Mappila

This article is about Mappila Muslims. For other uses, see Mappila (disambiguation). For Nasrani Mappilas of Kerala, see Syrian Malabar Nasrani.

Mappila

Cheraman Perumal Juma Masjid, believed to have been built upon the request of an unknown Chera dynasty ruler and probably the first Mosque in India
Total population
7,900,000 (24.70% of Malayali Population)
Languages
Malayalam and most of its dialects
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Malayali, Beary, Nawayath, Labbay, Thulukkar

Mappila or Moplah (Malayalam: മാപ്പിള Māppiḷa) refers to a Muslim community of Kerala, primarily in the northern region called Malabar, which arose in Malabar as a result of the pre^[1] and post Islamic Arab contacts.^[2][3] Significant numbers of the community are also present in the southern districts of Karnataka and western parts of Tamil Nadu. A large portion of the community is scattered throughout the major cities of India, the Gulf states and Malaysia as diaspora groups.

Mappila Muslims of Malabar are known as "Malabaris" or "Malwari" in Middle East, Pakistan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Muslims (including the Mappila Muslims of Malabar) make up the largest community in Kerala, 24.70% of the population. As a religious group they are the second largest after Hindus (56%).^[4] They share the common language Malayalam and the culture of the inhabitants of Kerala. Over the centuries, the strong relations of the Mappilas with the traders from Arabia have created a profound impact on their life and culture. This has resulted in the formation of a unique tradition in literature, art, music, and history of the Mappilas. They now form an integral part of the unique blend of the culture of the Malayali.^[5][6]

Islam reached Malabar as early as 7th century. It was assimilated with the culture and traditions of Keralites. Ultimately the Islahi movements of Kerala, part of the renaissance of the community, resulted in the division of Mappilas as orthodox Sunnis and Salafis in 1925. Shia Islam is almost absent amongst the Muslims of Kerala.

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Etymology

There's a difference of opinion on the exact origin of the word Mappila (Moplah), but by and large it is considered to be derived from a combination of ancient Tamil/Malayalam Maha (great) or Ma (mother)^[7] and Pillai ("Son-in-law" or "Bridegroom").^[8][9] It was referred to visitors and immigrants to Malabar, including the Muslims, Christians and the Jews, either in the sense of "bridegroom","son-in-law" or in a broader sense of "honoured ones". The former refers to the intermarriage of the visitors with the local women of the region. In time it became a distinctive term to refer to the Muslim community in North Kerala, although the Syrian Malabar Nasrani community of South Kerala are also called "Nasrani Mappilas".^[10] The word Mappila was derived from the Tamil word "mappilai" which means son in law in Tamil language. When a Tamil word adopted in Malayalam languager 'ai' sound is omitted and 'aa' sound replaced. Thus 'mappilai becomes Mappila'.

History

The long-standing Arab, Greek, Persian and later Portuguese contact with the coastal areas of India has left its permanent mark in the form of several communities. These communities came into existence through the large scale immigration of Arab sailors and their families (The Muslim Mappilas)^[11] and traders and conversion of early Jews to Christianity (Nasrani Christians) and Hinduism. Malabar and Kochi were the most important states on the western coast of India where the Arabs and Persians found a fertile soil for their trade activities. The community, which arose in Malabar as a result of the contact, is called the Mappilas.

Part of a series on the
History of Kerala
Pre-history
Pre-history of Kerala  · Edakkal Caves · Marayur
Sangam period
Sangam literature Muziris · Tyndis  Economy · Religion · Music Early Cheras Early Pandyas Ezhimalai kingdom Ay kingdom Saint Thomas Christians
Medieval age Kalabhra interregnum Mappila Later Cheras Kulashekhara Alwar Adi Shankara Medieval Chola Empire Zamorins of Calicut Venad Kolathunad Kingdom of Travancore Kingdom of Cochin Kerala school Vijayanagara Empire
Modern age
Vasco da Gama Dutch East India Company Travancore–Dutch War Battle of Colachel Mysore invasion Pazhassi Raja British East India Company Madras presidency Third Anglo–Mysore War Velu Thampi Malabar Rebellion Punnapra-Vayalar uprising Narayana Guru Travancore-Cochin Indian independence Madras State Kerala Communist Party of India
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But the effect of Arabic immigration in Kerala should not be overestimated as compared to the local population; the immigrants were considerably small in numbers and have mixed with local natives. Mappilas are very much a racially uniform group. Indeed genetic studies have found identifiable genes from the Arab peninsula at about 0.1%.

