The Fathul Mubiyn, Qadi Mohammad and the Zamorin
Posted by Labels: Fathul Mubyn, Malabar - Portuguese, Qadi Mohammed, Zamorin
A study of the Fathul
Mubyin, a war poem – Calicut 1550-1590
As I get into this discussion, you will realize how
important this work was and it is my contention that one potential reason why Islamic
scholars talked less about it was simply because it extolled Hindu Muslim amity,
a subject which usually rests on the fence, these days. I for one believe that
the two communities have to, need to and should coexist peacefully and that it
is, was and should always be possible in a place such as Calicut. Anyway let’s
get to the topic.
We discussed the Zainuddin Makdum’s of Malabar some years
ago. The Zainuddin Makdums were the religious leaders in Ponnani and differed
at times on approach compared to the Calicut Qazis (or Qadis), but worked
together. I had introduced to you an obscure work named the Vencatakota Ola,
which has more recently been reintroduced to the public by Stephen Prange. If
you recall, Lt Rowlandsen had concluded that both Tuhfat and the Vencatikota
Ola were derived from an earlier work. My assumption is that the Fathul Mubiyn
is that work.
As we know, Vasco Da Gama came, created a good amount of furor
and departed, to come again and eventually die in Cochin. Others like Cabral
and Alfonzo Albuquerque followed, to continue with despotic acts in Malabar,
warring often with the Zamorin and trying to wrest away the spice trade from
the Paradesi Muslims (Arab traders) who had thus far been firmly entrenched. Four
or five Zamorin’s from the first dynasty ruled during the 1500-1600 period (two
or three were named Manavikraman’s and there was one Virarayan). We also note
from various records that while some of the early Zamorin’s were accommodative
of the Portuguese, others were distinctly against, after having understood their
deceitful behavior. We do not know which Zamorin is the individual described,
but one of the Zamorin’s of the middle years (of the 16th century) was
perhaps the person mentioned in the Futhul Mubyin, by Qadi Muhammad.
What did the Qadi Muhammad have to say and who incidentally,
was Qadi Muhammad? He was a Muhammad ibn Abd al-Aziz hailing from Calicut and
it is concluded thus far that he was a judge and a poet writing in Arabic or
Arabi-Malayalam (Malayalam written in Arabic script), the one who authored
poetry such as the Fathul Mubiyn and the well-known Mubiyn Mala (the earliest
and in Arabi-Malayalam). He belonged to the Qadiriyyah order of Sufis. But
there is some confusion in his identity and the period of his life. Muid Khan
in his preamble to the translation had wrongly opined that Zainuddin Makhdum
was perhaps Qadi Abdul Aziz Muhammad’s younger brother and that the Fathul
Mubyin could very well have been written before the Tuhfat. The Fathul was actually
written by a Qadi Muhammad of Calicut and the time setting of the poem seems to
be prior to that of the Tuhfat, as it mentions a living Adil Shah.
The complete title of the text we are going to analyze is ‘Al Fathul-mubiyn lis Samerial ladhi
Yuhibbul Muslimiyn’. It is usually translated as ‘The victory of the Zamorin of Calicut, lover of Muslims’. Woven
around the victory of the Calicut forces fighting the Portuguese to wrest
control of the fort in Chaliyum in 1571, the epic poem traverses a long period
roughly 1497 - 1578. In all the poem has 534 (actually 537) lines and is
written in Arabic. There are a couple of Malayalam translations and 2 or 3 in
English but they are not available in wide circulation or much discussed. Even
a Malayalam book I referred skims over the subject, not including a translation
of the poem as such.
The urjuza was
first discovered embedded between chapters 3 & 4 the original manuscript of
Tuhfatul Mujahidiyn in the India office library at London. Both were written in
the same hand and formed one folio, but a closer scrutiny divulged that the Fathul was a poem while the Tuhfat was prose and had different
authors. The Fathul author’s name is stated at its end as Muhammad-ibn Quazi
Abdul Aziz (i.e. Muhammad son of Qadi Abdul Aziz), so its authorship was a
Muhammad, both were Qadi’s of Calicut and my contention is that either the
father was the original author or that the son was a contemporary of Zainuddin
and Abdul Aziz Makhdum of Ponnani (Quadi Muhammad is elder to Zainuddin Junior
(the Fathul mentions a Calicut conference which was attended by the Calicut
Qadi Abdul Aziz Kalikoti and Zainuddin’s uncle Abd-al Aziz of Ponnani).
