Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast

Cambridge Oceanic Histories

by Sebastian R. Prange

Between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, a distinct form of Islamic thought and practice developed among Muslim trading communities of the Indian Ocean. Sebastian R. Prange argues that this 'Monsoon Islam' was shaped by merchants not sultans, forged by commercial imperatives rather than in battle, and defined by the reality of Muslims living within non-Muslim societies. Focusing on India's Malabar Coast, the much-fabled 'land of pepper', Prange provides a case study of how Monsoon Islam developed in response to concrete economic, socio-religious, and political challenges. Because communities of Muslim merchants across the Indian Ocean were part of shared commercial, scholarly, and political networks, developments on the Malabar Coast illustrate a broader, trans-oceanic history of the evolution of Islam across monsoon Asia. This history is told through four spaces that are examined in their physical manifestations as well as symbolic the Port, the Mosque, the Palace, and the Sea.

Genres: History, India, Islam, Academic, Nonfiction

358 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 2018

Reviews

[Elly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, a distinct form of Islamic thought and practice developed among Muslim trading communities of the Indian Ocean. Sebastian R. Prange argues that this 'Monsoon Islam' was shaped by merchants not sultans, forged by commercial imperatives rather than in battle, and defined by the reality of Muslims living within non-Muslim societies. Focusing on India's Malabar Coast, the much-fabled 'land of pepper', Prange provides a case study of how Monsoon Islam developed in response to concrete economic, socio-religious, and political challenges. Because communities of Muslim merchants across the Indian Ocean were part of shared commercial, scholarly, and political networks, developments on the Malabar Coast illustrate a broader, trans-oceanic history of the evolution of Islam across monsoon Asia. This history is told through four spaces that are examined in their physical manifestations as well as symbolic meanings: the Port, the Mosque, the Palace, and the Sea.

[Razeen Muhammed rafi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monsoon Islam by Sebastian Prange
As born and brought up in kannur I didn't have any idea regarding Kannur's history . But by reading this internationally researched book provided scroll of history of Malabar. This book mainly deals with Arabs business in Malabar region especially Kannur , Kozhikode etc. The spices from malabar is one of the main business commodity by Arabs and later Europeans.
Muziris one of the ancient port which is supposed to exist in kodungallur area in 1st century BC is main port which connected Malabar region to rest of world .Persians ,Egypt,Southeast Asia, China had a good relationship with malabar during that period.
Syrian Christian,Jews etc had their root in kerala due to this trade relationship.
Kannur was part of Mushika kingdom with capital as Ezhu mala.Some of the forts remains are currently there inside Indian Naval Academy , Koolath nadu their decendends had capital in Valapattanam.Keralas only muslim ruler Arakkal riled kannur and they had good trsDe relationship with Ottoman Caliphate in Turkey.


It is told that Muslim entered Malabar region during Prophet time itself and Cheraman perumal was the first person who accepted Islam and went for Hajj. India's oldest masjid Cheraman was build near port city of Kodungallur by Malik Dennar who build second mosque in Madayi near payyangadi and another mosque in Kasaragod.
Ibn Battutta had written about valapattanam in his travelogue that valapattanam is the place where Brahmins place for learning and muslims are not allowed to enter Valapattanam (but currently demography of valapattanam is muslim majority).
Hindus and muslims lived in harmony during that time and even there is a story that Zamorin king of calicut had informed the fisherman's community that one of their child should be raised as muslim for sending them as trader with Arabs, Architecture of the mosque and temple during that time was same.

This book provides a good information on trade relationship between malabar and Arabs in details.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prange focuses on the establishment of Muslim trading communities in the port cities along the Malabar Coast between the 13th and 16th centuries. He traces their origins as well as the push/pull factors that led to native conversions to Islam. He follows their growth, shifts from city to city following the incentives of different Hindu rulers and their fight against the Portuguese push to monopolize the spice trade in the eastern Indian Ocean. He highlights the ways in which the theology, architecture, and even legal traditions of these Muslim communities were influenced by their non-Muslim neighbors, trading partners and rulers. While the work as a whole was rather narrow in its focus, it does serve to give the reader an idea of the kind of commerce-led expansion of Islam across South and Southeast Asia.

[Revanth Ukkalam]

Zainuddin Malabari, Qissat Shakarwati Farmad, and Calicut's Khutba calls make the book worth it.