Qanungoh Shaikh
Encyclopedia
Qanungoh Shaikhs are a clan of Muslim
Shaikhs in Punjab
and other parts of Pakistan
.
The Qanungoh(Variation of Spellings as Qanungo,Kanungoh,Kanungo,Canungo,Canungoh) have tribal and marital affinities with varied regional groups such as the Kukhran, Muslim Rajputs
, Mohyal
Brahmins, Awan
, and Khattar
as well as Rohillas, Rind
, Gardezi
and also Kakkezai in the Jullunder area. Some people known as Shiekhkhel are also said to have been the Qanungoh in North Waziristan
. A small number of Qanungoh Shaikh also live in India
and Bangladesh
.
Qanungoh Shaikhs belong to all the districts of the Punjab
as well as some districts in the Sarhad
and Balochistan
provinces, although can be found in small numbers in Seistan, Paktika and Khost
provinces in Iran
and Afghanistan
where they are sometimes referred to as Hindki
. A minority of Qanungoh Shaikhs adhere to the Shia Islam whilst others hailing from lower Punjab and Baluchistan are Sunni belonging to various Sufi orders. Some Qanungo Shaikhs have also been known to be of the Zikri
denomination.
Many well-known political figures and other great academics have arisen from the Qanungo Shaikhs in the past, contemporary examples being Manzoor Qadir
who drafted the first constitution of Pakistan, Sheikh Anwarul Haq, Wasim Sajjad
and also Shaikh Aftab Ahmed (MNA-Attock) who currently works alongside Nawaz Sharif
.
Shaikh and often retain their tribal or familial names.
The title of Qanungoh appeared in the Sub-Continent between 1270 and 1290 possibly owing to migrations of the minor Arab aristocracy prompted by Hulegu Khan's destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad
. The hereditary office of the Qanungoh was well established and instituted during the Khilji dynasty
. The loose suzerainty
of the Mamluk
Caliphs over the Khiljis served as a further conduit for the movement of literate people from Central Asia and the Middle East to the Delhi Sultanate
to serve as administration over the local populace.
Their office continued and was greatly extended under the Mughals. For the purposes of Qanungoh Shaikhs, the northern expansion of the Mughal empire particularly under Akbar resulted in people representing largely Khatri
and other Punjabi tribes as well as some Baluch and Pakhtoon tribes acquiring the title of Qanungoh. This was a golden age for the Qanungoh and these groups through marital and political affiliation collectively instituted and integrated the Qanungoh Shaikhs as a powerful and wealthy clan. From the early 15th Century onwards a small number of Sikhs also joined the Qanungoh, the descendants of whom became the Rulers of Kangra.
During the British period the Qanungoh continued in their hereditary office although their importance declined particularly following the Indian Mutiny. As their influence waned during this period they were popularly portrayed as corrupt, debauched and tyrannical.
Today certain voting areas in Pakistan retain the name of Qanungoh Halqas based on the jurisdiction of the regional Qanungoh, although the title does not officially exist. Qanungoh Shaikhs even today remain influential and amongst most literate elements of Pakistani society.
The British subsequently chronicled the Qanungoh Shaikhs as follows:
The above description of the origins of the Shaikh is only somewhat accurate owing to its recentness and also as the history of Sheikh Tayab's non-Muslim family is an issue in dispute. No historian has fully been able to trace the exact lifestyle of Shaikh Tayab's family prior to his conversion and acceptance of the title of Wazir in the Mughal court. In fact, the Shaikhs themselves are unsure concerning this area of their ancestry and only fragmentary records of this time remain, one being the Shaikh family tree currently in the possession of Shaikh Abdul Rashid. It has been suggested that the Shaikhs are originally of Royal Arabian descent, although it is likely that the alternative theory of Sheikh Tayab, the great Wazir of the Mughal Court, is the most likely ancestry of the Shaikhs and agrees with their ancestral family tree.
The Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 records that Attock District
had a significant population of Shaikhs.
