The Arrival of Arabic in India and the Spread of Islam Through Trade, Scholarship, and Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61166/iffah.v2i3.64Keywords:
Arabic language, Islam in India, Islamic education, Arabi-Malayalam, Muslim scholarsAbstract
The Arabic language played a significant role in the spread of Islam in India through trade, religious education, and scholarly activities. Arab traders established commercial and cultural relations with Indian communities, especially along the Malabar Coast, which later became important areas for Islamic interaction. Through peaceful communication, honesty in trade, and religious teachings, Arabic gradually became associated with Islamic scholarship and worship in India. This study examines the historical arrival of Arabic in India, the contribution of Muslim scholars, and the development of Islamic educational institutions such as madrasas and colleges. The research also highlights the influence of Arabic on Indian Muslim culture, including the emergence of Arabi-Malayalam in Kerala. Using qualitative and historical analysis, the study concludes that Arabic functioned not only as a religious language but also as a cultural and intellectual bridge connecting Indian Muslims with the wider Islamic world.
References
Arafath, P. K. Y. (2020). Polyglossic Malabar: Arabi-Malayalam and the Muhiyuddinmala in the age of transition (1600s–1750s). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 30(3), 517–539. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1356186320000085
Aliah University. (n.d.-a). History of Aliah University. https://aliah.ac.in/history-of-aliah-university
Aliah University. (n.d.-b). Department of Arabic. https://aliah.ac.in/department/arabic
Dale, S. F. (1980). Islamic society on the South Asian frontier: The Mappillas of Malabar, 1498–1922. Clarendon Press.
Eaton, R. M. (Ed.). (2000). India’s Islamic traditions, 711–1750. Oxford University Press.
Hassan, J., Manu, T., Kumaradas, S., & Ampotti, A. K. (2020). Arab accounts of Malabar history: The early episodes. Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology, 8.1, 791–810. https://www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume8.1/45.pdf
Hitti, P. K. (2002). History of the Arabs (10th ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Kozhisseri, Y. (2022). Language and power: Mutualities between Malayalam and Arabi-Malayalam and the making of Mappila literary. Collected Papers of the XXIII Congress of the International Comparative Literature Association. https://icla.openjournals.ge/index.php/icla/article/view/5783
Mathew, K. S. (Ed.). (1997). Mariners, merchants and oceans: Studies in maritime history. Manohar.
Miller, R. E. (1976). Mappila Muslims of Kerala: A study in Islamic trends. Orient Longman.
Mondini, S. (2025). Muslim communities and trade along the Malabar Coast: A state of the art. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 48(2), 368–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/00856401.2025.2496587
Narayanan, M. G. S. (1996). Perumals of Kerala: Brahmin oligarchy and ritual monarchy—Political and social conditions of Kerala under the Cera Perumals of Makotai (c. AD 800–AD 1124). CosmoBooks.
Shahla, O. P. (2022). Translations and literary exchanges between Kerala and Middle-East. Smart Moves Journal IJELLH, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.24113/ijellh.v10i2.11260
Wink, A. (1990). Al-Hind: The making of the Indo-Islamic world. Vol. 1: Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th–11th centuries. Brill.
Amer, A. (2016). The rise of jihādic sentiments and the writing of history in sixteenth-century Kerala. The Indian Economic and Social History Review, 53(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/0019464616651160
Kooria, M. (2024). Etiquette of manuscripts: Legal discourses on writing and preserving texts in the Malabar Coast. In Social Codicology (pp. 277–311). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004689329_010
Prange, S. R. (2018). Monsoon Islam: Trade and faith on the medieval Malabar Coast. Cambridge University Press.
