Munajattu Thirattu

Munajathu Thirattu is Singapore’s oldest Tamil publication to have been discovered so far. The book's author is N M Mohamad Abdulkadir Pulawar, a native of Nagore in India. Printed by J. Paton for the Singapore Government Press in 1872, the book is considered a significant anthology that conveys Islamic spiritualism within a Tamil literary structure.

'Munajathu' in Arabic means conversing with God. The Munajathu Thirattu features 55 poems across 105 pages. All the poems are composed in praise of the Prophet Muhammad, other significant spiritual leaders, and the Awliya. The book also reveals the religious beliefs, literary endeavours, and ancestral heritage of the Tamil community. It holds a significant place not just in Singapore's Islamic literary tradition but also in Tamil literary history.

An original copy of Munajathu Thirattu is preserved in the National Library Board. In addition to a microfilm version, a digital format is also available for easy public access.

It is noteworthy that Abdulkadir Pulawar, together with S K Magadum Sahib, the editor of Singai Nesan weekly, ran Singai Varthamani, considered the first Tamil newspaper in Singapore.



For more information
“Indian Muslim Devotional Poems.” BiblioAsia 11, no. 4 (Jan–Mar 2016), 31 January 2016. https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-11/issue-4/jan-mar-2016/indian-muslim-devotional-poems-munajathu-thirattu/.

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.