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{{Short description|Muslim descendants of Rajputs}}
'''Muslim Rajputs''' (more commonly known as '''Musalman Rajputs''' within [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]) are [[Rajputs]] who practice [[Islam]].
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Muslim Rajputs
| native_name =
| image =
| caption =
| population =
| popplace = {{flag|India}} and {{flag|Pakistan}}
| region1 =
| pop1 =
| ref1 =
| region2 =
| pop2 =
| ref2 =
| langs = {{hlist| |[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] |
[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] |[[Urdu]] |[[Mewati]]|
[[Pahari-Pothwari]] |}}
| religions = [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|18px]] [[Islam]]
| related = [[Rajputs]] and other [[Indo-Aryan peoples]]
}}
'''Muslim Rajputs''' or '''Musalman Rajpoots''' are the descendants of [[Rajputs]] in the northern regions of the [[Indian subcontinent]] who generally are followers of Islam.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/4b6fe2403.pdf |title=UNHCR Refugee Review Tribunal. IND32856, 6 February 2008}}</ref> They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the [[medieval India|medieval]] period onwards, creating various dynasties and states while retaining Hindu surnames such as [[Chauhan (surname)|Chauhan]].<ref name="Singhal1972">{{cite book |last1=Singhal |first1=Damodar P. |title=Pakistan |date=1972 |publisher=[[Prentice Hall]] |isbn=978-0-13-648477-6 |page=17 |language=en |quote=Large communities converted to Islam from among Hindus carried with them Hindu customs and usages, and often passed them on to other Muslims. Many Rajput converts even retained their family names, such as Chauhan and Rajput.}}</ref><ref name="Singh1973">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Yogendra |title=Modernization of Indian Tradition |date=1973 |publisher=Oriental Press |page=74 |language=en |quote=The next in status are a few higher caste Hindu converts to Islam, particularly the Rajputs}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Cambridge South Asian Studies, Issue 16 |date=1965 |isbn=978-0-521-20432-3 |page=24 |language=en |quote=The latter may be subdivided into three distinct groups: converts from Hindu high castes such as Muslim Rajputs, converts from clean occupational castes such as Julahas and Qassabs, and converts from unclean occupational castes such as Bhangis and Chamars.}}</ref> Today, Muslim Rajputs can be found mostly in present-day Northern India and [[Pakistan]].<ref name=EB/> They are further divided into different clans.<ref name="توصیف الحسن میواتی الہندی">{{Cite book |last=توصیف الحسن میواتی الہندی |url=http://archive.org/details/20200823_20200823_1256 |title=تاریخِ میو اور داستانِ میوات |date=2020-08-23}}</ref>


==History==
[[Rajputs]] ([[Urdu]]: راجپوت) were the rulings clans of [[India]] during the classical period, i.e. 8-13th century. The term [[Rajput]] is traditionally applied to the original [[Suryavanshi]], [[Chandravanshi]] and [[Agnivanshi]] clans.


The term ''Rajput'' is traditionally applied to the original [[Suryavansha|Suryavanshi]], [[Chandravanshi]] and [[Agnivanshi]] clans, who claimed to be [[Kshatriya]] in the Hindu [[Varna (Hinduism)|varna]] system.{{cn|date=July 2023}}
[[Image:ASIF.jpg|thumb|right|Gen.Asif Nawaz. A [[Janjua]] Muslim Rajput]]
[[Image:Geniftikhar.jpg|thumb|right|Gen.M. Iftikhar Khan. A [[Minhas]] Muslim Rajput]]


===Conversion to Islam and ethos===
The 1931 census of [[British India]] was the last to record caste affiliation in a manner that provides reliable information on Rajput demographics. Any present-day estimates are therefore speculative; they also vary widely.


Upon their conversion from [[Hinduism]] to Islam, many Muslim Rajputs maintained many of their Hindu customs, and hence retained their [[Cultural Hindus|Cultural Hindu]] identity.<ref name="Singhal1972"/> Muslim Rajputs also often retained common social practices, such as [[purdah]] (seclusion of women), with Hindu Rajputs.<ref name=EB>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/490157/Rajput|title=Rajput|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=30 October 2014}}</ref>
The 1931 census reported a total of 10.7 million people self-describing as Rajput. Of this population, about 8.6 million people also self-described as being [[Hindu]], about 2.1 million as being [[Muslim]] and about 50,000 as being [[Sikh]] by religion.


