First written in Arabic in the late sixteenth century, this is a pioneering historical work dealing with the struggles of Malabar Muslims against the Portuguese colonisers' encroachment in India, and the rise of Malabar as a medieval naval force under the Zamorin of Calicut.
Based on the authors first hand information of events, it was written to motivate Muslims to resist the invading Portugese, yet also provides a unique look at the life and intrigues of those all vieing for a piece of pre-Colonial India.