Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat

From 1619 to 1671, Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat (1581-1671) was the 7th Sultan of Maguindanao. Like the other Muslim rulers in the southern Philippines, he successfully fought off Spanish invasions and halted the spread of Catholicism on the island of Mindanao during his reign. He was a direct descendant of Shariff Kabungsuwan, a Johor Malay-Arab noble who brought Islam to Mindanao in the 13th and 14th centuries. He is remember as one of the most important historical figures in Philippines. The Sultan Kudarat province is named after him, as is the Sultan Kudarat municipality in Maguindanao, where his descendants, who hold the rank of Datu, are current political leaders.

The Sultan died of old age in 1671, after reigning for more than fifty years. In his final years, Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat was regarded as a "holy" man. He was actually a learned man in Islamic jurisprudence Fiqh and was regarded as one of the best Panditas of the reign. He was a deeply religious man who carried out all of his Islamic obligations. He was unfailingly brave and gracious in victory. Nasir ud-Din, which means "Helper of the Faith," was his regal name. In Simuay, he is buried near a sea embankment.

He died at the age of 90, and his grandchildren always referred to him as Nasir ud-Din. Even to this day, he is remembered fondly in Mindanao.