Makhdum Karim was a 14th century Arab

Arabs in the Philippines

Arab settlement in the Philippines is part of the story of immigration in the Philippines. The Philippines, a country with many vast communities of immigrants and foreigners , has a notable Arab community. According to a recent survey, present day Arab migrants to the Philippines number about 22,000...

 trader who brought Islam

Islam in the Philippines

Islam is the oldest recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Islam reached the Philippines between the 12th and 14th century with the arrival of Muslim traders from Persian Gulf and the Malabar Coast in Southern India, and their followers from several sultanate governments in the Malay...

 to the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, in 1380. He established a mosque

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...

 in Sulu, known as Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque

Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque

The Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque was the first mosque established in the Philippines by the Arab trader Makhdum Karim in 1380.The original mosque is located inside the new building. The burial ground of Sheik Al Makdum is located beside the mosque....

which is the oldest mosque in the country. There are saying about Makhdum Karim, that he has the power to walk through water , fly, and save drowned people. But what he did in the Philippines is, he spread to all non-Muslims everything about Islam and showed them the beauty of the religion.