The Qidwai or Kidwai ( ur, قدوائی, ar, قدوائی) are a community of
Muslims in
India and
Pakistan and throughout the
Middle East often considered the premier subdivision of
Shaikhs due to their
Palestinean/
Israeli lineage. Their lineage traces back to
Jewish roots and Bani Israel heritage. They are mostly settled in the state of
Uttar Pradesh in
India. They are also settled in the city of
Karachi,
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
,
Pakistan, and also in areas of the
Middle East specifically,
Saudi Arabia ,
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
and
Qatar.
[''Caste and Social Stratification Among Muslims'' (Manohar, 1978), edited by Imtiaz Ahmed, p. 212.] The Qidwai, together with the
Milki,
Malik
Malik, Mallik, Melik, Malka, Malek, Maleek, Malick, Mallick, or Melekh ( phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤊; ar, ملك; he, מֶלֶךְ) is the Semitic term translating to "king", recorded in East Semitic and Arabic, and as mlk in Northwest Semitic duri ...
and
Chaudhary
Chaudhary (or Choudhary ; also: Chaudhuri, Choudhuary, Chowdhury) is a hereditary title mainly in South Asia, mainly used by Jats, Gurjar and Bhumihars. Chowdhury (Hindi: चौधरी/चौधुरी/चौधारी; Urdu: چودھر ...
form a community of substantial landowners.
History and origin
The Qidwai or Kidwai are a community of Shaikhs in Pakistan and India. They are mostly settled in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. They are also settled in the city of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The Qidwai claim descent from Qidwa, a son of the Sultans of Rum, in what is now modern Turkey. There are differing traditions as to the ethnic origin. Some sources claim he was a descendant of original Jews of Medina. While other sources claim that he was a Bani Israil descendant by lineage. This reaffirms their monotheistic beliefs unlike other Muslim converts who were formally polytheists. Qidwa fell out the Sultan, his brother, and migrated to India, with wife and son. There he became a close associate of the famous Sufi saint, Moinuddin Chishti. The saint is said to have sent him to the Awadh region to spread Islam, where he is said to have won over fifty villages to Islam.
The Qidwai were native Muslims of Uttar Pradesh. Sufi saints are claimed to have gone to the
Awadh region to spread
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, where he is said to have won over fifty villages to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. These fifty villages were later awarded to him, and the region became known as Qidwara.
According to another tradition, Qidwa is said have defeated a local ruler in the
Awadh region by the name of Raja Jagdeopur. This Raja was said to have belonged to the aboriginal tribal community. The original settlement of the tribe was Juggaur in
Lucknow district
Lucknow district is a district located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. The city of Lucknow is the district headquarters and the district is part of Lucknow Division. It also is the capital of Uttar Pradesh Lucknow is Bounded on ...
, from where they spread to
Barabanki District. The
taluqdar
Taluqdars or Talukdar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: ; Perso-Arabic: , ; from ''taluq'' "estate/attachment" + '' dar'' "owner"), were aristocrats who formed the ruling class during the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, Mughal Empire and British Raj ...
families have historically intermarried with the
Awadhi Bhatti, a neighbouring
Muslim Rajput community, with whom they share many cultural traits.
Present circumstances
The abolishment of the
zamindar system by the newly independent
India in 1947 had a major impact on the Qidwai community. The larger estates were broken, and land given to the
farmers
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...
who worked on their lands. This led to some emigration of the Qidwais to
Pakistan.
[''Caste and Social Stratification among Muslims'' (Manohar, 1978), edited by Imtiaz Ahmed, pp. 209-215.]
The Qidwais are still found mainly in the districts of
Lucknow.
See also
*
Sayyid
*
Siddiqui
*
Shaikhs in South Asia
References
{{Muhajir communities
Social groups of Pakistan
Social groups of Uttar Pradesh
Muslim communities of India
Shaikh clans
Surnames
Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh