Labbay (Tamil : லப்பய் , Urdu : ﻟﺐ ﺑﮯ also Labbai, Labba, Labbabeen, Lebbay, Lebbai), are a Tamil Muslim trading community[1][2] in southern India found throughout the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The Labbay are a subgroup within the Tamil Muslim community.[3]
| Languages | |
|---|---|
| Tamil, Dakhni | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (Sect - Sunni, Madhab - Hanafi or Shafi'i) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Tamil Muslims, Tamil people, Rowther, Marakkar, Deccani Muslims |
Etymology
editLabbay is derived from the Arabic phrase Labbay'k (Arabic : لبیک ), which means - Here I am. Labbay is a surname for Arwi (tamil - arabic) speaking muslims in the Coastal places especially Kayalpattinam, Adirampattinam, Kilakarai and Sri Lanka and many other coastal villages in Tamilnadu. Labbays identify as descendants of Arab traders who intermarried with local women.[4][5]
History
editThe earliest historical evidence of Muslim settlement on the Coromandel coast dates from the ninth century; with an edict in 875 A.D. by the king of Madurai granting asylum to a group of Arab immigrants. Even as the community gained momentum their connection with North India was thin. Like the Mappillas, the Coromandel Muslims became prosperous maritime traders. In later times they took on the appellations of maraikkayar to distinguish themselves from the hinterland Hanafi Labbay Muslims of the tamilnadu [4]
Before the arrival of the Dutch in the region, the Muslim hinterland traders and Muslim maritime traders and boat makers were part of the same community. They both claimed to descend from Arabs and intermarried with Hindus. While in some regions the title "Labbay" carried a stigma due to it being held by converts, the Labbay traders were able to change its meaning into a title of social and religious superiority.[5]
Since the Labbay traders were the only literate Muslims in the region, they became priests, registrars, and commentators of the Quran. Their role as priests gave them high-status in the Muslim community, and great wealth in their role as traders. They spoke Tamil, but wrote it in the Arabic script also known as Arwi. They previously prohibited intermarriages and common funeral grounds between them and other Muslim communities.[5]
Religion
editThe Labbay are Sunni Muslims. They follow the Hanafi school or the Shafi'i school in fiqh.[6][7] The Labbay community mostly live in coastal settlements in Tamil Nadu.[8]
References
edit- ^ Parthasarathi, Prasannan (2001). The Transition to a Colonial Economy: Weavers, Merchants and Kings in South India, 1720-1800. 0 521 57042 5: Cambridge University Press. p. 150.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Balfour, Edward (1967). The Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia Volume 2. Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt. p. 645.
- ^ Weekes, Richard V. (1984). Muslim Peoples [2 Volumes]: A World Ethnographic Survey. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 431. ISBN 978-0-313-23392-0.
- ^ a b Wink, Andre (1990). Al-Hind: Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th-11th centuries. Brill. pp. 78–80. ISBN 9780391041738.
- ^ a b c Pandian, Jacob (1987). Caste, Nationalism and Ethnicity: An Interpretation of Tamil Cultural History and Social Order. Popular Prakashan. pp. 129–132.
- ^ Brown, John Porter (1968). The Darvishes: Or, Oriental Spiritualism. Cass. ISBN 978-81-7755-749-7.
- ^ Pandian, Jacob (1987). Caste, Nationalism and Ethnicity: An Interpretation of Tamil Cultural History and Social Order. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-0-86132-136-0.
- ^ Balfour, Edward (1885). The Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia. Akademische Druck-u. Verlagsanstalt.