Important Individuals in Silat Seni Pusaka Tujuh
1. Zubir bin Mat Isa
The founder and Grandmaster of Silat Seni Pusaka Tujuh(SPPT), Zubir bin Mat Isa was born in May 17, 1964, in the town of Padang Besar Utara, Perlis. He grew up as a child of the border of Thailand and Malaysia and is exposed to the atmosphere busy with PKM’s activity (Communist Party Malaya), gangsters smuggling, prostitution and various kind of wild and violent phenomena in the border which at that time the town was called ‘Cowboy Town’. A violent situation and shooting of guns, fights and gangsters has led his interest in the field of martial arts. In his early youth, he is exposed to Muay Thai or Siamese Tomoi, as it is one among the martial arts at the border at that time. When he is 13 years, he learned the spiritual element known as Seni Persaudaraan Nasrul Haq. But he have to end his learning because his father stopped him from go on with it because according to his father that silat is against the Islamic Law.
Mat Isa bin Osman is the father of Zubir bin Mat Isa and has many titles such as Lebai Isa, Lebai Jawa and in the laduni world of grandeur is Lebai Jawa Anak Rimau. He is a pondok’s famous figure, a Tarikat Suluk Shadow Caliph (Kalifah Bayangan Tarikat Suluk) and were feared of his fierceness. When he accepted the teaching of Islam according to the Al-Quran and As-Sunnah, he abandon all superstition practices and leave Tarikat Suluk. Later on, he become the Imam Masjid Padang Besar Utara, Perlis and give religious education including teaching the Al-Quran to the kariah children. He is very worried that his son would lost himself learning silat since he knows, there is no silat without superstitious practices.
Grandmaster is a Javanese descendant, his descent do trade from Sumatera to Tanah Melayu and open a settlement in the Alor Ara area, sub-district of Sungai Adnan and Mata Ayer in Perlis. Grandmaster is naturally from the warrior lineage and his descent inherited the Original Seni Gayung from Tanah Seberang as a family’s silat heritage and is extremely powerful with a spirit called ‘Ledang’ (a kind of tiger).
When Grandmaster’s father accepted the true religion belief from the correct teachers and deepens it, he rejected all the superstition practices. From his family’s silat as well as the ‘Ledang’ of his family. His father strongly forbade his son from learning silat because of the superstition and kesyirikan thus making it difficult for Grandmaster to learn silat. In the year 1978, Zubir bin Mat met a well-known warrior who had awesome skills during his youth. He was one of the Silat Terelak’s warrior and taught Zubir bin Mat Isa silat moves in the form of training and strikes. That warrior is Yusuf bin Abdullah or known as Pak Choh Tok Le’.
On one occasion, Pak Choh Tok Le’ defeated a Japanese army officer who was armed with samurai sword with an empty hands at a place called Bukit Keteri. Because of this incident, that officer was impressed with Pak Choh and appointed him as a village headman of Kampung Peruah, Tok Kayaman, Perlis.
The Japanese army rewarded a pair of samurai swords and a bicycle as an act of acknowledgment to Pak Choh. He has a vast experience in the fighting ring as one among the champions in the silat arena and is unbeatable at his own place. However, Zubir bin Mat Isa only managed to be Penghulu Yusof bin Abdullah’s student for a short time because his father Lebai Isa (Mat Isa) told him to stop from being a student to Pak Choh.
Finally, Grandmaster brought himself to Kuala Lumpur when he was about fifteen (15) years old. He had to leave Perlis by the advice of Police and People’s Representative of Padang Besar Goh Eng Ton and it was supported by his father Mat Isa. This incident happened because Grandmaster who was the Head Prefect of National Secondary School of Batu 16 (now known as Raja Puan Tengku Fauziah) at that time was involved in a big fight between the Chinese group of Pekan Sayur, Kaki Bukit, Perlis who had attacked that school. Zubir bin Mat Isa was the youngest Head Prefect of Perlis on the year 1997 because he is strict when performing his responsibility as a prefect. The fight took place between.
When in Kuala Lumpur, he stayed with his brother-in-law at Kampung Pandan. At this time, he involved in silat while learning Japanese martial art Karate-Do and Tai-Chi. With the opportunity being away from his father, he learned all the martial arts. Among the silat he learned while he was in Kampung Pandan are Depowoojo (Javanese Silat) and Gerak Alam Suci silat. But after a year and a half afterwards, he faced family crisis with his brother-in-law. The crisis happened because of different viewpoints they had and the intervention of his father Lebai Isa had cause him to leave Kampung Pandan and began travelling.
He travelled everywhere such as to Indonesia for over 3 months and the Penisular Malaysia. During his travelling, he seek knowledge and deepens more silat’s knowledge, traditional Malay’s medicine and religious knowledge. Finally, after several years of travelling and learned the knowledge on Silat Melayu and Pencak Silat Indonesia (Cimande), Zubir Mat Isa return to Perlis. However, his return did not bring him closer to his family because of his stand and his way of life are unacceptable to his family. He was cut off from his own family, but this does not break his spirit. Zubir Mat Isa keep on travelling and begin teach his silat’s knowledge. Since too many silat he has learned, he face problems on how to teach his pupils.
Starting from unorganized method, Grandmaster Zubir Mat Isa has organize trainings and moves until it becomes a syllabus that includes many techniques and tactics from the various basic of martial arts and this establish the Pusaka Tujuh.
Finally, Grandmaster Zubir Mat Isa continues to advance forward with his the development of his martial art and opens the martial arts classes all over Perlis. Starting off with challenges from his family, community and friends, he face failures in his early days of teaching martial arts for lack of knowledge on how to teach, however he keep pressing forward and learn. Eventually the Pusaka Tujuh has become an authorized silat society and was admired from friends and opponents.
Silat Pusaka Tujuh has grown over to France, Germany, Sweden and Thailand. Grandmaster Encik Zubir Mat Isa succeeded in becoming an International Jury/ Wasit (Silat Referee). His second wife is a champion of two World Silat Championship. His nine children all involved in the Silat world. They had managed to make themselves known in the world of silat because of their winnings in several championships. Among them: Zulfakar Zubir a twice youth champion in national youth championship and Zulkarnain Zubir one time youth champion in national youth championship. Likewise pupils from his Pusaka Tujuh Silat have their own success at state and national levels.
Truthfully, many do not understand the road Grandmaster Zubir Mat Isa walked on. He wants something different in his life, loves challenges, and fond of building something new but hate those who imitate the culture or the way of life of others.
His quote is “To be successful, do not walk the route of failures.” Although his father, Mat Isa bin Osman oppose and did not understand what Zubir bin Mat Isa did but when he saw with his own eyes how Silat Seni Pusaka Tujuh grow without mysticism element, plus seeing the Pusaka Tujuh is against the practice of mysticism, Mat Isa Osman finally support Zubir Mat Isa, before he die. Mat Isa Osman bequeath a plot of land for the benevolence done by Pusaka Tujuh.
Now, Silat Seni Pusaka Tujuh has obtained approval from the Perlis State Fatwa Council that the Pusaka Tujuh is clean from all sorts of practices that are disagreeing with the syarak. In accordance with the Perlis State Fatwa Council, Silat Pusaka Tujuh should be learn. Silat Pusaka Tujuh does not have any mysticism practices but Grand Master has succeed in creating the inner strength that is generated by movement and mind focus which is called the sixth sense. In order to achieve the inner strength, the pupil need to practice passionately, self-confident and high spirits.
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