Muslims of Kerala

The earliest entry of Islam to India was through the historic port of Crangannore or Musiris as the Arabs called it ( Kodangallur).
A team of 12 merchants led by Malik ibn Deenar landed in Kerala whose behaviour was the antithesis of earlier Arab merchants. This prompted the King Cheraman Perumal to call them to his durbar and question them. The Arabs said they accepted Islam at the hands of a new prophet called Muhammad who taught them to respect human life and to abjure their bloodthirsty life.
The king, being  impressed by the change in the attitudes of the infamous Arab Traders questioned them about the teaching of the new religion.Their answers so impressed him that he asked for proof that the man was indeed a prophet.
Amongst the proofs attested to by the Arabs was the famous Shaqq-al-Qamar or the splitting of the moon. The king at once sent for his astronomers who vouchsafed seeing the phenomena in the skies of Kerala.