Despite the difference in religious faith, where the question has arisen of common Rajput honour, there have been instances where both Muslim and Hindu Rajputs have united together against threats from external ethnic groups.<ref>''Self and sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850'' by Ayesha Jalal, Routledge 2000, p480, p481</ref>{{Weasel inline|date=May 2021}}
==Muslim conquest of South Asia ==


There are recorded instances of recent conversions of Rajputs to Islam in Western [[Uttar Pradesh]], Khurja tahsil of [[Bulandshahr]].<ref>''Muslim Women'' by Zakia A. Siddiqi, Anwar Jahan Zuberi, Aligarh Muslim University, India University Grants, M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1993, p93</ref>
At the time of arrival of [[Islam]], the north and west region [[South Asia]] region was ruled by Rajput clans. The Rajputs and Muslim armies fought many battles for the control of [[South Asia]]. [[Mahmud of Ghazni]] destroyed the power of Rajputs in western South Asia in [[1010]] CE. [[Muhammad Ghori]] in [[1191]] conquered Delhi after defeating last defense of Rajputs and established the Muslim empire by [[1206]]AD. [[Qutb-ud-din Aybak]] declared himself the first [[Sultan]] of [[Delhi]].


=== Muslim Rajput dynasties ===
Muslim Rajput clans such as the [[Janjua]] aided the [[Mughal]] conquest of India by taking part in the imperial armies. It must also be mentioned here that Hindu Rajputs also took part in these conquests as allies and even took part in marriage with the Mughals such as the Kachwaha Rajput Clan (who gave Rani Jodha Bhai's hand to Emperor [[Akbar]]), [[Raja Man Singh]] aided [[Mughal]] Emperor [[Akbar]] in 1568 against the Sesodias.


==Conversion to Islam==
====Kharagpur Raj====
{{Main|Kharagpur Raj}}
The Kharagpur Raj was a Muslim [[Kinwar|Kindwar]] Rajput chieftaincy in modern-day [[Munger district]] of [[Bihar]].<ref name="Ansari2019">{{cite book|author=Tahir Hussain Ansari|title=Mughal Administration and the Zamindars of Bihar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kUueDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22|date=20 June 2019|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-000-65152-2|pages=22–28}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=Agrarian Reforms in "Sarkar" Munger under Raja Bahrox Singh (1631-76) Of Kharagpur | author= Yogendra P. Roy | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume = 60| year=1999 | pages= 287–292|jstor = 44144095}}</ref> [[Raja Sangram Singh]] led a rebellion against the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] authorities and was subsequently defeated and executed. His son, Toral Mal, was made to convert to Islam and renamed as ''Roz Afzun''. Roz Afzun was a loyal Commander to the Emperors [[Jahangir]] and [[Shah Jahan]] and Jahangir referred to him as his "favourite" commander in the empire.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Raja Roz Afzun of Kharagpur (AD 1601 - 31 | author= Yogendra P. Roy | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume = 54| year=1993 | pages= 357–358|jstor = 44142975}}</ref> Another prominent chieftain of this dynasty was Tahawar Singh who played an active role in the Mughal expedition against the nearby [[Chero dynasty|Chero]]s of [[Palamu district|Palamu]].<ref>{{cite journal | title=Tahawar Singh-A Muslim Raja of Kharagpur Raj (1676 - 1727) | author= Yogendra P. Roy | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume = 53| year=1992 | pages= 333–334|jstor = 44142804}}</ref>


==== Samma dynasty ====
Many Rajput clans had converted to [[Islam]] during the early 12th Century and since conversion have remained loyal to their faith. Many Rajputs were converted to Islam by the [[Muslim]] [[Sufi]]s missionaries of the famed Chistiya, Qadriya orders and many others. Some conversions also took place for political reasons. The [[Delhi Sultanate]] and later [[Mughal]] [[dynasty]] encouraged the martial Rajput clans to convert to Islam. Conversions to Islam continued into the 19th century period of the British Raj.
{{Main|Samma dynasty}}


