Thangal


Thangal is a Malayalam honorific roughly equivalent to the more general term Sayyid/Sharif in wider Islamic culture. The term "thangal", the plural of "than", is a personal pronoun that is a high form for "you" or "thou". It is generally used for speaking to noble or exalted men.
Some scholars consider the thangals as a 'community' among the Muslims of Kerala. The thangal families are numerous in Kerala, all receive recognition, but only a few are regarded as saints. Thangal families have many gradations of status on social and economic scale. Influential of the thangals generally come from prominent business families. They usually exercise their influence through commerce and politics.
Major thangal families in north Kerala.