Another reason exists to prove that the poem was set in the
late 1570’s (As present day Muslim historians believe this was written in
1607). Qadi Muhammad states in the poem that he composed it in the hope that
kings the world over, especially in Syria and Iraq, would learn of the bravery
of the Zamorin’s and be inspired to join the fight against the Portuguese. He
explains that the modus of retelling of the glorious victory of the Zamorin
will be carried out by rendering prose (nas̤ir) into verse (naz̤im), a process
that he compares to changing silver (fiẓa) into gold (naẓir). By the end of the
16th century the Egyptians and Syrians were long gone and were not present
at the Malabar scene, so Qadi’s writing this to exhort friends in Egypt &
Syria would make no sense, and thus it does date to a previous period, closer
to the death of Adil Shah. Also a document dated to 1607 would not miss the
death of the Kunjali Marakkar (Kunju Ali is mentioned in line 400 as a living
Muslim leader). It would also not miss the support given to the Portuguese by
the Zamorin in capturing Kunjali. Such a Zamorin would not be extolled by a
person of eminence, i.e. a Qadi who delivers judgements.
Now let us try and jot out a precis of the entire poem, working mainly with Muid Khan’s translations. As you will read on, you will notice a bit of exaggeration and some incorrect assertions. Also we can conclude that the accounts of Zainuddin and the Qadi are conflicting with respect to overt support for the glorious deeds of the Zamorin.
The Fathul Mubyin of Qadi Muhammad ( a rough summary)
Verses 1-6 Supplications to the Prophet Muhammad.
Versus 6-22 The Quadi states that he is going to narrate a wondrous
tale, which happened in Malabar with the hope that those who hear it,
especially in Syria and Iraq, will take heed and consider a war against the
accursed Portuguese. The tale he will go on to narrate is about a war which
took place between the soldiers of the Zamorin of Calicut and the infidels, the
Portuguese. The Zamorin, he states, is a
brave and well known ruler of Calicut who loves his Muslim subjects, who does
not hinder their religion or beliefs and fights for their cause even, if so
required. He is a ruler who allows a Muslim to stand on his right side during
important festivals (Mamankham). In
fact the al-Shah Bandar and other Muslims stand to his right (as right hand strong men). He is the
lord of the mountains and lord of the seas of Malabar.
Vesus 23-48 The Zamorin was given the sword of Malabar by
his predecessor and asked to reign over the land with the sword, the
unsheathing of which ensures his next victory. He has four heirs who have their
own troops and territory (Eralpad,
Moonalpad, Ittattornad nambiyathiri, Naturalpad) and an agreed method of
accession when one dies, with the younger after the older. His (nair) soldiers can fight horsemen and
wolves, and fight unto death. He has the power to get wind on the sails of a
ship at sea to get them going like Persian horses over land, he can turn the
seas waters red with the blood of his enemies and get sea fish to eat their
flesh. He never seizes another’s property (unless it is a criminal issue) nor
is he unjust. He does not invade lesser countries without reason and forgives
them after. But if any other king disobeys, big or small, he fights them and
takes over their land. And so continues their time honored and age-old
traditions. His Nair soldiers are feared, and are totally faithful to the
Zamorin, never changing sides. He wages wars honorably, always providing due
notice, taking nobody by surprise or deceit and is respected by his many
suzerain lords and petty kings. All taxes and penalties are spent on the poor,
he is a statesman, is patient, tolerant and a forgiver for those who seek his
support. Like the Sameri who existed during the time of Moses, the Zamorin was
the one who instituted the worship of the cow and carries charms to help him
during battles.
Versus 48-61 Let Allah grant him eternal guidance and let us
pray for him even though the Zamorin, a non-believer is fighting for the
Muslim, whereas the Muslim kings of the region are not and have even made peace
with the infidel Franks. So listen to the Zamorin’s war story with an open
heart. Those accursed Franks came to Malabar in the guise of traders just to
take over the pepper ginger and coconut trade.
Verses 62-79 Details many misdeeds of the Portuguese since
their arrivals, their deceit, dishonesty, changing of character, deeds of
invasion of other lands and territories and subjugation of their peoples,
enslaving of Muslims, desecration of mosques, oppression, attempt to usurp the
Zamorin’s position and so on…
Verses 80-84 A war ensued for three years between the
Zamorin, Muslims and the Franks after which the Franks came begging for a
treaty, asking for shelter in Malabar and agreeing to abide by the Zamorin’s
rules.
