Malabar History journal

The logic driving Mappila women’s popular recitation of the Nafeesath Mala during pregnancy aligns closely with that of the widely practiced Muhyiddin Mala. This devotional act serves both to seek the fulfillment of a specific desire—an easy childbirth—and to invoke the meritorious value of the Sufi figure extolled in the mala. The Nafeesath Mala, composed by the esteemed Mappila poet Nalakathu Kunhi Moideen (d. 1919), celebrates the virtues of Sayyida Nafeesa, the great-great-granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, renowned for her piety and mystical powers (Moulavi and Kareem, 1978). The mala, consisting of 124 couplets, adheres to standard generic conventions such as beginning in the name of God, divine invocations, and invoking blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad and his companions before praising Lady Nafeesa. Notably, the Nafeesath Mala employs a heavy use of Arabic words and phrases, transforming the vernacular into a distinct linguistic variety while also reflecting a deep intermingling of Arabic and Malayalam.

A central motif in the Nafeesath Mala is the miraculous intercessions of Lady Nafeesa, where individuals, after receiving her blessings, convert to Islam by reciting the shahada. For instance, a Jewish girl, paralyzed and healed by Lady Nafeesa’s ritual water, subsequently converts to Islam along with her family (Kuzhiyan, 2015). Another predominant theme is the invocation of Lady Nafeesa by women in labor, who, after making vows to her, deliver their babies with minimal complications. An example illustrates a woman, in labor for two days and in distress, making a vow to Lady Nafeesa and delivering her child soon after (ibid). The poem concludes with the author revealing his name, seeking God’s forgiveness, and asking for Lady Nafeesa’s protection. The mala ends with blessings on the Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions, followed by two iravus and a prayer in Arabic prose, enhancing its devotional richness.

The Nafeesath Mala, while appealing to both men and women within the Mappila community, holds a special resonance with pregnant and parturient women. This connection is vividly illustrated by Bushra, a mother of three, who recounts her frequent recitation of the mala during pregnancy, encouraged by her mother-in-law as a tradition handed down through generations (Kuzhiyan, 2015). Bushra emphasizes the mala’s dual role in seeking an easy childbirth and accruing general meritorious value, highlighting the act of recitation as a means of partaking in divine blessings and maintaining piety. This transformative practice aligns with the broader Islamic devotional tradition, where the relationship between the devout subject and the object of veneration is intimate and assimilative rather than merely representational (Mahmood, 2009). Through such practices, Mappila women like Bushra cultivate pious and ethical capacities, significantly influencing their religious and ethical selfhoods (Kuzhiyan, 2015).

The devotional practices of the mawlud and mala in contemporary Malabar illustrate the intricate interplay between individual and collective religious expressions. While the mawlud often marks a collective, public occasion, the mala is primarily recited individually. Despite this difference, both practices are deeply embedded within the social fabric of the Mappila community, drawing from a shared tradition that resonates with the presence of co-religionists, ancestors, and religious authorities (Kuzhiyan, 2015). These recitations, even when performed in solitude, are imbued with a public dimension as they communicate and sustain a relationship with God, the Prophet, or revered figures through discourse and performance. This duality of private devotion and public engagement underscores the communal nature of Mappila devotional practices, where individual acts of piety are intertwined with the broader social and religious milieu.

The publicness of the mawlud and mala can be further understood through their dialogic nature. These devotional performances are rich with speech genres that include dialogues, stories, anecdotes, songs, eulogies, prayers, and invocations, embodying Bakhtin’s concept of ‘dialogicity’ and ‘polyphony’ (Bakhtin, 1986). This dialogic framework allows these practices to transcend the boundaries between high and low, elite and popular forms of expression, integrating diverse elements of everyday speech into a cohesive devotional act. This perspective aligns with the ethnographic insights that show how Mappila devotional genres are deeply rooted in the lived experiences and social interactions of the community, reflecting a blend of personal faith and communal identity (Kuzhiyan, 2015).

