While we often discuss how architecture shapes our environment, this article explores the reciprocal relationship: how do the environment and local context shape architecture and its aesthetics? Islamic civilizations left behind art and architecture that are part of Islam’s legacy. Since the Prophet Muhammad, there has been a great deal of architecture that has remained consistent throughout the world. How does architecture transcend time and preserve its legacy? As seen in monuments in Arabia that were built during the Islamic Empire generally claim their beauty with thick geometric patterns, pointed arches, domes, and intricate calligraphy. Many other empires, especially the Mughal Empire and their monuments like the Taj Mahal and crafts in Fatehpur Sikri manifested the Islamic architecture and used the same broad design. Nevertheless, a single look into the Kuttichira Mishkal Masjid is a potential threat to the legacy of Islamic architecture. Not a single resemblance to the so-called Islamic architecture can be found here. Besides, Mishkal Masjid maintains a striking similarity to numerous Hindu temples in the Southern part of India at the same time. The Masjid does not have a single minaret, which is seen to be the core of a masjid. While the Masjid is being cultivated by Muslims, what distinguishes it from Islamic architecture?

Mishkal Masjid is located in Calicut on the Malabar Coast, in the state of Kerala, India. It was built in the 14th century by Nakhooda Mishkal, a Muslim merchant shipowner from Hadramaut (coast in Yemen). Calicut was a major place that was close to the Arabian Sea. Therefore, many of the merchants visited Calicut from Arabia and, later, from many places. Even the Portuguese conqueror Vasco da Gama landed in Calicut. However, in Islam, building a masjid is considered an easy way to get rewards from God in the afterlife. Because Prophet Muhammad said, “Whoever builds a masjid for the sake of Allah, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.” As a result, there are many masjids constructed by kings, merchants, and other elites in areas close to the Arabian Sea where Muslims predominate, such as South India, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Among them was Nakhooda Mishkal. Despite being from Hadramaut, he never constructed a masjid that was comparable to those in Haramaut, which had a long history with India. He adhered to Kerala’s typical architecture, which is climate-appropriate.

Kerala is situated geographically between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. Deep valleys, forests, and mountains abound in the eastern region known as the Western Ghats. Mountains continue to rise nearly 4920 feet above sea level. Thus, in this area, the Western Ghats are regarded as a wall. Kerala experiences heavy rainfall from June to September as a result of this wall. Kerala’s social and spatial environment was also influenced by the climate. As a result, traditional homes typically maintain a roof slope to prevent water retention, which leads to leaks. Additionally, clay roof tiles are typically used to cover the top of the houses, which helps lower the humidity in the summer. Mishkal Masjid yielded to all of these circumstances while it was constructed: clay roof tiles with a slope to prevent water retention. Otherwise, the masjid would not have survived for long. Moreover, the absence of a minaret in Mishkal Masjid marks its uniqueness.

What I am trying to say here is something about how Mishkal Masjid is challenging the ideal concept of Islamic architecture. The masjid is sharing the story of Malabar Muslims, their culture, history, politics, and legacy. In an artistic sense, Mishkal Masjid is contributing to the field of architecture. The buildings and monuments are subjected to the social, political, and geographical features of a space. Most of the civilizational monuments and the worshipping places incorporated defensive features like strong walls and fortified entrances to protect the worshippers from the attacks of enemies. Mishkal Masjid was also subjected to social, political, and geographic concerns, especially the Portuguese attack on the masjid, which caused partial destruction on the top floor. Additionally, Mishkal Masjid is a subject that passes through various socio-political and geographic interactions. Because of these influences, the masjid preserves a unique heritage that is distinct from the ideal Islamic architecture, without any geometric patterns, pointed arches, domes, or elaborate calligraphy.

The majority of the Muslim residents of Kuttichira pray together five times a day, hold spiritual meetings, and carry out all other activities in the same way as Muslims in other locations. These practices give the masjid the appearance of being authentic. For what reason does the architecture of Mishkal Masjid not fall under the “Islamic” category? The distinction between the real and the unreal is produced by the category of Islamic architecture. As a result, Mishkal Masjid does not meet the requirements to be ‘Islamic,’ which are reserved for Ottoman and Mughal architecture. It is regarded as unreal. The main old masjids in Kerala, on the other hand, are Cheraman Jumua Masjid in Kodungallur, Thazhathangadi Jumua Masjid in Kottayam, and Grand Jumua Masjid in Ponnani. These masjids are situated in Muslim lands where architecture was built using their resources, outside of the main Muslim empires. From a centralized viewpoint, pre-modern Muslim societies were indifferent to the architecture found in Muslim territories. In this case, the criteria—a contemporary notion of Islamic architecture—misrepresent the various Muslim subjectivities. A monolithic sense of aesthetics is also centralized by the criteria; whether intentionally or unintentionally. It is the knowledge that Islamic architecture has a fundamental aesthetic that represents tradition.

According to Mishakal Masjid, architecture is historical and cultural, and it represents the context rather than faith. A masjid can be constructed without a minaret and with clay roof tiles. Differently, both are authentic and point to Islam. BHoweverthere is room for tolerance in the domains of architecture and art. According to Martin Heidegger, “art embodies and reinforces the implicit sense of a historical community” and is therefore historical. Based on this point of view, buildings will be modified during the privilege of ownership, destroyed on the battlefield, and museumized while they are not able to transcend time. Sociality, not ideology, is the source of all those functions. The same idea of sociality is being followed by the current trend in Islamic architecture.

References

Adorno, Theodor W. (1970). Aesthetic Theory. University of  Minnesota Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1979). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. Harvard University Press.

Chapman, Caroline, and Moya Carey. (2012). An Illustrated History of Islamic Architecture: An Introduction to the Architectural Wonders of Islam from Mosques, Tombs and Mausolea to Gateways, Palaces and Citadels. Southwater Publishing.

Heidegger, M. (1927). Being and Time. State University of New York Press.

Heidegger, M. (1950). The Origin of the Work of Art. Frankfurt: Vittorio Klostermann.

Kant, Immanuel. (1790). Critique of Judgement. Oxford University Press.

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Muhammed Nishad is a Master’s student at Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia, specializing in Islamic Social Science in the Faculty of Islamic Studies. Originally from Kerala, India, he has a keen interest in the intricate intersections of politics, philosophy, and sociology.