[[File:View of Makli by Usman Ghani.jpg|thumb|right|[[Makli Hill]] is one of the largest necropolises in the world.]]
''The Discovery of India'' by [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] no less, (Oxford Uni.Press 1985, p62) puts into context the concept of unifying 'lineal' inherited identity with 'religious' duty, ''' ''"The fact of subsequent conversion to other faiths, did not deprive them of this heritage; just as the Greeks, after their conversion to Christianity, did not lose pride in the mighty achievements of their ancestors, of the Italians in the great days of the Roman Republic and early empire."'' '''(p341), ''' ''"...Christians, Jews, Parsees, Moslems. Indian converts to these religions never ceased to be Indian on account of a change of their faith...."'' '''
In 1339 [[Jam Unar]] founded a Sindhi [[Muslim Rajput]] [[Samma dynasty]]<ref name="guj">{{cite book|author1=U. M. Chokshi|author2=M. R. Trivedi|title=Gujarat State Gazetteer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-qHiAAAAMAAJ|year=1989|publisher=Director, Government Print., Stationery and Publications, Gujarat State|page=274|quote=It was the conquest of Kutch by the Sindhi tribe of Sama Rajputs that marked the emergence of Kutch as a separate kingdom in the 14th century.}}</ref> and challenged the [[Delhi Sultanate|Sultans of Delhi]].


====Khanzada dynasty====
Nehru also mentioned his own personal experience with Muslim Rajputs as he grew up, ''' ''"I grew to know; the Rajput peasant and petty landholder, still proud of his race and ancestry, even though he might have changed his faith and adopted Islam."'' ''' More importantly he bears testament to the fact that despite his change of faith, a Rajput is still referred to and recognised as a Rajput.(''The Discovery of India'', 2004, Penguin, p51)
{{Main|Khanzadas of Mewat}}
[[Khanzadas of Mewat|Mewat]] was a kingdom in [[Rajputana]] with its capital at [[Alwar]] ruled by a [[Khanzada]] [[Rajput kingdoms|Mewati Rajput dynasty]] during the period of the [[Delhi Sultanate]] in [[India]]. [[Hasan Khan Mewati|Raja Hassan Khan Mewati]] was represented the [[Khanzada Rajputs|Meo Khanzada]] in [[Battle of Khanwa]].<ref name="rekhta.org">{{Cite web |title=Tareekh-e-Miyo Chhatri by Hakeem Abdush Shakoor |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/tareekh-e-miyo-chhatri-hakeem-abdush-shakoor-ebooks |access-date=2022-06-20 |website=Rekhta |language=en}}</ref>
Mewat was covered over a wide area, it included [[Hathin]] tehsil, [[Nuh district]], [[Tijara]], [[Gurgaon]], [[Kishangarh]] Bas, Ramgarh, Laxmangarh Tehsils [[Aravalli Range]] in [[Alwar]] district and Pahari, Nagar, Kaman tehsils in [[Bharatpur, India|Bharatpur]] district of [[Rajasthan]] and also some part of [[Mathura]] district of Uttar Pradesh. The last ruler of Mewat, [[Hasan Khan Mewati]] was killed in the [[battle of Khanwa]] against the Mughal emperor Babur. The [[Khanzada Rajputs|Meo Khanzadas]] were descended from Hindu [[Yadu]] Rajputs.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bharadwaj |first1=Suraj |title=State Formation in Mewat Relationship of the Khanzadas with the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal State, and Other Regional Potentates |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=11 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199462797.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-946279-7 |url=https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/mobile/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199462797.001.0001/acprof-9780199462797-chapter-2 |access-date=24 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="rekhta.org"/><ref name="توصیف الحسن میواتی الہندی"/>


