Surti Muslims
Encyclopedia
Surti Muslims, who are commonly referred to as "Surtis", are Gujarati Muslims. Most of them adhere to Hanafi
Sunni Islam
. They are at least in part descended from Arabs from Southern Arabia who migrated and settled in the districts of Surat
in the state of Gujarat, India
, partial lineages to Muslim Central Asian/Afghan(Turko-Persian, Mongol, Pashtun) Invaders, theologians and merchant settlers. Many Surti Muslims are therefore of Arab
/Turkic
origin, while others are of Hindu
origin who later converted to Islam
but are not called Surtis. Within Hindu
origin, it is noteworthy features influences and customs of ancient Greek invaders at Barygaza remain and manifest in phenotypes and traditions. Many members of Surti Muslims community have migrated to Pakistan
after independence have settled in Karachi
, Sindh
.
(located just across the narrow Gulf of Khambhat
from Surat) around the early seventh century and built a masjid there facing Jeruselum. Thus Gujarat has the oldest mosque in India built between 624-626AD by the Arabs who settled there. These Arabs and others who settled in Bharuch and Surat were Sailors and traders who belonged to various South Arabian Coastal tribes and large numbers married local women and settled in Surat
, over time adopting the Gujarati language and local customs.
It was in Surat
that Britain
established its first foothold in India
in 1612, when the East India Company
received permission from the Mughal
emperor, Jahangir
, to establish a trading “factory”. Surat was then, as it is now, a prosperous city and centre of trade between India
, Arabia and Iran
. It remained Britain
’s chief settlement on the western coast of India
until 1687, when Bombay succeeded it. Prior to British settlement in Surat
, the Dutch
and the Portuguese
were already there and fought wars with the British
over this lucrative piece of land. The French
also arrived later to settle and started to trade with this prosperous city.
The city of Surat
was also called "Bab Makkah” (Gateway to Makkah) because it was a famous port and during Mughal times pilgrims arrived and left for Mecca
from there. Sir Monier Williams suggests that the old name of the city was “Surya”, which is Sanskrit
for sun. However, a Muslim ruler wished to change the name and converted it to “Surat”, which is a term that refers to a chapter in the Qur'an
. Another story about the name of the town reveals that 'Surat' was derived from the Persian
word "khubsurat", which means beautiful. Under Mughal
rule, Surat
enjoyed peace and rose to be one of the most prosperous cities in India. During the first half of the seventeenth century, the principal cargo of export from Surat
was silk
and cotton
and diamonds.
from the city of Taif and Madina, Hadramaut and from Iraq
from the city of Basra
, Najaf
or Kufa
and migrated as traders and sailors to the districts of Surat
and Bharuch
in the state of Gujarat, India
. Some of these Muslims, especially those who arrived from Iran
adhered to Shi'a Islam
, but later converted to Hanafi
Sunni Islam
in the 15th century.
A large number of Surti Muslims have immigrated throughout the world, especially to the United Kingdom
, South Africa
, the United States of America, and Canada
. The majority of them follow the Deobandi
school for religious guidance. They have established a number of mosques and madrassahs throughout the world and have produced a large number of respected 'Ulama and Huffaz. They mostly own medium-sized businesses, though many young people are opting for professional white collar jobs. Due to their higher education levels, Surti Muslims have succeeded in the professional sphere in both India and Pakistan.
(Vohra) is a tribe came from Hijaz . Which makes them Arabs. The Bohra family tree of Narmawala, Kakiwala, Kamkoriwala and Waliullah family of Ahmadabad and some documents in their possession show that they come from Taif and Madina. This is borne out the fact that 'Mas'udi, a well known Arab topographer visited Baruch and Kambhayath in 303/915, and when he reached Chaimur, a port close to Baruch, he witnessed that a colony of about 10,000 Arabs Muslims who just arrived from Baghdad, Kufa (Najaf) and Basra, both cities in Iraq. They were known as Baysarah had settled down in this strategic point. Baysarah or Baysirah are known in India for the people who are the descendants of the Arab traders that came from Arabia.
Sulaiman Basri and Abu Zaid Sirani who visited India in the middle of the third century have recorded in their Safar (travel logs and ledgers) that a large number of Arabs traders were present in India in Kambhayath (Cambay, present day Kambath), Baruch (Broach), Chaimur, Ghander, Thana, Sopara and other areas. When Al-Mas'udi came to India in the beginning of the fourth century, he spoke presence of what he estimated to be 10,000 Arab Muslims
in one area of Gujarat alone.
