Shafi' Muslims of Travancore

The Shafi' Muslims of Travancore are found concentrated along the areas adjacent to the coast. They follow the Shafi' madhab like majority of the Kerala muslims. They mainly reside in the districts of Trivandrum, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam. They are believed to be the descendants of the first Muslim settlers of Kodungallur and the local converts who adopted Islam. In the early days, they were mostly engaged in trade. 

The Muslims of Travancore were also called as 'Nalam Vedakkar' or 'People of the Fourth Veda'. The three other Vedas/Books according to the Qur'an/Final Testament are Thawrath (Old Testament), Zabur (Psalms) and  Injil (New Testament).

They were also called as 'Methars'. 'Methar' was a honorific title given to Muslim nobles by the Kochi Raja. But nowadays this usage is considered derogatory.

The presence of Muslims in Travancore has been recorded in the works of Ibn Battuta, Barbosa and Shaikh Zaynuddin Makhdhum.

Shaikh Zaynuddin Makhdhum of Ponnani, in his 'Tuhfath' states that Malik ibn Habib (the nephew of Malik ibn Dinar) and his wife Qamariyyah had settled at Kollam where they had constructed a mosque. This mosque is believed to have been built at the site of the present day Jonakappuram Valiyapalli.

Ibn Battuta (1304-1369 A.D.) the explorer from Maghrib, in his 'Rihla', records that there were a large number of Muslim merchants at Kawlam/ Kollam. He also mentions the presence of a Sufi hospice at Kollam, where he had stayed for months.

Duarte Barbosa has also noted that many Moors/Muslims dwelled at Caymcolan (Kayamkulam) and Coulam (Kollam).

The majority of Sufi shaikhs who had settled in this region were from Hadramawth in Yemen. As a result, the Muslims here follow the Shafi' madhab.

They used to suffix 'Kunju' to their names, but the practice has been largely abandoned now.

And Allah Knows Best......