Early history

Contrary to popular belief, Islam came to South Asia prior to Muslim invasions of Indian subcontinent. Islamic influence first came to be felt in the early 7th century with the advent of Arab traders. Trade relations between Arabia and the subcontinent are very ancient. Arab traders used to visit the Malabar region, which was a link between them and ports of South East Asia, to trade even before Islam had been established in Arabia. According to Historians Elliot and Dowson in their book The History of India as told by its own Historians, the first ship bearing Muslim travelers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 CE. H.G. Rawlinson, in his book: Ancient and Medieval History of India^[12] claims the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century CE. Shaykh Zainuddin Makhdum’s “Tuhfat al-Mujahidin” also is a reliable work.^[13] This fact is corroborated, by J. Sturrock in his South Kanara and Madras Districts Manuals,^[14] and also by Haridas Bhattacharya in Cultural Heritage of India Vol. IV.^[15] It was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural force in the world. The Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion and they propagated it wherever they went. The native Nair rulers (naduvazhis) especialy the Samuthiri of Calicut extended all facilities and protection to the Arab traders because their presence was needed for the economic prosperity of the naduvazhis.^[3]

The first Indian mosque is thought to have been built in 629 CE, purportedly at the behest of an unknown Chera dynasty ruler, who is considered the first Indian Muslim, during the lifetime of Muhammad (c. 571–632) in Kodungallur, in district of Thrissur, Kerala by Malik Bin Deenar.^[16][17][18]

The 12th century Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta was surprised to when he discovered that the Mappila communities near Calicut were the followers of Imam Shafi'i while the rest of the Indian Muslims were not, he was also impressed by their strong local cultural institutions and their voyages and influence in the Indian Ocean especially in the Maldives and coastal Sri Lanka.

In Malabar, the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam because they were more closely connected with the Arabs than others. Intensive missionary activities were carried out along the coast and a number of natives also embraced Islam. These new converts were now added to the Mappila community. Thus among the Mapilas, we find, both the descendants of the Arabs through local women and the converts from among the local people.^[19]

In the Gazetteer of Bombay Presidency, Khan Bahadur Fazlullah Faridi, mentions the settlement of pre-Islamic Arabs in Chaul, Kalyan Supara and Malabar Coast and Arab merchants passing along the Coromandel Coast on their way to China.

One Uppukutan Mappila appears in the legend of Parayi Petta Pandiru Kulam, (The Twelve Tribes Born to a Paryai) and he is said to have lived during the reign of Vikramaditya in north India, in the Gupta period. Ouwayi, who through extreme devotion made the goddess of Kozhikode appear before him, was a Jonaka Mappila. It was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural race in the world. The Arab merchants and traders now became the carriers of the new religion and they propagated it wherever they went. When Islam spread among the Arabs, the Arab traders brought it to Malabar during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Francis Day’s assumption that the first settlement of the Muslims on the western coast took place sometime in the seventh century strengthens this view. George Sarton says in his Introduction to the History of Science that the most outstanding event of the seventh century was, of course, the explosion of Islam throughout Arabia and parts of Africa and that it might have reached the Malabar Coast during those early days. But all of this is only speculation.

Malabar Mappilas

Relationship of Moplah groups

Arab merchants propagated their faith along the Malabar Coast.

It is a common practice among the Sunni Mappilas to visit the Muslim saints and their shrines to invoke blessings inorder to solve their problems. The shrine at Mambram is one such centre where even now a number of low castes among with Mappilas come with their grievances.^[20]

