Munshi Abdullah followed his father's career path as a translator and teacher of colonial officials in the Malay Archipelago, mainly the British and the Dutch.

He became a scribe and copyist for Sir Stamford Raffles, followed by, in 1815, becoming translator of the Gospels and other text for the London Missionary Society.

There is some controversy over the exact time and location of his death, with some scholars arguing that he died in Jeddah in October 1854 at the age of 58, before reaching Mecca.

Abdullah's authorship was prominently displayed in this text and the contents were conveyed in simple, contemporary Malay.

He is regarded by many to be the first Malayan journalist, taking Malay literature out of its preoccupation with folk-stories and legends into accurate historical descriptions.

The Malay Sultan was deemed to be someone who was selfish, with no concern toward his subjects, to the extent they were treated like animals rather than humans.

Without education, they did not have the ability to question the injustice meted out to them and could not take the initiative to institute changes to improve their lives.

[14] Abdullah also commented on the attitudes common among the 'anak raja' during his 1837 visit to Pahang and Terengganu, mentioning their lack of education, opium addiction, gambling and cockfighting.

[15] Munshi Abdullah was a great-grandson of a Hadhrami Arab trader,[16] and also had Indian Tamil and to a smaller extent, Malay ancestry.

Thomson, a contemporary of Abdullah, described him thus: "In physiognomy he was a Tamilian of southern Hindustan: slightly bent forward, spare, energetic, bronze in complexion, oval-faced, high-nosed, one eye squinting outwards a little.