Islahi Movement in Kerala

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The Islahi Movement of Kerala (English: to purify) is an organization which helps Muslims in Kerala to fight prejudice, priesthood dependency, superstition, and polytheism. Islahi Movement is a reformist movement in the Kerala Muslim society.

1 Background
2 History
3 Mujahids
4 Activities
5 Political Agenda
6 Overseas Branches
7 External links

[edit] Background

Historians suggest that Islam had reached Kerala during the period of Muhammad itself (see: Malik ibn Dinar). Arabian traders who visited Kerala spread it, and they maintained a healthy relationship with the local people. As trade and commerce between Kerala and Arabia flourished and many traders settled down in Kerala, and their interaction with the local population helped Islam taking its roots on the southeastern Indian coast of Kerala.

According to the Islahi movement, in the 19th and early 20th centuries the Muslims in Kerala by large were of namesakes, lacking awareness of Islamic principles. They deviated from the path of Tawheed (Arabic: توحيد - monotheism), which is the essence of Islamic faith. Muslim community was dominated by those who promoted Bid'ah (Arabic: بدعه - innovations in beliefs or rituals) and practiced witchcraft. There was no formalized religious education systems existed. Qur'an was not taught, and its recitation was considered either for the purposes of prosperity or curing diseases. Women were discouraged from acquiring any formal education.

[edit] History

The Islahi movement has created an organizational setup in Kerala in 1922 with the formation of ‘‘Muslim Aikya Sangham (Organization for Muslim Unity) ’’. But it was in 1924, following the establishment of a body comprised of scholars called Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema (KJU), that the Islahi Movement acquired an organizational setup and began functioning systematically in Kerala.

Islahi scholars were also known leaders of freedom struggle, determined to drive out the foreign rulers from India, besides attempting spiritual and social rejuvenation of the Muslim community. Sanaulla Makthi Thangal, K. M. Jamaluddin Moulavi, Chalilakath Kunhahammed Haji, and Vakkom Abdul Qadar Moulavi were some of the scholars who have worked towards this goal. Leaders like Mohammed Abdul Rahman Sahib, E. K. Moidu Moulavi and K. M. Seethi Sahib upheld true Islamic spirit and prompted every individual of the society to do their duty to their homeland by participating in the Indian freedom struggle movement.

[edit] Mujahids

Followers of Islahi movement call themselves ‘mujahids’ (Arabic: مجاهد). The term ‘mujahid’ means ‘one who strives for a noble cause.’ A Kerala Mujahid has no connection with the 'self proclaimed' mujahids of the other parts of the world. The Islahi Movement in Kerala is against terrorism in all its forms.

[edit] Activities

see also: Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen

Islahi scholars had initially identified that one of the basic requirements of the Muslim community during those days was educational reform, and they set up an Education Board to work towards this goal. Under this board, Madrasas, or religious schools, were started in various parts of the state in a meticulous way with modern amenities, and these ‘madrassas’ are different from those exist in northern part of India.

It is an observation that the inspiration behind the establishment of major educational institutions in Kerala including a number of Arabic colleges, arts and science colleges, technical institutes, and schools was actually the activities if the Islahi movement.

The initiation of delivering Friday sermons (Juma Khutuba) in local language, Malayalam, was another step taken by the movement. It encouraged women’s education and their attendance in mosques, published Qur’an translations and religious books in Malayalam, and started the centralized distribution of Zakat fund to the poor and needy.

They have established orphanages in various parts of the state, and conducted campaigns against dowry, and other social evils. Through their books, magazines, and public speeches, the Islahi movement asked the Muslim public to distance themselves from Bida’a (innovations in the religion), to stick to the principles of Islam, and to follow ‘Sunnah’ (teachings of Muhammad). Establishment of 'Qur'an Learning Schools (QLS)' in almost every part of north and central Kerala was considered to be a major activity carried out by the movement.

[edit] Political Agenda

Islahi movement in Kerala did not show any political ambitions in the past, but it has taken a bold stand against communalism, and extremism. Although the organisation do not have a political stand, there are members who are active in different political parties.

[edit] Overseas Branches

Indian Islahi Centers are the platforms of the followers of Islahi movement living outside Kerala. There are active Indian Islahi Centers in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain (see Al Furqan Centre), and Kuwait. Recently Indian Islahi Centers have been setup in other cities in India, like Delhi,Bangalore and Chennai