As-Sulṭaan al-Ghaazee Muhammad Thakurufaanu al-A'uẓam or As-Sultan Ghazi Muhammad Bodu Thakurufaanu (; died 18 August 1585) ruled over the Maldives Islands from 1573 to 1585. He is known for fighting the Portuguese who ruled over the Maldives from 1558–1573 after killing Sultan Ali VI in

Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...

. His victory is commemorated in the Maldives as '' Qaumee Dhuvas'' or National Day. He was also the first Maldivian Sultan to form a (a unified military body). He is regarded as a national hero.

Early years

Muhammad Thakurufaanu was the son of Katheebu Hussain of

Utheemu Utheemu () is one of the inhabited islands of Haa Alif Atoll administrative division and geographically part of Thiladhummathi Atoll in the north of the Maldives. It is an island-level administrative constituency governed by the Utheemu Island ...

in Thiladhummathi Atoll and Lady Aiminaa Dhiye of Ihavandhoo. Muhammad Thakurufan learned Hevikan (Martial Arts).

Defeat of the Portuguese

After killing Sultan Ali IV, the Maldives was ruled by and the Portuguese. was a

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the (Sultan Hassan IX) who was the first Maldivian and the only member of its royalty to renounce

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and convert to Christianity, later upon his deposition he took refuge in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

, India. After the invasion, the Portuguese ruled over the Maldives for 15 years and forcefully imposed Christianity with the threat of death on the locals in a period which the ''history'' describes as

A time when intolerable enormities were committed by the invading infidels, a time when the sea grew red with Maldivian blood, a time when people were sunk in despair

Muhammad Thakurufaanu, left the Maldives with his brothers Ali and Hasan to

Minicoy Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on Maliku atoll, the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian States and territories ...

off the coast of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in the Laccadive Archipelago. They met the "Aaji" brothers. Hassan Aaji and Ali Aaji which helped the Utheemu brothers to defeat the Portuguese The three Utheemu brothers built the ship '' ''. It is said that Muhammad Thakurufaanu received a help from the Maroshi (toddy-tapper) who mended and maintained the sail of the – the ship used in the battle and supply water to the vessel every time it docked at

Maroshi Maroshi () is one of the inhabited islands of the Shaviyani Atoll administrative division and geographically part of the Miladhummadulhu Atoll in the Maldives. Geography The island is north of the country's capital, Malé. The island of Maros ...

. The island has the tree that grew from the (a raw wooden post) used to make the sail of . It is also the largest tree of its kind in the country. Kalhuoffumi shipwrecked near the south coast of Kolhufushi. Muhammad Thakurufaanu wanted to construct one of the first Mosque in the country in the island, He went to the island off the coast of Kolhufushi's current harbor; and Muhammed Thakurufaanu wasn't pleased with how the sun sets and rises in the island. So, he constructed the Mosque on the south coast of the island with the planks and slats of his and his teams vessel into a Mosque. ''History has it that In the

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+07:00, UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicenter, epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The Submarine earthquake, undersea ...

that the area where the Mosque was, The tsunami affected greatly, but; only the area around the Mosque was affected, and it was a copious amount of damage. The Mosque was left untouched by the tsunami and not a single droplet of water reached it.'' The Mosque holds great importance to the islanders and the people of The

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

. The brothers landed on a different island every night, fought the Portuguese and set sail into the ocean before daybreak. They reached the capital island

on the night before the day fixed by the Portuguese garrison of for the forcible conversion of the inhabitants to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, on the penalty of death for non-compliance. The Utheemu brothers along with other Maldivians, fought and killed the Portuguese garrison and regained independence for the country. was killed by a musket shot of Muhammad Thakurufaanu.

Aftermath

After killing , as per a treaty he got refuge from

Ali Raja The Sultan Ali Raja or Ali Raja or Adi Raja was the title of the Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the ...

Cannanore Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hub ...

. Muhammad Thakurufaanu's base of operation was

Maliku Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on Maliku atoll, the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian union territory of Laks ...

under the sovereignty of Cannanore. The

demanded dominion over the Maldives, as promised to him by the Muhammad Thakurufaanu. The nature of the relationship between Muhammad Thakurufan and Ali Raja of Cannanore was outlined in a letter sent by a later Ali Raja, Mariambe Ali-Adi Raja Bibi, to the Sultan Muhammad Mueenuddine I of the Maldives. The letter was dated Friday 17 Jumad al-Awla Anno Hegirae 1243 (7 December AD 1827). According to the letter Muhammad Thakurufan had entered into a treaty ceding sovereignty of the Maldives to the Ali Raja of Cannanore in the event Thakurufan was established in power in Male. Muhammad Thakurufaanu concluded a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

with the King Dom Manoel who lived in

, in order to ward off the Ali Raja of

. Although Muhammad Thakurufaanu was made a regent of King Dom Manoel (as per the treaty), the Maldivians assigned Muhammad Thakurufaanu as the Sultan of the Maldives, no longer recognizing the sovereignty of the self-exiled Christian kings in Goa or their regents. The chronicles report him to have ruled wisely, being just and considerate, protecting all the poor, and even solicitous for the people’s interests. Muhammed Thakurufaanu died a natural death on 16 August 1585.

Death

As-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu al-Auzam died on 1st

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

993 AH, after 11 years and 6 months in power. It was on 18 August 1585. He was buried on the

Mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

of the Muhammad Thakurufaanu al-Auzam near Bihuroazu Kamanaa Mosque in Malé.

Legacy

British author Royston Ellis's novel ''A Hero in Time'' is about the life and adventures of Muhammad Thakurufaanu. The army (lashkaru) organised by him has evolved into the

Maldives National Defence Force Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF; ) is the military, national military responsible for defending the national security, security and sovereignty of the Maldives. It is primarily responsible per the Constitution of the Maldives, constitut ...

. The Islamic Centre, the largest mosque in Maldives, ''Masjid as-Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu al-Auzam'' is named after him. Qaumee Dhuvas (Maldives National Day), is a day to celebrate Thakurufaanu's win over the Portuguese occupation. Culturally he has become is regarded as a national hero.

References