The Faqir (; hi, फ़क़ीर ''faqīr'', ur, فقیر) are a Muslim ethnic group in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. They are also known as Syed, Alvi, Shah, Sain Pir, Dewan Saheb, Miya Shah, Shah Saheb, Dewan Baba in India, Shah is now their preferred self-designation and in

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

they are called as Faqirbaba. Faqirs cast of Syed community is evident in the Deccan Region of Telangana State. Since the people of this community are the descendants of Sufi Saints belonging to Syeds lineage, is traced to Ali, so they are called as Syed, Shah, Mir, Shah-Diwan and by other surnames. They are also venerated as pir or peer saheb. Some Muslims also visit the holy shrines (''mazar'' or ''

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

'' ) of Sufi Saint or peer fakir. They are respected in Muslims like Brahmins in Hindus. Some live in the

Terai , image =Terai nepal.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm , global200 = Terai-Duar savanna a ...

region of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

History and origin

The word fakir or faqir ( ar, فقیر (noun of faqr)) is derived from the word ''faqr'' ( ar, فقر, "poverty") It is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

and the Faqirs were wandering

Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

es teaching Islam and living on alms. In

, they are a community of religious mendicants who belonged to a number of Sufi orders. Over time their descendants have formed a distinct

endogamous Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cultu ...

community. In

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, the Faqir have eight divisions, of which the Sain and

Jogi Faqir The Jogi Faqir or yogi Faqir are a Muslim community, found in North India. They are also known as Madariya Faqir. The Jogi Faqir are Muslim and are one of the two sub-divisions of the Faqir found in Uttar Pradesh.People of India Uttar Pradesh ...

now form distinct communities. The six remaining divisions are as follows; the Jalalia, Zinda Shahi, known as Shah Madari, Syed,

Chishti The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a ...

Qalandari The Qalandariyyah ( ar, قلندرية), Qalandaris, Qalandars or Kalandars are wandering ascetic Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized and may not be connected to a specific tariqat. One was founded by Q ...

, Pakhiya and Rifai. Among the Faqir of Uttar Pradesh, there is an hierarchy of sorts, with the Jalali claiming precedence, on account of the fact the order started in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, and then arrived in India. While the Zinda Shahi are followers of a Sufi known as Zinda Shah Madar, and the progeny of this group. The Real name is 'Syed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar' (Madar means pole of the Universe) whose shrine is located in Makanpur, district Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He was a great Sufi Legend and lived a life of 596 years. He was among the first Sufi's to arrive in India and is the largest Sufi following in India and Asia. The word ''zinda'' in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Sunni groupings, and are followers of the famous Sufi saint

Moinuddin Chishti Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia of Islam, TH ...

. While the Qalandari are followers of Bu Ali Qalander, and the Pakhiya and Rifai are well known Sufi orders. In additions to these four groupings, the Sain now form a distinct grouping, and are no longer considered as Faqirs, while the

, as a community of

Muslim Rajput Muslim Rajputs are the descendants of Rajputs of Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who are followers of Islam. They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period in India onwards, retaining historically Hindu surnames suc ...

s also consider themselves distinct from the larger Faqir community. In the Deccan region of

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...

, most of the Syeds belong to Faqir cast or community. The Syeds lineage is rooted to Ahl-e-Baith, assumed to be descendants of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

. The Faqirs of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

consist of five divisions, the Junhasha, Madari, Rafai, Jalili and Sarbadi. They are distributed all over Gujarat, and many now live in settlements around tombs of famous Sufi saints. Some are employed as caretakers at the various shrines. The Faqir speak

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

, with many now understanding Urdu. In Maharashtra the word Faqir is a general term for a class of Muslim Sufi. The Maharashtra Faqirs claim descent from

Abu Bakar Abū Bakr ( ar, أبو بكر ) is an Arabic given name meaning "Father of a Young Camel" (Abu meaning 'Father of' and Bakr meaning 'Young Camel') that is widely used by Sunni Muslims. Other transliterations include Abu Bakar, Abu Bekr, Ebubekir, ...

