23. Dr Syed Mahmood bin Abdul Rahman Alkuds

Note: Different accounts have used different spellings for Al-Kudcy. Al-Quds or AlQudsi  is the Romanised Malay spelling while Al-Kudcy is the anglicised spelling. The relatives in Malaysia prefer the AlQudsi spelling while others prefer the Al-Kudcy spelling.

Dr Syed Mahmood bin Abdul Rahman Alkuds/AlQudsi/Al-Kudcy
LMS 1935 KE VII

Date of birth: 19 October 1912
Place of birth: Palembang
Date of demise: 23 June 1985
Place of demise: Batu Pahat, Johor
Place of burial: Batu Pahat, Johor

Syed Mahmood's father was a much respected headmaster who commanded Arabic, Malay and English. He was an experienced teacher who taught at schools in Palembang, Johor and Singapore. Syed Mahmood's mother was British of Scottish origins; her name is unknown by surviving family members.

More about Dr Syed Mahmood's father:

His name was spelt differently in different accounts as Syed Abdur Rahman Al-Kudcy, Syed Abdurahman Al-Kudcy, Syed Abdulrahman A-Kudcy and Syed Abdul Rahman Al-Kudcy.

Dr Syed Mahmood’s father, Syed Abdul Rahman bin Syed Hassan Al-Kudcy, was born in 1888. He had wide experience teaching schools in Palembang, Johor and Singapore. Prior to joining the Johor Government Service, he was for four years’ headmaster of the Almenoar English School at Palembang.

The Sultan of Johor appointed Syed Abdul Rahman bin Syed Hassan AlQudsi as State Commissioner of Batu Pahat for the year 1923.[1] In 1925, Syed Abdul Rahman Al-Kudcy of the English School, Batu Pahat, won the championship silver cup presented by European Government officers of Batu Pahat for billiards tournament in conjunction with the 51st anniversary of the birthday of the Sultan of Johor.[2]

Syed Abdul Rahman Al-Kudcy held various appointments in Johor and Batu Pahat. From 1917 to 1920, he was acting headmaster of the English School, Batu Pahat; from 1921 to 1925, first senior assistant master, Batu Pahat English School; and from 1926 to 1928, principal of Malay Training College as well as head of the Malay Education Department, both in Johor. He was also a member of the Board of Education and assisted the Rev. W. G. Shellabear in the preparation of the latter’s English-Malay Dictionary.[3] He retired from the Johor Government Service, with pension, on 1 June 1929.[4] 

In 1931, Syed Abdul Rahman Al-Kudcy who has had much experience of teaching, both in Malay and English, moved to joined the Alsagoff Arab School as headmaster and reorganised the school.[1] The student enrolment increased from 70 to over 100 under his care and the school prospered under his expert guidance.[2] Syed Abdul Rahman bin Hassan Al-Kudcy was elected vice-president of the Arab Peranakan Association in Singapore in December 1932.[3] In 1933, Syed Abdul Rahman Al-Kudcy had attended a general meeting of the Moslem Association of Singapore, which was presided by its president, Shaikh Sallim bin Taha Mattar[4] (uncle and father-in-law of Dr Shaikh Taha Mattar of Singapore).

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[1] Malayan Saturday Post, 26 September 1931, p. 37. Silver Wedding.

[2] The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, 21 August 1931, p. 6. Matters of Muslim Interest.

[3] The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, 30 December 1932, p. 14. Untitled.

[4] The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, 28 February 1933, p. 3. Moslem Association.

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[1] Malaya Tribune. 5 December 1922, p. 7. Johore News.

[2] The Straits Times, 16 January 1925, p. 10. Billiards.

[3] Malaya Tribune, 30 August 1930, p. 14. Muslim Affairs. General.

[4] The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser, 1 September 1930, p. 7. Matters of Muslim Interest.

Syed Abdul Rahman married three wives—1) unnamed Scottish wife (two sons), 2) unnamed second wife (a daughter), and 3) Asiah bt Mohamad Salleh (two daughters). 

