"Explore the rich tapestry of the Malabar region, where centuries of history, culture, and tradition come together.

Get In Touch

img

8281168513

img

mail@malabarjournal.org

img

University of Calicut,
Edapally - Panvel Hwy, Thenhipalam,
Kerala 673635, India

Malabar History journal

  • Home
  • Malabar History journal
Blog Image

SAYYID SHAIKH JIFRI THANGAL

Sheikh Syed Jifri, a renowned Muslim spiritual leader, religious scholar, and preacher, is the first Ba alawi sufi of Calicut and a prominent leader of Qadiriyya Sufi order. He was the first of the Jifri scholars from Hadramawt to have come to Kerala. It is held that Sayyid Shaikh Jifri comes from a family that traces its roots to the Prophet Muhammad.

Background

Sayyid Shaikh Jifri was born in Al Hawi, Tarim, Yemen, in 1726 AD. He developed a yearning for spirituality at an early age and went on to master various Islamic disciplines such as the Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh, Tasawwuf, and Arabic language and literature. He later adopted the Qadiriyyah Sufi order. At the age of 20, he became a scholar in Islamic sciences.

Learning the possibilities of preaching Islam in Malabar, Shaikh Jifri travelled to Koyilandi, Kerala in 1755 AD. Further, he was invited by the Qazi of Calicut and Muslim leaders of the region. Qazi Muhyuddin bin Abdu Salam took him to the palace of the Zamorin of Calicut, named Manavikraman. The Zamorin asked him to settle in Kozhikode.

He accepted the invitation and was given a plot south of Otichira. There he started living in a house known as ‘Maliyekal’. This house later came to be known as ‘the Jifri house’. Zamorin granted the area called Anamad situated near Kallai to Shaikh Jifri and exempted him from all taxes, just like the Qazi of Calicut.

Sayyid Jifri Thangal, who had become a mufti in Makkah, established the Sufi way according to the Qadariyya order in the region.

Shaikh Jifri was a critic of Muhammad Shah Thangal, a native of Kardan near Kalyan, Bombay, who arrived in Kondotti and became known as one under the Kondotty Thangals. Sheikh Jifri critiqued Kondotti Thangal’s disciples prostrating in front of them, using intoxicants, and men and women participating in mixed gatherings. Shaikh Jifri also disagreed with Shah Thangal’s advice to disciples that Hajj and Zakat were not obligatory.

The well known Ponnani-Kondotty Kaitharkam (Ponnani-Kondotty faction disputes) originated with a Fatwa issued by Jifri Thangal against the alleged un-Islamic practices of Kondotty Thangals.

Shaikh Jifri Thangal died on January 7, 1808 and was buried in Calicut.

Major Contributions

Shaikh Jifri learned the Malayalam language in a short period of time and became a famous spiritual leader of the Malabar Muslims.

He formed a spiritual bond with Syed Muhammad Hamid (RA), who was a Yemeni scholar actively involved in Islamic activities in Malabar. Together, they travelled across the country, spreading the message of Islam and converting many people.

Further, Sayyid Alavi Thangal of Mamburam, Qaziarakat Ali Musliar, father of Umar Khali, and Abdul Wahab Hazrat of Vellore, among others, accepted Sheikh Jifri’s discipleship.

Sheikh Jifri’s reputation reached Tipu Sultan, the prominent ruler of Mysore, through the words of Zamorin. He visited him at his residence in 1797. In response to Sheikh Jifri’s request, Tipu Sultan established Mananchira kulam, a pond located in present-day Kozhikode City.

Shaikh Sayyid Jifri also produced some notable works. A much-cited one is, sada Kawkab-al Durriyya-fi-nasab-al- sada-al- abi- alawi (The brilliant stars concerning the pedigree of the Alawi sada).

References

  • K. K. Abdul Sathar. (1999). History of Ba-Alawis in Kerala [Doctoral Thesis, Department of History, University of Calicut].
  • T. Zainul Abid. (2017). Sufi Scholarly Contributions of Hadrami Sayyids in Kerala: A Historical Study [Doctoral Thesis, Department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia].
  • സയ്യിദ് ശൈഖ് ജിഫ്‌രി തങ്ങൾ. Islamic Heritage Library. Accessed on 20.08.2023 from

    http://www.islaminkerala.in/2017/09/blog-post_34.html
  • ശൈഖ് സയ്യിദ് ജിഫ്രി. (2023, January 21). Wikipedia. Accessed on 20.08.2023 from

    https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/ശൈഖ്_സയ്യിദ്_ജിഫ്രി