Transcending frontiers: sufism, migration, and identity in kerala’s Islamic reawakening

Joseph Mathew; M. Richard Robert Raa; Vishnu Chandran; Aswathy Mohan

doi:10.31893/humanitj.2025010

Keywords:

Abstract

The article explores the unique intersection of Sufism, transnationalism, and the cultural dynamics of Kerala’s Muslim community. During the 1930s and 1940s, Kerala in India witnessed a renaissance fueled by reformist movements that reshaped religious and social life. This period marked the rise of debates concerning the modernization or rejection of longstanding religious practices, including Moulids, which were a central part of the Sufi tradition. Sufism, with its transnational reach, stood in contrast to the emerging nationalist and secular ideologies of the time, which sought to bind religious expression to territorial identity. The article delves into the history of the term “Moyliar,” once used to describe religious scholars in Kerala, and traces its evolution within the maritime and scholarly networks of the region. It then examines the Sufi philosophy, with an emphasis on the concept of baraka (blessing), and how mobility and divine grace played crucial roles in shaping spiritual practices. Through the lens of the Ponnani-Kondotty dispute, the article highlights the tension between Arabian and Persian Sufi influences, exploring how these cultural and theological divides impacted the development of Islam in Kerala. At its core, the article provides an analysis of how global movements, both religious and cultural, have influenced Kerala’s local religious identity, with particular focus on the role of Sufism in transcending national boundaries and shaping the region’s Islamic traditions.
References
1. Chittick, W. C. (1989). The Sufi path of knowledge: Ibn al-Arabi’s metaphysics of imagination. State University of New York Press.
2. Dale, S. (1980). The Mappilas of Malabar, 1498–1922: Islamic society on the South Asian frontier. Clarendon Press.
3. Eliade, M. (1959). The sacred and the profane: The nature of religion. Harcourt, Brace & World.
4. Ernst, C. W. (1997). The Shambhala guide to Sufism. Shambhala Publications.
5. Green, N. (2012). Making space: Sufis and settlers in early modern India. Oxford University Press.
6. Ilias, M. H. (2020). Contesting genealogies of divinity: Arab versus Persian Sufism in Malabar (Doctoral dissertation, Mahatma Gandhi University). Mahatma Gandhi University Repository.
7. Ilias, M. H., & Hussain, S. (2017). Arabi-Malayalam: Linguistic and cultural traditions of Mappila Muslims of Kerala. IGNCA & Gyan Books.
8. Khan, S. (2009). Sacred Kerala: A spiritual pilgrimage. Penguin Books.
9. Randathani, H. (2007). Mappila Muslims: A study on society and anti-colonial struggles. Other Books.
10. Ricci, R. (2011). Islam translated: Literature, conversion, and the Arabic cosmopolis of South and Southeast Asia. University of Chicago Press.
11. Turner, V. (1969). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. Aldine.
12. Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology (G. Roth & C. Wittich, Eds.; E. Fischoff et al., Trans.). University of California Press. (Original work published 1922)
13. Wink, A. (1995). Al-Hind: The making of the Indo-Islamic world (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Mathew, J., Raa, M. R. R., Chandran, V., & Mohan, A. (2025). Transcending frontiers: sufism, migration, and identity in kerala’s Islamic reawakening. Humanities Journal, 2(2), 2025010. https://doi.org/10.31893/humanitj.2025010

[1] Chittick, W. C. (1989). The Sufi path of knowledge: Ibn al-Arabi’s metaphysics of imagination. State University of New York Press.

[2] Dale, S. (1980). The Mappilas of Malabar, 1498–1922: Islamic society on the South Asian frontier. Clarendon Press.

[3] Eliade, M. (1959). The sacred and the profane: The nature of religion. Harcourt, Brace & World.

[4] Ernst, C. W. (1997). The Shambhala guide to Sufism. Shambhala Publications.

[5] Green, N. (2012). Making space: Sufis and settlers in early modern India. Oxford University Press.

[6] Ilias, M. H. (2020). Contesting genealogies of divinity: Arab versus Persian Sufism in Malabar (Doctoral dissertation, Mahatma Gandhi University). Mahatma Gandhi University Repository.

[7] Ilias, M. H., & Hussain, S. (2017). Arabi-Malayalam: Linguistic and cultural traditions of Mappila Muslims of Kerala. IGNCA & Gyan Books.

[8] Khan, S. (2009). Sacred Kerala: A spiritual pilgrimage. Penguin Books.

[9] Randathani, H. (2007). Mappila Muslims: A study on society and anti-colonial struggles. Other Books.

[10] Ricci, R. (2011). Islam translated: Literature, conversion, and the Arabic cosmopolis of South and Southeast Asia. University of Chicago Press.

[11] Turner, V. (1969). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. Aldine.

[12] Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology (G. Roth & C. Wittich, Eds.; E. Fischoff et al., Trans.). University of California Press. (Original work published 1922)

[13] Wink, A. (1995). Al-Hind: The making of the Indo-Islamic world (Vol. 1). Oxford University Press.

Abstract

References

How to cite