====Lalkhani Nawabs====
He made mention of Islam's mass appeal,''' ''"...The impact of the invaders of the north-west and [[Islam]] on India had been considerable. It pointed out and shown up the abuses that had crept up into Hindu society-the petrifaction of caste, untouchability, exclusiveness carried to fantastic lengths. The idea of brotherhood of Islam and of the theoretical equality of its adherents made a powerful appeal, especially those of the Hindu fold who were denied any semblance of equal treatment..."'' '''(p265)
[[File:MuhammadSaidKhan.jpg|thumb|Muhammad Said Khan, the Nawab of Chhatri and a Lalkhani Rajput]]
The [[Lalkhani]]s are a Muslim Rajput community and a sub-clan of the [[Bargujar]]s. They were the [[Nawab]]s of various estates in Western [[Uttar Pradesh]]. These included [[Chhatari]] and neighbouring regions including parts of [[Aligarh]] and [[Bulandshahr]].<ref name="Stokes1978">{{cite book|author=Eric Stokes|title=The Peasant and the Raj: Studies in Agrarian Society and Peasant Rebellion in Colonial India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9DU5AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA199|year=1978|publisher=CUP Archive|isbn=978-0-521-29770-7|pages=199–}}</ref>


The Langah Sultanate was a [[Sultan|kingdom]] which emerged after the decline of [[Delhi Sultanate]] in the [[Punjab]] region. The capital of the Sultanate was the city of [[Multan]] in south [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. The founding Langah tribe is said to have Muslim Rajput origin.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Qanungo |first1=Kalika Ranjan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ue9tAAAAMAAJ&q=langah+sultanate |title=Sher Shah and His Times |last2=Kānūnago |first2=Kālikā Rañjana |date=1965 |publisher=Orient Longmans |page=286 |language=en |quote=Under the shadow of Rajput Langah dynasty of Multan...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kumar |first=Raj |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e8o5HyC0-FUC&dq=Langah+Rajputs&pg=PA338 |title=Encyclopaedia Of Untouchables : Ancient Medieval And Modern |date=2008 |publisher=Gyan Publishing House |isbn=978-81-7835-664-8 |page=338 |language=en |quote=Meanwhile the Langah Rajputs had established themselves on the throne of Multan...}}</ref>
He further stated the conversions of Hindu upper castes to Islam, ''' ''"Some individuals belonging to the higher castes also adopted the new faith, either because of a real change of belief, or, more often, for political economic reasons....though all their social structure was based on the group (caste/social class), in matters of religion they were highly individualistic...It is worth noting as a rule, conversions to Islam were group conversions...Among the upper castes individuals may change their religion...almost an entire village would convert...group life as well as well as their functions continued as before with only minor variations with regards worship etc."'' '''(p266)


==== Soomra dynasty ====
Sir Denzil Ibbetson (''Panjab castes'' New Delhi, repr.2002, p14, p139, p206, p262, p153-154) records the prominent positions of the ''Musalmán (Muslim) Rajputs'' many times, from their courage and valiant martial tradition, to some clans lack of difference from their Hindu counterparts in some regions.
{{Main|Soomra dynasty}}