Verses 84-111 The Zamorin (the Eralpad who apparently poisoned his predecessor to go up and the
one who appointed Da Cruz) permitted the Portuguese to build a fort in the
middle of the city (by all accounts it
was near the beach and is now submerged) and obtained an agreement
permitting free navigation of his own subjects. Once the fort once completed,
the Franks changed colors and started their oppressive tactics and demanded
additional commissions from suppliers and tried to offer more commissions to
the Zamorin to get the Muslim traders out. They disallowed pilgrim travel to
Mecca, and this was the worst tactic. They tried to get the Zamorin into the
fort in ambush, but he was saved by God’s grace and with that the Zamorin
prepared for war, spending a lot of money to build a fleet of galleys
(Ghurabs), to buy cannons. Digging trenches on either side of the fort, they next
besieged the Portuguese. The Zamorin’s forces used mangonel (a type of catapult
to throw projectiles at a castle's walls) and guns (tufek) in this attack till
the fort was leveled to the ground. A thousand Franks were killed in one nights
fighting and the rest of them fled. Thus they were evicted in 930AH (1523).
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| Calicut Fort |
Verses 112- 320 The Portuguese also encouraged the Cochin
king to fight the Zamorin after the Portuguese had built a fort at Cochin.
Bijapur’s Adil Shah in the meantime wrote to the Zamorin asking him to hasten
the war and drive away the infidel Frank who was incidentally creating problems
for him from Goa. The Zamorin deputed his galleys captained by his (marakars).
The explanation of the sea battle continue for many verses, what with the (a
new one who was fully against the Franks) Zamorin himself leading the fight and
promising not to eat himself (when the Franks starved the town by cutting off
supplies). The fortunes of the war tilted either way, the Cochin, Cannanore and
Tanore Kings supported the Portuguese in return for cartaz’s. The Egyptian and
Turkish captains finally came to support the Zamorin, and he personally sailed
to Cambay in Gujarat to meet them, but as the wars continued, the Muslims
disagreed with each other and were not united. Finally a peace treaty was effected and the
Portuguese built a lofty fort at Chalium (Santa
Maria do Castello), situated on an island. Many a verse describes the
fortifications of this Shaleat fort.
Verses 321-368 Numerous verses detail the inhuman and
tyrannical behavior of the Portuguese dealing with the Muslims of Malabar and
the heroic retaliation by the Zamorin and his forces.
Verses 368-397 Yet another Zamorin had started his reign and
this was the time when the Sultan Adil Shah together with Nizam Shah of Chaul
contacted the Zamorin requesting him to capture the Chalium fort. He sent out
two of his ministers and their armies to attack the fort. The Tanur king joined
the Zamorin while the Cochin raja informed the Portuguese about the plans. A
fierce fight ensured at Chalium and sometimes the Zamorin traveled there
himself to supervise the affairs.
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| Chale fort |
Verses 398- 410 This was the time when the Zamorin’s Queen
mother got involved and exhorted the Muslims to think of the issues and
consequences and unite. Kunji Ali the leader of the Muslims, Ahmad’l Qamaqim,
the sheikh with mysterious powers Abu’l wafa Muhammad al-Shattar, Shahabandar
Umar Al Ghassani, scholar Abdul Aziz al-Malabari al Funani (Zainuddin’s brother)
and Qadi Muhammad together with many Muslim chiefs met at the Calicut Mosque.
The queen mother summoned the Zamorin back to Calicut to attend the conference.
An important event that is mentioned in the Fathul in these
verses is the above conference organized at Calicut under the direction of the
Zamorin’s queen mother where not only the Qadi but also Abdul Aziz Makhdum of
Ponnani participated to exhort their brethren to participate in a jihad against
the Portuguese. It shows the importance of the queen mother in those days.
Verses 410 – 500 Deal with the Zamorin leading the fight to
demolish the Chalium fort in 1571, the valor and strategies of war, and its
execution, the just way in which he dealt with the prisoners and any Muslim or
Hindu who had been converted to Christianity, the handling of booty, the usage
of the fort’s stones to rebuild the mosque from which they were originally
taken. It took a year to dismantle the fort completely.
Verses 500- 516 The Qadi now concludes, stating that Adil
Shah and Nizam Shah forgot their promises, as the former made peace with the
Portuguese while the latter forgot his pact with the Zamorin even though he had
been gifted the Chalium fort’s bell captured after the attack! He despairs that
none of these Muslim kings joined the attacks against the Portuguese and the non-Muslim
Zamorin was all alone in his efforts to support the Muslims in their cause.