, the first

caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

and

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...

the fourth caliph of Islam. They are further divided into two groupings, the Ba-shara, who follow the rules of Islam, and Be-shara, who do not follow the

shariat Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

. Many of the Be-shara lead a nomadic existence.

Present circumstances

In haryana

In haryana, the bulk of the shah are landowners and cultivators, with poultry being an important secondary occupation. In Rohilkhand, and in particular in

Bareilly District The Bareilly district belongs to the state Uttar Pradesh in northern India. Its capital is Bareilly city and it is divided in six administrative division or tehsils: Aonla, Baheri, Bareilly city, Faridpur, Mirganj, and Nawabganj. The Bareil ...

, the community were and are large zamindars. They live throughout

, and speak Urdu, as well as local dialects of

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, such as

Khari boli Kauravi ( hi, कौरवी, ur, ), also known as Khaṛībolī is a set of Western Hindi varieties of Shauraseni Prakrit mainly spoken in Northwestern Uttar Pradesh. Standard Hindi and Urdu are based on Khariboli, specifically on its De ...

and

Awadhi Awadhi (; ), also known as Audhi (), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in northern India and Nepal. It is primarily spoken in the Awadh region of present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. The name ''Awadh'' is connected to Ayodhya, the ancient city ...

. Most Faqir live in multi-caste and multi-religious villages, although they occupy their own quarters. Each sub-division has its own caste council, which deals with and resolves any intra community problem. Like other haryana Muslims, they are strictly endogamous. While the Chishti intermarry with the Rifai and Pakhiya, but not with the Qalandari. Marriages tend take place within close kin, and they prefer parallel cousin marriages. The shah are now leading demands for the inclusion of their community within the Scheduled Caste category. As part of their political mobilisation, the community now prefer the self-designation ShahAlvi. Like other Muslim occupational castes, they have now set up a statewide caste association, to act as a communal pressure group.

In Gujarat

Thes shah practice community endogamy and marriages mostly take place within the community. Both parallel cousin and cross cousin marriages are practiced. Their traditional occupation is teaching Islamic ways of life, while others are employed at various Sufi shrines. A majority of the community are now employed as daily wage labourers. The shah are one of the most marginalized Muslim community in

. They are Sunni Muslims, but incorporate many folk beliefs.

In Maharashtra

The shah, like many other Muslim communities in Maharashtra speak both Urdu and

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

. They are distributed in the districts of

Amravati Amravati (pronunciation ( help·info)) is the second largest city in the Vidarbha region and ninth largest city in Maharashtra, India. It is administrative headquarters of Amravati district and Amravati division which includes Akola, Buld ...

and

Nagpur Nagpur (pronunciation: aːɡpuːɾ is the third largest city and the winter capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the 13th largest city in India by population and according to an Oxford's Economics report, Nagpur is projected to ...

. The community consists of five endogamous sections, the Banwa, Madari (Zinda Shahi), Jalal Shahi, Saiyad Shah, Rafai, and Jalali. Marriages tend to be contracted within these groupings, with the community practising both cross cousin and parallel cousin marriages. The Madari Faqir are the descendants of Sufi saints belonging to Syeds (Saiyad) and their family tree (Shajra-E-Nasab) is meet to Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Fourth Khalifa of Islam of Sunnis and First Imam Of Shias). Some People of this community also live in Aurangabad. Banwa Faqirs are Belogs to Banwa Sufi order, a sub-branch of Qadriya Sufi order founded by Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad, Iraq. The traditional occupation of the shah is teaching of Islamic education by various ways and To Spread The Knowledge of Islam, although there is a gradual movement towards other occupations. Many are now involved in government jobs and private owned business. Their standard of living has improved, especially those settled in Nagpur city.

