Bangkai is the Acehnese word meaning “corpse” or “dead body”, recorded in the sixteenth‑century Malay translation of the Burda of al‑Bu‑s‑iri. The entry appears on 80 of the source, where it is glossed as “jong dagingnja (A. ashia’, ledematen)”. The term is used in religious and poetic contexts to denote the physical remains of a human being, often contrasted with spiritual concepts such as dunia (world) and akhirah (hereafter).
The word derives from the Arabic ʿajz “remains”, adapted into Acehnese phonology. In the Burda it frequently appears in verses warning against attachment to worldly goods, e.g., “bangkai tidak dapat membeli keselamatan” (“the corpse cannot purchase salvation”).
Usage in Acehnese literature
In the Acehnese rendition of the Burda, bangkai is employed in moral admonitions, linking physical death with the need for spiritual redemption. The term also appears in legal texts describing the handling of dead bodies according to Islamic law.
See Also
Source
20260707_232246_DLP-54-Een_16de_eeuwse_Maleise_vertaling_van_de_Burda_van_al_Bu_s_i_ri_OCR.txt, pp. 80.