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In the days of the Abbasid Caliphs in the realm of Islam, much importance was given to the rational faculty and research. It was particularly so during the reign of Harun- ar-Rasheed. The zeal of his son Ma'mun for reason and research exceeded the limits of desirability as he took the extreme view that everything should be understood in the light of the reason and reason alone. Because of such and attitude on the part of Ma'mun, a controversy concerning the Holy Quran was let loose by him and his supporters. The Orthodox Muslims, with their admirable firmness of faith in Imaan, asserted that belief in the Word of Allah-Kalaamullaah (the Holy Quran), must rest on the Belief in Allah himself. But, Caliph Ma'mun and his coterie, groping in the bottomless pit of rationalism, held the view that reason alone should be the determining factor. With the autocratic authority of a powerful state fully behind him, Ma'mun thought that he could crush the Muslims who did not subscribe to his view'. But the staunch Muslims- the valiant heroes that they were - could not be cowed down by a fanatic like Ma'mun. They rightly refused to change their fundamental religious belief concerning the status of the Holy Quran. However, the fanaticism of Ma'mun's coterie ripened into the so-called "rationalist movement" which had more of religious impertinence and pride in it than rationalism as such. It is this movement which became notorious as the Mu'atazila movement in the annals of Islamic History. The Mu'atazila heresy reached the zenith of its ignominy during the reign of Haroon al Waathi Billah, who followed Ma'mun's successor Mu'tasim. Many Muslim savants who did not subscribe to the heretical views of the power drunk Mu'atazilities, became the special object of his relentless persecution. As a result, many Muslims started leaving the Mu'atazilite realm of the Abbasid. One such groups of Muslim migrants, under the leadership of Shaikh Muhammad Khilji (rali), a descendant of Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddeeq (rali), left the Holy city of Madina and settled down in Egypt. Later, in Hijri --- this group started from a hill side area called Muqattam, in Egypt. Khilji and his noble band of men of faith arrived by sea at a spot near the present Kayalpattinam in Tamilnad. This happened more than 1150 years ago. Another group of this clan arrived India through land route and established a ruling dynasty in Delhi. Jaya Veera Rajugaru Buwich Chakravarthi, the then Chola King who ruled over the Pandyan Kingdom with Madurai as his seat, welcomed these Muslim migrants, gave them asylum and, through the award of a document in copper-plate, conferred on them proprietory rights in respect of the areas on which they were rehabilitated. The Tamil copper plate which, among other things, enumerates the number of persons including the slaves and the names of tribes, bears the following date: Sagapatam 798, Keelaga year, month of Meenam. Sukravaram: (Friday), Uttirawaylai. This has been worked out to correspond to a Friday (in which the Nakshattira Uttira lies) before the 14th of April 875 A.D. of the Christian era. Our Shaykhuna Dr. Thaika Shuaib Alim is a descendant of this noble migrant Muhammed Khilji. When we realise that the noble ancestors of our beloved Shaikhuna took the firm stand based on deep faith that the Holy Quran can be understood only on the firm basis of true and proper belief and not on the weak basis of the shifting fancy of the vagrant reason, and that they valiantly refused to submit themselves to the intellectual tyranny of the 'Abbasid Caliphs', we come to the conclusion that it is not surprising that those who, on the basis of belief, aspire to be blessed with Allah's Mercy, flock to our Shaikhu Nayagam for his guidance. With such a glorious historical past, our Shaykhuna guides his Mureedeens unto a path which is free from aberration and which fills their heart with Imaan, and he helps them achieve salvation through the adoption of constant prayer (Ibaadat). For this great help rendered by him to his Mureedeens, I who stand under the shade of his merciful guidance, offer these webpages as a very humble token of my gratitude!
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