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul- Hashim, or "The Master (Paduka) His Majesty (Mahasari), Protector (Maulana) and (al) Sultan (Sultan), Sharif (Sharif) of (ul-) Hashim (Hashim)". [The Sharif of Hashim part is a reference to his nobility as a descendant of Hashim clan, a clan the Islamic prophet Muhammad was a part of.] His regnal name is often shortened to Sharif ul-Hashim.

The genealogy of Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim describes him as a descendant of Muhammad, through his paternal bloodline, Sayeed Zainul Abidin of Hadhramaut, Yemen, who belongs to the fourteenth generation of Hussain, the grandson of Muhammad.

Descendants

Sultan Sharif Ul-Hashim's offspring include his eldest son Kamal ud-Din who was also his successor as sultan, reigning in 1480–1505. Sultan Ala ud-Din, not proclaimed as sultan of Sulu. Sultan Mu-izz ul-Mutawadi-in, reigning 1527–1548, was a grandson of Sultan Sharif, who succeeded to the throne upon the death of Kamal ud-Din.