After the decline of [[Habbari dynasty]], the Abbasid Caliphate then appointed [[Khafif|Al Khafif]] from [[Samarra]]; 'Soomro' means 'of Samarra' in Sindhi. The new governor of Sindh was to create a better, stronger and stable government. Once he became the governor, he allotted several key positions to his family and friends; thus Al-Khafif or Sardar Khafif Soomro formed the [[Soomro Dynasty]] in Sindh;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uok.edu.pk/faculties/sindhi/docs/soomroEng.pdf |title=Data |website=www.uok.edu.pk }}</ref> and became its first ruler. Until the [[Siege of Baghdad (1258)]] the Soomro dynasty was the Abbasid Caliphate's functionary in Sindh, but after that it became independent. The [[Soomro]]s were first native Muslim dynasty in Sindh with probable [[Parmar (Rajput clan)|Parmar]] [[Rajput]] origin.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Dani|first=Ahmad Hasan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D_xtAAAAMAAJ&q=soomra+dynasty|title=History of Pakistan: Pakistan through ages|date=2007|publisher=Sang-e Meel Publications|isbn=978-969-35-2020-0|pages=218|language=en|quote=But as many kings of the dynasty bore Hindu names, it is almost certain that the Soomras were of local origin. Sometimes they are connected with Paramara Rajputs, but of this there is no definite proof.}}</ref> Along with Rajput origins, the Soomros also claimed [[Arab]] ancestry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wink |first=André |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g2m7_R5P2oAC&q=al+hind+andre+wink |title=Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7Th-11th Centuries |date=2002 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-0-391-04173-8 |pages=166 |language=en|quote= The Sumras were a dynasty of local origin, later claiming to be Rajputs as well as Arabs, and are clearly distinguishable from the pastoral-nomadic Jats or Mids.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Siddiqui |first1=Habibullah |title=The Soomras of Sindh: their origin, main characteristics and rule – an overview (general survey) (1025 – 1351 AD) |journal=Literary Conference on Soomra Period in Sindh |url=https://uok.edu.pk/faculties/sindhi/docs/soomroEng.pdf}}</ref>
Regarding their rule as Muslim kings and chiefs of multi faith subjects, it is recorded in the ''Jhelum District Gazetteer'' (Lahore, repr.2004, p129),''' ''"thoroughly convinced of the truth of their own creed, though they are by no means intolerant or fanatical."''' ''


====Qaimkhanis of Fatehpur-Jhunjhunu====
The Rajput conversions attracted criticism from their Hindu counterparts. Despite the anger of their Hindu peers, the Muslim Rajputs remained steadfast and loyal to their faiths and there exists no record of any prominent Muslim Rajput clan converting back to Hinduism after accepting Islam.
The [[Qaimkhani]]s were a Muslim Rajput dynasty who were notable for ruling the [[Fatehpur, Rajasthan|Fatehpur]]-[[Jhunjhunu]] region in [[Rajasthan]] from the 1300s to the 1700s.<ref name=Budhwar1978>{{cite journal | title=The Qayamkhani Shaikhzada Family of Fatehpur-Jhunjhunu | author= Sunita Budhwar | journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume = 39| year=1978 | pages= 412–425|jstor = 44139379}}</ref><ref>Dr Dasharatha Sharma, Kyam Khan Raso, Ed. Dasharath Sharma, Agarchand Nahta, Rajsthan Puratatva Mandir, 1953, page-15</ref> They were descended from Hindu Chauhan Rajputs, though as also stated by the historian Dirk Kolff the Qaimkhani have [[Turkic people|Turkic]] origins.<ref>{{cite book |title=Naukar, Rajput, and Sepoy: The Ethnohistory of the Military Labour Market of Hindustan, 1450-1850 |first=Dirk H. A. |last=Kolff |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-521-52305-9 |page=57 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SrdiVPsFRYIC&pg=PA57}}</ref>


====Mayi chiefs====
There is an interesting case of this happening up until the recent ''British Raj era'' of India's history which established a precedent in their government. In ''"Rulers of India, Lord Lawrence and the Reconstruction of India Under The Crown"'' by Sir Charles Aitcheson, K.C.S.I., M.A., LL.D.(Clarendon Press 1897,V p117) stated that in the state of ''Rajgarh'', the ruling Rajput Chief began to show a tendency towards Islam and got into difficulties with his Hindu caste peers over this. This occurred during the period of Sir John Lawrence’s Viceroy period. His open following of Islamic traditions had infuriated his peers and feelings were so strong against him that he chose to abdicate the royal throne and retire to his new found faith. The subsequent inquiry against him however showed that he was a good ruler and no misgovernment was charged against him and his subjects were satisfied with his rule. A year later this Rajput chief openly declared the Kalima (Muslim affirmation of embracing Islam) and renounced the Hindu faith. His sons also joined him. This case established for the British Raj the precedent that no leader or ruler can be replaced simply because of his change of creed. Regardless of the feelings of his peers, it was the quality of his rule that mattered.
The [[Mayi clan]] were the chieftains of the Narhat-Samai (Hisua) chieftaincy in modern-day [[Nawada district]] in South [[Bihar]]. The founder of the Mayi clan was Nuraon Khan who arrived in Bihar in the 17th century. His descendants were Azmeri and Deyanut who were granted zamindari rights over six parganas by the Mughal authorities. Deyanut's son was Kamgar Khan who expanded his land by attacking and plundering neighbouring zamindars. Kamgar Khan also led numerous revolts against the Mughals and attempted to assert the Mayi's independence. His descendant was Iqbal Ali Khan who took part in the [[1781 revolt in Bihar]] against the British however his revolt failed and Mayi's lost much of their land.<ref name="Prakash2003">{{cite book|author=Gyan Prakash|title=Bonded Histories: Genealogies of Labor Servitude in Colonial India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQFvks7lahoC|date=30 October 2003|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-52658-6|pages=87–89}}</ref>


