Acoustics of the Minbar: Vernacular Translation of Khutbah and Ulama Encounter in Twentieth Century Kerala, South India

This study examines the jurisprudential debates surrounding the translation of the Friday khutbah (sermon) into Malayalam in Kerala, particularly during the twentieth century. The translation of the khutbah, traditionally recited in Arabic, emerged as a contentious issue, challenging the linguistic orthodoxy of the Shafi’i school of jurisprudence and intersecting with socio-religious reform movements. Using Arabic, Arabi-Malayalam and Malayalam texts as primary sources, I analyse the khutbah translation debate, wherein figures like Muhyudheen Moulavi advocated for translation, while fatwas issued by traditional scholars in the mid 1900s declared such translations as bid’ah munkara (discouraged innovation) and harām (forbidden). This study comprehensively analyses the khutbah translation debates by employing qualitative methods such as textual analysis and historical contextualisation. It examines secular and post-secular aspects of translation, reformative trends among Kerala Muslims and the role of the ulama as agents of both change and resistance in vernacularising the language of ritual.