| Ahmad Shah | |||||||||
| Al-Musta'in Billah (He who seeks help from God) | |||||||||
| Succession: | Yang di-Pertuan Agong VII | ||||||||
| Reign: | 26 April 1979 – 25 April 1984 | ||||||||
| Coronation: | 10 July 1980 | ||||||||
| Cor-Type: | Malaysia | ||||||||
| Predecessor: | Yahya Petra | ||||||||
| Successor: | Iskandar | ||||||||
| Succession2: | Sultan of Pahang | ||||||||
| Reign2: | 7 May 1974 – 11 January 2019 | ||||||||
| Coronation2: | 8 May 1975 | ||||||||
| Cor-Type2: | Installation | ||||||||
| Predecessor2: | Abu Bakar | ||||||||
| Successor2: | Abdullah | ||||||||
| Succession3: | 8th President of AFC
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| Full Name: | Tengku Ahmad Shah ibni Tengku Abu Bakar (as birth) Tuanku Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah (as Yang di-Pertuan Agong) Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah (as Sultan of Pahang) Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah (as former Sultan of Pahang) | ||||||||
| House: | Bendahara | ||||||||
| Father: | Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Mu’azzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdullah Al-Mu’tassim Billah Shah | ||||||||
| Mother: | Tengku Ampuan Besar Raja Fatimah binti Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Shah Kaddasullah | ||||||||
| Birth Date: | 1930 10, df=yes | ||||||||
| Birth Place: | Istana Mangga Tunggal, Pekan, Pahang, Federated Malay States | ||||||||
| Death Place: | National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[1] | ||||||||
| Burial Date: | 23 May 2019 | ||||||||
| Burial Place: | Abdullah Mosque, Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia | ||||||||
| Religion: | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’azzam Shah (Jawi: Malay: المرحوم سلطان حاج أحمد شاه المستعين بالله إبن المرحوم سلطان أبو بكر رعاية الدين المعظم شاه; 24 October 1930 – 22 May 2019) was Sultan of Pahang from 1974 until his abdication in 2019, and the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), from 1979 to 1984. His abdication as sultan was decided by the Royal Council at an extraordinary meeting on 11 January 2019. A special amendment was passed on the state constitution that gave the body more power for this decision, citing the Sultan's incapability to rule due to his failing health.[2] The abdication was announced the next day which was retroactively effective on the day of the Royal Council meeting, paving the way to his son, Abdullah to succeed him as sultan immediately, and subsequently be elected as the next Yang di-Pertuan Agong later the same month.[3]
Ahmad Shah was born on 24 October 1930 at the Istana Mangga Tunggal, Pekan, Pahang. He was the only son of Sultan Abu Bakar of Pahang by his official and royal consort, Tengku Ampuan Besar Raja Fatimah binti Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Shah Kaddasullah (1910 - 1988), a princess of Perak's royal family.
A student of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, he received diplomas in public administration from Worcester College, Oxford and the University of Exeter. He succeeded his father as sultan in 1974.
His election as the 7th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1979 was marked with controversy as he was said to be at odds with the incoming prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. However, the rumours proved to be untrue and he proved to be a keen admirer of the prime minister. Twenty-two years earlier, his father Abu Bakar had failed five times to be elected as the first Agong.
A controversial, headstrong personality, he has often forced his chief ministers in Pahang to resign over minor differences.
His favourite hobbies were playing football, golf, polo, and equestrian activities.
Sultan Ahmad Shah was a keen sportsman and was the President of the Malaysian Football Association (FAM) from 1984 until 2014,[4] the President of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) until 2002[5] and Asean Football Federation (AFF) from 2011 until 2019.
His official and royal consort, Tengku Ampuan Afzan, a member of the Terengganu royal family, served as his Raja Permaisuri Agong but died of cancer on her return to Pahang on 29 June 1988. Sultan Ahmad Shah's second wife Kalsom Abdullah (nee Anita), was designated as the Sultanah of Pahang in 1991. They then had a child, Tengku Arif Temenggong Pahang Tengku Fahd Mua'adzam. [6]
After being ill for some time, Sultan Ahmad Shah abdicated with effect from 11 January 2019 (when it was Pahang's turn to provide the Agong) upon the amendment of the state's constitution. On 22 May 2019, Sultan Ahmad Shah died at 8:50 am at the National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur at age 88. [7] He was laid to rest next to the grave of his late wife, Tengku Ampuan Afzan at the Pahang Royal Mausoleum near Abu Bakar Royal Mosque in Pekan, Pahang.[8] The state of Pahang observed 40 days of mourning, and Pahangese flags across the state were flown at half-mast, while all entertainment events for the next 3 days were cancelled.[9]
| Name | Birth date | Birth Place | Death date | Death place | !colspan="2" | Marriage Date | Spouse ! | Their children | Their grandchildren |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tengku Meriam | 1 April 1955 | 24 April 1976 - Divorced |
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| Tengku Muhaini | 31 October 1956 | 22 January 1981 - Divorced |
| Puteri Munawwarah Syammiyah Tun Putera Abdul Mubin Shah | |||||
| Tengku Aishah Marcella | 13 November 1957 | 23 October 1980 - Divorced, 2 July 1987 |
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| 30 July 1959 | 6 March 1986, 1991 |
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| Tengku Abdul Rahman | 23 August 1960 | 27 July 2002, 2012 |
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| Tengku Nong Fatimah | 4 September 1962 |
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| Tengku Shahariah | 12 September 1964 |
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| Tengku Fahad Mua'adzam Shah | 10 February 1994 |
As the Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1979 to 1984, Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah was automatically designated under constitutional provisions as the Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, holding the rank of the Field Marshal of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Admiral of the Royal Malaysian Navy and Field Marshal of the Army.[10]
Until he stepped down in 2019 he was the RMAF's Colonel in Chief and appeared at official RMAF ceremonies.