Following the Arab conquests, the Arab traders poured into Gujarat through the sea route as well as by land. It is Possible that well known Sheikh Nur Al-Din came to Gujarat via Multan and Sindh, alongside with influx of the other Arab traders and soldiers.
For a number of internal evidences, we can infer that the (Arab) Muslim Bohra (Vohra) traders came to Gujarat in the first century of Islam. According to Nadawi, this is an absolute certainty and historically, there is no doubt in its veracity. Many of these historical facts, and other supporting evidences are available and recorded in Tuhfa Al-Mujahidin (Nadawi 1936,77).
Following Conquest of Gujrat in 1024 Mahmud of Ghazni, troops reaching conquering and settling as far south as Surat District, it is commonly claimed by many Surti Muslims they are descended from Muslim Turkomen (Turk-Iman) invaders.
The People of the Bohras (Vohra) or (Surti Muslim)
Nadawi and many other scholars including the families itself, the Surti Muslims (Bohra or Vohra) are descendants of the Arabs and have the features resembling to or exactly the same as those of the Arabs.
It may be appropriate to identify the prominent Bohra (Surti Muslims) families living in India and trace their roots. For the purpose of this, the following distinguished families whose names often in the research will be taken:
•The Shakir Family
•The Kankoriwala Family;
•The Narmawala Family;
•The Waliullah Family
•Randeri Surtis (Families from rander)
What follows their brief examination of their origin of these three prominent families.
Kanoriwala Family
There was a great scholar called Muhammed Saddiq Wa'iz (d. 1041/1641) who’s is the author of a tafsir (commentary) of the Qur'an and another book called Tanbih Al-Juhhal (Warning to Ignorants). Both works are well known. His Brother Muhammed Salih was also a great scholar wrote the well known work of Sadqullah (The Truth of Allah), the hand written copy which is deposited in the Pir Muhammed Shah Library in Ahmadabad. Shaikh Muhammed Salif wrote in the introduction his book that one Shaikh Ahmad Quraishi came from Madina, Arabia to Kambhayath (Cambay) and settled down there.
History recorded that he had a son called Yaqub, who was still residing there in 1041/1631 when the book was written. In margin of this book, the entire family genealogy is reproduced which goes back to Abu Bakr Siddiq who was descendant from Adnan from the Adnani Arabs who was descendants from Prophet Ismael the son of Prophet Ibrahim from Babylon southern Iraq.
The Narmawala Family
The Narmawala Family living in Ahmadabad and Surat and they are originally from Taif in Arabia and their complete genealogy is available detailing their origin from Shaikh Muhammed Salih. This family came initially for business purpose only, and later settled down in Surat, a district of the province of Gujarat in India. Haji Abdul Rahim Narmawala, one of the leading scions of the Narmawala family living India and interviewed by Nadawi, said that up to thirty years ago, members of his family still resides in Taif, Arabia (Nadawi 1936, 65).
The Waliullah Family
Well known Arab origin family of Ahmadabad and Surat originally from Jeddah and Madinah. Their forefathers were great Ulama of their time. Mawlana Nur Al-Din, Mawlana Imad Al-Din and Mawlana Waliullah were well known both in Hijaz and India for their knowledge, scholarship and piety. Along with their trade, they continued teaching and imparting religious knowledge and their schools and madaris (religious schools) which they had established there.
Randerian Surtis
Another group of Arab Muslim traders came from Kufa near Najaf in Iraq to Rander in Surat. This is during the Caliphate of Saffah Abbasi the Caliph of the Abbasid Empire in Iraq, Baghdad (d. 132/749) and they have settled to Rander. The residents of Rander claim that during the reign of Saffah Abbasi around (132/749), The Mumin tribe of Kufa came to the port of Rander on business. They eventually settled down in Rander. This is the reason that people of Rander consider themselves as "descendants of Arabs" (Kafletwi n.d., 54).
The ancient Arab historians, Abu Raihan Al-Biruni writes "The historians used to refer to Rander as the 'bride' of all the cities in India.
These Surti Muslims (Surti Vohra/ Bohra Muslims) are descendants of Arab clans whose presence in Gujarat dates back to the first century of Islam and onwards. Currently many families can trace their Arabian roots.
There are people who are the descendants of the Prophet Muhammed through his cousin and brother-in-law Imam Ali and the Prophet's daughter Fatima Az zahra through their sons Hassan and Hussain. They call them Sayyids, and all of them are from the lineage of Hussain. These Sayyids are Shia's in Surat. They mostly live North of Surat.
Many Hindus in Surat, Gujarat consider themselves as "The Original People of Gujarat". They consider many Muslims in Surat as "outsiders", due to Arab settlers who settled in Gujarat hundreds of years ago. Many Hindus when the Arabs and Turkmen conquered Gujarat, converted to Islam by Arab and Afghan Muslim scholars who later settled in Surat with their families.
