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The Malabar Rebellion of 1921 marked a profound turning point in the history of the Malayalam-speaking Muslim community located in Kerala, the southernmost state of India. In the aftermath of the uprising, the community was left grappling with a fragile, paralysing condition across religious, social, political, and economic spheres. In response to this crisis, several movements emerged from within the community, each seeking ways to overcome the uncertainty of the period.

Among these, it was Samastha Kerala Jamʿiyyathul ʿUlamāʾ(All Kerala Scholars Association)—an authoritative body of Islamic scholars—that earned the widest public trust and sustained relevance. With a broad-based programme of action and strong grassroots support, Samastha grew into a dignified scholarly movement and, by the grace of Allah, has completed a full century of service rooted in continuity and tradition. Samastha was founded at a time marked by intense reformist campaigns and competing narratives of social and religious “modernisation.” Its primary objective was not reactionary resistance, but the careful preservation of traditional Islam—as taught and lived by eminent predecessors such as Shaykh Zayn al-Dīn Makhdūm and Mamburam Thangal—so that future generations could continue to experience an Islam grounded in scholarship, spirituality, and ethical balance.

The organisation sought to institutionalise a comprehensive scholarly movement that would uphold the ideals of classical Islamic tradition, engage in religious instruction, protect community rights, promote education and empowerment, and actively resist irreligion, social fragmentation, and blind superstition. With this vision, Samastha was formally established on 26 June 1926 (14 Dhul-Ḥijjah 1344 AH), under the leadership of Pāngil Aḥmad Kutti Musliyar and with the blessings of Varakkal Mullakkōya Thangal.

Over the decades, Samastha evolved into the largest Islamic movement among Malayalam-speaking Muslims, guided by generations of distinguished scholars who refused to compromise knowledge for worldly interests. Their lives were marked by intellectual discipline, ethical restraint, and a quiet dedication to teaching and service. Through their commitment to scholarship and community welfare, Samastha became not merely an organisation, but a moral and intellectual anchor for Muslims navigating the challenges of changing times.

Even before the formation of Samastha, the religious and cultural identity of Kerala’s Muslim community had already taken deep root. This tradition was transmitted across centuries by the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) who travelled to Kerala, their successors, generations of classical scholars, respected sayyids, and prominent community leaders. Through this continuous chain, Islamic faith and practice were preserved with remarkable consistency. The flourishing of traditional Islamic culture in Kerala was particularly shaped by figures such as Sayyid Alawi Mouladaveel Thangal, his son Sayyid Fadl Pookoya Thangal, sayyid lineages who migrated from different regions of the Muslim world, their disciples, and eminent families such as the Panakkad Family. Through their collective efforts, a rich and enduring Islamic heritage took shape in the region.

A Century of Educational Leadership and a Balanced Vision

The emergence of Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama marked a decisive moment in history, as it provided an organised and unified framework to a religious tradition that Kerala Muslims had long upheld with devotion and continuity. This unification was not a creation of something new, but the consolidation of an already vibrant and living religious legacy.

Samastha’s contributions in shaping Kerala Muslims into a community grounded in sound religious understanding and a confident social identity are both profound and enduring. One of its most significant interventions came with the establishment of the Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidyabhyasa Board on 25 March 1951, with the objective of ensuring universal access to structured Islamic education for Muslim children across the region. This initiative greatly enhanced the organisation’s reach and strengthened its grassroots connection with society.

The Education Board stands as a major milestone in the sphere of foundational religious learning, representing Samastha’s thoughtful response to the needs of a changing society. From granting recognition to just seven madrasas (primary Islamic learning centers) at its very first meeting, the Board has witnessed remarkable growth. In recent executive committee sessions, the serial number of the latest recognised madrasa has reached 11,090, reflecting the scale, acceptance, and institutional maturity of Samastha’s educational mission.

Over the past hundred years, Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama has opened wide avenues for intellectual and educational advancement, both within Kerala and beyond. Through its leadership, the organisation has played a decisive role in shaping nearly every major educational initiative that defines the future trajectory of the community. These include madrasas, palli-dars (mosque-based learning circles), residential boarding madrasas, institutions that integrate religious and modern education, engineering colleges, women’s colleges, and several other centres of learning.

It is difficult to find, even at a global level, many scholarly movements that have exerted such a comprehensive influence across both religious and secular educational spheres of a single community. Samastha has also succeeded in maintaining a balanced and thoughtful approach to both male and female education—an achievement that stands out in the history of community-led educational reform.

