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{{short description|Arabic manuscript}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title = Qissat Shakarwati Farmad
| name = Qissat Shakarwati Farmad
| country = [[Malabar Coast]]
| language = [[Arabic]]
| genre = Legend
| media_type =
| pages =
| awards =
| oclc =
| dewey =
| congress =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| notes =
| exclude_cover =
}}
'''''Qissat Shakarwati Farmad''''' (alternatively '''''Qissat Shakruti Firmad''''', literally '''''"Tale of the Great Chera Ruler"''''') is an [[Arabic]] manuscript of anonymous authorship, .<ref name=":0">O. Loth, ''Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office'' (London: Secretary of State of India, 1877), no. 1044.</ref><ref name=":1">Y. Friedmann, "Qissat Shakarwati Farmad: A Tradition Concerning the Introduction of Islam to Malabar", ''Israel Oriental Studies'' 5 (1975), 239-241.</ref> It is argued that the ''qissat'' is the oldest, most detailed, and comprehensive recorded version of the famous Cheraman Perumal legend (of south India).<ref name=":2">Prange, Sebastian R. ''Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast.'' Cambridge University Press, 2018. 95-98.</ref>

The Cheraman Perumal legend traces the introduction of [[Islam]] on the Malabar Coast. All muslim sources from 1500 CE tell the story of

* A traditional [[Hinduism|Hindu]] spice trader from [[Kerala]], titled the Cheraman Perumal<ref name=":12">Y. Friedmann, "Qissat Shakarwati Farmad: A Tradition Concerning the Introduction of Islam to Malabar", ''Israel Oriental Studies'' 5 (1975), 239-241.</ref>

* Divided his spice trade among his family and business alliances <ref name=":1" />
* Sailed for Jeddah with the intent of performing yearly worship at Syrian [[Petra]] & [[Kaaba]] preislamic holy shrine of the [[Quraysh]] pagans, which is muslim equivalent of the ''[[hajj]]''<ref name=":1" />
* Unspecified story hints spice merchant may have died on his return trade journey from Syria to Malabar Coast.<ref name=":1" />

The title Shakarwati Farmad is an Arabic version of the medieval Indian royal title "Chakravarti Cheraman Perumal". The Chera (Spice Merchant)king is also referred within the text as "al-Sultan Shakrawati".<ref name=":2" /> The qissat is currently preserved in [[British Library]] (India Office Records, MS. Islamic 2807d, fols. 81a-104a).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

== Versions of the legend ==
The later versions of the Cheraman Perumal legend are incorporated by

* [[Zainuddin Makhdoom II|Zayn al-Din Makhdum]] in ''[[Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen|Tuhfat al-Mujahidin]]'' (16th century CE)<ref name=":1" />⁸ and in
* ''Ta'rikh-i Firishta'' ([[Persian language|Persian]], 17th century CE).

Varied versions of the legend can also be seen

* A number of medieval [[Kerala]] literary sources (such as ''[[Keralolpathi|Keralolpatti]]'')<ref name=":2" /> and
* Portuguese chronicles.<ref name=":2" />
* A Telugu version of the legend is also mentioned by some scholars.<ref>H. H. Wilson, ''Mackenzie Collection. A descriptive catalogue of the Oriental manuscripts and other articles illustrative of the literature, history, statistics and antiquities of the south of India'' (Calcutta, 1828), II, appendix, p. XCV.</ref>

As per scholar [[Yohanan Friedmann|Y. Friedmann]], the version famously narrated by [[Zainuddin Makhdoom II|Zayn al-Din Makhdum]] was directly derived from the ''qissat''.<ref name=":1" /> Unlike some of the other versions of the legend, large portions of the ''qissat'' takes place after the king's death on Arabian coast.<ref name=":2" />

== First mosques of Malabar according to the ''qissat'' ==
According to the ''qissat'', the first mosque was built by Malik ibn Dinar in [[Kodungallur]], while the rest of the mosques were founded by Malik ibn Habib.<ref name=":2" /><ref>Prange, Sebastian R. ''Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast.'' Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.</ref>
[[File:פרופסור יוחנן פרידמן.jpg|thumb|[[Yohanan Friedmann|Y. Friedmann]] conducted pioneering studies on the ''Qissat'' in the mid-1970s.]]

{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Location
!Qadi
|-
|Kalankallur ([[Kodungallur]])
|Muhammad ibn Malik
|-
|Kulam ([[Kollam]])
|Hasan ibn Malik
|-
|Hili ([[Madayi]])
|'Abd al-Rahman ibn Malik
|-
|Fakanur/Makanur ([[Barkur]])
|Ibrahim ibn Malik
|-
|Manjalur ([[Mangalore]])
|Musa ibn Malik
|-
|Kanjarkut (?[[Kasaragod]])
|Malik ibn Muhammad
|-
|Jurfatan/Jirfatan ([[Kannur|Cannanore]])
|Shahab al-Din ibn 'Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Malik
|-
|Darmaftan ([[Dharmadom|Dharmadam]])
|Hussayn ibn Muhammad ibn Malik al-Madani
|-
|Fandarinah ([[Koyilandy|Panthalayani]])
|Sa'd al-Din ibn Malik al-Madani
|-
|Shaliyat ([[Chaliyam]])
|Zayn al-Din ibn Muhammad ibn Malik al-Madani
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Islamic studies]]

{{islam-studies-stub}}
[[Category:Islam in Kerala]]

Qissat Shakarwati Farmad - Revision history

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