They are subdivided into clans or Ataks, (originating from Turkic root word Ata- literally translates to fatherhood or patri-lineage.
Muslim rulers of Gujrat: Ghazanvi, Lodhi or Mughal all have been known to elicit the Surti Muslim warrior-folk in their campaigns.
Historical evidence exists most obviously in feudal titles, names of settlements, mosques and monuments to victory.
One Such monument are the Turk-Sur (Turkishwar/Tadkeshwar) stones, which clearly carve Muslim Turkmen victory over King Bhim
, especially in the northern and western suburbs such as Andheri, Jogeshwari, Goregaon
, Malad, Kandivali
, and Nala Sopara
, where the Muslim
population is high. They share their space in Mumbai
with Hindus and Jains
, especially along SV Road. Most of them are Gujarati
-speaking and are characterized by writing in Gujarati script
rather than Arabic script. They are mainly engaged in medium-sized businesses, but some are prominent industrialists. A number of Surti Muslims live in the middle-class residential areas of Mumbai
, such as Sunder Nagar
, Madina Manzil, and Rani Sati Nagar on SV Road. Surti Muslims have excelled academically and have a tendency to choose professional careers over business. Their individualistic nature has prevented them from running strong family businesses, as seen among their Memon counterparts, and commonly end in family feuds. In Gujarat, Surti Muslims reside in the Valsad
, Navsari
, Surat
, Navapur
, Ankleshwar, and Bharuch
districts and also in the major cities of Vadodara
, Ahmedabad
, Rajkot, and Surat
. A number of Surti Muslims have immigrated to South Africa
, Zimbabwe
, Kenya
, Myanmar
, Canada
, Mauritius
, the United Kingdom
, and the United States of America.
form the majority of professional Muslims in South Africa and have excelled in arts
, humanities
, science
, and medicine
. Surti Muslims have also been involved successfully in business in South Africa
. Surti Muslims have also contributed to the struggle against apartheid, a number of whom were imprisoned or martyred by the Apartheid Security Police. Also, the majority of Muslim
politicians in South Africa
are from the Surti community. Surti Muslims have also been involved in sport, especially cricket.
Surti Muslims have partial lineages to Arab, Afghan, Pathan, Greek, Khazar, Turkmen and Central Asian ancestors.
Having assimilated over the millennia, partial Lineages to indigenous Gujrati Jain and Rajput are also present.
Medina, Taif and Hadhramaut, and the Hedjaz in general was once home to thriving large populations of Arabized Jewish tribes, distinguished and well known for their mercantile skills and seafaring. In the Muhammadan (s.a.w) and Post-Muhammad (s.a.w) period, tribe members may have come to accept Islam, and subsequently identified themselves as Muslims, gradually identifying with a larger concept of brotherhood (ummah- although according to the constitution of Medina, Jews and Muslims were considered one body- ummah), and gradually losing conscious identity of their Jewish heritage, as they emigrated as seafaring traders and settled. This in part explains the strong feeling of monotheistic belief in the Surti Muslim ethnic group, this in part explains their close knit communities, and success in trade and academics and theology.
The Pre-Islamic beliefs of their ancestors therefore likely to have been Buddhists, Shaman and Jewish descendants of the Koranic Malik Talut,(Biblical King Saul), before accepting the guidance of Islam. Surat has also been home to Arab/Afghan Jews of the Baghdadi community, some of whom fled persecution in their native lands, others enticed by the lucrative mercantile opportunities Surat provided as an important and prosperous major world port for centuries gone by.
It is documented they when they first arrived they practiced Judaism in Secret, as was their practice in their previous countries. However, impressed by the justice, tolerance and endless freedom of expression allowed under Muslim rule, they began accepting Islam and integrating into the diverse Surti Muslim population.
Thus it is a clear and valid assertion Surti Muslims as a semitic subgroup, would be protected under Anti-Semitism laws, and eligible for aliyah to Israel, and emigration to the Emirate of Hedjaz, Saudi Arabia. However, they have at present as a group not yet opted to apply this to their benefit, fearing it would make them easier to identify and subject to further persecution, as was seen in the Gujrat Pro-Aryan/BJP Govt led Holocaust against minorities in 2002.
• His Excellency Dr. Ismail Ahmed Kharodia, ~ Malawi Ambassador to France, UNDWP, Consul General to Portugal, Former High Commissioner to UK.
• Ismail Mulla ~ Finance Minister to King Mindon of Burma, C.19th Century.
