Arusiyyah Madrasah
| Latin: Madrasatu l-‘Arūsiyyah | |
| Type | Islamic university |
|---|---|
| Established | 1671 |
| Location | Kilakarai , Tamil Nadu , India |
Madrasatu l-‘Arūsiyyah (Arabic: مدرسة العروسية; Tamil: அரூஸிய்யா மத்ரஸா Arūsiyya Madrasa) is an Islamic educational institution located in Kilakarai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1082 AH (1671 AD), it is one of the oldest centres of Arabic and Islamic studies in South India.[1] The madrasah, or seminary, was founded by Ṣadaqatullāh b. Sulaimān al-Qāhirī aṣ-Ṣiddiqī (1042–1115 AH; 1632–1703 AD), a Muslim scholar and saint from the Arwi region (modern-day South India and Sri Lanka).
Known as Mādiḥu r-Rasūl (Arabic: مادح الرسول, lit. 'praiser of the Prophet'), it is called Appā (Tamil: அப்பா, lit. 'father') by Tamil-speaking Muslims in Tamil Nadu.[2] The institution is located in Kilakarai, a coastal town recognized as an Islamic centre in the region.
History
Before the establishment of Madrasatu l-‘Arūsiyyah in Tamil Nadu, Islamic education in the region was typically conducted informally in local mosques. Instruction was offered without charge, but students were responsible for arranging their own food, and accommodation in mosques was only occasionally available.
The founder of the seminary, Ṣadaqatullāh b. Sulaimān al-Qāhirī aṣ-Ṣiddiqī (1632–1703), identified food preparation and housing as obstacles to sustained study. To address this, he established a residential institution that provided free religious instruction alongside basic necessities, including meals and lodging. This model was intended to allow students to focus fully on their studies.
The success of this approach attracted the attention of Nawāb Ghulām Ghawth Khān Wālājah V, ruler of the South Indian port city of Madras. Following a visit to the seminary, the Nawāb adopted a similar model when founding Madrasa-e-Azam, an Arabic college in Madras.[2]
Extensions
The seminary was renovated in 1220AH/1805 AD by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Kirkari, who is known by the epithet Taikā Ṣāḥib al-Kirkarī (Arabic: مادح الرسول, lit. 'praiser of the Prophet') and Kīlakkarai Taikā Ṣāḥib (Tamil: கீழக்கரை தைகா ஸாஹிப்).[2]
When Shaikh Sayyid Muḥammad b. Aḥmad Lebbai, known by the epithets Imāmu l-‘Arūs (Arabic: إمام العروس, lit. 'imam of the bride') in Arabic and Māppillai Lebbai ‘Ālim (Tamil: மாப்பிள்ளை லெப்பை ஆலிம்), inherited the seminary from his father-in-law, Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Kirkari, he renovated the library and amassed a wide collection of manuscripts.[3]
Famous alumni
Many distinguished scholars and spiritual guides have studied and graduated from the seminary. Some of these eminent personalities include:[2]
- Kunaggudi Mastān Ṣāḥib Sulṭān ‘Abd al-Qādir (1215-1263 AH/1800-1847 AD)
- Author of over 2,000 lines of mystical poetry
- Shakhuna Pulavar ‘Abd al-Qādir Nainā (d. 1269 AH/1852 AD)
- Author of 4 epics in the Arwi language
- Ammāpattinam Yūsuf (d. 1305 AH/1887 AD)
- Author of Simtus Ṣibyān and other works of Hanafite jurisprudence
- Imāmu l-‘Arūs Sayyid Muḥammad (1232-1316 AH/1816-1898 AD)
- 19th century renewer from the Arwi region
- Colombo ‘Alim Ṣāḥib Sayyid Muḥammad (d. 1331 AH/1912 AD)
- Author of Tuḥfatu l-Aṭfāl (Hanafite Jurisprudence) and Minḥatu l-Aṭfāl (Shafite Jurisprudence)
- Jamāliyyah Sayyid Yāsīn (1307-1386 AH/1889-1966 AD)
- Polyglot who compiled the Arabic-Arwi dictionary, Qāmūsu l-‘Arabi wa l-Arwi
- Khalwat Nāyagam ‘Abd al-Qādir (1264-1331 AH/1847-1912 AD)
- Author of the prose work on advanced mysticism, 'Ulūmu d-Dīn
- Jalwat Nāyagam Shah al-Ḥamīd (1271-1339 AH/1854-1920 AD)
- Missionary who was laid to rest at the ‘’Jannatu l-Mu’allā’’ graveyard in Makkah after dying in Bahra, a village in Saudi Arabia
- Pallākku Wali Ḥabīb Muḥammad Ṣadaqatullāh (1268-1360 AH/1851-1941 AD)
- Spiritual deputy of Imāmu l-‘Arūs Sayyid Muḥammad and author of mystical odes such as Allāh Munājāt
- Shaikhu Nāyagam Ahmad ‘Abd al-Qādir (1309-1397 AH/1891-1976 AD)
- Late President of the South Indian Association of Islamic Theologians (Jamā’atu l-‘Ulamā)
- Abirāmam ‘Abd al-Qādir (1287-1365 AH/1870-1945 AD)
- Author of Tuḥfatu ṣ-Ṣamadiyya, a commentary on the Khulāsatu l-Alfiyyah by ‘Abdullāh b. Mālik
- Thaika Shuaib (Al-Qadri As-Suharawardi Multani) Well-known Islamic scholar in Western countries and the Middle East known for his lectures on Sufi Islamic science thought and his descent from Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria Multani Suhrawardi.[4]
References
- ^ Hartung, Jan-Peter; Reifeld, Helmut (2006). Islamic Education, Diversity and National Identity: Dini Madaris in India Post 9/11. SAGE Publications. ISBN 0-7619-3433-2.
- ^ a b c d Shu’ayb, Tayka (1993). Arabic, Arwi and Persian in Sarandib and Tamil Nadu. Imāmul 'Arūs Trust.
- ^ Aniff-Doray, S. Opening Towards Understanding the Best of Religions. A.S.Noordeen, 1999. ISBN 983-065-060-X
- ^ "Thaikka Shuaib Alim". www.thaqwa.info. Retrieved 2025-05-25.