For some people, possessions are not for their own enjoyment. They might give them to others without thinking twice. They don’t expect anything in return or gratitude.

I refer to Sultan Syarif Kasim II of Siak Indrapura. I visited his palace during my trip for a reunion with my brother.

This sultan is known in Indonesian history for donating 13 million gulden to the Indonesian government at the beginning of independence.

His sense of nationalism must have been very high. However, was there another reason behind his decision?

This sultan inherited wealth from his father, the previous sultan. I saw the remains of the palace and luxury goods purchased from mainland Europe, especially the Netherlands, Germany, and France. In the early 1900s, only very wealthy families could bring in goods from abroad.

This sultan had no children as heirs. Perhaps, for this reason, he donated some of his wealth to the Indonesian struggle at the beginning of independence.

Another thing that convinced me that he no longer wanted wealth was that he also gave a crown full of diamonds to the Indonesian government in addition to the 13 million gulden and declared his sultanate was under the Indonesian government.

No sultanate in the world is quite like the Sultanate of Siak Indragiri, which willingly declared its submission without making any offers or seeking a bargaining position. The sultan even threw the key to the royal safe into the river to avoid any potential conflict within the family over the money and gold stored inside.

In his old age, the king lived a simple and quiet life in his palace. Long after his passing, the people of Siak continued to speak his name with great respect. Even I, not being from Siak, felt a sense of awe when I entered the old palace.

Those who have achieved a certain level of spirituality view money and wealth as ordinary aspects of life. Wealth is merely a tool, not the purpose of existence.