Daud bin Sulaiman was among the 60 Malays who chose the JMF as a career. He was recruited as a private and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1890. His capability and dedication earned him the rank of Captain four years later.

Sultan Abu Bakar, who had faith and confidence in Daud’s ability, appointed him as the Commanding Officer of the JMF in 1895 before Abu Bakar left for Europe in 1895. Captain Daud bin Sulaiman was the first Malay in the Peninsula to be appointed as a commanding officer of an army.

References:

Yahya Ahmad's "JMF and Colonel Commandant Sultan Ibrahim: A Cultural Review" Academic Study, Department of History, University of Malaya 1974/75.

JMF.