Old Mappila Songs Sung By Kannur Zeenath
Zeenath | Hits Of Kannur Seenath

Mappila Paattu or Mappila Song is a folklore Muslim song genre rendered to lyrics in colloquial Mappila dialect of Malayalam laced with Arabic by the Mappilas of Malabar. Mappila songs have a distinct cultural identity while at the same time, remain closely linked to the cultural practices of Kerala. The songs often used words from Persian Urdu Tamil Hindi apart from Arabic and Malayalam but the grammatical syntax was always based on Malayalam. They deal with themes such as religion love satire and heroism, and are often sung at occasions of birth marriage and death. Mappila Paattu form an integral part of the heritage of Malayalam literature today and is regarded by some as the most popular branch of Malayalam literature, enjoyed by all communities in Kerala

Mappila womenfolk feature prominently in the culture and literature of Mappilappattu in various ways. The presence of female poets in Mappilappattu literature long predated the first female presence in Malayalam literature. A large number of Mappila songs also had female subjects as their main theme.

Songs of the Oppana genre typically described the beauty of a bride in colourful terms. The famous Badarul Muneer Husnul Jamal by Moyinkutty Vaidyar devotes a section to describe the beauty of the heroine named Husnul Jamal.

Another popular subject of composition was the lives of the prominent women of the early years of Islam in Arabia. The popular ChandiraSundariMala by female poet PK Haleema narrated the marriage of the Aisha with Prophet Muhammed. Other songs by female poets like CH Kunhayisha V Ayishakkutti etc. depicted sorrowfully the final moments of Khadija wife of Prophet Muhammed and Fatima his daughter. The famous Nafeesath Mala by Nalakath KunhiMoideen Kutty praises a woman named Nafeesa who belonged to the lineage of the Prophet. It ends with a prayer for her well-being in the Hereafter. Other major female poets include Puthur Amina Kundil Kunhamina, B Ayishakkutty and K Aminakkutty.

Songs by male poets like the Mariyakkuttiyude Kath by Pulikkottil Hyder and the Dubai kathu pattu by S.A. Jameel also focussed on the emotional aspects of the life of the womenfolk in the Mappila community.