Verses 517-534 The virtues of the Zamorin outlined in the above
versus is but a tenth of a tenth of a tenth of his merits. He then gets to the
Perumal story, the king who was his uncle and who witnessed the splitting of
the moon and who became a follower of the prophet, who died at Zufar while
returning to preach Islam, and asks for forgiveness lest his words and
narrative be blamed for excessive poetic licenses taken and ends asking for
blood on the swords of his followers (in the continuing fights with their
enemies).
That was actually the end game for the Portuguese when it
came to Malabar. They trading after that was confined to Cochin and Goa,
mainly. Though forays into Malabar continued, but with less vigor and
intensity.
Zainuddin incidentally mentioned as follows in Tuhfat - It
is well-known that the Muslims of Malabar have no Amir who possesses power and
can exercise authority over them and be mindful of their welfare. On the
contrary, all of them are subjects of rulers who are unbelievers (H.Nainar)
In conclusion, Qadi
Muhammad in his poem, is not keen about detailing or telling the story of the
advent of Islam in Malabar mainly because he believes that the war in Malabar
was a concern of both Muslims and Hindus. He also explains that the Zamorin is
their overlord and having an equal status with any other powerful Muslim
Sultan. On the other hand, Zainuddin’s prose is inherently Islamic in its
orientation, depicting the long history of Muslims in Kerala and the central
role they played in the struggle against the Portuguese (Ayal Amer)
When and why did this changed attitude creep into Zainuddin
(b 1532 d 1583) junior’s thinking and why did he drift in his loyalty to the
Zamorin? The Portuguese continued attacking Parappanangadi and Ponnani, and in 1577
captured many Moplah vessels. The Kunjali 1V was becoming powerful and strident
in his stature and was nearing a potential fallout with the Zamorin. Adil Shah
sent his envoy to felicitate the new Zamorin who incidentally was planning to
allow the Portuguese to erect a factory (not a fort) at Ponnani in return for
permission to sail the seas unhindered. And so, Zainuddin perhaps chose a new patron,
for the Tuhfat is not dedicated to the Zamorin but is instead dedicated to the
Adil Shah of Bijapur, the very same Sultan who was belittled by the Fathul’s
author. Zainuddin now goes on to call him - most
glorious of sultans, and the most beneficent of monarchs, who has made war
against infidels the chief act of his life, having himself glorified God, and
made his name to be upheld with reverence by all; having ever devoted himself
to the service and protection of the servants of God.
Two of the reference dpapers provide differing reasons for
this. One believes that the Shah was wrongly named, it should have been Ibrahim
Adil Shah who was a Sunni. Kooria explains - while ʿAli Adil Shah alternated between enmity and friendship with the
Portuguese, Ibrāhīm II was initially reluctant to forge any relationship with
them, which nurtured Zayn al-Dīn’s hope that the king might adopt an
anti-Portuguese stance. Nevertheless, even Ibrahim changed his stance later and
became pro–European. The second writer Ayal infers that Zainuddin’s choice
of ‘Ali ‘Adil Shah was politically
motivated, and that his real ambition was to encourage Muslim rulers of the
Deccan Sultanate to annex Kerala. Or perhaps Zainuddin was in Bijapur and
canvassing the support of Adil Khan during the 1580’s (and had to praise him).
I think otherwise. Assuming that the Fathul was written
before the Tuhfat, I would believe that the political equations in Ponnnai
(where Zainuddin preached) were becoming complex what with the Kunjali IV
rising in status and planning a potential challenge to the Zamorin, as some
historians aver. Zainuddin’s work was perhaps to obtain support for Kunjali
IV’s overtures (from Ibrahim Adil Shah) which we know was eventually snuffed
out by the next Zamorin in 1600.
A huge difference between the two texts is the fact that
while Zainuddin expresses despair over the lack of direct Islamic rule over the
Muslim subjects of Malabar (Zainuddin also leans towards the changed attitude
of the Zamorin and his doubt on the Zamorin’s ability to defend the Muslims of
Malabar), the author of Fathul extolls the relationship between the religions
and the leadership of the Zamorin, and his firm belief in him. This leads to my
feeling that Zainuddin’s work could have been heavily influenced by the Kunhali
IV epoch and thus provides an indication of the changing situations in the
power games involving the native Zamorin rulers, the Marakkar chieftains and
the Portuguese interlopers.
