Makhdum Karim or Karim ul-Makhdum was an Arab Sufi Muslim missionary from Arabia who came from Malacca. Makhdum Karim was born in Makdonia, him and the Wali sanga were affiliated with the ''Kubrawi Hamadani'' missionaries in the late 14th century. He was a Sufi who brought Islam to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in 1380, 141 years before Portuguese explorer

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the Eas ...

arrived in the country. He established a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

in Simunul Island, Tawi Tawi, Philippines, known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque which is the oldest mosque in the country.

Commemoration

On arrival to the Philippines, he built a mosque in Simunul island, Tawi-Tawi. The construction is celebrated annually in the southern Philippines as anniversary of the coming of Makhdum Karim. The celebration offers prayers that commemorate the propagation of

Islam in the Philippines Islam was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Islam reached the Philippines in the 14th century with the arrival of Muslim traders from the Persian Gulf, southern India, and their followers from several sultanates in t ...

. In 2005, Governor of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Zaldy Ampatuan Zaldy Uy Ampatuan (born August 22, 1967) is a Filipino convicted mass murderer and former politician. He is one of the main perpetrators of the Maguindanao massacre along with his father, brothers, and nephews. He served as governor of the Auto ...

has appealed to the Philippine government, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries to rehabilitate the mosque and develop it as a religious tourist spot in southern Philippines.

References

Malaysian expatriates in the Philippines Islam in the Philippines Muslim missionaries Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown {{Philippines-reli-bio-stub