After independence of Pakistan
in 1947, nearly all Qanungoh Shaikh of East Punjab
, Haryana
and other parts of northern India
escaped from pograms and genocide
in India and settled in Pakistan.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Shaikhs in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and other parts of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
The Qanungoh(Variation of Spellings as Qanungo,Kanungoh,Kanungo,Canungo,Canungoh) have tribal and marital affinities with varied regional groups such as the Kukhran, Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs or Musulman Rajputs are Muslims belonging to the Hindu Rajput Kshatriya groups of Indian subcontinent, who converted to Islam.-History:...
, Mohyal
Mohyal
Mohyal is the name of an endogamous ethnic group that originates from the Gandhara region and consists of seven Brahmin lineages of that area that left the usual priestly occupation of Brahmins long ago to serve as soldiers and in government services.The...
Brahmins, Awan
Awan (Pakistan)
Awan , is a South Asian Zamindar tribe, putatively of Arab origin, living predominantly in northern, central, and western parts of Punjab, Pakistan...
, and Khattar
Khattar
Khattar , is an upper caste Pushtun tribe in Afghanistan and Punjabi, in Punjab, it is variously classified asJatt and Khatri caste in India.-Origins:...
as well as Rohillas, Rind
Rind (tribe)
Rind are a Baloch tribe settled in the Balochistan province of Iran, and the Balochistan Province of Pakistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan....
, Gardezi
Gardezi
- Origin :The name denotes people from Gardez, the capital of the Paktia province in Afghanistan.The name denotes people from Gardez, one of the 34 provincial capitals in Afghanistan. As such, the surname is widespread among the people in Afghanistan. One of the most famous Gardezis is Abu Saʿīd...
and also Kakkezai in the Jullunder area. Some people known as Shiekhkhel are also said to have been the Qanungoh in North Waziristan
North Waziristan
North Waziristan is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of Peshawar between the Tochi river to the north and the Gomal river to the south, forming part of Pakistan's...
. A small number of Qanungoh Shaikh also live in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
.
Qanungoh Shaikhs belong to all the districts of the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
as well as some districts in the Sarhad
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
and Balochistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
provinces, although can be found in small numbers in Seistan, Paktika and Khost
Khost
Khost or Khowst is a city in eastern Afghanistan. It is the capital of Khost province, which is a mountainous region near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan...
provinces in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
where they are sometimes referred to as Hindki
Hindki
Hindki is the name given to an ethnic group who inhabit Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. They are of the Khatri, Arora, and Brahmin caste, and are found all over the country. H. W. Bellew, in his Races of Afghanistan, estimated their number at about 300,000...
. A minority of Qanungoh Shaikhs adhere to the Shia Islam whilst others hailing from lower Punjab and Baluchistan are Sunni belonging to various Sufi orders. Some Qanungo Shaikhs have also been known to be of the Zikri
Zikri
The Zikris are a branch of Islam settled in Balochistan region of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. They are followers of Imam e Akhar Zama . The name Zikri comes from the Arabic word dhikr . The Zikri sect developed within Sunni Hanafi during the 18th century Mahdi movement as a reaction to British...
denomination.
Many well-known political figures and other great academics have arisen from the Qanungo Shaikhs in the past, contemporary examples being Manzoor Qadir
Manzur Qadir
Manzur Qadir was a leading Pakistani jurist of the mid-20th century. He also served as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan in the military government of Ayub Khan from 1958 to 1962.He was the son of Sir Abdul Qadir...
who drafted the first constitution of Pakistan, Sheikh Anwarul Haq, Wasim Sajjad
Wasim Sajjad
Wasim Sajjad was interim President of Pakistan on two occasions, serving as interim President prior to elections. Currently, being a member of PML-Q, he is the Leader of the Opposition in Senate of Pakistan.- Early life :...
and also Shaikh Aftab Ahmed (MNA-Attock) who currently works alongside Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
.
Origins
Qanungoh Shaikhs represent the descendants of of the Muslim Qanungohs of what is now Pakistan who are styledStyle (manner of address)
A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title. A style, by tradition or law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal...
Shaikh and often retain their tribal or familial names.
The title of Qanungoh appeared in the Sub-Continent between 1270 and 1290 possibly owing to migrations of the minor Arab aristocracy prompted by Hulegu Khan's destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. The hereditary office of the Qanungoh was well established and instituted during the Khilji dynasty
Khilji dynasty
The Khilji Sultanate was a dynasty of Turko-Afghan Khalaj origin who ruled large parts of South Asia from 1290 - 1320. They were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate of India...
