The term Shaikh is used here for a sociocultural group that originated with Arab settlers in South Asia which now includes many subgroups, some of which intermarry in Bangladesh with non-Shaikh Bengali Muslims and some of which don't.
Islam arrived in the area now known as Pakistan in 711 AD when a Muslim Arab army conquered the northwestern part of the Indus Valley from Jammu and Kashmir to the Arabian Sea. Technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and sufis flocked from the rest of the Arab and Muslim world to the Islamic Sultanate in South Asia and settled permanently.
The descendants of these Arabs usually go by the title of Shaikh and are also known in Pakistan as Muslim Khatri. The Shaikhs of Pakistan, however, claim pre-Islamic ancestry. They are a sub-group of the Zamindar group or qoum, traditionally associated with farming, which is one of the two groups making up the Pakistani Punjabis (the other group is the Moeens group or quom, who are traditionally artisans). Shaikh is also a term that is usually attributed to the leaders or elders of Arabian social groups. Other variants of this term are Sheik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, Šeih, Šejh, Seyh.
After the advent of Islam in South Asia, some high caste (Brahmins, Muslim Rajputs and Khatris) converted to Islam in the Punjab region and adopted this title. They are known as Punjabi Shaikh (Punjabi). The majority of the Punjabi Shaikhs are urbanized and detached from their traditional agricultural ancestry. However, a few families also cultivate their own land in the western districts of Punjab. The main professions of the urban Punjabi Shaikhs are business and public service and are stereotyped for their reputation for business acumen. The Khawaja Shaikh, with their sub-division the Chiniotis and the Qanungoh Shaikh are two such communities.
The Shaikhs profess Islam and have both Sunni and Shia traditions among them. Both groups try to obey the teachings of the Koran and the prophet Mohammad. They believe that by following the Five Pillars of Islam that they will attain heaven when they die. However, Allah, the supreme God of the universe, determines who enters paradise. Sunnis pray five times a day facing Mecca. They fast the month of Ramadan. They attend mosque services on Friday. If a Muslim has the means, he or she will make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in his or her lifetime. The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.
The Shaikhs are not bound by one profession. The Shaikh can be broadly grouped into five communities. Three of these communities are the Siddiks, Farukis and Abbasi who are often descendants of Arab immigrants. The other two are the Chistis and Kuraishis communities who tend to be mainly from converts to Islam. Consequently, the Shaikhs profess Islam and have both Sunni and Shia traditions among them. In Nepal they speak Nepali and either Urdu, Bhojpuri or Maithili in their communities. They are not vegetarian, and their common food is rice, mutton and vegetables. Common surnames are Mondal, Siddiqui, Usmani, Faroqui and Sheikh.
There has been much ministry activity among the Shaikh in India but few works in Bangladesh or Nepal. The need is for loving workers.
Pray that this largest group of Nepali Muslims will find the truth of the Prophet Isa.
Pray for the Shaikhs to seek and find the only savior to be who he claimed to be.
Pray for the Lord to thrust out loving and steadfast workers for this neglected harvest.
Pray for Shaikh disciples to make more disciples.
Scripture Prayers for the Shaikh in Nepal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjabi_Shaikh
Toni Tagimacruz
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Shaikh |
People Name in Country | Shaikh |
Pronunciation |
shayk
|
Alternate Names | Bengali Muslim (in Bangladesh); Faraji; Jhiwar; Shaik; Sheikh; Shekhzade; शैख़ |
Population this Country | 948,000 |
Population all Countries | 219,155,000 |
Total Countries | 9 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 19 |
People ID | 18084 |
ROP3 Code | 113585 |
ROP25 Code | 307422 |
ROP25 Name | Shaikh |
Country | Nepal | |||||||||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||||||||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | |||||||||||||||
Total States on file | 14 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Nepal |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Total States | 14 |
Narayani 271,000 | |
Janakpur 189,000 | |
Lumbini 159,000 | |
Kosi 112,000 | |
Sagarmatha 99,000 | |
Bheri 72,000 | |
Mechi 20,000 | |
Bagmati 14,000 | |
Gandaki 6,500 | |
Rapti 2,400 | |
Seti 2,300 | |
Dhaulagiri 400 | |
Mahakali 300 | |
Karnali 40 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
100.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest Nepal census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Urdu (507,000 speakers) | ||||||||||||
Language Code | urd Ethnologue Listing | ||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||||||||
Total Languages | 12 | ||||||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Urdu (507,000 speakers) |
Language Code | urd Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 12 |
Secondary Languages | |
Maithili 147,000 | |
Bhojpuri 142,000 | |
Nepali 10,000 | |
Bengali 2,200 | |
Awadhi 1,700 | |
Marwari 1,600 | |
Angika 300 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 200 | |
Dotyali 200 | |
Kumaoni 80 | |
Rangpuri 40 | |
People Groups | Speaking Urdu |
Primary Language: Urdu
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1747-1894) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1758-2000) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1843-2022) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Mikhail Nilov - Pexels |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |