maritime activities economy and social customs of the muslims of ...

The Arabic word lslam cannotes submission, surrender and obedience to the Omnipotent,
Allah. He is one. He alone is to be worshipped. There is no priesthood in Islam. lslam
offers a complete political and social system. Democracy is it's key note. Individual
is protected in the collective society. Private property is sanctioned and safeguarded.
A certain portion of the income of a man must be given to the poor and downtrodden.
Usury is forbidden. Drunkunness, gambling and hoarding declared as
antisocial. It gave freedom to human intelligence. Islamic brotherhood Is an
institution. The sacred law is one for all. It abolished all distinction of caste, colour
and gave the lowliest and most degraded, the status of equality with the highest.
The prayer in the mosque was in equal terms without colour, rank or social
superiority3.
The three major aspects of Islamic culture which clashed wlth the cultures In
lndia were (1) the unshakable faith in monotheism, (2) the broad outlook of universal
brotherhood and (3) the life is not an illusion but a life to be lived in all seriousness4.
But the assimilative power of lndia succeeded in fusing the culture Into a unity and
Islam stood as a product of assimilation. To the natives, particularly to lowest class,
conversion to lslam symbolised emancipation, equality and prosperity5. With
conversion they entered the brotherhood of lslam with freedom from bondage and
opportunity for uplift.
The laws of lslam governing the woman was intended for her benefit, for her
health and happiness and for the betterment of her material and social postition.
in this Hindu widows who were subject to humilition and indiginities and deprived
of all wordly pleasures, were shown liberty. A widow became a bride once again.
An untouchable drew water from a common well to which he had been denied access
earlier. Thus human diginity was assured in Islam. In Malabar 'A Muslim could slt
by the side of a Nambudiri Brahmin,a privilege denied even to a Nair, and his Imam
or religious leader known as Thangal could ride in a palanquin, besides the ruler6.
Thus the process of voluntary conversion brought large communities into the Islamic
fold in peninsular lndia and lslam was not spread with sword as commonly believed
and written.
Though the woman, the Arabs consorted with and the converts belonged to
the different regions and languages, lslam unified them. Because of this , we find
a confused picture about the Muslims of Coromandel, their origln and the groups of
numerous linguistic, territorial and occupational subdivisions7. As we have put it
earlier the Muslims of Coromandel are known by the following names, the Marakkayan,
Labbais and Rowthars and Deccanls.