Cirappuranam

Cirappuranam, also known as Seerapuranam, is considered as one of the best works of the Tamil Muslim poet Umaru Pulavar and is regarded as a significant contribution to Tamil Islamic literature. Syed Khader or Citakkati, a Tamil Muslim who lived in the seventeenth century, was well known for his munificence and for providing generous help to the poor and the needy. Citakkati invited Umaru Pulavar, who was then a poet in a royal court, and requested him to compose a poetical work that would vividly narrate the tale about the life of Prophet Muhammad and his teachings. Cittakati expressed his desire in sponsoring such a work that would relate to the core of his teachings. Umaru Pulavar agreed to his request and initiated composing the epic work of Cirappuranam. But before the work could be finished, Citakkati died.

It was then supported by another noble person named Abdul Kasim Marakkayar who decided to provide necessary financial support to the poet Umaru Pulavar and helped him in completing the epic work in Tamil Islamic literature. At the end of each hundredth verse in the Cirappuranam, Umaru Pulavar paid a tribute to Citakkati.

The literary work of Cirappuranam composed by Umaru Pulavar in Tamil language comprises of five thousand and twenty seven poems and the work describes a great and vital part about the tales related to the life of Prophet Muhammad Nabi. The rest of the story was written and completed by another author named Pani Ahmad Marakkayar, who was more popular under the pseudonym Cinnaccira. The term Cira is adopted from the Arabic word Sirat which literally means a biography. The work of Cirappuranam followed the Tamil literary traditions and thus comprises of various descriptions of the country (nattuppatalam) and the city (Nakarappatalam) as well. In the description provided by the poet about the country where Prophet Muhammad was born, there is only mention of the flora, fauna and avifauna found in the Tamil country, but not Arabia. Again according to the Tamil tradition, the country is segregated into the four-fold regional landscapes which are described accordingly.

Although the land of Arabia is a desert land, but the narrations available in the Tamil epic bears strong resemblance to the landscapes found in the Tamil country, where rivers would rise and flood during monsoons. Moreover the descriptions of the land of Arabia reminds about the people who reside in the mountainous regions of the Tamil nation; the musical instruments, the fruits, the millet fields and the rumbling streams that fall from the cliffs suggest the readers of the people of Tamil origins. The narration of the city of Mecca found in nakarappatalam is very similar to the description of the great city of Madurai in the Tamil country. Further more, it is stated that ivory, sandalwood, akilwood and other valuable articles of trade are available in the shopping centres of Mecca, which are generally found in Tamil Nadu.

The epic work of Cirappuranam, thus, highlights not only the patriotism of poet Umaru Pulavar for his motherland, but also his mind soaked in the ancient Tamil literary works. Similes and assonances are refreshingly utilised in the poems. The rhythm of the verses is also smooth and fascinates the minds of readers. The moderate use of Arabic words makes the work complex and difficult to read at some places for non-Muslims. The Tamil Muslims in Ceylon consider the work of Cirappuranam by Umaru Pulavar as the fundamental text for their religious life.