•Gulam Hussain Bodi, ~.South African Professional cricketer.
Surti Muslim Men and Womenfolk have a very strong sense of discipline and responsibility, powered by faith, courage and unity drives the community.
Academic high flyers, Surti Muslims are in comparison to most Gujaratis,are physically very bold, brave and courageous. They are noted for their chutzpah. Surti Muslim individuals have a high self esteem and are known for their proud, tough, but loving demeanour.
Having a reputation as a melting pot community of invaders pre & post Islamic era assimilated with local indigenous folk. The communities philanthropic, academic and business success is equally matched if not surpassed by their Militaristic skill as fearless and astute warriors.
Very much like their Pathan Brethren, the Surti Muslims share an equally high reputation for Hospitality, Chivalry, and Justice code. Punishments for breaking the code promises and guarantees the most ruthless forms of revenge are dispensed in the face of injustice and wanton deceit.
2. Kosamba General Hospital, Kosamba
3. Kathor Medical Trust, Kathor
4. Haji M. Lockhat Hospital, Surat
5. Bana Charitable Dispensary, Turkishwar
6. Haji Azam Pipadrawala Hospital, Rander
7. The Muslim Welfare Society Dispensary, Bardoli
8. Sarvajanic Dispensary, Variav
9. Alipore Social Welfare Trust Dispensary, Alipore
10. Muslim Charitable Trust, Etarwa
11. Gardi Charitable Trust, Dabhel
12. Haji Ahmed Suleman Dinath Maternity Home & Dispensary Trust, Surat
Hazrat Shaikh Moosaji Mehtar, Turkishwar
Grave sites, are considered sacred and to be respected, and are very well maintained.
Additionally, there are in existence plentiful of Mausoleums to Sufi Saints whose invaluable spiritual guidance has been significant and important in the proud achievements of the Surti Muslim people and their progress into the future.
An extensive and exhaustive list has been procured and is under review before final publication.
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
. They are at least in part descended from Arabs from Southern Arabia who migrated and settled in the districts of Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
in the state of Gujarat, 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...
, partial lineages to Muslim Central Asian/Afghan(Turko-Persian, Mongol, Pashtun) Invaders, theologians and merchant settlers. Many Surti Muslims are therefore of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
/Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
origin, while others are of 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...
origin who later converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
but are not called Surtis. Within 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...
origin, it is noteworthy features influences and customs of ancient Greek invaders at Barygaza remain and manifest in phenotypes and traditions. Many members of Surti Muslims community have 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 have settled 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...
, 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...
.
Surat
There is evidence of Arabs settling along the coast of Gujarat. Arab traders landed at GhoghaGhogha
Ghogha is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India.informational about ghoghaGhogha is located at . It has an average elevation of around sea level....
(located just across the narrow Gulf of Khambhat
Gulf of Khambhat
The Gulf of Khambhat is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat. It is about 80 miles in length, and divides the Kathiawar peninsula to the west from the eastern part of Gujarat state on the east. The Narmada and Tapti rivers empty into the Gulf...
from Surat) around the early seventh century and built a masjid there facing Jeruselum. Thus Gujarat has the oldest mosque in India built between 624-626AD by the Arabs who settled there. These Arabs and others who settled in Bharuch and Surat were Sailors and traders who belonged to various South Arabian Coastal tribes and large numbers married local women and settled in Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, over time adopting the Gujarati language and local customs.
It was in Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
that 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...
established its first foothold 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...
in 1612, when the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
received permission from 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...
emperor, Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
, to establish a trading “factory”. Surat was then, as it is now, a prosperous city and centre of trade between 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...
, Arabia and 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...
. It remained 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...
’s chief settlement on the western coast 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...
until 1687, when Bombay succeeded it. Prior to British settlement in Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
were already there and fought wars with the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
over this lucrative piece of land. The French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
also arrived later to settle and started to trade with this prosperous city.
The city of Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
was also called "Bab Makkah” (Gateway to Makkah) because it was a famous port and during Mughal times pilgrims arrived and left for Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
from there. Sir Monier Williams suggests that the old name of the city was “Surya”, which is Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
for sun. However, a Muslim ruler wished to change the name and converted it to “Surat”, which is a term that refers to a chapter in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. Another story about the name of the town reveals that 'Surat' was derived from the Persian
Persian 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...
word "khubsurat", which means beautiful. Under 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...
rule, Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
enjoyed peace and rose to be one of the most prosperous cities in India. During the first half of the seventeenth century, the principal cargo of export from Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
was silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and diamonds.
