What happened to Sayf al-Rijal?

Sayf al-Rijal is the least known Sheikh al-Islam, the highest religious appointee in the court of Aceh Dar al-Salam, in the seventeenth century. Yet, he replaced the renowned Sheikh Nur al-Din in 1643 and in turn was succeeded by another famous ulama Abd al- Ra’uf al-Sinkili in 1661. As of date, there is very little information on al-Rijal and his writings after he won the struggle against al-Raniri and was appointed as the Sheikh al-Islam by Sultanah SafiatuddinSyah in 1643. So, what happened to Sayf al-Rijal after his appointment? This article provides an explanation and throws some light on this mysterious figure.