Arusiyyah Madrasah
Madrasa in Kilakarai, Tamil Nadu, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Madrasatu l-‘Arūsiyyah (Arabic: مدرسة العروسية; Tamil: அரூஸிய்யா மத்ரஸா Arūsiyya Madrasa) is an Islamic educational institution in Kilakarai, Tamil Nadu, India.[1] Founded in 1082 AH (1671 AD), it is one of the oldest centres of Arabic and Islamic studies in South India.[2] The madrasah was founded by Ṣadaqatullāh b. Sulaimān al-Qāhirī aṣ-Ṣiddiqī (1042–1115 AH; 1632–1703 AD) and was associated with the development of Islamic learning in the Arwi region (modern-day South India and Sri Lanka).[3]
| Latin: Madrasatu l-‘Arūsiyyah | |
| Motto | ALLAH |
|---|---|
| Type | Islamic university |
| Established | 1671 |
| Location | Kilakarai , Tamil Nadu , India |
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.[4]
In broader discussions of madrasah education in South Asia, scholars describe institutions such as Arusiyyah Madrasah as operating between traditional religious instruction and the demands of modern state‑education systems.[5]
Extensions
The seminary was renovated in 1220 AH (1805 AD) by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Kirkari, who is known as Taikā Ṣāḥib al-Kirkarī (Arabic: مادح الرسول, lit. 'praiser of the Prophet') and Kīlakkarai Taikā Ṣāḥib (Tamil: கீழக்கரை தைகா ஸாஹிப்).[4]
When Shaikh Sayyid Muḥammad (b. Aḥmad Lebbai), known as 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 structure and added to its collection of manuscripts.[6]
Famous alumni
Notable scholars and spiritual guides who studied and graduated from the seminary include:[4]
- 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 Hanafi 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 (Hanafi Jurisprudence) and Minḥatu l-Aṭfāl (Shafi'i 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 Bahrah, 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), an Islamic scholar descended from Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria Multani Suhrawardi who lectures on Sufi Islamic science thought.[7]