Syed Abdul Rahman had 5 children (not in order), 2 sons and 3 daughters—Dr Syed Mahmood, Syed Muhammad, Sharifah Fatimah, Sharifah Habibun, and Sharifah Zainab (youngest).

Syed Muhammad was an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) in Batu Pahat. His son is Syed Feizal.

Dr Syed Mahmood Al-Kudcy married two wives: 1) Sharifah Hafsah bt Syed Khalid AlQudsi, and 2) Aishah bt Abdullah.

Dr Syed Mahmood's first wife is Sharifah Hafsah bt Syed Khalid AlQudsi. She was a schoolteacher at Muar High School where she was also supervisor. She had a son, Syed Jaffar bin Mahmood AlQudsi. Syed Jaffar married three wives and had 9 children. Sharifah Hafsah passed away in 1980 and Syed Jaffar passed away in 2005, and are laid to rest at Jalan Mahmoodiah Muslim cemetery in Johor Bahru.

Dr Syed Mahmood's second wife is Aishah bt Abdullah @ Kong Chai Peng. She was born in Taiping to Chinese parents who came to Malaya from China. Her family moved to Kajang. Her parents passed away when she was young and her elder sister cared for her. She trained in Kuala Lumpur as a nurse. She was working as a nurse (where?). She was widowed with a daughter when Dr Syed Mahmood met her. Aishah had altogether four children, three with Dr Syed Mahmood. Aishah is deceased in 2007.

Syed Mahmood's father had moved from Batu Pahat to Singapore after his retirement in 1929 (he taught at Alsagoff Arab School). Syed Mahmood's medical studies were supported in part by his first wife, Sharifah Hafsah, who was his first cousin. 

Syed Mahmood Al-Kudcy attended the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1929. He sat for the First Professional Examination Part I (Chemistry, Physics and Biology) in March 1930 and passed Biology with Distinction.[1] 

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[1] The Straits Times, 1 April 1930, p. 20. Examination Results. King Edward VII College of Medicine.

Dr Syed Mahmood Al-Kudcy graduated with the diploma of Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery in 1935 (King Edward VII LMS 1935). His name was styled as Dr Syed Mahmood bin Abdul Rahman Alkuds.

Dr Syed Mahmood bin Abdul Rahman Al-Kudcy
Portrait courtesy of Syed Mohamed Feiruz.

Source: Who’s Who in Malaysia 1971-1972

Dr Syed Mahmood Al-Kudcy

L.M.S. (S’pore), DCH (Lond), P.I.S.
Born 19 Oct 1912
Married Aishah bt Abdullah
Children: 3

Educated Batu Pahat High School and English College, Johore
In Johore Govt Service 1935-46
Resigned to do private practice in Batu Pahat, Johor.

Member Batu Pahat Town Board 1948-54, and Town Council 1955
Member of Johore State Council 1949
Chairman Board of Governors, Sekolah Dato Bentara Luar, Batu Pahat and Sekolah Menengah Rendah I., Batu Pahat
Member of Board of Governors of High School, Batu Pahat
President, Johore State AAA and Batu Pahat District AAA

Recreation: Golf
Address: Asia Dispensary, 103, Jalan Sultanah, Batu Pahat, Johore
Telephone: 556 Batu Pahat

Dr Lim Ju Boo's father's hotel at the corner of Jalan Ismail and Jalan Sultanah, Batu Pahat. Johor. Photo by Dr Lim Ju Boo, 15 May 2012.

Landmarks in Batu Pahat, from left - hotel at the corner, blue doors of Asia Dispensary, and a money-changer's shop. Photo by Dr Lim Ju Boo, 15 May 2012.