Among the institutions that opened new horizons in Samastha’s intellectual outreach is Darul Huda Islamic University, along with numerous other centres of higher learning. With institutions and off-campus programmes spread across more than twenty Indian states, these initiatives significantly expanded the reach of organised Islamic scholarship while remaining responsive to contemporary needs.

True to its tradition of adapting to changing circumstances, Samastha has consistently embraced timely reforms in its modes of operation. This commitment is particularly evident in the sphere of women’s education, where the organisation has taken several pioneering steps. It has introduced more than a dozen structured scholarly programmes for women, including Fāḍilah, Faḍīlah, Zahrāwiyyah, Wafiyyah, Mahdiyyah, and similar courses, thereby creating sustained pathways for women to engage deeply with Islamic learning and leadership.

At the same time, the organisation recognises the need to continually redesign its educational and outreach strategies in line with changing times. When certain groups attempted to impose abrupt and disruptive models of religious reform a century ago, Samastha responded by organising explanatory sessions, scholarly gatherings, and public conferences that offered the community clarity and direction. Defending religion against emerging challenges through appropriate and context-sensitive methods remains a declared policy of the organisation. Samastha’s constitution explicitly emphasises that religious education must go hand in hand with secular education. Ensuring the material well-being of Muslims and addressing their collective social concerns are recognised as core responsibilities of the organisation. Responding to faith-based challenges is only one among these responsibilities—not the sole objective.

Established four decades ago, Darul Huda Islamic University has emerged as one of the most influential initiatives under Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama, earning the organisation national and international recognition in the combined fields of religious and secular education. Through successive generations of Darul Huda graduates, Samastha has been able to lead wide-ranging programmes of religious awareness and educational renewal—across Kerala, throughout India, and beyond national boundaries.

These graduates have carried forward the intellectual and moral legacy of the institution into diverse academic and professional spheres across all seven continents. Alongside Darul Huda, several other educational systems nurtured under Samastha have contributed to this global presence, demonstrating how a locally rooted scholarly vision can mature into an internationally relevant model.

Political and Social Approach

While remaining deeply engaged in religious and social affairs, Samastha has consistently exercised restraint in refraining from forming an independent political ideology or party. Its long-standing position is clear: members and volunteers of the organisation are free to participate in any political party, provided that such engagement does not conflict with Islamic principles or obstruct one’s ability to live as a sincere believer.

In the context of Kerala—and particularly in Malabar—this stance has historically translated into a practical alignment with the Indian Union Muslim League, a party supported by a large majority of Kerala’s Muslims. The convergence arises from a simple reality: most Kerala Muslims broadly follow Samastha’s religious orientation while aligning politically with the Muslim League. Whenever differences have emerged, the leadership of both organisations has made conscious efforts to prevent discord and preserve mutual understanding.

This spirit of consultation predates formal organisational overlap. Even during periods when he was not formally associated with Samastha, the Muslim League leader Sayyid Abdur Rahman Ba-Faqih Thangal chaired several consultative (mushāwarah) meetings involving scholars and community leaders. What binds the two institutions is not political expediency, but a broad harmony in objectives—religious integrity on one side and responsible political representation on the other. Over the years, Samastha has remained careful not to exploit this relationship for political gain, just as the Muslim League has refrained from instrumentalising it for religious legitimacy.

History also bears witness to another important achievement: Samastha succeeded in expanding the role of Islamic scholars beyond the narrow confines of ritual authority. Rather than confining ʿulamāʾ to purely devotional functions, the organisation enabled them to engage with social and communal issues and to acquire expertise in academic and worldly disciplines. In this light, questions that seek to diminish Samastha’s reformative contribution lose relevance, as the wide network of educational institutions under its guidance stands as a living testament to its impact.

Creating a rigidly organised cadre has never been Samastha’s tradition. Instead, its century-long model has been that of a mass-based religious movement—one that guides the believing community without enclosing it within ideological enclosures. In an age marked by increasing secularisation and moral erosion, new strategies and action plans are urgently required.

The religious vitality that has shaped Kerala’s Muslim society must now evolve into a framework that can be experienced by the wider Muslim population beyond Kerala—numbering over 350 million across India. Preparing the intellectual and institutional foundations for this broader engagement, and designing forward-looking plans suited to the challenges of a new era, is a responsibility that the organisational leadership of the coming hundred years must consciously undertake.