Maldives and Islam - 1

Assalam 'Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Due to a dozens of changes in life, it has been few months that I had been unable to make an update in the blog. However, InshaAllah this is going to be a start back. Please keep me in you sincere Du'as dear brothers and sisters.

This time, I am starting a series called "Maldives and Islam". It will go on untill we come to the present situation of the nation inshaAllah. Wa Billahit-Tawfeeq!



Maldives and Islam - 1

The Maldives is a nation consisting of 26 natural atolls, comprising 1192 islands. Consisting of around 350,000 citizens in the total population, Maldives is the only country which can be called a 100% Muslim Nation in the world. This is the only nation in its constitution very clearly says that each Maldivian should be a Muslim, and no non-Muslim can be a Maldivian even if they are born here. Alhamdhulillah! This has been added to the new constitution which has started its journey in 2008, with the vote of ALL the Parliamentarians presented in the vote, including those who debated that this statement should have been removed or changed.

Moreover, Maldives is one of the nations which has its own Languange (called Dhivehi) and Alphabet (called Thaana). Yes that is correct!

 Just 350,000 people having their own Exclusive Language and Alphabet. The only people who use it except the Maldivians are the people of Loccadives (an Indian Territory in the nothern-most area of the Maldives) who were in the Maldivian Territory before they decided to go to under the rule of India, after a vote. However, they are our brothers and sisters in Religion, Language and Blood. I met one of them personally and mashaAllah they are just so kind like the ordinary most Maldivians.

Since very ancient times, the Maldives were ruled by kings (Radun) and occasionally queens (Ranin). Historically Maldives has had a strategic importance because of its location on the major marine routes of the Indian Ocean. Maldives' nearest neighbors are Sri Lanka and India, both of which have had cultural and economic ties with Maldives for centuries. The Maldives provided the main source of cowrie shells, then used as a currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast.

Maldives has embraced to Islam in the year 1153 (or 1193, for certain copper plate grants give a later date). This is a living proof to those who say that Islam is spread by sword. Not a single army troop came to Maldives to convert us. However, from the History, we know that several times armed troops from different powers then came to convert us into Christianity. It is nothing but the great mercy of Allah that we are still the same Maldives, the same 100% Muslim Nation.

When Allah decided the Maldives to be a Muslim Nation, there came an ordinary Arab trader named as al-Hafiz Abul Barakat Yousuf al-Barbari from Morocco. He came and introduced this religion to the Buddhist Kingdom of Maldives which the King, who is later named as Sultan Muhammad Ibn 'Abdullah, accepted and announced the news to the nation and called the people to Islam. The people reverted into Islam as they heard the news, and demolished their Buddhist Temples (none of them are kept even to see today, except the signs of them being in certain places), except the island called Nilandhoo in Faafu atoll. They refused to demolish the tample, however when the King decided to go there (or to send his deligation with troops) to see the matter as back then, we did not have much forms of communication. hearing the news, they all embraced Islam and demolished the tample too. To the surprise of the people, today Faafu Nilandhoo is the island which has the most number of people who have memorised the Quran in the country. Allahu Akbar!

To be continued inshaAllah!...