Introduction / History
The term Lobana comes from the words Lavan (meaning salt) and the Bana (meaning trade). They are known as a merchant caste, moving and trading salt, silk, diamonds, and other goods in South Asia.
This community can be Hindu, Sikh or Muslim. The vast majority of Muslims among them are in Pakistan but even this is a small community. A tiny number of Labana Muslims are in India.

What are their lives like?
Though they were once merchants, the Labana people are now mainly agricultural. With their high status background, the Labana are probably landowners in most cases.

What are their beliefs?
The Labana people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.
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.
Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, common people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.
What Are Their Needs?
These people need to put their hope and identity in the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Prayer Points
Pray for workers to go to Muslim Labana people, and for their hearts to be ready to receive the only savior.
Pray for families of believers loving and serving others to grow reproducing churches.
Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that results in thousands of new believers who share their faith with others.
Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.