Most present day Mappilla Muslims are Shafi'i Muslims and the Muslims in coastal Karnataka (Beary)s also share a similar history and culture. However, a large number of traders and immigrants had also come from Basra, Damascus, Tunis and Egypt. They are remembered for their support in the fight against Portuguese inquisition and conversion to Christianity of native people of Malabar coast in the 16th and 17th centuries. Portuguese atrocities at this time were ruthless, resulting in entire coastal villages and populations being wiped out and almost all Muslim properties being destroyed.^[21] The Portuguese did not show any mercy as they were just coming from Portugal, where they had successfully driven the Moors out and harbored lingering, intense hatred and jealousy for them. Ships containing trading goods were drowned, along with thousands of merchants and their families and anyone who was an Arab was killed. All this resulted in the (Mappila) losing control of the spice trade they had dominated for more than thousand years as well as losing more than half of their population at the hands of the enemy. The Portuguese were religiously intolerant, and Mappilas were forced to convert to Christianity or die. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Mappilas were known for active attacks against the British,^[22] including the 1921 Moplah rebellion where many Mappilas lost their lives, and many were taken as prisoners, mostly to Port Blair. In the same Moplah rebellion, Mappilas murdered and forcibly converted thousands of Hindus.^[23] Mohommed Haji was proclaimed the Caliph of the Moplah Khilafat (Caliphate) and flags of "Islamic Caliphate" were flown. Ernad and Valluvanad were declared Khalifat kingdoms. Like the Bearys of Tulunadu, most Mappila Muslims follow the Shafi'i school of Muslim jurisprudence (in contrast to the Hanafi school followed by most South Asian Muslims). The great majority of Mappilas of Malabar supported the independence of Pakistan,^[24] though few Mappilas migrated to Pakistan following partition. Today, the vast majority of Malabari Mappilas in Pakistan are Muhajirs from Karachi; many are descendants of the Malabari community who left India after the Mappila revolt in 1921 to settle in Pakistan.^[25] There is also a Muslim Malabari colony in Karachi. Their numbers are predicted to be anywhere around 6,000; however, the vast majority have lost their cultural identity and assimilated with locals as constituents of the Muhajir community.^{[citation needed]} The Malabaris in Karachi are famous as hoteliers, fast food and paan shop owners. Malabari cuisine is known for its masala dosa, banana-sag, coconut-kari, hot spices, small-fish fry, daal chawal and a delicious variety of vegetable dishes, which have added to Karachi’s culinary scene.

Modern theological Mappila sects of Kerala

Vakkom Maulavi

The modern theological orientations amongst the Muslims of Kerala are primarily divided into three, though all these belong to the Sunni branch of Islam.

1. Sunnis (E. K. Sunni, A. P. Sunni etc.)
2. Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (AP faction, Madavur faction)
3. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind

The Sunnis referred here are identified by their conventional beliefs and practices and adherence to the Shafi'i madh'hab, while the other two theological orientations, the Mujahids and the Jama'ats, are seen as movements within the Sunni Islam.

Both political as well as philosophical grounds were raised as a reason for the splits which is still a matter of disagreement among the factions. The differences between the sects manifest in minor practical differences, as most Sunnis consider them all fundamentally the same. Sunnis generally do not identify themselves with a particular sect.

Of this, each major faction has its own mosques and madrassas. Women are strictly prohibited from entering traditional Sunni (both AP and EK) mosques. According to Sunni view, women are better to perform prayers at their own homes. Mujahids and Jama‘ats have no such discrimination but their women are prohibited from entering through main door. Separate entry gate is built for them in all Mujahid and Jama‘at mosques in Kerala. There will be a wall to separate men and women inside the mosque. A Sunni (AP and EK) imam (khatib) will deliver his Jumu'ah sermon in Classical Arabic with a model of an scimitar in his hand while swordless Mujahid and Jama‘at khatibs will chose Malayalam. The birth anniversary of Muhammad is only celebrated by various Sunni faction mahal committees and madrasas in Kerala. A mass ziyarat to the graves of martyrs and Syeds will be held. Even when majority Sunnis are celebrating Milad, Salafi groups have been critical of the celebrations. According to Salafi scholars, celebrating Muhammad's birth is un-Islamic and against the tenets of the Quran and Hadith.^[26]

This factionalism has caused hurdles in social life of Kerala Muslims in many rural areas. Clashes are not uncommon among the rival factions^[27] mostly for the control of mosques and madrasahs^[28]. In such an incident early in the year 2011, at least 10 persons were injured. The clash involving activists of the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF) and the Samastha Sunni Federation (SSF) was over madrasa curricula at Chinnamugar, near Bandiyode, close to Kumbla town. The SSF activists alleged that on Tuesday night, a group of persons armed with deadly weapons barged into a madrasa classroom at Chinnamugar and tried to attack the teacher, leading to the clash^[29].

