The
Boxer Codex indicates that in 1589, the
heir apparent was Saiful Rijal's eldest son, Raja Borney. According to
Hugh Low, Shah Brunei died without leaving any children, although he notes in a footnote that some accounts claim the sultan abdicated in favour of his brother. The
Silsilah states that Shah Brunei was succeeded by his brother, Muhammad Hasan. However, the circumstances surrounding Shah Brunei's succession are more complicated. On 26 December 1600,
Olivier van Noort arrived in
Brunei Bay and was informed by local officials that the king was under the
guardianship of his uncle, who served as
regent. This suggests the existence of an infant son of Shah Brunei, possibly Raja Ghafur, who was mentioned by
Manuel Godinho de Erédia as the ruler of Brunei in 1600, although he does not appear in any version of the
Silsilah. If Muhammad Hasan acted as
regent for his nephew, he could not have been the ninth sultan. Consequently, the absence of any mention of the infant in either version of the
Silsilah suggests that he likely died shortly afterward, enabling Muhammad Hasan to ascend to the throne sometime in 1601. ==See also==