# Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama

Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama of EK Sunnis also known as Samastha, and EK Samastha, is a Sunni-Shafi'i Muslim scholarly body in Kerala. The body administers Shafi'ite mosques, institutes of higher religious learning (the equivalent of north Indian madrasas) and madrasas (institutions where children receive basic Islamic education) in India.
The Samasta Kerala Jamiyatul Ulama (All Kerala Ulama Organisation), popularly known as Samastha, is the Sunni scholarly organization with the highest support among Kerala Muslims. The formation of the Samasta was a response of these traditional ulama to the conditions of the post-1921 era, in which Kerala Muslim society in general witnessed a radical shift from the ladder of individual leadership to the ladder of organizations.

## Samastha history

Kerala Muslims of the fundamentalist and puritanical views of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (1703-1792), Salafism of Rashid Rida (1865-1935), Islamic modernism of Muhammad Abduh (1819-1905), pan-Islamism of Jamaluddin Afghani (1939-1897), and the Tahreek e-Mujahideen in North India. The new ideologists first came out through the Kerala Muslim Aikya Sangham (group for unity among Kerala Muslims), which was founded at Kodungallur of Cochin State in 1922 by leaders like K. M. Seethi Sahib, K. M. Maulavi, and EK Moulavi.
It tried to bring the scattered and unorganised reformist activists together. Later, they formed an Ulama organisation, Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, at a two-day conference of Aikya Sangham held at Aluva in 1924, where a large number of scholars were invited. It is a fact that the outstanding members of the traditional Ulama did not openly reject the Kerala Jam’eyyat ul-Ulama at first. However, gradually, the platform of the organisation started to be utilised to attack the traditional Islam that was followed unopposed for centuries and which was nurtured under the guidance of eminent scholars headed by Zainuddin Makhdoom I. They declared a host of Islamic cultural traditions as Shirk and Bid'ah and alleged the centuries-old scholarly and intellectual tradition of Kerala Muslims with deviations and alterations.

### Samastha history 1924-2000s

The Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama felt the need to organise to defend and protect Kerala’s Islamic tradition and to wage a revivalist movement against the new interpretations. Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar, who had already started counter campaigns against the ‘Wahhabi ideology’, along with some other scholars, met Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal, who was a Sufi Sheikh, a renowned religious scholar, and a prominent figure of the Sayyed family, to discuss the need for an organisational movement to defend the true spirit of the religion. Tangal suggested convening a meeting of the eminent scholars to discuss the suitable solution. In 1925, some major ulama and other society leaders gathered at Calicut Valiya Juma Masjid and formed an ulama organisation after prolonged and serious discussions.
KP Muhammad Meeran Musliyar and Parol Hussain Moulawi were named the President and Secretary of the organisation, respectively. The newly formed Ulama organisation convened within a year many popular conferences, mainly at places where the new ideologists had received big attraction, and directed the masses to be aware of the leaders and followers of the ‘Bida’i sects’. They also travelled throughout the state to convey the message of the ulama organisation to maximum religious scholars who were living in the mosques or religious centres serving the Islamic knowledge.
year later, on June 26, 1926, a bigger convention was called at Calicut Town Hall, where eminent scholars from across the state participated, under the chairmanship of Sayyid Shihabuddhin Cherukunchikkoya Tangal. The convention reorganised the previously formed temporary organisation and adopted a full-fledged organisational set-up in the name of Samastha Kerala Jam’eyyat ul-Ulama. The convention nominated Varakkal Mullakoya Thangal as Samastha’s first president, while Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar, Muhammed Abdul Bari Musliyar, KM Abdul Qadir Musliyar, and KP Muhammad Meeran Musliyar became vice presidents, and PV Muhammad Musliyar and PK Muhammad Musliyar became secretaries in the first committee.

