The Sheikhum Arabic

Arabic 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...

: (also spelt as Shekhum) is a Punjabi Jatt tribe that inhabit parts of Punjab in India and Pakistan Sheikhum are believed to be descendants of Indo-Scythian tribes.

Historically the Sheikhum were big landlords and considered to be influential persons in society. There are numerous villages in Punjab bearing the Sheikhum name: In Punjab, there are several prominent Sheikhum villages in Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Lahore, Jhang, among them “Parrath” of the most prominent village of Sheikhum Clan.

The word Sheikhum is derived from Sheikh

Sheikh

Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...

 and loosely translates to "The Ruler." The Term used in this context as "Rulers of Punjab." The Sheikhum claim to be the sub descendants of the Mughal

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...

 rulers of South Asia. Mughals married among the Jat tribes of 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...

. The Majority of the Sheikhum clan is 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...

.

Overview

The Sheikhum tribe was designated by the British as a Martial Race. Martial Race is a designation created by officials of British India to describe "races" (peoples) that were thought to be brave, and to possess qualities like courage, loyalty, self sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness, hard working, fighting tenacity and military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these Martial Races for service in the Sepoy army.

Martial Race was a designation created by Army officials of British India, where they classified each ethnic group into one of two categories: 'Martial' and 'Non-Martial'. A 'martial race' was typically considered brave and well built for fighting. The 'non-martial races' were those whom the British believed to be unfit for battle because of their sedentary lifestyles. "Race" in 19th-century terminology corresponds to the contemporary term "ethnic group

Ethnic group

An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

", and is here not used in the modern sense of race. The genesis of this idea has been attributed to the observation that the Scottish Highlanders were more fierce in battle than others in Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

, and this concept was later extended to India.

Geography

There are numerous districts and villages in Punjab bear the Sheikhum name Sheikhupura District

Sheikhupura District

Sheikhupura District is a district of Punjab province, Pakistan. Sheikhupura is the headquarters of Sheikhupura District. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a population of 3,321,029 of which 25.45% were urban....

 bordering the districts of Lahore

Lahore District

Lahore District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan that contains the city of Lahore, the district and provincial capital. The total area is...

, Gujranwala

Gujranwala District

Gujranwala District is a district in Punjab, Pakistan.- History :The village of Asarur which has been identified as the location of Taki, an ancient town, visited by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang contains immense ruins of Buddhist origin...

, Nankana Sahib

Nankana Sahib District

Nankana Sahib is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Nankana Sahib is the principal town of the district. The district of Nankana Sahib is located about 75 kilometres west of Lahore and about 55 kilometres east of Faisalabad.-Administration:The area around Nankana Sahib was formerly a...

, Narowal

Narowal District

Narowal District is a district in the province of Punjab of Pakistan. Narowal city is the capital of the district. Narowal District is divided into three tehsils: Narowal, Shakargarh and Zafarwal. Before the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Shakargarh town was the headquarters of Shakargarh...

, Hafizabad

Hafizabad District

Hafizabad District is located in Punjab, Pakistan. Hafizabad was made a district in 1991; formerly, it was a tehsil of Gujranwala District. It is situated in the central Punjab and is known for its rice industry on the agricultural side and cotton textile industry on the industrial side...

 and Amritsar

Amritsar District

Amritsar district is one of 22 districts in the state of Punjab in West India. It has a population of 3,074,207 and covers an area of 5075 km²...

. Many of the villages in the above District belonging to the Sheikhum clan.

History

The Sheikhum tribe was created by the Mughal

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...

 Dynasty. Mughals empowered certain clans to hold key places in the court of the Shahs. This caused a split within the people of region. The empowered new were now Sheikhums. Sheikhums evolved from the Jatt Tribes of Central Punjab, Namely: The Virk

Virk

Virk Wirk Birk Vrik Varika is a gotra of the Jat clan found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Typically, Virks are tall, thin and fair-skinned. In western Punjab, Virks are supposed to belong to the Mahe dynasty and Manhas or Minhas are considered to be brethren of the Virks. Birk...

, The Sekhon

Sekhon

The Sekhon is a Punjabi Jatt tribe that inhabit parts of Punjab in India and Pakistan. Sekhon are believed to be descendants of Indo-Scythian tribes.- References :...

, The Bajwa

Bajwa

Bajwa is a Jat gotra or clan. They originally belonged to the region known as 'Bajwath' situated on the border of Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab. They are now spread across the Punjab region divided between Northern India and Pakistan.- Etymology :...

, The Cheema

Cheema

Cheema is a Jatt of Jat ethnicity found inPunjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and also in Pakistan.Cheemas are one of the two major sub clans of Jats along with other Jat clans like Sandhu, Grewal, Pannu, Uppal etc.. .Historically, this tribe has held considerable tracts in the upper Rechna Doab since...

 & The Chatha

Chatha

Chatha ) is a Punjabi Jatt tribe that inhabits parts of the Punjab in India and Pakistan. - History :The Chatha tribe were originally settled Gujranwala District, in which district they hold 184 villages...

 Tribes. Mughals were an Islamic imperial power that ruled a large portion of Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, invaded and ruled most of Hindustan

Hindustan

Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...

 (South Asia) by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and ended in the mid-19th century. Sheikhum Jatts were the empowerd lords of a large portion of 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...

under the Mughal Empire.