Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan
In one of my previous articles about Bhopal, I had written about its founding ruler, Raja Bhojpal and his sighting of the splitting of the moon, his sending of gifts, including betel leaves, to our Holy Prophet (PBUH).
My dear Bhopali friend, Tameezul Haq, has drawn my attention to another very important event that took place and has sent me a photocopy of an article published in the Kerala Magazine in 1948, based on Tareekh-e-Uzbekistan by Syed Kamaluddin Ahmad. Following is an excerpt from that article:
“Shaqqal qamar (splitting of the moon) miracle happened in the eighth year of Prophethood. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was camping at Mina with his companions. There was a full moon. At that time, the non-believers challenged the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to split the moon into two if he were a true prophet. The non-believers (Quraish) present were Abu Jahl, Walid, Aas, Aswad and Nazar bin Haras.
“The Holy Prophet (PBUH) raised his hand, prayed to Allah to fulfil their demand and then pointed his finger at the moon as if cutting it into two. The moon was immediately split into two… Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Masood (RA) is reported to have proclaimed: “I swear by Allah Almighty that I saw the moon in two pieces and the mountain Hira was in between them.” This miracle has been described in the Holy Quran in Surah Qamar (paragraph 27).
“In southern India (Malabar), the Kerala state was ruled by a Hindu raja. The raja and his family were sitting on the roof of the palace. He saw the moon splitting into two and could not believe what he had seen so he asked his family members if they had seen the same thing, which they had. The raja then summoned all the learned people of the area, including astrologers. He asked them to look into the episode and tell him what they made of it. After thorough investigation, all scholars confirmed the occurrence and said it was a miracle by a Prophet who, according to their books, would be born in Arabia and would split the moon into two by moving his fingers. ‘We believe that the said Prophet (PBUH) has been born and the moon has been split at his command,’ ” they said.
“The raja…sent his son with gifts for the Prophet (PBUH) and 100 soldiers for security reasons. The raja told his son that if the man was in fact the Prophet and if the episode was found to be true, then he should present the gifts to the latter and pay his respects to him.
“On his journey, the prince met some Arabs who confirmed the splitting of the moon episode. He then expressed his desire to be taken to the Prophet (PBUH). Upon meeting the young prince, Rasulallah (SAWS) gave him a warm welcome and asked him about the purpose of his visit. The prince narrated the whole story, presented the gifts…and conveyed his father’s greetings. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) thanked him and prayed for the welfare of the raja. It is said that on the very same day, the raja stopped worshipping idols, accepted the Prophethood and, thus, Islam.
“The prince was so impressed by the Prophet (PBUH) that he embraced Islam and married the daughter of one of his companions. When he returned to Kerala, he learnt that the raja had passed away and people were waiting for him to come back. Initially, the prince did not tell anyone that he had accepted Islam. [After] he was crowned …[and] consolidated his hold on the government, brought peace and tranquillity to the kingdom and then announced that he and his colleagues had embraced Islam. …A large number of his subjects embraced Islam there and then.
“The new raja decided to build a mosque which he named after his father. Today, it is known as Cheraman Mosque and is considered to be the first ever mosque of the Subcontinent. Located at Akrakalam, the Cheraman Mosque was constructed during the time of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). The area is known as Malabar and it is spread along the coast. Muslims are still in the majority in the area and are very religious.”
After the raja and his subjects embraced Islam, Arab traders’ frequent visits, long stays and local inter-marriages resulted in more and more people embracing Islam and the area soon had a Muslim majority. Today, South Indians are known to be hardworking, intelligent, friendly and educated people. India’s multi-billion-dollar IT industry is thriving in this area.
After partition, many people from Kerala/Malebar migrated to Pakistan, most of them settling down in Karachi. They usually wore a tehmad or a lungi of checked material, a shirt and white crocheted cap. When a baby boy is born in their community, he is immediately given the first name ‘Muhammad’. Similarly, girls are immediately given the first name of Ayesha or Fatima and a second name follows later. Many of the tea and pan shops in Karachi are owned and run by people from that area. During the 50s, whenever there was a cricket match going on, they would hang a blackboard outside their shops, keep the score updated and a large crowd always gathered around. Those were the days of the good old Pakistan.
