.The origin of the Malays, which many are unaware of, is actually believed to date back 60,000 years ago. If you follow the latest TikTok or YouTube trends, you may have come across the name of a professor from the International Islamic University, Prof. Dr. Solehah Yaacob. His statements may sound controversial, but it is not impossible that there is some truth to them.

The origin of the Malays, which many are unaware of, is actually believed to date back 60,000 years ago.

During the dark ages of Europe, when knowledge was scarce, the true history of the world was undoubtedly preserved in ancient books of the Children of Israel or the Arabic books of the time of the caliphs. Does anyone want to deny this?

His claims, such as the Malays being descendants of Sam, the son of Noah, and Keturah, the third wife of Prophet Ibrahim, being the mother of the Malays, the ancient Malays practicing the Hanifa religion (monotheism before Islam), and the Srivijaya empire already being Islamic based on a letter to the Islamic caliph, are quite unfamiliar and contradictory to what most of us know.

Although not well-known in Malaysia before, this professor is not just anyone. His works have been published mostly abroad, and in 2019, he received the Best Research Peace Award through his paper "The Contradictory Views on Ancient Literary Works as a Foundation of World Historical Development" by Rula Awards & Ijrula.

If we delve into his words, they are not so controversial because many other religious scholars have spoken similarly, if we explore YouTube, for example, about the connection between Keturah and the Malays. However, Solehah's presence is strengthened by evidence.

This professor approaches the topic from a more scientific perspective. He connects Keturah, which means agarwood, with an ancient place in the first Malay kingdom, Champa, which was formerly called 'Keturah'.

Wikipedia proves his claim to be true, that Nha Trang, which produces high-quality agarwood in Vietnam, was formerly known as Kauthara during the Champa kingdom, which may sound similar to Keturah in the Arabic language.

Recently, there has also been surprising research conducted by a female professor from the University of Science Malaysia, specializing in forensic science.

The findings of Associate Professor Zafarina Zainuddin show that the mitochondrial DNA of people from Malay ethnic groups such as Kelantan, Banjar, Bugis, Javanese, Champa, Patani, and others is much older than the DNA of East Asians, including the Chinese, and slightly younger than that of Indians! This directly contradicts the theory that has been circulating for a long time that the Malays originated from Taiwan or Yunnan, but rather suggests that the Malays have been present in the Nusantara region for the past 60,000 years. Her research is supported by Oxford professor, Dr. Stephen Oppenheimer.

In conclusion, the origin of the Malays, which many are unaware of, is believed to date back 60,000 years ago. While these claims may be controversial, they are supported by evidence and research conducted by reputable scholars. It is important to explore and understand different perspectives on history to gain a more comprehensive understanding of our origins.