Shah Khel
Encyclopedia
The Shah Khel refers to the members of the Muslim Shaikh
community that speak Pashto
and live in North-West Frontier Province
in Pakistan
.
from the Hindu Chuhra caste. The Hindu Chuhra were the scavengers and sweepers of Punjab region
. There are a number of traditions as to the origin of the Chuhra. Most of these carry its history back to Balmik, as the ancestor of the tribe.
During the 19th Century, many Chuhras converted to Islam
, especially in the western parts of Punjab
, and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Muslim Shaikh
were tanners and sweepers of the village communities, and use to live in huts at a distance from the village. Their job included collecting sewage from houses. But by the 19th Century, most of them had taken to agricultural work. They were paid in kind by the farmers, and not cash.
, and the Chach region of Punjab
, the Muslim Shaikh is known as the Shah Khel. Their traditional occupation is both grave digging and sweeping.
and North-West Frontier Province
provinces of Pakistan
.
speaking community, but are not recognized by other Pakhtun tribes as Pakhtuns. The Muslim Shaikh
speak various dialects of Punjabi
, depending where they reside.
Muslim Shaikh
The Muslim Shaikh or Mussali are a community found in the Punjab province of Pakistan The Shah Khel community of the North West Frontier Province, has similar roots.-History and origin:...
community that speak Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
and live in North-West Frontier Province
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...
in 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...
.
History and origin
The term Muslim Shaikh refers to a community that embraced IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
from the Hindu Chuhra caste. The Hindu Chuhra were the scavengers and sweepers of Punjab region
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...
. There are a number of traditions as to the origin of the Chuhra. Most of these carry its history back to Balmik, as the ancestor of the tribe.
During the 19th Century, many Chuhras converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, especially in the western parts of Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
, and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
Muslim Shaikh
Muslim Shaikh
The Muslim Shaikh or Mussali are a community found in the Punjab province of Pakistan The Shah Khel community of the North West Frontier Province, has similar roots.-History and origin:...
were tanners and sweepers of the village communities, and use to live in huts at a distance from the village. Their job included collecting sewage from houses. But by the 19th Century, most of them had taken to agricultural work. They were paid in kind by the farmers, and not cash.
Shah Khel
In the North-West Frontier ProvinceNorth-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 the Chach region of 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...
, the Muslim Shaikh is known as the Shah Khel. Their traditional occupation is both grave digging and sweeping.
Distribution
They are found throughout the PunjabPunjab (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 North-West Frontier Province
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...
provinces 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...
.
Language
The Shah Khel are a PashtoPashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
speaking community, but are not recognized by other Pakhtun tribes as Pakhtuns. The Muslim Shaikh
Muslim Shaikh
The Muslim Shaikh or Mussali are a community found in the Punjab province of Pakistan The Shah Khel community of the North West Frontier Province, has similar roots.-History and origin:...
speak various dialects of Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, depending where they reside.
See also
- Shaikh Siddiqui
- 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...
- History of Arabs in AfghanistanHistory of Arabs in AfghanistanThe history of Arabs in Afghanistan spans over one millennium, from the 7th century Islamic conquest when Arab ghazis arrived with their Islamic mission until recently when others from the Arab world arrived to defend fellow Muslims from the Soviet followed by their liberation by NATO forces...
- AbbasiAbbasiAbbasi is a prominent Islamic family name. - Origin :The Abbasid caliphate was founded by the descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's youngest uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, in Harran in 750 CE and shifted its capital in 762 to Baghdad...
- AlaviAlaviThe surname Alavi signifies ancestry from Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib , the fourth Caliph of Sunni Islam and the first Imam in Shia Islam...
- 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...
- FarooqiFarooqiFarooqui , is a distinctt name or surname or last name.- Origin :...
- GardeziGardezi- 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...
- GilaniGilaniGilani or Jilani or Kilani may refer to:* a gentilic of Gilan, Iran* MV Gilani, an Empire F type coaster which sank at Montreal on 22 April 1972.* Gillani Railway Station, a neighbourhood in Karachi, Pakistan....
- Hashemi
- OsmaniOsmaniUsmani or Osmani or Othmani or Uthmani is a large community , found mainly in South Asia. The word Usmani or Osmani is a surname adopted mainly by two castes in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.-Sheikh Usmani:The Shaikh Usmani are a Urdu speaking community, and many are found among the...
- QuraishiQuraishiQuraishi , is a family name that originates from Arabs in Saudi Arabia, particularly from the city of Mecca.- Lineage :...
- Siddiqis in the Horn of AfricaSiddiqis in the Horn of AfricaOne of the geographic areas where Siddiqis are commonly found is Horn of Africa in the Countries of Ethiopia , Somalia and Djibouti. However, In this countries they are not called Siddiqi rather they are known by other local names. Siddiqis in East Ethiopia are usually called Qallu . Some of them...