Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama (1926–1989)
The Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama (informally abbreviated as the Samastha[4]), 1926, was the principal Sunni-Shafi'i scholarly body in northern Kerala.[5][1][6] Most of the ordinary Sunnis of Kerala, adhering to Shafi'i Law, largely followed the Ulama.[7] A forty-member 'mushawara' was the high command body of the Sunni council.[8][9] The council administered thousands of Shafi'ite mosques, madrasas (institutions where children receive basic Islamic education) and Arabic Colleges (the equivalent of north Indian madrasas).[5]
| Nickname | Samastha |
|---|---|
| Successor |
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| Formation | 1925–26[1] |
| Founders | |
| Founded at | Kozhikode |
| Defunct | 1989 |
| Type | Scholarly body[1] |
| Legal status | Registered in India as per Society Registration Act |
Region | Kerala |
Founding President | Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal[2] |
Founding Vice Presidents[2] |
|
Founding Secretaries[2] |
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| Part of a series on |
| Islam |
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The council was organised in the aftermath of the 1921 Mappila Uprising as a response to the growing Salafi Movement in Kerala.[5][1] Prominent community leaders Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar and Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal first convened to form an Ulama at Valiya Jum'ah Masjid, Kozhikode in 1925.[2] Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama was formally constituted at Kozhikode Town Hall in June, 1926 (registered in November, 1934).[2][10] The council, in the presence of Abdurrahiman Bafaqy Thangal, introduced the "madrasa system", as an alternative to the existing system for children's Islamic education, in September 1949.[10] Religious education and the mahals were organised in 1951 and 1976 respectively. Jamia Nooriya Arabia and the Markaz, premier Shafi'ite institutes of higher religious learning in Kerala, were established in 1965 and 1978 respectively.[11][12] Darul Huda was founded at Chemmad in 1986. The body witnessed an organisational division during the late 1980s, resulting in the presence two separate Shafi'i scholarly bodies in northern Kerala (the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama and the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama affiliated to All India Sunni Jem-iyyathul Ulama).[1][6]
History
Early years
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, a council of principal Sunni-Shafi'i scholars of Malabar District, was organised in 1926 as a response to the growing Salafi Movement in Kerala.[5][1][13]
A nascent form of the Ulama was formed at Valiya Jum'ah Masjid, Kozhikode in 1925.[2] This was organised by Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar and Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal with K. P. Muhammad Miran Musliyar as the President and Parol Husain Maulavi as the Secretary.[2] The Ulama was formally constituted on 26 June 1926 at Town Hall, Kozhikode.[2]
| Structure of the Ulama (1926) | |
|---|---|
| President[2] | Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal |
| Vice Presidents[2] | Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar |
| Abulhaq Muhammad Abdul Bari Musliyar | |
| K. M. Abdul Qadir Musliyar, Pallippuram | |
| K. P. Muhammad Miran Musliyar | |
| Secretaries[2] | P. V. (Palli Veettil) Muhammad Musliyar |
| P. K. Muhammad Musliyar | |
Wings (prior to 1989)
- Scholarly body — Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama
- Education Board — Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidhyabhyasa Board
- Mahallu Federation — Sunni Mahallu Federation
- Youth wing — Samastha kerala Sunni Yuvajana Samgham (S. Y. S.)
- Students wing — Kerala state Sunni Students' Federation (S.S.F)
- Mouthpiece — "Al-Bayan"
Timeline
- 1925 — A nascent form of the Ulama inaugurated at Valiya Jum'ah Masjid, Kozhikode.[2]
- 26 June 1926 — Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama constituted at Kozhikode Town Hall in the presence of Sayyid Cherukunjikkoya Thangal.[2][10]
- 7 February 1927 — First conference of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama at Tanur in the presence of Liyauddeen Hazrath (Nalir Bakhiyath).[10]
- December 1929 — Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama published its first periodical Al-Bayan (edited by K. V. Muhammad Musliyar).[13][10]
- 1932 June — Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar appointed as the President of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama (succeeding Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal).[10]
- 14 Nov 1934 — Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama officially registered by law at Kozhikode District Registrar Office.[10][14]
- September 1949 — The Samastha mushawara introduced the madrasa system (in the presence of Sayyid Abdurrahiman Bafaqy Thangal).[10]
- 17 September 1951 — Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidhyabhyasa Board (S. K. I. M. V. B) established.[10]
- 26 April 1954 — S. K. J. U. formed a youth wing named "Sunni Yuvajana Samgham" (S. Y. S.).
- 1965 — Jamia Nooriyya Arabiyya established at Pattikkad (near Perinthalmanna).[11]
- 1973 — Formation of Sunni Students' Federation
- 1976 — Sunni Mahallu Federation established.
- 1978 — Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar forms Jamia Markazu Saqafathi Sunniyya at Karanthur, near Kozhikode.[12]
- 1986 — Establishment of Darul Huda Academy in Chemmad.
