[1] Although his position as monarch was ceremonial rather than executive, he was a prominent local politician whose career was temporarily interrupted by sectarian violence in 1999.

Mohammad Djabir had little authority after 1950 as he stayed permanently in Jakarta, and in 1965 a law deprived the North Malukan Sultans their rights of representation in the administration.

[2] After the outbreak of communal violence in Ambon in 1999, disturbances temporarily spilled over to North Maluku which was just about to be reconstituted as a new province, with the Sultan as one of the candidates for the governorship.

[2][6] Mudaffar made efforts to protect the local Christians from persecution, but fighting broke out in November 1999 between followers of the Sultan and forces loyal to his rivals for the governorship of North Maluku.

[1] As a leader, he was locally considered to be a judicious and fair person who took the right decisions and was able to reconstruct the traditions of the sultanate after a long hiatus.

[1] His death was followed by disputes within the family as to which son was entitled to head the Sultanate; eventually his brother Sjarifuddin Sjah was appointed in 2016.