====Bengal====
==Beliefs and customs of Muslim Rajputs==
Rajput communities began settling in [[Bengal Sultanate|Bengal during the Sultanate period]] where they were given high ranks in the Bengal government. One notable example is of Bhagirath of [[Ayodhya]], who belonged to the Hindu [[Bais (Rajput clan)|Bais]] clan, who was appointed as the [[Dewan]] of Sultan [[Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} His son, Kalidas Gajdani embraced [[Sunni Islam]] through the guidance of [[Ibrahim Danishmand]] and became known as Sulaiman Khan. Bhagirath's grandson, [[Isa Khan]], grew to become the chief of Bengal's [[Baro-Bhuiyan]] confederacy which posed as a threat to the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]]s who wanted to conquer Bengal.<ref>{{cite Banglapedia|article=Isa Khan|author=Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin}}</ref> The [[dewan|diwan]]s of [[Mymensingh]] and [[Dhaka]] during the 19th-century were said to be the descendants of Muslim Rajputs.<ref>{{cite book|title=The rise of Islam and the Bengal frontier, 1204-1760|page=122|author=[[Richard M. Eaton|Eaton, Richard Maxwell]]|year=1993|isbn=978-0-520-20507-9|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|chapter=Bengal under the Sultans}}</ref>


Another Bengali Rajput community are the [[Ghosi tribe#West Bengal|Ghosi]], who can predominantly be found in the [[24 Parganas]] and [[Midnapore District|Midnapore]] districts, particularly near the towns of [[Barrackpur]] and [[Kharagpur]]. They migrated to Bengal from [[Kanpur]] five centuries ago and are descended from Amar Singh Rathore, a Rajput nobleman from [[Jhansi district|Jhansi]] who converted to [[Islam]]. They are divided into several clans; Rathore, Dogar, Chauhan, Khelari, Tatar, Lehar, Nahar and Maidul.<ref name="SiddiquiIndia)2004">{{cite book|author1=M. K. A. Siddiqui|author2=Institute of Objective Studies (New Delhi, India)|title=Marginal Muslim communities in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygNuAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=1 June 2011|year=2004|publisher=Institute of Objective Studies|isbn=978-81-85220-58-1|pages=295–305}}</ref>{{quotation needed|date=December 2024}}
Muslim Rajputs believe that being a Rajput is a matter of lineal heritage and martial upbringing, which is not exclusive to [[Hinduism]]. Islam's ideal of a [[Mujahid]] replaces the Hindu [[Kshatriya]] ideal. Although proud of their ancestry, they do not overly romanticize their ancestry which is forbidden in Islam. They also renounced the [[Varna]], Indian [[caste system]].


== Demographics ==
====''' ''Change of name'' '''====
A custom during these conversions was to adopt a new name to reflect their change of faith. Many Rajput kings changed their names, but also retained their ancestral/lineal titles such as [[Raja]], [[Maharaja]] and [[Rai]] as well as tribal names such as ''[[Bhatti]]'', ''[[Janjua]]'', ''[[Minhas]]'', ''Naru'', ''Kokhar'' etc. This sense of identity has never been lost and [[Islam]] did in fact support and recognize ''tribal identity''.


