Mohammedali Shihab Thangal (4 May 1936 – 1 August 2009), known with the honorific prefix Sayed, was an Indian community leader, Islamic scholar and politician from

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 ...

. He is sometimes regarded as "the most important Mappila leader" of modern Kerala. Born in the Yemeni-origin

sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...

(

thangal The thangals (also spelled tangals) are a social group among the Muslims of Kerala, south India.Kunhali, V. "Muslim Communities in Kerala to 1798" PhD Dissertation Aligarh Muslim University (1986/ref> The thangals are often regarded as roughly e ...

) Pukkoya family of

Panakkad Panakkad is a town in Malappuram municipality in the state of Kerala, India. It is located on the banks of Kadalundippuzha river. Panakkad Thangal family resides in this village. Panakkad serves as one of the residential area of Malappuram city ...

,Miller, Roland E., ''Mappila Muslim Culture''. New York, State University of New York Press, 2015. pp. 115, 268-69. Shihab Thangal also functioned as the president of the Kerala state committee of the

Indian Union Muslim League The Indian Union Muslim League (abbreviated as the I. U. M. L. or the League) is an Indian political party primarily based in the Indian state of Kerala. It is recognised as a State Party in Kerala by the Election Commission of India. The first ...

(1975 - 2009). According to historian Roland Miller, "'wisely and sensitively, he led Muslims through the landmines of state politics for over three decades. He also led the way into cordial relationships with members of other religious communities".

Early life and education

Shihab Thangal was born as the eldest son of P. M. S. A. Pukkoya Thangal, of the Pukkoya family of Panakkad, on 4 May 1936. His siblings were Umerali Shihab Thangal, Hyderali Shihab Thangal, Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, Abbasali Shihab Thangal. Shihab Thangal had his primary education at Panakkad and at M. M. High School,

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

(matriculation). He also had his initial Islamic education at the traditional 'dars' at Tirur and Kananchery.

Higher education in Egypt

In 1958, Shihab Thangal left for

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

for further studies and obtained his master's degree in

Arabic Literature Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...

from

Al-Azhar University , image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg , image_size = 250 , caption = Al-Azhar University portal , motto = , established = *970/972 first foundat ...

in 1961. He continued his studies in Cairo University and pursued a Doctorate in

and

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in 1966. Shihab Thangal was well versed in English and French. He was also known for his enthusiasm for Sufi-poetry. On return to Kerala, the thangal married Sharifa Fatima Beevi, daughter of Sayed Bafaqy Thangal.

Public life

Shihab Thangal became the president of the Kerala state committee of Indian Union Muslim League after his father Pukkoya Thangal's death in 1975. He remained president until his own death in 2009. Shihab Thangal is distinctly remembered for his role in preserving communal harmony in

(at the most tense times like demolition of Babur's Mosque in 1992). Shihab Thangal was also

qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

to hundreds of 'mahals' in Kerala. He was the president of numerous educational institutions such as Jamia Nooriya, which were managed by the Samastha. He was behind the proposal to start another campus of

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...

in Kerala. Panakkad Shihab Thangal 2010 stamp of India

Shihab Thangal died on 1 August 2009 following a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

References

External links

Biography - Shihab Thangal (Malayala Manorama)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shihab Thangal, Panakkad Sayed Mohammedali 1936 births 2009 deaths Malayali politicians Mappilas People from Malappuram Cairo University alumni Islam in Kerala Al-Azhar University alumni Indian Union Muslim League politicians Kerala Sunni-Shafi'i scholars Indian Sunni Muslims

Early life and education

Higher education in Egypt

Public life

See also

References

External links