Manikya Malaraya Poovi is a

Mappila song Mappila songs (or ''Mappila Paattu'') are a folklore Muslim song genre rendered to lyrics, within a melodic framework ( Ishal), in Arabi Malayalam by the Mappilas of the Malabar region in Kerala, India. Mappila songs have a distinct cultural ide ...

originally composed by Thalassery Rafeeque in 1978 and performed by

Eranjoli Moosa Eranholi Moosa (18 March 1940 – 9 May 2019) was an Indian Mappilappatu singer and playback singer. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential Mappilappattu singers of all time. During his musical career, Moosa has performed sol ...

. The song which was later recomposed by

Shaan Rahman Shaan Rahman (born 30 December 1979) is an Indian composer and singer, best known for his compositions in the Malayalam cinema. Shaan made his debut as a music director in the 2009 film ''Ee Pattanathil Bhootham'' directed by Johny Antony. He g ...

for the 2018

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema is an Indian cinema, Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ...

Oru Adaar Love ''Oru Adaar Love'' () is a 2019 Malayalam-language romantic comedy film. The screenplay was written by Sarang Jayaprakash and Lijo Panadan from a story by Omar Lulu, and produced by Ousepachan Vaalakuzhy under his production company Ousepachan ...

is sung by

Vineeth Sreenivasan Vineeth Sreenivasan (born 1 October 1984) is an Indian playback singer, actor, film director, screenwriter, producer, lyricist, creative director and dubbing artist. He predominantly works in the Malayalam cinema. He is the son of actor an ...

. It became the fastest video from

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...

to receive 50 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Background

Manikya Malaraya Poovi is considered as one of the finest songs in the

Mappila Song Mappila songs (or ''Mappila Paattu'') are a folklore Muslim song genre rendered to lyrics, within a melodic framework ( Ishal), in Arabi Malayalam by the Mappilas of the Malabar region in Kerala, India. Mappila songs have a distinct cultural ide ...

, a folklore

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

music genre in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Originally composed by

Thalassery Thalassery (), formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality, Commercial City on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kodagu (Karna ...

K. Refeeque in 1978, it was written by P.A Jabbar and is performed by

. The song is also considered as one of the best performance by Moosa and he has performed it in several stages. The song compares the beauty of

Khadijah Khadija, Khadeeja or Khadijah ( ar, خديجة, Khadīja) is an Arabic feminine given name, the name of Khadija bint Khuwaylid, first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In 1995, it was one of the three most popular Arabic feminine names in th ...

, the wife of

Prophet Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

, to a pearl flower, during her first interaction with him. In 2018, the song was recreated by

for the film Oru Adaar Love directed by

Omar Lulu Omar Abdul Vahab, professionally credited as Omar Lulu, is an Indian film director who works in Malayalam cinema. He made his directorial debut in 2016 with ''Happy Wedding (2016 film), Happy Wedding''. Career His debut film ''Happy Wedding (20 ...

and was sung by

Popularity

Before its release, a short clip from the song, that shows the actress

Priya Prakash Varrier Priya Prakash Varrier (born 28 October 1999) is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Malayalam films. Her wink in the film ''Oru Adaar Love'' went viral, making her the most searched-for personality through Google in India in 2018. E ...

winking was released which became viral on social media. Later, the song also became trending on youtube upon its release and became the fastest South Indian video to get 50 million views.

Controversy

A group of Muslims filed a fatwa complaint with the

Hyderabad police Hyderabad City Police is the local law enforcement agency for the city of Hyderabad, Telangana and is headed by the Commissioner of Police. The city police traces its origins to 1847 under Hyderabad State. History 1847–1948 The Nizam of Hyde ...

, accusing the visuals in the song hurting their religious sentiments, since the song contained references to Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

's wife

Khadija Khadija, Khadeeja or Khadijah ( ar, خديجة, Khadīja) is an Arabic feminine given name, the name of Khadija bint Khuwaylid, first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In 1995, it was one of the three most popular Arabic feminine names in t ...

. Raza Academy, which represents the

Sunni Muslims Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

of the Barelvi sect in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

demanded to cut the objectionable portions of the song, and threatened to launch a nation-wide agitation if their demand was not met. The

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

turned down the verdict and let the song free.

References

{{reflist 2018 songs Malayalam film songs Indian songs