The People
Many Surti Muslims, who are commonly referred to as "Surtis" have some origins in Southern Arabia, specially from Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
from the city of Taif and Madina, Hadramaut and from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
from the city of Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
, Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
or Kufa
Kufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
and migrated as traders and sailors to the districts of Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
and Bharuch
Bharuch
Bharuch , also known as Broach, is the oldest city in Gujarat, situated at the mouth of the holy river Narmada. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District and a municipality of more than 1,50,000 inhabitants. As Bharuch is a major seaport city, a number of trade activities have...
in the state of Gujarat, 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...
. Some of these Muslims, especially those who arrived from 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...
adhered to Shi'a Islam
Shi'a Islam
Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...
, but later converted to Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
in the 15th century.
A large number of Surti Muslims have immigrated throughout the world, especially to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the United States of America, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The majority of them follow the Deobandi
Deobandi
Deobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
school for religious guidance. They have established a number of mosques and madrassahs throughout the world and have produced a large number of respected 'Ulama and Huffaz. They mostly own medium-sized businesses, though many young people are opting for professional white collar jobs. Due to their higher education levels, Surti Muslims have succeeded in the professional sphere in both India and Pakistan.
Origin
A tribal affiliation to certain clans of the Arabian Peninsula. History bears testimony to the fact that there is every possibility that BohraMustaali
The Musta‘lī Ismā'īlī Muslims are so named because they accept Al-Musta'li as the nineteenth Fatimid caliph and legitimate successor to his father, al-Mustansir...
(Vohra) is a tribe came from Hijaz . Which makes them Arabs. The Bohra family tree of Narmawala, Kakiwala, Kamkoriwala and Waliullah family of Ahmadabad and some documents in their possession show that they come from Taif and Madina. This is borne out the fact that 'Mas'udi, a well known Arab topographer visited Baruch and Kambhayath in 303/915, and when he reached Chaimur, a port close to Baruch, he witnessed that a colony of about 10,000 Arabs Muslims who just arrived from Baghdad, Kufa (Najaf) and Basra, both cities in Iraq. They were known as Baysarah had settled down in this strategic point. Baysarah or Baysirah are known in India for the people who are the descendants of the Arab traders that came from Arabia.
Sulaiman Basri and Abu Zaid Sirani who visited India in the middle of the third century have recorded in their Safar (travel logs and ledgers) that a large number of Arabs traders were present in India in Kambhayath (Cambay, present day Kambath), Baruch (Broach), Chaimur, Ghander, Thana, Sopara and other areas. When Al-Mas'udi came to India in the beginning of the fourth century, he spoke presence of what he estimated to be 10,000 Arab Muslims
Arab Muslims
Arab Muslims are adherents of the religion of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, or genealogically as Arabs. They greatly outnumber other ethnic groups in the Middle East. Muslims who are not Arabs are called mawali by Arab Muslims....
in one area of Gujarat alone.
Following the Arab conquests, the Arab traders poured into Gujarat through the sea route as well as by land. It is Possible that well known Sheikh Nur Al-Din came to Gujarat via Multan and Sindh, alongside with influx of the other Arab traders and soldiers.
For a number of internal evidences, we can infer that the (Arab) Muslim Bohra (Vohra) traders came to Gujarat in the first century of Islam. According to Nadawi, this is an absolute certainty and historically, there is no doubt in its veracity. Many of these historical facts, and other supporting evidences are available and recorded in Tuhfa Al-Mujahidin (Nadawi 1936,77).
Following Conquest of Gujrat in 1024 Mahmud of Ghazni, troops reaching conquering and settling as far south as Surat District, it is commonly claimed by many Surti Muslims they are descended from Muslim Turkomen (Turk-Iman) invaders.
The People of the Bohras (Vohra) or (Surti Muslim)
Nadawi and many other scholars including the families itself, the Surti Muslims (Bohra or Vohra) are descendants of the Arabs and have the features resembling to or exactly the same as those of the Arabs.
It may be appropriate to identify the prominent Bohra (Surti Muslims) families living in India and trace their roots. For the purpose of this, the following distinguished families whose names often in the research will be taken:
•The Shakir Family
•The Kankoriwala Family;
•The Narmawala Family;
•The Waliullah Family
•Randeri Surtis (Families from rander)
What follows their brief examination of their origin of these three prominent families.
Kanoriwala Family
There was a great scholar called Muhammed Saddiq Wa'iz (d. 1041/1641) who’s is the author of a tafsir (commentary) of the Qur'an and another book called Tanbih Al-Juhhal (Warning to Ignorants). Both works are well known. His Brother Muhammed Salih was also a great scholar wrote the well known work of Sadqullah (The Truth of Allah), the hand written copy which is deposited in the Pir Muhammed Shah Library in Ahmadabad. Shaikh Muhammed Salif wrote in the introduction his book that one Shaikh Ahmad Quraishi came from Madina, Arabia to Kambhayath (Cambay) and settled down there.
