Arwi or ArabuTamil (Arabic: , ; ta, அரபுத்தமிழ் ) is an

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

influenced dialect of the Tamil language written with an extension of the Arabic alphabet, with extensive lexical and phonetic influences from the Arabic language. Arwi was used extensively by the Muslim minority of the

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

state of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

History

Arwi was an outcome of the cultural synthesis between seafaring Arabs and Tamil-speaking Muslims of

. This language was enriched, promoted and developed in

Kayalpattinam Kayalpattinam (also known as Kayalpatnam or Kayalpattanam) is a Municipality in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 40,588. History Also known as Kayal, it is referred to in Marco ...

. It had a rich body of work in jurisprudence,

sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

, law, medicine and

sexology Sexology is the scientific study of human sexuality, including human sexual interests, behaviors, and functions. The term ''sexology'' does not generally refer to the non-scientific study of sexuality, such as social criticism. Sexologists ap ...

, of which little has been preserved. It was used as a bridge language for Tamil Muslims to learn Arabic. ''216 th year commemoration today: Remembering His Holiness Bukhary Thangal'' Sunday Observer – January 5, 2003
Online version
accessed on 2009-08-14 The patrons of Arwi seem to have been the

Nawab of the Carnatic The Carnatic Sultanate was a kingdom in South India between about 1690 and 1855, and was under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until their demise. They initially had their capital at Arcot in the present-day Indian state of Tamil ...

, they were Islamic and were part of the Mughal Empire. Many

hadith manuscripts There are numerous hadith manuscripts from the first four century after the death of Prophet Muhammad (632-1032CE). The number increases drastically in the following two centuries (1032-1232). 632-1032CE MS. Leiden Or. 298 This is a book titled Gh ...

have been found. Most of the ''

fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...

'' books, particularly those of Imaam Shaafi and Imaam Abu Hanifa, have been found in Arwi. There was also a translation of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts o ...

into Arwi in 1926. Arwi still has a place among the more traditional Tamil muslim ( Arwi Muslim) and

Sri Lankan Moor Sri Lankan Moors ( ta, இலங்கைச் சோனகர், translit=Ilaṅkaic Cōṉakar; si, ලංකා යෝනක, translit=Lanka Yonaka; formerly Ceylon Moors; colloquially referred to as Sri Lankan Muslims) are an ethnic minorit ...

families.

Script

The Arwi alphabet is the Arabic alphabet, with thirteen additional letters used to represent the Tamil vowels ''e'' and ''o'' and several Tamil consonants that could not be mapped to Arabic sounds.

References

* Shu’ayb, Tayka. ''Arabic, Arwi and Persian in Sarandib and Tamil Nadu''. Madras: Imāmul 'Arūs Trust, 1993. * Yunush Ahamed Mohamed Sherif ''ARABUTTAMIL/ARWI: THE IDENTITY OF THE TAMIL MUSLIMS'' TJPRC Publication. * Dr. K. M. A. Ahamed Zubair. ''The Rise and Decline of Arabu–Tamil Language for Tamil Muslims'' IIUC STUDIES, 2014 * DR. S.M.M Mazahir. ''அறபுத் தமிழும் அறபுத்தமிழ் ஆக்கங்களும்'' 2018

External links

Arwi: Comments, Questions and Answers

Islamic Cultural Values of Arwi
Southeastern university of Sri Lanka. Research and publication (2014).
For a cultural synthesis
Book review in The Hindu
Arwi or Arabu-Tamil
Book on Arwi
What is Arwi (Arabic Tamil)?

* ttp://arusiqadiri.wordpress.com/ 'Arusi branch of the Qadiri path {{Arabic alphabets Tamil dialects Arabic alphabets Sri Lankan Moors Arabic alphabets for South Asian languages

History

Script

See also

References

External links