Draft:Malayalam Sufi Poetry

Malayalam Sufi Poetry is the branch of Sufi literature that flourished in the Malayalam language, the regional language of Kerala, the southern state of India. Along the Malabar coast, Kerala is one of the ancient port cities. Hence, it facilitated trade between many distant places worldwide. The geographical location facilitated Kerala's interaction with different places, cultures, religions, and languages. As a result of this, Kerala's culture is multifaceted. the trade relationship Kerala had with Arabs made way for the arrival of Islam. As part of this, the mystical dimension of Islam also flourished in Kerala. As a result, many kinds of Sufi literature were produced and thrived in Kerala. Malayalam Sufi Poetry is an essential branch of this. Globally, we can see the phenomenon of Sufism as dependent on Islam Islam because it is the inner and mystical form of Islam. As part of this, Sufi literature is prevalent around the world. The Sufi literature tackles and describes the metaphysical aspects of Sufism, which is the divine love between God and the individual. Sufi Poetry is the poetic form of philosophical and moral aspects of Sufism. With symbolism and specific diction, sufi poetry compacts the deep meaning and philosophy of Sufi philosophy and morality. Malayalam Sufi Poetry is a collection of poems by Sufis or scholars who are well-versed in Sufi philosophy. The Malayalam Sufi Poetry consist of the knowledge or philosophy related to the Sufi doctrine. Ichha Abdul Khadar Masthan, widely known as iccha Masthan, Kadayikkal Pulavar Moideen Kutty Haji, Haji S K Abdu Razaq Masthan, K V Abubakar Master are the notable Malayalam Sufi Poets who lived in the modern era. Usthad Thavakkal Musthafa collects and sings Sufi poems in Qawwali form, prevalent in Kerala. Freelance journalists Salahuddin Ayyubi and Shajahan Orumanayur are the key people who convene independent investigations about the historical roots and philosophy of Malayalam Sufi Poetry. Joseph Kulangadan is the first to introduce Iccha Masthan to the academic field. Previously, the popularity of Malayalam Sufi Poetry was confined to small groups and was not written or recorded anywhere. O. Abu Sahib was the first person who collected and published the poetry of Ichha Masthan. The first-ever academic study which established Malayalam Sufi Poetry as a separate poetic tradition and genre within the Malayalam Literary tradition was done at the Aligarh Muslim University by Dr Munawar Hanih with the title 'The Poetic Identity of Malayalam Sufi Poem'. The first book which deals entirely with the form and concept of Malayalam Sufi Poetry is the book 'Malayala Sufi Kavitha' by Dr. Munawar Hanih.