The Muslim Saifi, or sometimes pronounced Barhai are

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

community, found in North India. They are also known as Saifi which denotes the Muslim sub-caste of blacksmiths and carpenters. A small number are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. The community is also sometimes referred to as Saifi or Tarkhan descendent of Tarkhan Dynasty of Sindh Pakistan.''People of India Uttar Pradesh'', Volume XLII Part One, edited by A Hasan & J C Das, pp. 190-193.

Origin

The community derive their name from the word ''barhai'', which means carpenter in Hindi. According to their own traditions, they are descended from early

settlers to India. It is however likely, that they are immigrant from the Central Asia.They are also known as Tarkhan. In Uttar Pradesh, the Barhai/ Saifi have two sub-divisions, the Tarkhan and the Multani or immigrants from Multan known as Multani Lohar Each of these two groups in endogamous. They are found mainly in the Doab and

Rohilkhand Rohilkhand (previously Rampur State) is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Rampur, Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the Rohilla tribe. Th ...

regions, and speak the hindi dialect. The community has been granted Other Backward Class status. The term Saifi refers to Sword makers during medieval times.

Present circumstances

The Behna are no longer mainly employed mainly as carpenters, and many work in farming. They are largely small and medium sized farmers, although a sizeable number are agricultural labourers, and live in multi caste and multi religious settlements, but occupy their own distinct quarters. Each settlement has a

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

council, known as a panchayat, which acts as an instrument of social control. It deals with intra community disputes, as well as punishing those who breach communal norms. Although they live in close proximity to other

groups, such as the Shaikh, Gaddi,

Ansari Ansari may refer to: People *Ansar (Islam), an Islamic term that literally means "helpers" and denotes the Medinan citizens that helped the Islamic prophet Muhammad after the Hijra *Ansari (nesba), people known as Ansari or Al-Ansari as a nesba * ...

, Rajput Muslim and Qassab in Doab, and the Muslim Teli, Muslim Banjara, Baghban and

Rohilla Rohillas are a community of Pashtun ancestry, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Ro ...

, there is very little interaction, and virtually no intermarriage. The only group with which close relations are maintained are the Saifi, and this includes intermarriage. With regards to neighbouring

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

groups such the Jat and Gujjar, a social distance is maintained. The Barhai are

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

of the Barelvi &

Deobandi Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, R ...

sect. They speak Urdu, and various dialects of Hindi. There customs are similar to other Uttar Pradesh Muslims.''People of India Uttar Pradesh'', Volume XLII Part One, edited by A Hasan & J C Das, p. 243.

Notable People

• Arif Lohar, Pakistani Singer

References

{{Indian Muslim Social groups of Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh Muslim communities of India