Sultan Muhammad Jabir Syah (4 March 1902 – 4 July 1975), also spelt Mohammad Djabir Sjah, was the 47th ruler of Ternate from 1929 to 1975.

In order to gain practical skills for his future task, he served under the Assistant Resident of Sumbawa for a time.

The previous Dutch reorganization of the local administration was however kept, so that Muhammad Jabir led a semi-traditional rule.

From their newly conquered base in Morotai they made contact with the Sultan who moved to the nearby island Hiri which was not garrisoned by Japanese troops.

The Sultan returned to Ternate after the Japanese surrender in August 1945, carrying the official rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Dutch Colonial Army (KNIL).

[3] During these years North Maluku was a union of three swapraja (self-rule) regions, namely Ternate, Tidore and Bacan, whose Sultans handled daily affairs as an executive council.

However, the Sultan was now suspected of having supported the attempts to establish a separate Republic of South Maluku, and the Indonesian authorities arrested him and brought him to Makassar for trial.

However, the late 1950s and early 1960s were difficult times for Ternatan society, and there was a wish for a larger degree of autonomy for North Maluku.