| Language | Arabic |
|---|---|
| Genre | Legend |
| Publication place | Malabar Coast |
Qissat Shakarwati Farmad (alternatively Qissat Shakruti Firmad, literally "Tale of the Great Chera Ruler") is an Arabic manuscript of anonymous authorship.[1][2] It is argued that the qissat is the oldest, most detailed, and comprehensive recorded version of the Cheraman Perumal legend (of south India).[3]
The Cheraman Perumal legend traces the introduction of Islam on the Malabar Coast. All muslim sources from 1500 CE tell the story of a traditional Hindu spice trader from Kerala, called the Cheraman Perumal[4] divided his spice trade among his family and business partners[2] and sailed for Jeddah for the annual pilgrimage to the Syrian city of Petra & to the Kaaba in Mecca, the shrine of the Quraysh, in a pre-islamic predecessor to the Islamic hajj.[2] He may have died on his return trade journey from Syria to Malabar Coast.[2]
Shakarwati Farmad is an Arabic version of the medieval Indian royal title "Chakravarti Cheraman Perumal". The Chera (Spice Merchant) king is also referred in the text as "al-Sultan Shakrawati".[3] The qissat is currently preserved in British Library (India Office Records, MS. Islamic 2807d, fols. 81a-104a).[1][2]
Versions of the legend[edit]
The later versions of the Cheraman Perumal legend are incorporated by
- Zayn al-Din Makhdum in Tuhfat al-Mujahidin (16th century CE)[2]⁸ and in
- Ta'rikh-i Firishta (Persian, 17th century CE).
Varied versions of the legend can also be seen
- A number of medieval Kerala literary sources (such as Keralolpatti)[3] and
- Portuguese chronicles.[3]
- A Telugu version of the legend is also mentioned by some scholars.[5]
As per scholar Y. Friedmann, the version famously narrated by Zayn al-Din Makhdum was directly derived from the qissat.[2] Unlike some of the other versions of the legend, large portions of the qissat takes place after the king's death on Arabian coast.[3]
First mosques of Malabar according to the qissat[edit]
According to the qissat, the first mosque was built by Malik ibn Dinar in Kodungallur, while the rest of the mosques were founded by Malik ibn Habib.[3][6]
| Location | Qadi |
|---|---|
| Kalankallur (Kodungallur) | Muhammad ibn Malik |
| Kulam (Kollam) | Hasan ibn Malik |
| Hili (Madayi) | 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Malik |
| Fakanur/Makanur (Barkur) | Ibrahim ibn Malik |
| Manjalur (Mangalore) | Musa ibn Malik |
| Kanjarkut (?Kasaragod) | Malik ibn Muhammad |
| Jurfatan/Jirfatan (Cannanore) | Shahab al-Din ibn 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Malik |
| Darmaftan (Dharmadam) | Hussayn ibn Muhammad ibn Malik al-Madani |
| Fandarinah (Panthalayani) | Sa'd al-Din ibn Malik al-Madani |
| Shaliyat (Chaliyam) | Zayn al-Din ibn Muhammad ibn Malik al-Madani |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b O. Loth, Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office (London: Secretary of State of India, 1877), no. 1044.
- ^ a b c d e f g Y. Friedmann, "Qissat Shakarwati Farmad: A Tradition Concerning the Introduction of Islam to Malabar", Israel Oriental Studies 5 (1975), 239-241.
- ^ a b c d e f Prange, Sebastian R. Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast. Cambridge University Press, 2018. 95-98.
- ^ Y. Friedmann, "Qissat Shakarwati Farmad: A Tradition Concerning the Introduction of Islam to Malabar", Israel Oriental Studies 5 (1975), 239-241.
- ^ H. H. Wilson, Mackenzie Collection. A descriptive catalogue of the Oriental manuscripts and other articles illustrative of the literature, history, statistics and antiquities of the south of India (Calcutta, 1828), II, appendix, p. XCV.
- ^ Prange, Sebastian R. Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast. Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.