Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama


Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama of EK Sunnis also known as Samastha, and EK Samastha, is a Sunni-Shafi'i Muslim scholarly body in Kerala. The body administers Shafi'ite mosques, institutes of higher religious learning and madrasas in India.

History

Kerala Muslims of the fundamentalist and puritanical views of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, Salafism of Rashid Rida, Islamic modernism of Muhammad Abduh, pan-Islamism of Jamaluddin Afghani, and the Tahreek e-Mujahideen in North India. The new ideologists first came out through the Kerala Muslim Aikya Sangham, which was founded at Kodungallur of Cochin State in 1922 by leaders like K. M. Seethi Sahib, K. M. Maulavi, and EK Moulavi.
It tried to bring the scattered and unorganised reformist activists together. Later, they formed an Ulama organisation, Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, at a two-day conference of Aikya Sangham held at Aluva in 1924.

Formation

Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama was formed on June 26, 1926 but it was officially registered on November 14, 1934, as the government approved its bylaw, which was agreed upon after deep and wide scholarly discussions held in various Mushawara meets and in consultation with law experts. It promulgated the propagation of true Islam, impart of religious education and activities against superstitions and un-Islamic traditions as its primary and supreme objectives. Its bylaw also included encouragement for secular education compatible with religious beliefs, and calls for religious tolerance, interfaith friendship, peaceful existence and national progress. The registration Number is S1.1934/35 at office of the Kozhikode district registrar

Samastha history 1924-2000s

The Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama felt the need to organise to defend and protect Kerala’s Islamic tradition and to wage a revivalist movement against the new interpretations. Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar, who had already started counter campaigns against the ‘Wahhabi ideology’, along with some other scholars, met Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal, who was a Sufi Sheikh, to discuss creating an organisational movement to defend theirb version of Islam. Tangal suggested convening a meeting of scholars to discuss the suitable solution. In 1925, some major ulama and other society leaders gathered at Calicut Valiya Juma Masjid and formed an ulama organisation after prolonged and serious discussions.
KP Muhammad Meeran Musliyar and Parol Hussain Moulawi were named the President and Secretary of the organisation, respectively.
Event DateEvent NotesPlaceleadership presence
1926 June 26'Samastha' Founding ConferenceTown Hall, KozhikodeSayyid Hashim Cherukunhikkoya Thangal
1927 February 7'Samastha' First ConferenceTanurLiyauddeen Hazrath
1927 December 31'Samastha' Second ConferenceMolur.Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar
1929 January 7Samastha' Third ConferenceChemmankuzhy Moulana Muhammad Abdul Bari
1929 January 7Samastha' Mushavara decided to publish a dailyChemmankuzhy.Moulana Muhammad Abdul Bari
1929 December 10Samastha' Published a first daily in the name of 'Al Bayaan'.K V Muhammad Musliyar
1930 March 17Samastha' 4th ConferenceMannarkkadVellengara Muhammad Musliyar
1931 March 11Samastha' 5th ConferenceVelliyancheriKarimbanakkal Ahmad Musliyar.
1932 JunePangil Ahmad Kutty Musliyar appointed as President of 'Samastha
1933Samastha' 6th ConferenceFeroke.Shihabuddeen Ahmed Koya.
1934 November 14Bailo of 'Samastha' RegisteredKozhikkode District Registrar Office.
1945 May 27,28Samastha' 16th ConferenceKaryavattam
1945 August 1'Samastha' decided to publish a publication under 'Samastha'
1947 March 15,16,17'Samastha' 17th ConferenceMeenchantha
1949 March 30Pathi Abdul Khadir Musliyar reachedMalabar
1949 September 1'Samastha' Mushavara decided to establish Madrasa in each MahalluSayyid Abdurahman Bafakhy Thangal.-
1949 October 16'Samastha' appointed to establish first Madrasa and Dars 2 OrganizersVallappuzhaK P Usman Sahib, N K Ayamu Musliyar Vallappuzha.
1950 April 29,30'Samastha' 18th ConferenceValancheriDNA
1950 April 30Samastha' appointed K P Usman Sahib as 'Samastha' Office SecretarySamastha' Office
1950 OctoberAl Bayaan' started republishingValakkulam*Kaderi Muhammad Musliyar
  • Publisher: K P Usman Sahib.
1951 March 23,24,25'Samastha' 19th ConferenceVatakara.Moulana Muhammad Habeebulla.
1951 March 24Paravanna Muhyuddeen Kutty Musliyar appointed as 'Samastha' Secretary-
1951 September 17'Samastha' Prathinidhi ConferenceValakkulam
1951 September 17SKIMVB formed
1951 September 17Madrasa Syllabus Committee formedMembers:
  • Moulana Paravanna Muhyuddeen Kutty Musliyar,
  • K V Muthukoya Thangal,
  • K M Kunhimoosa Musliyar,
  • O Abdurahman Musliyar,
  • P Aboobakkar Nizami.
1951 October 28SKIMVB meeting approved Madrasa Syllabus to Std. 1 to 5
1951 October 28SKIMVB meeting approved Bylaw of SKIMVB
1951 October 28SKIMVB meeting decided to register Madrasas
1951 October 28SKIMVB meeting formed Text Book Committee to make text book

Conferences

Samastha organised a host of public conferences at various places to spread their message. Facing an opposition of secularly educated people, journalists, advocates and neo-scholars who had been fruitfully utilising all means from public meetings to publications to propagate their reformist ideologies and to brand traditionalists as courting shirk, Samastha leaders were compelled to come out to defend themselves against the allegations and to explain its views. Systematically held public conferences and anniversaries increased Samasthas popularity, kept the majority of Mappila Muslims in their fold, and restricted the inroads of reformist ideologies. In the first 25 years, Samastha focused its agenda on conducting public conferences, dialogues and ideological conflicts. Between 1927 and 1944, it convened 15 annual conferences at various places attracting immense public attention. 70th year Anniversary E.K Aboobacker musliar addressing the crowd The 16th conference held at Karyavattam was important as since then Samastha started to keep records and registers of all activities, resolutions and decisions scientifically. After that, the frequency of the huge public conferences decreased mainly because the organisation had tightened its foundation and fortress by 1950s and it had formed many sub committees and subordinate organisations to deal with different issues. In next 40 years, it conducted next eight conferences.
  • 1985–1996
The 24th and 25th conferences held at Calicut seashore in 1985 and 1996 were widely appreciated for the largest gatherings the town had ever witnessed, for the discipline and obedience the huge crowd displayed, for the resolutions, topics and issues the conference sessions discussed, and for the attention both drew from non-Muslim, political and government circles.
  • 2002 – Samastha celebrated its platinum jubilee holding public conferences at five major Kerala cities: Kasargod, Calicut, Thrissur, Kollam and Tiruvanandapuram.
  • 26 February 2012 – The Samastha 85th conferences held at Kooriyad, Malappuram
  • 11 February 2016 – The Samastha 90th conferences held at Alappuzha

    Mushawara council

A forty-member 'mushawara' is the high command body of the Sunni council. As of 2020, the president was Sayed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal.

Structure

The 100th Anniversary of Samastha Kerala refers to the events organized in 2024 to commemorate the centennial of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, The two-year-long celebrations were inaugurated on 28 January 2024 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India and will continue till 8 February 2026. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the Samastha's 100th anniversary declaration conference at Bengaluru Palace grounds 28 January 2024.