He was the son of Datu Bandar Abang Haji Mohammad Kassim; who ruled Kuching as a mayor under the White Rajah's administration. He was also the grandson of Datu Bandar Abang Haji Bolhassan and a descendant of Datu Patinggi Ali who fought to achieve Sarawak's independence from Brunei. After the death of his father in Mecca, in 1921, he was given the title Datu Muda. In 1924, he became the Datu Bandar and then in 1937 he was given the title Datu Patinggi.