History recorded that he had a son called Yaqub, who was still residing there in 1041/1631 when the book was written. In margin of this book, the entire family genealogy is reproduced which goes back to Abu Bakr Siddiq who was descendant from Adnan from the Adnani Arabs who was descendants from Prophet Ismael the son of Prophet Ibrahim from Babylon southern Iraq.
The Narmawala Family
The Narmawala Family living in Ahmadabad and Surat and they are originally from Taif in Arabia and their complete genealogy is available detailing their origin from Shaikh Muhammed Salih. This family came initially for business purpose only, and later settled down in Surat, a district of the province of Gujarat in India. Haji Abdul Rahim Narmawala, one of the leading scions of the Narmawala family living India and interviewed by Nadawi, said that up to thirty years ago, members of his family still resides in Taif, Arabia (Nadawi 1936, 65).
The Waliullah Family
Well known Arab origin family of Ahmadabad and Surat originally from Jeddah and Madinah. Their forefathers were great Ulama of their time. Mawlana Nur Al-Din, Mawlana Imad Al-Din and Mawlana Waliullah were well known both in Hijaz and India for their knowledge, scholarship and piety. Along with their trade, they continued teaching and imparting religious knowledge and their schools and madaris (religious schools) which they had established there.
Randerian Surtis
Another group of Arab Muslim traders came from Kufa near Najaf in Iraq to Rander in Surat. This is during the Caliphate of Saffah Abbasi the Caliph of the Abbasid Empire in Iraq, Baghdad (d. 132/749) and they have settled to Rander. The residents of Rander claim that during the reign of Saffah Abbasi around (132/749), The Mumin tribe of Kufa came to the port of Rander on business. They eventually settled down in Rander. This is the reason that people of Rander consider themselves as "descendants of Arabs" (Kafletwi n.d., 54).
The ancient Arab historians, Abu Raihan Al-Biruni writes "The historians used to refer to Rander as the 'bride' of all the cities in India.
These Surti Muslims (Surti Vohra/ Bohra Muslims) are descendants of Arab clans whose presence in Gujarat dates back to the first century of Islam and onwards. Currently many families can trace their Arabian roots.
There are people who are the descendants of the Prophet Muhammed through his cousin and brother-in-law Imam Ali and the Prophet's daughter Fatima Az zahra through their sons Hassan and Hussain. They call them Sayyids, and all of them are from the lineage of Hussain. These Sayyids are Shia's in Surat. They mostly live North of Surat.
Many Hindus in Surat, Gujarat consider themselves as "The Original People of Gujarat". They consider many Muslims in Surat as "outsiders", due to Arab settlers who settled in Gujarat hundreds of years ago. Many Hindus when the Arabs and Turkmen conquered Gujarat, converted to Islam by Arab and Afghan Muslim scholars who later settled in Surat with their families.
They are subdivided into clans or Ataks, (originating from Turkic root word Ata- literally translates to fatherhood or patri-lineage.
Muslim rulers of Gujrat: Ghazanvi, Lodhi or Mughal all have been known to elicit the Surti Muslim warrior-folk in their campaigns.
Historical evidence exists most obviously in feudal titles, names of settlements, mosques and monuments to victory.
One Such monument are the Turk-Sur (Turkishwar/Tadkeshwar) stones, which clearly carve Muslim Turkmen victory over King Bhim
Surti Muslims Around the World
A number of Surti Muslims live in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, especially in the northern and western suburbs such as Andheri, Jogeshwari, Goregaon
Goregaon
Goregaon is the locality situated at the north of Mumbai . It is a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Railway railway line....
, Malad, Kandivali
Kandivali
Kandivali, or Kandivli is the name of a suburb of Mumbai, India. It is also the name of the railway station in Kandivali suburb, on the Western Railway line of the Mumbai suburban railway.- History :...
, and Nala Sopara
Nala Sopara
Nala Sopara is one of the suburbs of Mumbai city. It is a town within the Mumbai Conurbation. The town lies in Thane district of Maharashtra state in India. The population of the city is 184,664 . It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Railway ...
