A Rahman Tang Abdullah is currently an Associate Professor at the History Programme, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah. He is visually impaired. He obtained his first degree with First Class Honours in History from the University of Malaya, and then both Masters degree in Southeast Asian Studies and Ph.D. in History from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He was also a Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of History University of Cambridge, United Kingdom from February to December 2017 and February 2023 to January 2024. His field of specialisation is in History, which includes modern history of Malaysia, Malay historiography and comparative history on Modern and contemporary Southeast Asia. His research interests and writings are on history and historiography of Johor, water issues between Malaysia and Singapore, Malay economy during the colonial period, Islamic law in Kedah before colonial rule, legal history on the formation of Malaysia, nationalism and Islam in Southeast Asia in comparative perspectives, and Arab Hadramis in Malaysia.

Professor Madya Dr. A Rahman Tang Bin Abdullah holds Ijazah Doktor Falsafah from University Of London, UK , among other qualifications, and has established themselves as a respected expert in their field.