The Vyapari are 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...

 community found in the state of Gujarat 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...

 . Many members of Vyapari Muslim 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 the independence in 1947 and 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...

.

History and origin

The word vyapar in Hindi

Hindi

Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

 and 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...

 means to trade, and the community derives its name from their occupation of trading in cattle and oxen. According to their traditions, they are 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...

 converts from the Bania

Bania (caste)

Bania is an occupational caste of bankers, money-lenders, dealers in grains, spices and in modern times numerous commercial enterprises. Baniya is a distinct caste mostly coming from Western India and Central India but spread now all over India...

 caste. They are mainly distributed in Viramgam

Viramgam

Viramgam is a city and a municipality in Ahmedabad district in the Indian state of Gujarat.-Geography:Viramgam is located at . It has an average elevation of 32 metres...

 and Dholkha in Ahmadabad District

Ahmadabad District

Ahmadabad is a district in Paktia Province, Afghanistan. It is located to the east of Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia.-Security and Politics:...

 and Surendarnagar District. The community speak Gujarati mixed with Urdu.

Present circumstances

The community is divided into a number of biradaris or clans, the main ones being the Khansaheb, Chuhan, Behlim, Kadmol, Bhangarwala, Patel, and Chameli. Each of the clan is equal status, and intermarry. They practice both cross cousin and parallel-cousin marriages. The Vyapari are essentially a community engaged in trade, and many have left Gujarat and settled 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...

 for this purpose. Like other Muslim mercantile castes of Gujarat, such as the Memon and Khoja

Khoja

The Khojas are ethnic group of Shia Muslims. The word Khoja derives from Khwaja, a Persian title .In Pakistan, many Khojas migrated to and settled in the province of Sindh and especially in the city of Karachi. While in India, most Khojas live in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and...

, they are strong believers in communal organizations. Their main caste association is the Viramgan Bepari Jamaat. They are fairly orthodox Sunni Muslims, with many being members of the reformist Tableeghi Jamat.