, where the 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...
population is high. They share their space in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
with Hindus and Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
, especially along SV Road. Most of them are Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
-speaking and are characterized by writing in Gujarati script
Gujarati script
The Gujarati script , which like all Nāgarī writing systems is strictly speaking an abugida rather than an alphabet, is used to write the Gujarati and Kutchi languages...
rather than Arabic script. They are mainly engaged in medium-sized businesses, but some are prominent industrialists. A number of Surti Muslims live in the middle-class residential areas of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, such as Sunder Nagar
Sunder Nagar
Sunder Nagar is a neighbourhood in the suburb of Malad–Goregaon in Mumbai, India. It lies east of the arterial Swami Vivekanand Road and is mostly a residential neighbourhood. It was built up in the 1970s during the city's population and construction boom. The name Sunder Nagar means...
, Madina Manzil, and Rani Sati Nagar on SV Road. Surti Muslims have excelled academically and have a tendency to choose professional careers over business. Their individualistic nature has prevented them from running strong family businesses, as seen among their Memon counterparts, and commonly end in family feuds. In Gujarat, Surti Muslims reside in the Valsad
Valsad
Valsad , formerly known as Bulsar, is a city and a municipality in the Valsad district of the Indian state of Gujarat. The city has a collectorate, a district court, and a police headquarters with a historic prison...
, Navsari
Navsari
Navsari is a city and municipality in the Surat Metropolitan Region and also the administrative headquarters Navsari District of Gujarat, India. Navsari is also the Twin City of Surat, and only 37 km south of Surat.-Geography:...
, Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, Navapur
Navapur
Navapur is a place in Maharashtra, India. Navapur is situated at Rangavali River,The temple SHABRI MATA'S mandir is near the town located in Subir village which is just 35 km from navapur. Navapur is a very pleasant place surrounded by hills from one side...
, Ankleshwar, and Bharuch
Bharuch
Bharuch , also known as Broach, is the oldest city in Gujarat, situated at the mouth of the holy river Narmada. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District and a municipality of more than 1,50,000 inhabitants. As Bharuch is a major seaport city, a number of trade activities have...
districts and also in the major cities of Vadodara
Vadodara
Vadodara formerly known as Baroda is the third most populated city in the Indian State of Gujarat . It is one of the four cities with the population of over 1 million...
, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, Rajkot, and Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
. A number of Surti Muslims have immigrated to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the United States of America.
Surti Muslims in South Africa
Surti Muslims in South AfricaIndian South Africans
Indian South Africans are people of Indian descent living in South Africa and mostly live in and around the city of Durban, making it 'the largest 'Indian' city outside India'. Most Indians in South Africa are descendents of migrants from colonial India during late 19th-century through early...
form the majority of professional Muslims in South Africa and have excelled in arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. Surti Muslims have also been involved successfully in business in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Surti Muslims have also contributed to the struggle against apartheid, a number of whom were imprisoned or martyred by the Apartheid Security Police. Also, the majority of 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...
politicians in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
are from the Surti community. Surti Muslims have also been involved in sport, especially cricket.
Religion
Surti Muslims are Sunni Muslims who converted from Shia Islam to Sunni Islam. Some Surti Muslims are Shia.Surti Muslims have partial lineages to Arab, Afghan, Pathan, Greek, Khazar, Turkmen and Central Asian ancestors.
Having assimilated over the millennia, partial Lineages to indigenous Gujrati Jain and Rajput are also present.
Medina, Taif and Hadhramaut, and the Hedjaz in general was once home to thriving large populations of Arabized Jewish tribes, distinguished and well known for their mercantile skills and seafaring. In the Muhammadan (s.a.w) and Post-Muhammad (s.a.w) period, tribe members may have come to accept Islam, and subsequently identified themselves as Muslims, gradually identifying with a larger concept of brotherhood (ummah- although according to the constitution of Medina, Jews and Muslims were considered one body- ummah), and gradually losing conscious identity of their Jewish heritage, as they emigrated as seafaring traders and settled. This in part explains the strong feeling of monotheistic belief in the Surti Muslim ethnic group, this in part explains their close knit communities, and success in trade and academics and theology.
The Pre-Islamic beliefs of their ancestors therefore likely to have been Buddhists, Shaman and Jewish descendants of the Koranic Malik Talut,(Biblical King Saul), before accepting the guidance of Islam. Surat has also been home to Arab/Afghan Jews of the Baghdadi community, some of whom fled persecution in their native lands, others enticed by the lucrative mercantile opportunities Surat provided as an important and prosperous major world port for centuries gone by.
It is documented they when they first arrived they practiced Judaism in Secret, as was their practice in their previous countries. However, impressed by the justice, tolerance and endless freedom of expression allowed under Muslim rule, they began accepting Islam and integrating into the diverse Surti Muslim population.