References
Studies in the Foreign Relations of India (from Earliest
Times to 1947): Prof. H.K. Sherwani Felicitation Volume, ed. P.M. Joshi and
M.A.Nayeem - Fatḥ al-mubīn of Muḥammad al-Kālikūtī: Khan, M.A. Muid. 1975.
“Indo-Portuguese Struggle for Maritime Supremacy (as Gleaned from an
Unpublished Arabic Urjuza: Fathul Mubiyn).” Dr M A Muid Khan was the Prof and
HOD for Arabic at Osmania university, Director Da’iratu’l-Ma’arif and Secretary
Islamic culture – Hyderabad.
Spiritual leadership in Anti-colonial struggle – G P Mudawi
The rise of jihadic sentiments and the writing of history in sixteenth-century Kerala - Ayal Amer
An Abode of Islam under a Hindu King: Circuitous Imagination
of Kingdoms among Muslims of Sixteenth-Century Malabar - Mahmood Kooria
Samoothirkku vendi oru samarahwanam – Qadi Muhammad – Trans
EM Zakir Hussain
The story of Dom Joao-de-Tanur
Notes
Urjuza is a genre of poetry with the clear intention to instruct
and where the verse focuses more on the details of content leaving the poem
"devoid of stylistic elegance and poetic beauty. For more details refer
this link
A Qadi (Cadi, Qazi, kadi or kazi) is the magistrate or judge
of the Shariʿa court. The word "qadi" comes from a verb meaning to
"judge" or to "decide". I contend here that Qadi and Qazi
as relevant to Malabar, to mean the same.
The publication by Other books which I perused subsequently, uses the same Muid Khan translation as above (but terms it an anonymous one fetched from Hyderabad), and presents the poem in 537 verses. Some of the footnotes provided by the editors/reviewer did make me raise my brows, to say the least.
The publication by Other books which I perused subsequently, uses the same Muid Khan translation as above (but terms it an anonymous one fetched from Hyderabad), and presents the poem in 537 verses. Some of the footnotes provided by the editors/reviewer did make me raise my brows, to say the least.
Intervening years - time line
1498-1500
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Initial forays vasco Da Gama, Cabral
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1500-1513
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Establishment of Portuguese at Cochin, Calicut Cochin wars
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1513-1522
|
Treaty with Portuguese, erection of fort at Calicut
|
1522-1529
|
Eviction of Portuguese from Calicut, demolition of Calicut fort
|
1529-1531
|
Building of Portuguese fort at Chalium
|
1531-1540
|
Portuguese Calicut wars
|
1540-1548
|
Peace treaty
|
1548-1560
|
Portuguese Calicut wars
|
1571-1574
|
Portuguese defeat at Chalium, destruction of fort, writing of Faithul Mubiyn?
|
1574-1578
|
Portuguese Calicut wars
|
1578-1588
|
Portuguese factory at Ponnani. Writing of Tuhfat Al Mujahedeen
|
1588-1597
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Portuguese settlement at Calicut
|
1597-1600
|
War with Kunjali IV, capture of his stronghold and fort
|
1604-1617
|
Siege of Cranganore, treaties with the Dutch and English writing of Faithul Mubiyn?
|
8 comments:
A very interesting article. While I was aware of the Tuhafat, this work is new to me. Thank You.
