Shaikhzada
Encyclopedia
The Shaikhzada are a Muslim community found in the Uttar Pradesh
state of India
. Many members of the Shaikhzada community migrated to Pakistan
after independence, settling in Karachi
and Sindh
.
words shaikh meaning a chief or elder and zada meaning the son of. It is said that the name was giving to certain families of early Muslim
settlers to India
, who were historically employed by the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire
. These families were initially settled in the towns of Qazipur
, Kandhla
, Charthaval
and Thana Bhawan
all in Muzaffarnagar District
. According to their traditions, they were early settlars from Central Asia
, brought to India
sometime in the early 13th Century. These early settlements known as qasbas were fortified, and providing a Muslim
presence in what was then an entirely Hindu
countryside. Among these early qasbas were Nanauta
and Gangoh
.
word جوار for neighbourhood claim descent from the early sahiba of the Prophet Mohammed. Their main sub-divisions are the Qureshis, who claim descent from the Prophet Mohammad's tribe, the Siddiqui
, who claim descent from the first Caliph
of Islam Abu Bakar, and the Farooqi
s. The Shaikh Qazi of Thana Bhawan
are an especially prominent family, having produced the famous Thanvi clerical family, and at one time were also rulers of the Shamli
area. With the exception of the Thanvi family, who have produced a number of Islamic scholars, the Shaikhzada are a community of agriculturists and cultivators, growing wheat, maize, sugarcane and oil seeds. They are thus distinct from other Shaikh
communities, which tend to be urban. The community are endogamous, preferring marriages with in a close kinship circle.
The Shaikhzada are predominantly a Sunni Muslim community, and are fairly orthodox, similar to Muslim
neighbouring communities, such as the Garha
and Jhojha
. In terms of language, the Shaikhzada almost exclusively speak Urdu
, and never the local dialect.
and Muzaffarnagar
districts.
In Muzaffarnagar District
, they are found in the towns of Khatauli
, Charthaval
, Kandhla
, Kairana
, Purquazi
and Thana Bhawan
., while in Saharanpur District
, they are found mainly in Deoband
, Nanauta
, Rampur
, Gangoh
, Titron
and Nakur
.
A large number of Shaikhazada have also emigrated to Pakistan, especially those from Thanabhawan and Charthaval
. More than half of Hakim Sadaruddin
's faimly and other Shaikhzadas from Charthaval
and members of the Thanvi family from Thanabhawan, had migrated to Pakistan
Karachi
after independence of India. They now form part of the Muhajir ethnic group.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
state of 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...
. Many members of the Shaikhzada community migrated to 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...
after independence, settling in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
.
History and origin
The term Shaikhzada شیخزاده comes from the PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
words shaikh meaning a chief or elder and zada meaning the son of. It is said that the name was giving to certain families of early Muslim
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...
settlers to 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...
, who were historically employed by the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. These families were initially settled in the towns of Qazipur
Purquazi
Purquazi is a town and a nagar panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This town is adjacent to the Uttarakhand state, connecting border of Haridwar district & Muzaffarnagar district.This the Gujjar dominating area....
, Kandhla
Kandhla
Kandhla is a city and a municipal board in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.- Geography :Kandhla is located at . It has an average elevation of 241 metres...
, Charthaval
Charthaval
Charthaval is a town and a nagar panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Demographics: India census, Charthaval had a population of 31,493. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Charthaval has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the...
and Thana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan is a small town in Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the birthplace of the famous Islamic scholar Ashraf Ali Thanvi...
all in Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The town of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters.-Communication:...
. According to their traditions, they were early settlars from Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, brought to 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...
sometime in the early 13th Century. These early settlements known as qasbas were fortified, and providing a Muslim
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...
presence in what was then an entirely Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
countryside. Among these early qasbas were Nanauta
Nanauta
Nanauta is a town and a nagar panchayat in Saharanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Nanauta also called Futta Sahar.-Geography:Nanauta is located at . It has an average elevation of 255 metres .-Demographics:...
and Gangoh
Gangoh
Gangoh is a town and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Geography:Gangoh is located at . It has an average elevation of 292 metres .-Demographics:...
.
Present Circumstances
All the Shaikhzada lineages, known as jawar, from the ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
word جوار for neighbourhood claim descent from the early sahiba of the Prophet Mohammed. Their main sub-divisions are the Qureshis, who claim descent from the Prophet Mohammad's tribe, the Siddiqui
Siddiqui
Siddiqui, 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...