Differences between the factions make effect in social institutions like marriage and funerals. Sunnis oppose intra-factional marriages while Mujahids stick to their practice of so-called ‘wedding sermon’ (Khutbah) which is totally unknown to Sunni texts. Often Mujahid or Jama‘at followers were denied of burial at Sunni cemeteries. Sometimes, families of the deceased will have to call local police and revenue officials to complete the funeral. There were incidences in which local parish (mahallah) authorities out casting those violating its rules.

Muslims in Kerala enjoy greater social and financial security when compared to the Muslims living in other parts of India.^{[citation needed]}

Mappilas of Tirunelveli

Indian Muslims who followed Shafi'i from the coastal state of Kerala – which borders Tamil Nadu – were forced by Portuguese brutal attacks on their villages in the 16th century to flee into the rural interior. They began migrating to the villages near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. Many of the present-day Tirulnelveli Muslims claim to be descended from the Kerala Mappilas and follow Malabari religious teachers and social culture.

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, about one-quarter of Kerala's population (or 7,863,842 people) were Muslims. Some have settled in other states within India. There are substantial numbers of Mappilas in nearby districts of Kodagu (Coorg), Mangalore, Bangalore, Coimbatore) etc. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of Mappilas numbering between 3 and 4 million people have left Kerala to seek employment in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Many of the prominent businessmen in these countries like the founder of Oman based Galfar, P Mohammed Ali, M.A. Yusuf Ali founder of the Abu Dhabi based Lulu Group of companies are Mappilas. Also Minister of State for Railways E. Ahamed and State Industry Minister Elamaram Kareem. Remittances from these expatriate communities makes Kerala one of the main contributors of foreign exchange to Indian economy.^[30]

Kodava Mappilas

They are a very small population found in Kodagu. They are descendants of Kodavas who were converted to Islam under the Mysore Sultans. The Yemmemad mosque in Coorg is their main place of worship. They devoutly observe requirements of Islam, including observance of Ramadan, offering salat five times daily, visiting the mosque every Friday (for men), refraining from alcohol and eating only halal foods. They maintained their original Kodava clan names and dress habits and spoke Kodava thakk although, now they do follow some Mappila-Beary customs also. Many original Malabar Mappilas have settled in Kodagu and now outnumber the Kodava Mappilas in Kodagu.

Culture

Oppana

Main article: Oppana

Oppana, a dance form among the Mappila community

It is a popular form of social entertainment among the Mappila community of Kerala, south India, prevalent all over Kerala. It is generally presented by females, numbering about fifteen including musicians, a day before a wedding. The bride, dressed in all finery, covered with gold ornaments, is the chief spectator; she sits on a peetam, around which the singing and dancing take place. While they sing, they clap their hands rhythmically and move around the bride using simple steps. Two or three girls begin the songs and the rest join the chorus.

Mappila Paattukal

Main article: Mappila songs

A typical Mappila sword

Mappila Paattu or Mappila Song is a folklore Muslim devotional song genre rendered to lyrics in Arabic-laced Malayalam, by Muslims or Mappilas of the Malabar]] belt of Kerala in south India.^[31] Mappila songs have a distinct cultural identity, as they sound a mix of the ethos and culture of Kerala as well as West Asia. They deal with themes such as religion, love, satire and heroism. Most of the mapillapatu are mixed with Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Tamil etc. it keeps many 'ishals' (tunes), prasams (rhyming parts) and things like that. Moyinkutty Vaidyar is one of the oldest poets in mapilapattu.

Duff Muttu

Main article: Duff Muttu

Duff Muttu [2] (also called Dubh Muttu) is an art form prevalent among Mappilas, using the traditional duff, or daf, also called Thappitta. Participants dance to the rhythm as they beat the duff.

Miscellaneous

• The call to prayer adhan is known as Baank in Kerala.

