Malik ibn Deenar was among the first Muslims that came to India in the seventh century. He arrived in Kerala with a group of Arab traders. It is said that he built the Juma Masjid in Kerala. This is the first mosque in India, which is also called the Cheraman Juma Mosque, in recognition of the help extended by the last Chera ruler. Even though the exact place of Malik’s death is not known, it is widely accepted that he died in Kerala and lies buried in the compound of the Juma Masjid.
Malik Deenar was the son of a Persian slave from Afghanistan. He became a disciple of the famous Sufi, Hasan of Basra. The story of how he got his name is a fascinating one. Malik Deenar once embarked on a journey by ship. Pirates hijacked the ship and demanded that the mystic give him whatever money he had. He told them he had no money. On hearing this, the pirates beat him till he almost lost consciousness.
Just as the pirates decided to throw him into the sea, all the fish in the water, threw up their heads holding two gold deenars (coins) in their mouths. Malik took two deenars from one of the fish and handed it over to the pirates. Seeing this, every person on board fell at Malik’s feet, who walked on the waters and disappeared.
There is another story of how Malik became a true Sufi. He lived in Damascus and wanted to be put in charge of looking after famous mosque in the city. For a year, he spent most of his time in prayer, hoping that people would always see him praying. He knew he was being hypocritical, since he was merely interested in people seeing him pray. Once out of the mosque, he engaged in entertaining himself. One night, when he was enjoying his music and playing the lute, he heard a voice: “ Malik, why do you not repent”. On hearing this, he ran to the mosque and decided to repent and turn to God in sincerity. That night he began to worship with sincerity.
The next day, people noticed some cracks in the mosque building. Unanimously, they wanted to put Malik in charge of the repairs an pleaded with him to accept the job. The Sufi cried: “Oh God, I have served thee hypocritically and no one look at me. Now that I have given my heart to thee, thou has sent all these men to give me the task I sought.” Malik did not take the job and devoted his life to God and made a living as a calligrapher of the Quran.