- 1989 — Organisational division.[6]
- Presidents until 1989 :-
- Varakkal Mullokoya Thangal 1926-1932
- Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar 1932-1945
- Abdul Bari Musliyar 1945-1965
- KK Sadakkathulla Musliyar 1965-1967
- Kanniyath Ahmed Musliyar 1967–1993
- Presidents after organisational division
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama of EK Sunnis
1 K.K. Aboobacker Hazrath 1993- 1995
2 Sayyid Abdurahman Imbichikoya Thangal Al-Aydarusi Al-Azhari 1995- 2004 [15]
3 Kalambadi Mohammed Musliyar 2004- 2012
4 Anakkara C Koya Kutty Musliyar 2012–2016
5 Kumaramputhur A. P. Muhammed Musliyar 2016-2017
6 Sayyid Muhammed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal (2017- Present)
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama of AP Sunnis
1 Tajul Ulama Sayyid Abdurahman Al Bukhari Thangal 1989-2014 [16]
2 MA Abdul Qadir Musliyar 2014-2015 [17]
3 E.Sulaiman Musliyar (2015-Present)[18]
Councils
The two current Shafi'ite councils in northern Kerala are named after the initials of leading scholars of each wing (E. K. Aboobacker Musliyar and A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar).[6] Both of them were the leading scholars of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, until they were divided in 1989.[6][19] They are :
- Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama[6] currently headed by Sayed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal.[20][21]
- Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama led by Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar[6][7][5]
Educational activities
Madrasa in Kerala refers to an extracurricular institution where children receive basic Islamic and Arabic language education.[5] The council managed thousands of Shafi'ite madrasas with millions of enrolled students (the Salafi movement-oriented organisations also manage madrasas in Kerala).[5] Thousands of teachers were also registered with these madrasas.[5] The organisation also run a chain of Arabic Colleges in Kerala (equivalent of north Indian madrasas).[5]
Publications
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama started publishing a Malayalam language monthly called "Al-Bayan" in 1929. The magazine was printed in Arabi-Malayalam script. It later ceased publication and started again in October, 1950 in Malayalam script.[22][10] The council also published short-lived magazines such as "Sunni Times" or "Sunni Voice" (from 1964) and "Muslim" (from 1987, in both Malayalam script and Arabi-Malayalam scripts).[22]
References
- Santhosh, R.; Visakh, M. S. (2020). "Muslim League in Kerala: Exploring the Question of 'Being Secular'". Economic and Political Weekly. 55 (7): 7–8.
- "Karma Bhumiyil (Malayalam)". Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidhyabyasa Board. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013.
- Naha, Abdul Latheef (29 May 2020). "Sunni factional feud takes a violent turn – The Hindu". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Miller, Roland E. (1976). "Mappila Muslims of Kerala: A Study in Islamic Trends". The Journal of Asian Studies. Orient Longman. 39 (1): 196–198. doi:10.2307/2053549. JSTOR 2053549. S2CID 153619298.
- Osella, Filippo; Osella, Caroline (2008). "Islamism and Social Reform in Kerala, South India". Modern Asian Studies. 42 (2–3): 317–346. doi:10.1017/S0026749X07003198. S2CID 143932405.
- Kooria, Mahmood (2018). "An Ethno-History of Islamic Legal Texts". Oxford Journal of Law and Religion. 7 (2): 313–338. doi:10.1093/ojlr/rwy034. ISSN 2047-0770.
- Philip, Shaju (1 September 2014). "In Kerala's Old Sunni vs Sunni Rivalry, a New Daily". The Indian Express.
- Naha, Abdul Latheef (18 January 2018). "Sunni Factions to Bury the Hatchet". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- Alingal, Shafeeq (7 January 2018). "Kerala: League of Factions". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020.
- "History of Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Ulama: Timeline". Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014.
- Miller, Roland. E (1987). "Mappila". The Encyclopedia of Islam. Vol. VI. E. J. Brill. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016.
- Miller, Roland E. (2015). Mappila Muslim Culture. State University of New York. p. 214.
- Miller, Roland E. (2015). Mappila Muslim Culture. State University of New York. pp. 101–103 and 330.
- "Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Ulama: First Mushavara". Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Ulama. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014.
- "Azhari Thangal passes away". The Hindu. 22 November 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- "Sayyid Madani Ullal Darga(R)". www.seyyidmadaniullal.com. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- Mangalorean, Violet Pereira, Mangaluru Team (18 February 2015). "Kasaragod: Eminent Islamic Scholar M A Ustad Passes away at 91". Mangalorean.com. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "ഇ സുലൈമാന് മുസ്ലിയാര് സമസ്ത പ്രസിഡന്റ്". KVARTHA: MALAYALAM NEWS | KERALA NEWS | KERALA VARTHA | ENTERTAINMENT ചുറ്റുവട്ടം മലയാളം വാര്ത്തകൾ. 15 April 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- Alingal, Shafeeq (7 January 2018). "Kerala: League of Factions". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020.
- Naha, Abdul Latheef (3 January 2018). "No action against Panakkad scions". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020.
- "Aradhanalayangal Thurakkanam: Samastha". Media One. 3 June 2020.
- Miller, Roland E. (2015). Mappila Muslim Culture. State University of New York. p. 330.