Malaysia Greatest Martial Art ( Silat Seni Gayong )

Introduction

Silat is a Malay word which means martial arts. Malay silat is a generic term for many Malaysian martial arts. There are at least 150 known Malay silats in Malaysia. Most popular ones are Silat Gayong (pronounced Guy Yoog), Silat Cekak, Silat Sendeng, Silat Keris Lok 9 and Silat Gayong Fatani. There is also another silat style called silat Melayu. This silat is considered as the oldest Malay silat.

Silat Gayong, or correctly referred to as Silat Seni Gayong, is a Malay art of self-defense; a fighting art, the art of stopping wars. The art is not merely about self-defense, it is also for the development of the self (belajar mengenal diri); becoming a better person so that you may serve humanity. It is a great way to develop and increase physical fitness, flexibility, mental conditioning, discipline and self-confidence. The philosophy of Gayong is strongly related to the Malay Adat Istiadat (Malay cultures and traditions), morals, adab (respect) and the teaching of religion. Religion is the inspiration, motivation and guidance for high quality behavior. It is a mark of peace and harmony.

Gayong art has been passed down from generation to generation; from the Hulubalang Gayong to Tengku Panglima Hitam (Daeing Kuning), to Syed Zainal Idris Al-Atas, to Daeing Uda Mat Hashim, to Meor Abdul Aziz and Dato Meor Abdul Rahman (see picture on text book). Today, several practitioners have been entrusted to share the art with mankind. These include Abdul Majid Mat Isa, Siti Kalsom Meor Rahman, Razali Salleh, Hussain Kaslan, Awang Daud, Ahmad Lazim, Mat Nanyang and BadirulZaman.

There are other Gayong practitioners dedicated to spreading the art of Gayong; Kahar Redza, Ismail Jantan, Mufti Ansari, Safiah Mohd Noor, Mustapa Kamal, Sani Morni, Rasul Abdul Ghani, Faid Musa, Azhar Abbas, Zainal Ishak, Rahim Hussain, Ariffin Mahidin, Ibrahim Yatim, Idris Abdul Rahaman, Jaafar Jamaludin, Hamzah Ahmad, Selamat Mat Raji, Mohd Anuar Hamid, Jebat Majid,.... and many more.

Gayong is widely practiced in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Due to different opinions and styles of managing a very large organization, Gayong carries many different names; Gayong Malaysia, Gayong Pusaka, Gayong Warisan and Gayong PASAK. Regardless of whatever names Gayong may carry, they all agreed on one thing...... that the Grand Master of Gayong will always be Dato Meor Abdul Rahman . Now, Gayong is slowly spreading into Europe and the Western world.