Sources

• The Cochin State Manual by Mr. C. Achutha Menon, Government of Kerala, 1995

References

1. ^ Panikkar, K. N., Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprisings in Malabar 1836-1921
2. ^ -Genesis and Growth of the Mappila Community, It is clear that the Arab contact with Malabar existed long before and became predominant in the post Roman period. Therefore the history of the Mappilas goes back to the Pre-Islamic period.
3. ^ ^{a b} -Genesis and Growth of the Mappila Community
4. ^ Census of India 2001
5. ^ Pg 458-466, Roland Miller, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol VI , Brill 1988
6. ^ OH! CALICUT! Outlook Traveller, December 2009
7. ^ Pg 302, Journal of Indian history, Volumes 26-27,University of Allahabad,1949
8. ^ Miller Roland - Encyclopaedia of Islam Volume 6 1988, Page 458
9. ^ [1] Muslims, Dalits, and the fabrications of history. Shail Mayaram, M. S. S. Pandian, Ajay Skaria
10. ^ Encyclopaedia of Islam Volume 6 1988, Page 458
11. ^ "MILITARY OCCUPY RIOT AREA IN INDIA; Malabar District Put Under Martial Law After Lootings and Burnings by Mobs. QUIET REPORTED RESTORED Government Plans to Take Action Against Prominent Agitators Held Responsible for Troubles". The New York Times. 28 August 1921. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C03E2DD143EEE3ABC4051DFBE66838A639EDE. 
12. ^ ISBN 81-86050-79-5 Ancient and Medieval History of India
13. ^ ISBN 983-9154-80-X
14. ^ Sturrock, J.,South Canara and Madras District Manual (2 vols., Madras, 1894-1895)
15. ^ ISBN 81-85843-05-8 Cultural Heritage of India Vol. IV
16. ^ -Cheraman Juma Masjid A Secular Heritage
17. ^ Bahrain tribune World’s second oldest mosque is in India
18. ^ -A mosque from a Hindu king
19. ^ - Genesis and Growth of the Mappila Community
20. ^ -Genesis and Growth of the Mappila Community “It was a common practice among the lower castes to visit the Muslim saints and their shrines to invoke blessings inorder to solve their problems. The shrine at Mambram is one such centre where even now a number of low castes come with their grievances.”
21. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=RfbNcIXQwSAC&pg=PA181&lpg=PA181&dq=moplahs&source=bl&ots=ZPlMM1Szs1&sig=fAm0wz2KF0CMBzpV7hMMNK-H45U&hl=en&ei=rcgaS-KzBtPTnAeb0c3YAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAsQ6AEwATgK#v=onepage&q=moplahs&f=false
22. ^ "MOPLAHS A MENACE FOR SEVERAL YEARS; Malabar Fanatics Said to Have Been Emboldened by Shifting of British Troops". The New York Times. 4 September 1921. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=990DE5DE1431EF33A25757C0A96F9C946095D6CF. 
23. ^ pg 103 Hindu culture during and after Muslim rule: survival and subsequent challenges, M.D. Publications, 1994
24. ^ (Page 100)Freedom movement in French India: the Mahe revolt of 1948 By J. B. Prashant More, M. Manickam
25. ^ Malayalees in Pakistan: Maddy's Musings
26. ^ "All set for Milad-e-Sharif celebrations today". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 15 February 2011. http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/15/stories/2011021559270300.htm. 
27. ^ "Sunni group charges police with ‘bias'". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 13 November 2007. http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/13/stories/2007111365080300.htm. 
28. ^ "10 Injured In Clash". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 10 February 2011. http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/10/stories/2011021051730500.htm. 
29. ^ "10 Injured In Clash". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 10 February 2011. http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/10/stories/2011021051730500.htm. 
30. ^ Remittances and its impact on the Kerala Economy and Society - International migration, multi-local livelihoods and human security: Perspectives from Europe, Asia and AfricaInstitute of Social Studies,The Netherlands , 30–31 August 2007
31. ^ "Preserve identity of Mappila songs". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2006-05-07. http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/07/stories/2006050719690300.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-15. 

See also

• Cheraman Juma Masjid
• Mappila Malayalam
• Mappila Rebellion
• Islahi Movement in Kerala
• List of Mappilas
• Kuthu Ratheeb
• Ambalangadan
• Kodagu Mappila
• E. K. Sunni