--Nidhin Olikara
Through fathul mubiyun, the great poet quadi muhammed, paid fitting tribute to samootriri,s. Who ruled Malabar and whose fame reached far and wide
Samoothirs who all Samantha kshtriya or say Nair kshriya was brave kings who really fought and expanded kingdom , the trade flourished during their times with Arabs ,chinese, made nediyiruppu one rich sawroopam unlike perumbavoor(Kochi) and thrippapur(venad)
The samootris who always believe in unity tried best way to balance Muslim traders and Hindu population, his army was consist of both Nair's and Muslims
It is no wonder , any poet or normal person will take samootris rule in high esteem, our great poet also was so attracted his ways of ruling, shed high praise for samootris ruling
It must be understood ,.really all attacks aimed at Kerala whether from tippu or someone else , sammothiris bore the brunt of all attack which aimed at Malabar
Sammothiri and his Nair soldiers along with Muslim brothers fought tooth and nail culminating in the end Portuguese naval power in Arabian sea
Again already spent his entire military and money to fight Portuguese, sammothiri again had to face tippu, where his faithful people crossed sides, thus he had to retreat to Travancore
Again the hardship samootris to face in balancing the favours of trade to arabas and Portuguese, as both of them never like sammothiri favours another, so samootris had to or forced to play politics in ensuring smooth trade which brought him money and fame, finally under pressure from Muslim traders and also some mischievous act of Portuguese ,he had to say good bye to Portuguese, who unleashed worst kind of attack which costs samootris dearly
In earlier times it was sammothiri who intervend in kochi palace internal politics and decides who should become the next king in Kochi royal family
Earlier samootris never accepted
melkoyimma of Kochi and with aide of edapilli raja controlled Kochi royals
Later the asylum given to Portuguese by Kochi changed the balance , Kochi with help of Portuguese and later with the help of Travancore stopped his repeated attacks
All traditional ezava families of Thrissur and erijalakuda was brought by samootris only to treat his wounding armies
Thus we can see quadi muhammed great poet who with his mighty language. Praises king who actually deserve it , for delivering such a good governance , ensured free flow of trade , encourages Hindu Muslim unity above all real fight clan went on fought with enemies
Maddy sir ,great and thank you for writing this piece and making known to us thiw great poem, and author
Pls read perumpamdapu( Kochi)
Thank you Mr.Maddy for doing this wonderful job, it's truly a great of you to pick and preserve the memories of this great nation that was "Malabar", When it comes to Kerala all that is discussed is about Travancore Kingdom.....especially in this era when new political and cultural climate in Kerala is trying conjure up amnesia about the Malabar that was...and the reign of the great Zamorin kings. If London today is the pivot of Global trade... erstwhile Calicut was the center of Global trade from the advent of modern history and Zamorins where the linchpin on whom the entire global Spice trade revolved . But they bid farewell without any fuss and fanfare , stepping aside for the new order.... but lest the world forget the history of these great Kings and his soldiers who were never subdued by force.... but by love and respect.
Thank you for introducing a lesser known poem of the Tuhfat era. After reading a summary of the poem and comparing it with Tuhfat, one is inclined to conjecture that both were written around the same time, independent of each other. As you rightly mention, there is a sense of disappointment with Zamorin in Tuhfat (which was dedicated to Adil Shah of Bijapur and not to the Zamorin). It is more or less agreed that Tuhfat was completed in 1583. Already the winds were blowing in favour of the Portuguese. The very next year (1584) they were permitted to set up a factory in Ponnani, the headquarters of Maqdoomis. In another four years, they would be permitted to build a fort in Calicut and three years down the line, in 1591, the Zamorin grants them land and material help to construct a Church in Calicut. It was only Kunjaii II who stood steadfast against the increasing Portuguese influence. Defying the treaty provisions, he attacked the Ponnani factory in 1586 and 1589.
It is time for us to introduce the mystery element in the turn of events during this period. Not much attention has been paid to the role of the Jesuits in particular and the Catholic Church in general in salvaging Portuguese trade in Malabar. The Church had been working behind the scene to patch up between the Portuguese and the local rulers. Already the Prince of Tanur had become a closet Christian; this was followed by the conversion of a junior prince of the Zamorin family. Interestingly, it was a Catholic priest who mediated a peace treaty between Kunhali II and the Portuguese. Perhaps this was not known to the authors. It is also possible that (at least Tuhfat) the new reality made them praise the Zamorin to remind the ruler of his obligations to the Muslims who had all along been loyal to him.
You are absolutely right that these two works could not have been written later than 1599 when Kunhali was handed over by an
obliging Zamorin to the Portuguese ( again mediated by a Jesuit priest!).
The period of the two writers is far from settled. The latest work dealing with this period ( Indian Muslims and Citizenship: Spaces for Jihad in Everyday Life by Julten Abdelhalim, Routledge, 2015) speculates that the Fathul Mubin was written 'in the years between 1579 and 1607'. Any date beyond 1599 is , however, problematic.
Thanks jayan and max binder
There is still so much on malabar......
Thanks chf
The tales involving the church of calicut are rather interesting; I have been trying to sift through the large amount out there; the real matter is kind of lost in the tales of conversions, starting with st Xavier and the part as all the way through to the Dutch periods:
The problem with the dating is that there is I believe a gap in the list of qadis of Calicut. It simply can’t be 1607 as mopla historians insist. I think the key aspect is the meeting arranged at calicut by the Amma thamburati.
Thank you very much for your blog.
I am proud to say that I am the descentant of Qadi muhamed bin Aziz .
Our surname "Kozhikoden Thara" was his signature in his used in his work .
Our ancestor home even thouh renovated still there in Chaliyam,kozhikode .
I look forward to hear you ,
Regards,
Rafeek Kozhikoden Thara
karamaruthi@gmail.com
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