According to Commander K Sreedharan; Arabs were known as sea - farers even before the birth of Islam, but they seem to have redoubled their efforts at oceanic commerce after the advent of Islam." During Shri Vijaya-Chola age (11th century AD) the Arabs reached the zenith of maritime commerce, and by the end of the Hindu period they held a complete monopoly in over - seas trade. The takeover of trade from the South Indian merchants by the Arab middle-men apparently came about the end of Chola power. The decline of Chola power had created a vaccum in overseas commerce and the Arabs stepped in".

The Zamorins (13th to 15th century AD) relations with the Arab traders became intimate and Calicut slowly attained a pre - eminence in trade of pepper and other spices which made it the greatest emporium on the West Coast. Gradually Muslims monopolised the external trade of the coast. Malabar's pepper and cardamom and textiles, which were also in great demand, were shipped from the port. As a result the Zamorins became one of the wealthiest rulers in India and the most powerful on the West Coast.

A Muslim inscription in Pantalayini Kollam in North Malabar dated Hijra 166 (752 AD) is sufficient evidence for it. With the growth of Arab commercial activity under the Caliphs, Malabar ports became popular among the traders of Muslim capitals. Numerous Arab travellers most notable among whom are Ibn Khudradbeh (256 - 272) AH / 869 - 885 AD) and Abu Zayd of Zirag (304 - AH / 916 AD) speak of Malabar ports in their works.

Referring to the conquest of Sind, the famous historian, Ahmad al-Baladhuri (279 Ah? 892 AD) says: "Arab merchants frequented Ceylon on maritime activities. Some of the Muslim families had settled there for trade. When the senior members of them died the native king sent the remaining ones to Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf (115 AH / 734 AD) the governor of Kufa with some beautiful presents for him. But the ship was plundered by pirates at Dhabil in Sind. On hearing this report, Hajjaj sent an army under Muhammed Ibn Qasim who attacked Sindh in 91 AD? 710 Ad. This incident occurred during the reign of Caliph al-Wahid ibn Abdul Malik ibn Marwan (86 - 96 AH/ 701 - 715 AD). At about the same time Arab Muslims had settled in Malabar also.

The presence of Muslim groups in the different port - towns of Kerala, which were able to secure recognition of the governments in the country, is proved by the Tarisappali Copper Plates (849 AD). One such group attested the grant in Arabic in Kufic characters, which included the names of eleven witnesses namely, Maimun ibn Ibrahim, Muhammad ibn Main, Salih ibn Ali, Uthman ibn Ali Marziban, Muhammad ibn Yahya, Amr ibn Ibrahim, Ibrahim ibn al- Tayyi, Bakr ibn Mansur, Al-Qasim ibn Hamid, Mansur ibn Isa and Ismail ibn Yaqub.

Al Shykh Ahmad Zynal Din (1028 AD) a native historian who has been trusted for the accuracy of his narratives, mentions about the conversion of a Keralite king to Islam in Arabia, who stayed there for a few years and subsequently died there in ninth century AD.

The above mentioned event took place some years before Malik IbnDinar and his family set out from Yeman to Malabar. Besides him, his party consisted of Malik ibn Habib, Sharafibn Malik and his wife Kuinarieth with their ten sons (Habib, Muhammad, Ali, Husayn, Taqiyl al - Din, Ahd al-Rahnian, Ibrahim, Zainab, Halimab and Tanirab.) They were received most hospitably at Kodungalloor in Malabar and all facilities were given to them. Mosques were constructed at Kodungalloor, Southern Kollam, Pandalayini, Chaliam, Dharmadam, Sreekandapuram, Ezhumala, Kasargode, Mangalore and Pakanur, and Qazis were appointed in all these mosques.

 

After the construction of mosques and making necessary arrangements for their management, Malik ibn Dinar and Malik ibn Habib went to Arabia and visited the grave of the King at Sahr. From there Malik ibn Dinar went to Khurasan but Malik ibn Habib returned to Malabar and settled down with his family at Cannanore. He deputed his sons to look after the mosques constructed by them.

M G S Narayanan points out that there is no reason to reject the tradition that the last Chera king embraced Islam, and went to Mecca. Since it finds a place not only in Muslim chronicles, but also in Hindu Brahminical chronicles like the Keralopathi which need not be expected to concoct such a tale, which in no way enhances the prestige or further the interest of the Brahmic or Hindu population.

During the early centuries of the Hijra, the Arab contact was mainly with the rulers of the two cities of Cannanore and Calicut, whose prosperity depended mostly on the export trade in pepper and spices. This has been attested by all authorities. Ibn Batuta (779 A.H / 1378 AD) declares that "the Moors of Malabar were extremely rich, that one of their leading merchants could purchase the whole freightage of such vessels as put in there and fit out others like them." The Mammalis and Koya Musas whom the Portuguese encountered in the coast were merchant princes with whom Cairo and Damascus were as familiar as Calicut and Cannanore.

Arabs came to Kerala mainly for trade. The mission of Malik ibn Dinar and his family cannot be counted as an off shoot of the Arab trade relations. This mission was carried out on the request of the Keralite king mentioned above who is said to have given them letters addressed to local kings requesting them to give necessary help and endowments for constructing mosques at different centres. From 9th to 16th centuries foreign trade of the West Coast was the monopoly of the Arabs. Along with traders, Arab scholars also made their way to Kerala who settled here, established centres of Arabic learning and made their contributions to Arabic language and literature. Some of them, the Makhdums of Ponnani, the Qadi family of Calicut, the Ba Alavis of Mampuram and the Bukharis of Chawghat deserve special mention.

 

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