Author's notes:

1. I managed to locate family members in December 2020. 
2. Both Dr Syed Mahmood and his wife have passed away. His children could not be located before the 2 books on The Early Malay Doctors were published in 2012.
3. Searched for 'Kudcy' in Facebook, and managed to contact Raudhah Kudcy, a young female relative but she hardly knew him first-hand. She had heard about him from her aunt, who had assisted him with his medical studies.
4. Received information on Dr Syed Mahmood Al-Kudcy from Dr Lim Ju Boo who retired from IMR, KL in 1994. Dr Lim Ju Boo knows the family and 2 daughters from his childhood days. According to Dr Lim Ju Boo, Asia Dispensary premise is extant, but the clinic has ceased to function. Dr Lim Ju Boo photographed the Dispensary and its vicinity (supplied 3 photos).
5. Two books were published about The Early Malay Doctors: the first on 17 July 2012 and the second on 21 November 2012. Both books contained little information about Dr Syed Mahmood AlKudcy as there was no family contact in 2011 when the manuscripts were submitted.
6. His daughter Farida Herzog AlKudcy contacted on 17 December 2012 and offered to assist with her father's missing information. She was lost to follow-up and re-connected in December 2020.
7. I looked at Sharifah Noor Azian Syed Ahmad's Facebook today, 28 May 2014. My colleague Sharifah Azian Syed Yassin (Vienna, Austria) told me that Sharifah Noor Azian is Tun Syed Ahmad's daughter. The other daughter uses the nickname Anaruz Ahmad on Facebook. 
8. From Sharifah Noor Azian's Facebook, I saw Sharifah Raudhah AlQudsy's name (she was formerly Raudhah Kudcy on Facebook). I re-looked at Sharifah Raudhah AlQudsy's Facebook to see who she is. She was born in Johor and studied at RMIT in Melbourne. She started her own company when her son attended school. An article about her appears in the New Straits Times. She looks familiar.
9. The search for Dr Syed Mahmood family members was very long, tedious, and difficult from my research standpoint. There were scattered information coming from many contacts and I had to piece together a lot of information over many months. This was complicated by not knowing full names of individuals and how they were connected to Dr Syed Mahmood. 
10. This is the first research where I do not have the name of the doctor's mother. 
11. I am grateful to all family members and relatives who helped to form an acceptable biography for Dr Syed Mahmood.
12. As I understand it, Dr Syed Mahmood had 4+1 children by 2 wives, 15 grandchildren and a few great-grandchildren.

Acknowledgement of Primary Sources

Dr Lim Ju Boo—emailed since 5 September 2012

Sharifah Farida Al-Kudcy—information on Aishah's family; emailed 2012; Messenger 26 June 2019; WhatsApp and email on 6 November 2020 and 2 December 2020

Sharifah Azian bt Syed Yassin—contacted on Facebook

Sharifah Noor Azian bt Syed Ahmad—contacted on Facebook on 28 May 2014

Sharifah Raudhah AlQudsy—contacted on Facebook (her page was removed)

Sharifah Radziah Alhabshi—contacted on WhatsApp on 25 October 2020

Associate Professor Sharifah Hayati bt Syed Ismail—contacted on WhatsApp on 25 October 2020. She referred the author to Syed Mohamed Feiruz

Sharifah Ainon binti Syed Esa Al Qudsi (@ Buntat) (Syed Mohamed Feiruz’s mother)—he contacted her for details, which he then passed on to the author via WhatsApp on 25-26 October-November 2020

Syed Najib bin Jaffar AlQudsi—AlQudsi genealogy

Syed Hassan Binyahya and Syed Hussin Binyahya—information on Asiah, mother of Sharifah Habibun AlQudsi and Sharifah Zainab AlQudsi; communicated via Syed Mohamed Feiruz on 31 October 2020

Syed Novriza bin Said Muchtar Lutfi—information on names of Syed Abdul Rahman AlQudsi’s children and Syed Ahmad’s visitation to Johor Bahru to meet with Dr Syed Mahmood Al-Kudcy; communicated via Syed Mohamed Feiruz on 31 October 2020

Syed Khalil Al-Kudcy—information on Aishah’s family via WhatsApp on 2 November 2020

A brochure I made to reach out to Dr Syed Mahmood's family members and relatives.

Power of networking. by Rozana Sani. New Straits Times. 12 December 2011

http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/tech/power-of-networking-1.17902

https://www.facebook.com/sharifahraudhah.alqudsy