====''' ''Marriages '' '''====
=== British Punjab ===
In the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab province]] of [[British India]], comprising [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] and some parts of [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] in modern Pakistan as well [[Punjab]], [[Haryana]], [[Chandigarh]], [[Delhi]], and some parts of [[Himachal Pradesh]] in modern India, in 1921, 70.7% of the Punjabi Rajputs were [[Muslims]] while 27.7% were Hindus, with the highest percentage of Rajputs found in [[Rawalpindi District|Rawalpindi]], with 21%.<ref>Sharma, Subash Chander (1987). ''Punjab, the Crucial Decade''. New Delhi: Nirmal Publishers & Distributors. p. 105. {{ISBN|978-81-7156-173-5}}.</ref>
Hindu Rajput code dictates that Rajputs can only marry amongst other Rajputs. According to [[Islam]] it was a preferred custom for a Royal to marry within royalty (note: this only applies to ruling royals). However, tradition of marriages into only one group or clan because of caste reasons is not permitted in Islam. This led to a great change in the traditional rajput marital policy. Muslim Rajputs therefore started to marry from other dominant Muslim clans of non Rajput ancestry. This was to continue the tradition of royal/strategic marriages without prejudice to Rajput affiliation. This was further realized when some major Rajput clans of Punjab intermarried into other clans of foreign descent. However, some Muslim Rajputs still follow the custom of only marrying into other Rajput clans only, such as some (not all) branches of the [[Naru]]s, [[Bhatti]]s, [[Janjua]]s, [[Jarral]]s, [[Chauhan]]s, Kokhars and [[Rathor]]es.


=== Pakistan Punjab ===
====''' ''Geneological Family Trees'' '''====
In Pakistan's Punjab province, the Rajputs are dominant in the [[Pothohar Plateau|Potohar plateau]] through its politics and military.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arshad |first=Sameer |date=7 May 2013 |title=Caste plays dominant role in Pak elections |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/caste-plays-dominant-role-in-pak-elections/articleshow/19916533.cms?from=mdr |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115204323/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/caste-plays-dominant-role-in-pak-elections/articleshow/19916533.cms?from=mdr |archive-date=15 January 2024 |website=[[The Times of India]] |quote=Rajputs are dominant in northern Punjab, where Abbasi’s constituency is located, followed by Jats in central and Balochs in the province’s south.}}</ref>
This is a strong tradition that exists amongst Rajputs of all faiths, the recording of family names and continuance of the family tree. Muslim Rajputs of prominence hold and continue to record their geneological trees since their Hindu past even after their conversion to Islam, to the present day.


As per the [[2017 Pakistani census|2017 Pakistan census]], Rajputs numbered around 5% of [[Lahore District|Lahore]]'s population, their population amounting to some 550,000 individuals out of Lahore's total population of around 11 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=District Profile |url=https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/district_profile |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127195943/https://lahore.punjab.gov.pk/district_profile |archive-date=27 November 2023 |website=District Lahore - [[Government of Punjab, Pakistan|Government of Punjab]]}}</ref>
====''' ''Inheritance'' '''====
A reference to certain customs of inheritance and marriage of ''Muhammadan Rajputs'' is mentioned on this link in relation to Hindu Rajputs and other tribes. [http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/cust20.htm]


=== Uttar Pradesh ===
==Titles==
In India's [[Uttar Pradesh]], many Rajput communities have embraced Islam, such as the [[Bais (clan)|Bais]] or the [[Gautam (clan)|Gautam]], the Gautamanas or Gautam [[Thakur (title)|Thakurs]] as they like to call themselves being the largest such group in the [[Fatehpur district]], where they number around 100,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sethi |first=Atul |date=8 July 2007 |title=The Muslim Rajputs of UP |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/the-muslim-rajputs-of-up/articleshow/2185320.cms?from=mdr |access-date=27 January 2024 |website=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref>

Many Muslim Rajputs were conferred titles by the [[Mughal]] [[Emperor]]s such as [[Nawab]] (Governor), [[Khan]] (Grand chief), [[Malik]] (Royal), [[Chaudhry]] and [[Mirza]] i.e. [[Prince of the blood]]. It was not uncommon for such titles to continue down the line of descent. Although the majority of Muslim Rajputs use [[Raja]] as their ancestral title, some also adopted the Persian title of [[Mirza]] instead of Rajput to distinguish their Muslim identity from their previous Hindu one as it is a Persian word meaning [[prince of the blood]].

