Tun Abdul Hamid was born on April 18, 1942, at Permatang Tinggi Bakar Bata, Kepala Batas, Penang. The village is surrounded by paddy fields. All its inhabitants are farmers. His father studied at a pondok (traditional Islamic religious school) in Kedah, at the pondok of Tok Kenali in Kelantan and at the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. His brothers too studied at…