. The loose suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of the Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
Caliphs over the Khiljis served as a further conduit for the movement of literate people from Central Asia and the Middle East to the Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
to serve as administration over the local populace.
Their office continued and was greatly extended under the Mughals. For the purposes of Qanungoh Shaikhs, the northern expansion of the Mughal empire particularly under Akbar resulted in people representing largely Khatri
Khatri
Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
and other Punjabi tribes as well as some Baluch and Pakhtoon tribes acquiring the title of Qanungoh. This was a golden age for the Qanungoh and these groups through marital and political affiliation collectively instituted and integrated the Qanungoh Shaikhs as a powerful and wealthy clan. From the early 15th Century onwards a small number of Sikhs also joined the Qanungoh, the descendants of whom became the Rulers of Kangra.
During the British period the Qanungoh continued in their hereditary office although their importance declined particularly following the Indian Mutiny. As their influence waned during this period they were popularly portrayed as corrupt, debauched and tyrannical.
Today certain voting areas in Pakistan retain the name of Qanungoh Halqas based on the jurisdiction of the regional Qanungoh, although the title does not officially exist. Qanungoh Shaikhs even today remain influential and amongst most literate elements of Pakistani society.
The British subsequently chronicled the Qanungoh Shaikhs as follows:
The above description of the origins of the Shaikh is only somewhat accurate owing to its recentness and also as the history of Sheikh Tayab's non-Muslim family is an issue in dispute. No historian has fully been able to trace the exact lifestyle of Shaikh Tayab's family prior to his conversion and acceptance of the title of Wazir in the Mughal court. In fact, the Shaikhs themselves are unsure concerning this area of their ancestry and only fragmentary records of this time remain, one being the Shaikh family tree currently in the possession of Shaikh Abdul Rashid. It has been suggested that the Shaikhs are originally of Royal Arabian descent, although it is likely that the alternative theory of Sheikh Tayab, the great Wazir of the Mughal Court, is the most likely ancestry of the Shaikhs and agrees with their ancestral family tree.
The Gazetteer of the Attock District 1930 records that Attock District
Attock District
Attock District is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.Attock...
had a significant population of Shaikhs.
After independence of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1947, nearly all Qanungoh Shaikh of East Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and other parts of northern India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
escaped from pograms and genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in India and settled in Pakistan.
See also
- Muslim KayasthsMuslim KayasthsThe Kayastha Muslim are community of Muslims, descendents of members of the Kayasth caste who embraced Islam. They live in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, the provinces of Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan and many have now settled in United Kingdom, United States and Canada. The community uses...
- Shaikh
- Shaikhs in South AsiaShaikhs in South AsiaSheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, Šeih, Šejh, Şeyh and other variants , is a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that literally means "elder." It is commonly used to designate an elder of a tribe, a revered wise man, or an Islamic scholar...
- Punjabi ShaikhPunjabi ShaikhSheikh , is an Arabic word meaning elder of a tribe, lord, Honorable revered old man, or Islamic scholar. In South Asia it is used as an ethnic title generally attributed to Muslim trading families....
- Kashmiri ShaikhKashmiri ShaikhKashmiri Shaikh mainly live in Kashmir regions of Pakistan and India. The Kahmiri Shaikhs are considered to be a clan of Punjabi Muslims of Kashmiri origin found predominantly in Pakistan Punjab and also in India....
- Khawaja Shaikh
- Shaikh Siddiqui
- Sindhi ShaikhSindhi ShaikhSheikh , is an Arabic word meaning elder of a tribe, lord, revered old man, or Islamic scholar. The Shaikh of Sindh are one of the larger communities of the Sindhi Muslims ethnic group. They speak the various dialects of Sindhi, depending on their place of residence...
- SiddiquiSiddiquiSiddiqui, is a Muslim family name, found in the South Asia and the Middle East. Shaikh is an additional title used occasionally by Siddiqui/Siddique to signify their Arab heritage...
- Kakkezai
- KhatriKhatriKhatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...