The Shahji Faqir of West Bengal

The Faqir of

are also known as Sahaji. They are said to have acquired the name Sahaji on account of the fact that they were followers of Sher Ali Shahji, a well known

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Sufi saint. Most Faqir consider the famous Sufi

Abdul Qadir Jillani ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...

as their mentor, and most Faqir in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

thus belong to the Qadriyah Sufi order. A smaller number belong to the Chishti, Madariya, Mojadidi, and Naqshbandia. orders Like in other parts of India, the Faqir have evolved from what was originally a community of Sufi mendicants into an endogamous caste grouping. They live mainly in the districts of

Nadia Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both. In Slavic, names similar to ''Nadia'' mean "hope" in many Slavic languages: ...

, Howrah,

Murshidabad Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district. Durin ...

, Malda,

Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced af ...

Birbhum Birbhum district () is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is in Suri. Other impo ...

and

Purulia Purulia is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purulia district. It is located on the north of the Kangsabati River. Geography Location Purulia is located at . It has an average ele ...

. The majority of the West Bengal Faqir are now cultivators, living in multi-caste villages, in their own quarters known as Faqir paras. They cultivate paddy, jute, mustard and tilli seeds. A small number are also landless agricultural labourers. The Faqir speak

and follow the Sunni sect of Islam. But they practice a number of folk beliefs, collectively referred to as faqirmat. This involves paying special reverence to a number of Sufi saints. A significant number of Faqir are also involved in the production of cooking oil, an activity traditionally associated with the

Teli Teli is a caste traditionally occupied in the pressing of oil in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik. The Jewish community of Maharashtra (called Bene Israel) was ...

caste in other parts of India. Fariyad Ali Alvi Rjpura Sambhal F

Notable People

* Jan-Fishan Khan, Nawab of Sardhana * Ikbal Ali Shah, Nawab of Sardhana * Arif Ali shah, British Film Writer * Naseeruddin Shah, Bollywood Actor & Director *

Zameer Uddin Shah Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah, PVSM, SM, VSM is a retired senior General of the Indian Army. He last served as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Personnel & Systems), Indian Army. After retirement, he served for some time as an adminis ...

, Former Lieutenant General of Indian Army and VC of Amu * Mohammad Ali Shah, Former Major in Indian Army & Bollywood Actor *

Nawab Shah Nawabshah ( sd, نوابشاھ, ur, ) is a tehsil and headquarters of the Shaheed Benazirabad District of Sindh province, Pakistan. This city is situated in the middle of Sindh province. It is the 27th largest city in Pakistan. Nawabshah Tehsi ...

, Bollywood Actor * Aarif Alvi , Pakistani President * Majnu Shah , Indian Freedom Fighter and Leader of

Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion The Sannyasi rebellion or monk rebellion 1770-77 ( bn, সন্ন্যাসী/ সাধু বিদ্রোহ, The monks' rebellion) was a revolt by the ''sannyasis'' and sadhus (Hindu ascetics, respectively) in Bengal, India in the lat ...

* Raashid Alvi , Indian Politician *

Amina Shah Amina Shah (31 October 1918 – 19 January 2014), later known as Amina Maxwell-Hudson, was a British anthologiser of Sufi stories and folk tales, and was for many years the Chairperson of the College of Storytellers. She was the sister of the S ...

, British Author & Poet * Karim Shah, Indian Freedom Fighter & Founder of Mad Path Movement against Britisher. *

Tahir Shah Tahir Shah ( fa, طاهر شاه, gu, તાહિર શાહ; ''né'' Sayyid Tahir al-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد طاهر الهاشمي); born 16 November 1966) is a British author, journalist and documentary maker of Afghan-Indian descent. ...

, British Journalist and Documentary Maker *

Safia Safia may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Safia (given name) Places * Safia, Burkina Faso * Safia, Yemen * Safia Rural LLG, Papua New Guinea Biology * ''Safia'' (moth), a genus of moth Music * Safia (band) Safia is an Australian electronica, in ...

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

, British Writer, Television News Producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faqir (Caste) Social groups of Gujarat Muslim communities of India Muslim communities of Gujarat Social groups of Maharashtra Muslim communities of Maharashtra Social groups of Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh Social groups of West Bengal