Saints and Healing: Hagiographies and Healing Practices of Mappila Muslims in Colonial Malabar

Abstract

Writings in praise of holy saints have existed across societies since ancient times.  Such works, based on the life stories of saints or religiously revered persons, were often composed to praise their virtues and inspire devotion, sometimes overlooking their shortcomings. Many of these works also serve as historical sources describing the social conditions of their time. However, it is often found that such writings, which include various miraculous deeds of the saint concerned, also contain accounts of their experiences related to illness and treatment. Among the Mappila Muslims of Malabar, hagiographical works such as Malapattus, Maulids, Madhhupattu, and Ratibs were composed during pre-modern times. These texts gained prominence alongside the spread of Sufism in the region, documenting the miracles of holy saints or Sufi Sheikhs, especially their ability to cure diseases. Interestingly, these hagiographical works were often used as tools for treating illnesses, reflecting their integral role in the development of Popular Islam in Malabar. Emerging as part of the region’s cultural symbiosis, they embody the fusion of religious and cultural elements in pre-modern Malabar. Earlier in Arabic, and since the 17th century, starting with the Muhayiddheenmala, the first Arabi-Malayalam work ever discovered, numerous hagiographies have been produced, primarily chronicling the lives and miraculous deeds of Sufi saints. Stories of healing form a central category within these accounts. This tradition persisted through the centuries, including during the period of British colonialism in Malabar. Colonial sources, along with the prevailing social, cultural, and economic conditions, strongly suggest the recurrence of epidemics and diseases, which in turn gave rise to hagiographical works centred on illness, healing, and related themes. This paper examines how hagiographical works contribute to understanding healing practices among the Mappilas of Malabar, employing historiographical and ethnographic methods to analyse their role in shaping healing traditions from the pre-modern era through the colonial period.