Pengiran Muda Besar Shah Berunai ascended the throne in 1581 on the death of his father Sultan Saiful Rijal.
[2] The Flemish trader of precious stones named Jacques de Coutre described him as "more a pirate than a king" and most of his followers as "Borneo Bajaus.
According to Hugh Low, Shah Brunei died without leaving any children, although he notes in a footnote that some accounts claim the sultan abdicated in favour of his brother.
On 26 December 1600, Olivier van Noort arrived in Brunei Bay and was informed by local officials that the king was under the guardianship of his uncle, who served as regent.
Consequently, the absence of any mention of the infant in either version of the Silsilah suggests that he likely died shortly afterward, enabling Muhammad Hasan to ascend to the throne sometime in 1601.