Thus it is a clear and valid assertion Surti Muslims as a semitic subgroup, would be protected under Anti-Semitism laws, and eligible for aliyah to Israel, and emigration to the Emirate of Hedjaz, Saudi Arabia. However, they have at present as a group not yet opted to apply this to their benefit, fearing it would make them easier to identify and subject to further persecution, as was seen in the Gujrat Pro-Aryan/BJP Govt led Holocaust against minorities in 2002.
Notable Surti Muslims Worldwide
The following individuals have full or Partial Surti Muslim heritage links.Philosophers & Academics
• Sheikh Ahmed Deedat ~ b.Turkeshwar,Gujrat. South Africa based Muslim Philosopher,Philanthropist and pan-religious peace speaker.Politics Military & Civil Services
• Ahmed Patel MP ~ b.Piraman,Gujrat. AICC Chairman, Rajya Sabha MP(India Upper House). Confidant of Rajiv Gandhi.• His Excellency Dr. Ismail Ahmed Kharodia, ~ Malawi Ambassador to France, UNDWP, Consul General to Portugal, Former High Commissioner to UK.
• Ismail Mulla ~ Finance Minister to King Mindon of Burma, C.19th Century.
Philanthropy
• Ebrahim Kharodia MBE ~ Awarded MBE For Services to Pharmacy in Central London and Charity in Malawi.Sport
•Hashim Amla, ~ b.South African Professional cricketer.•Gulam Hussain Bodi, ~.South African Professional cricketer.
Institutions
Surti Muslims are a self sufficient people, and although have a highly individualistic nature, the bond of community is very strong.Surti Muslim Men and Womenfolk have a very strong sense of discipline and responsibility, powered by faith, courage and unity drives the community.
Academic high flyers, Surti Muslims are in comparison to most Gujaratis,are physically very bold, brave and courageous. They are noted for their chutzpah. Surti Muslim individuals have a high self esteem and are known for their proud, tough, but loving demeanour.
Having a reputation as a melting pot community of invaders pre & post Islamic era assimilated with local indigenous folk. The communities philanthropic, academic and business success is equally matched if not surpassed by their Militaristic skill as fearless and astute warriors.
Very much like their Pathan Brethren, the Surti Muslims share an equally high reputation for Hospitality, Chivalry, and Justice code. Punishments for breaking the code promises and guarantees the most ruthless forms of revenge are dispensed in the face of injustice and wanton deceit.
Academic Instiutions
•Surti Sunni Vohra Muslim Education Society, ~ Founder: Hajçi Muhammad Dawji Dadabhoy. Est. Hathuran Convention, Bombay Presidency, British India, 1947.Humanitarian
• Sedeca Development Fund. ~ (Tzedekah) Sedeca Holding fund. Raises, collects and disburses funds, for humanitarian relief and projects without discrimination, to every eligible applicant.Hospitals:
1. Charitable Hospital, Kosamba2. Kosamba General Hospital, Kosamba
3. Kathor Medical Trust, Kathor
4. Haji M. Lockhat Hospital, Surat
5. Bana Charitable Dispensary, Turkishwar
6. Haji Azam Pipadrawala Hospital, Rander
7. The Muslim Welfare Society Dispensary, Bardoli
8. Sarvajanic Dispensary, Variav
9. Alipore Social Welfare Trust Dispensary, Alipore
10. Muslim Charitable Trust, Etarwa
11. Gardi Charitable Trust, Dabhel
12. Haji Ahmed Suleman Dinath Maternity Home & Dispensary Trust, Surat
Agriculture
Surti Muslims have an extensive network of agricultural co-operatives, and are very successful agrariansMuseums & Heritage-Landmark Administration Groups
• National heritage of the Surti Muslim peoples, includes a diverse range of landmarks, including the Ghaznavi stones in Turkishwar, Many Mosques facing the Jerusalem prayer direction(qibla), restorated ruins of ancient Jain temples, Golden Bridge over the Narmada River a wonderous construction built under British rule.Mausoleums
Hazrat Maulana Nizamuddin Bajouri, TurkishwarHazrat Shaikh Moosaji Mehtar, Turkishwar
Grave sites, are considered sacred and to be respected, and are very well maintained.
Additionally, there are in existence plentiful of Mausoleums to Sufi Saints whose invaluable spiritual guidance has been significant and important in the proud achievements of the Surti Muslim people and their progress into the future.
An extensive and exhaustive list has been procured and is under review before final publication.
Theologians
(Only Accredited Surti Muslim Theologians holding both (i)University and (ii)Muslim Uloom/Hafiz to be categorically listed, in order to list honourable & Distinguished individuals we limit misuse/abuse by self-publicity of unqualified or bogus individuals).External links
- http://www.ssvmes.org/default.php Surti Sunni Vohra Muslim Education Society Website