Moreover, the embodied nature of these devotional practices highlights the integral role of sensory and bodily engagement in shaping religious subjectivities. The recitation of mala and the performance of mawlud involve not only the use of language but also the movements of the body, which co-produce worldviews and lifeworlds (Bell, 1992; Asad, 1993; Mahmood, 2005; Hirschkind, 2006). This embodied dimension is crucial for understanding how Mappila women, through the recitation of the Nafeesath Mala, cultivate pious and ethical capacities that influence their religious and ethical selfhoods. By engaging in these practices, they participate in a tradition that both reflects and shapes their identities, demonstrating the profound interconnectedness of individual devotion and collective cultural expressions within the Mappila community (Kuzhiyan, 2015).

The homiletic practices in Mappila mahallus, particularly through mosque sermons and Islamic lectures, play a crucial role in sustaining the devotional effectiveness of the mala and mawlud. These practices not only reinforce the significance of these devotional genres but also embed them deeply within the fabric of Mappila religious life. Usthad Koya Darimi’s sermon is a prime example, where he eloquently ties the recitation of mala and mawlud to the Mappila tradition (parambaryam), urging the community to remember and venerate those loved by Allah. This invocation of tradition serves to emphasize the devotional and ethical value of these practices, portraying them as essential components of Mappila faith and identity (Kuzhiyan, 2015). By stressing the habitual recitation of these texts, Darimi underscores their role in keeping adherents on the straight path (swirathul mustaqim) and cultivating a pious disposition.

The dialogic nature of these homiletic practices ensures that the mala and mawlud remain relevant and accessible to contemporary Mappilas. Through sermons and orations that pepper Malayalam with Arabic phrases, religious leaders like Darimi communicate the profound spiritual and ethical implications of these devotional acts. The collective engagement in such settings, where both men and women participate, albeit from separate spaces, highlights the communal reinforcement of these traditions. The sermons are not merely exhortations but educational moments that impart religious literacy, helping Mappilas understand the significance of their devotional practices. This educational aspect is crucial, as it equips practitioners with the knowledge to appreciate and perpetuate these traditions, ensuring their continuity despite changing social dynamics (Kuzhiyan, 2015).
However, despite these efforts, there is a noticeable decline in the practice and enthusiasm for the mala and mawlud among contemporary Mappilas. This waning interest is often lamented by religious leaders, who link it to moral decadence within the community. Darimi’s speech, which underscores the necessity of maintaining these traditions, reflects a broader concern among Mappila leaders about the erosion of devotional practices. The mawlud, with its collective nature and association with significant life events, still enjoys more frequent performance than the mala, which is now mainly recited individually. This shift highlights the challenges in sustaining these practices in a rapidly modernizing society. Nonetheless, the persistent exhortations and educational efforts by religious leaders underscore an ongoing commitment to revitalizing these traditions and ensuring their relevance for future generations (Kuzhiyan, 2015).

In conclusion, this article has highlighted the enduring significance of the mawlud and mala narratives in shaping the Mappila ethical self within contemporary Kerala. By examining the practices surrounding these devotional genres, we see how they contribute to the construction of Mappila identity and religious subjectivities. The analysis of the mawlud and mala, especially through ethnographic examples and homiletic practices, reveals their dual role in fostering both individual piety and communal religious life. Despite the challenges posed by modernity, these traditions remain vital, with religious leaders continuously advocating for their preservation and emphasizing their moral and spiritual importance.

References

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• Bakhtin, M. M. (1986). Speech Genres and Other Late Essays (C. Emerson & M. Holquist, Eds.; V. W. McGee, Trans.). Austin: University of Texas Press.
• Hirschkind, C. (2006). The Ethical Soundscape: Cassette Sermons and Islamic Counterpublics. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Kuzhiyan, M. A. R. (2015). Poetics of Piety: Genre, Devotion, and Self Fashioning in the Mappila Literary Culture of South India (Doctoral dissertation). Department of English Literature, School of Literary Studies, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, India.
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