, who claim descent from the first Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of Islam Abu Bakar, and the Farooqi
Farooqi
Farooqui , is a distinctt name or surname or last name.- Origin :...
s. The Shaikh Qazi of Thana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan is a small town in Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the birthplace of the famous Islamic scholar Ashraf Ali Thanvi...
are an especially prominent family, having produced the famous Thanvi clerical family, and at one time were also rulers of the Shamli
Shamli
Shamli is a city, tehsil and now a district headquarters in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located on the Delhi - Saharanpur highway. It is around 100 km from Delhi, 38 km from Panipat and 65 km from Saharanpur...
area. With the exception of the Thanvi family, who have produced a number of Islamic scholars, the Shaikhzada are a community of agriculturists and cultivators, growing wheat, maize, sugarcane and oil seeds. They are thus distinct from other Shaikh
Shaikhs in South Asia
Sheikh, 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...
communities, which tend to be urban. The community are endogamous, preferring marriages with in a close kinship circle.
The Shaikhzada are predominantly a Sunni Muslim community, and are fairly orthodox, similar to Muslim
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...
neighbouring communities, such as the Garha
Garha
The Garha or sometimes pronounced Gara and occasionally Gada are a Muslim community or caste found in the states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, India.-History and origin:...
and Jhojha
Jhojha
The Jhojha are a Muslim community or caste found in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in India. Some members of this community migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and have settled in Karachi, Sindh.-History and origin:...
. In terms of language, the Shaikhzada almost exclusively speak Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, and never the local dialect.
Distribution
They are found almost entirely in SaharanpurSaharanpur District
Saharanpur district is the northernmost of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India. Bordering the states of Haryana and Uttarakhand, and close to the foothills of Shivalik range, it lies in the northern part of the Doab region...
and Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The town of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters.-Communication:...
districts.
In Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar District
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The town of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters.-Communication:...
, they are found in the towns of Khatauli
Khatauli
Khatauli is a town in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located on NH 58 between Muzaffarnagar and Meerut .It is a part of National Capital Region,24 km north of Meerut.-Khatauli:...
, Charthaval
Charthaval
Charthaval is a town and a nagar panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Demographics: India census, Charthaval had a population of 31,493. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Charthaval has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the...
, Kandhla
Kandhla
Kandhla is a city and a municipal board in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.- Geography :Kandhla is located at . It has an average elevation of 241 metres...
, Kairana
Kairana
Kairana is a historical city and a municipal board and tehsil in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Kairana is located at . It has an average elevation of 242 metres .It is also near of river Yamuna...
, Purquazi
Purquazi
Purquazi is a town and a nagar panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This town is adjacent to the Uttarakhand state, connecting border of Haridwar district & Muzaffarnagar district.This the Gujjar dominating area....
and Thana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan is a small town in Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the birthplace of the famous Islamic scholar Ashraf Ali Thanvi...
., while in Saharanpur District
Saharanpur District
Saharanpur district is the northernmost of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India. Bordering the states of Haryana and Uttarakhand, and close to the foothills of Shivalik range, it lies in the northern part of the Doab region...
, they are found mainly in Deoband
Deoband
Deoband is a city and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the upper Doab region of Uttar Pradesh. Deoband used to be surrounded by dense forests, and was believed to be the abode of the Goddess Durga, according to one tradition this is...
, Nanauta
Nanauta
Nanauta is a town and a nagar panchayat in Saharanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Nanauta also called Futta Sahar.-Geography:Nanauta is located at . It has an average elevation of 255 metres .-Demographics:...
, Rampur
Rampur Maniharan
Rampur Maniharan is a town and a nagar panchayat in Saharanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Rampur Maniharan is situated 22 km from Saharanpur on the Saharanpur-Delhi highway, and has bus and rail connections to Delhi. There are several colleges in Rampur Maniharan, including...
, Gangoh
Gangoh
Gangoh is a town and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Geography:Gangoh is located at . It has an average elevation of 292 metres .-Demographics:...
, Titron
Titron
Titron is a town and a nagar panchayat in Saharanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Titron is located at . It has an average elevation of 248 metres ....
and Nakur
Nakur
Nakur is a city and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Nakur is located at . It has an average elevation of 261 metres .It is located 24 km from Saharanpur....
.
A large number of Shaikhazada have also emigrated to Pakistan, especially those from Thanabhawan and Charthaval
Charthaval
Charthaval is a town and a nagar panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Demographics: India census, Charthaval had a population of 31,493. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Charthaval has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the...
. More than half of Hakim Sadaruddin
Sadaruddin
Hakim Sadaruddin was a famous raees, zamindar and Royal Hakim of the king of the State of Lakhimpur Kheri. He established a village for the Dalit, known as Hakimpura in Charthaval block. He died in 1929 due to malaria....
's faimly and other Shaikhzadas from Charthaval
Charthaval
Charthaval is a town and a nagar panchayat in Muzaffarnagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.-Demographics: India census, Charthaval had a population of 31,493. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Charthaval has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the...
and members of the Thanvi family from Thanabhawan, had migrated to 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...
Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
after independence of India. They now form part of the Muhajir ethnic group.