## Formation

The formation of Samastha Kerala Jam'iyyathul Ulama was the response of the traditional to the conditions of post 1921 Malabar Rebellion period in which Kerala Muslim community generally witnessed a radical shift from the folds of individual leadership to the folds of organizations. The Ulama felt the need to organize to defend and protect Kerala's Islamic tradition and to wage a revivalist movement against the new interpretations. In 1925, some major Ulama's and other society leaders gathered at Calicut Valiya Juma Masjid and formed an Ulama organization after prolonged and serious discussions. They traveled throughout the state to convey the message of the Ulama organization to maximum religious scholars who were living in the mosques or religious centers serving the Islamic knowledge.
A year later on June 26, 1926, a bigger convention was called at Calicut Town hall, where eminent scholars from across the state participated, under the chairmanship of Sayyid Shihabuddhin Cherukunchikkoya Thangal. The convention reorganized the previously formed temporary organization and adopted a full fledged organizational set up in the name of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama.

### Legal Registration

Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama was formed on June 26, 1926 but it was officially registered on November 14, 1934, as the government approved its bylaw, which was agreed upon after deep and wide scholarly discussions held in various Mushawara meets and in consultation with law experts. It promulgated the propagation of true Islam, impart of religious education and activities against superstitions and un-Islamic traditions as its primary and supreme objectives. Its bylaw also included encouragement for secular education compatible with religious beliefs, and calls for religious tolerance, interfaith friendship, peaceful existence and national progress. The registration Number is S1.1934/35 at office of the Kozhikode district registrar

## Mushawara Council

A forty-member 'mushawara' is the high command body of the Sunni council. As of 2020, the president was Sayed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal.

## Structure

* President — Sayed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal
* General Secretary — K. Ali Kutty Musliyar
* Treasurer — P. P. Umer Musliyar

## Presidents

* Varakkal Mullokoya Thangal (1926–1932)
* Pangil Ahmed Kutty Musliyar (1932–1945)
* Abdul Bari Musliyar (1945–1965)
* KK Sadakkathulla Musliyar (1965–1967)
* Kanniyath Ahmed Musliyar (1967–1993)
* K.K. Aboobacker Hazrath (1993–1995)
* Sayyid Abdurahman Imbichikoya Thangal Al-Aydarusi Al-Azhari (1995–2004)
* Kalambadi Mohammed Musliar (2004–2012)
* C Koya Kutty Musliyar (2012–2016)
* Kumaramputhur A. P. Muhammed Musliyar (2016–2017)
* Sayed Jifri Muthukkoya Thangal (2017–Present)

## Affiliated entities

* Mahallu federation — Samastha Kerala Sunni Mahallu Federation (S. M. F.) SMF | Sunni Mahallu Federation
* Educational board — Samastha Kerala Islam Matha Vidhyabhyasa Board (S. K. I. M. V. B.) Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama
* Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Muallimeen SKJMCC – Official website of Samastha Kerala Jam-iyyathul Muallimeen Central Council
* Youth wing — Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (S. Y. S.) Sunni Yuvajana Sangham Archived 10 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine
* Student wing — Samastha Kerala Sunni Students' Federation (S. K. S. S. F) SKSSF State Committee | Official Website of SKSSF
* Children's wing — Samastha Kerala Sunni Balavedhi (S. K. S. B. V.) SKSBV – Official Website of Samastha Kerala Sunni Bala Vedhi
* Daily News (Newspaper) — Suprabhaatham Suprabhaatham Online : Latest, Trending Malayalam News | Best Career | Education | Gulf News Malayalam | kerala Updates | National | International |sports | Business | EDITORIAL

## 100th Anniversary

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the Samastha's 100th anniversary declaration conference at Bengaluru Palace grounds 28 January 2024. Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama inaugurated the centenary celebrations in Bengaluru.

## Affiliated organisations and institutions

Organisations that are inspired by the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama's ideology refer to themselves as members of the Sunni Yuvajana Sangham and Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation.

### Institutions

* Islahul Uloom Arabic College,Tanur
* Jami'a Nooriyya Arabic College
* Darul Huda Islamic University
* Alathurpadi Dars
* Shamsul Ulama Islamic Academy
* Tirurangadi Muslim Orphanage
* Muttichira Dars