Rana, [[Rai]], Rao, [[Raja]], [[Khan]],[[Chaudhry]], [[Khanzada]] are titles often used by Rajput Muslims. Some Muslim Rajput clans were given imperial titles by the Mughals, such the [[Jarral]] Rajputs given the title of [[Mirza]] by [[Shah Jahan]] and the [[Tanoli]] [[Janjua]]s of Amb receiving the title of [[Nawab]]'s of the state.

The title of [[Chaudhry]] was conferred on the chiefs of the Muslim [[Minhas]] Rajputs in [[Chakwal]] by the [[Mughal]] Emperor [[Babur]] and is used by some clans who were conferred this prestigious office.

The title of [[Sultan]] has been also conferred to some Muslim Rajputs such as the ''Janjua Sultan of Watli''.

==British Raj References of Muslim Rajputs==

During the British era, the English quickly recognised the martial spirit of the Muslim Rajput and conferred great respect on their prominent clans and also documented their presence in the British army, praising their Martial traditions and abilities.

In 1922 there is mention of Muslim Rajputs having their own regiments as well as taking part in other famous regiments;

* '' '''18th Musalman Rajput regiment'''''[http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:TptERdAI3fkJ:www.bharat-rakshak.com/MONITOR/ISSUE3-4/bajwa.html+musalman+rajputs&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=2]
* '' '''35th Scinde Horse''' '' [http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:w-YLqkhT75QJ:princelystates.com/ArchivedFeatures/fa-01-02b.shtml+35th+scinde+horse+musalman+rajputs&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=1]
* '' '''36th Jacob's Horse''' '' [http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:w-YLqkhT75QJ:princelystates.com/ArchivedFeatures/fa-01-02b.shtml+musalman+rajputs&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=3]
* '' '''17th Musalman Rajput regiment of Wana, Bengal Army''' ''
* '' '''Mauritius 18th Muslim Rajput regiment''' ''[http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:I-Gm_Ou4k9kJ:orbat.com/site/history/historical/uk/indianarmy1902.html+musalman+rajputs&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=16]

''The Jhelum District Gazetteer of 1904'' (Lahore 2002, p254) states clearly the esteem of the Muslim Rajput tribes of [[Janjua]] and Tiwana, ''' ''"...recruiting ground par excellence for Punjábi Musalmáns...The Janjúas of the Salt Range are considered second to none in martial spirit and tradition, and with the Gakkhars and Tiwánás form the élite of the Punjábi Musalmáns."'' ''' (NOTE The [[Gakhars]] mentioned are not a Rajput tribe but a Punjabi tribe which uses the [[Raja]] [[Kayani]] title today in Pakistan.)

Sir Lepel H.Griffin in his famous book, ''Chiefs and Families of note in the Punjab'' (1909, Lahore, p217) stated, ''' ''"The [[Janjua]]hs furnish excellent Cavalry recruits"'' ''' The Janjua clan are famous Muslim Rajputs of the [[Punjab region]].

''Sardar Bahadur Lieutenant Colonel Raja Atta Ullah Khan [[Jarral]] of Rajaur'' - He served in the ''Hodson's Horse'' and ''9th and 10th Bengal Lancers.'' Wounded many a time and was a highly decorated soldier of his time. He was promoted to the rank of [[Lieutenant Colonel]] and in the year 1885, became the first ever Muslim to be designated ''British Envoy ([[Ambassador]])'' to [[Afghanistan]]. He was also conferred the title of ''Sardar Bahadur'' by the British Raj. ''Punjab Chiefs'' (Lahore 1909, p100) notes, ''' ''" (he) received Orders of Merit and of British India. In special acknowledgement of his services, a grant of six hundred acres in Rukhanwala, Tahsil Kasur, Lahore, was made to him and his heirs in perpetuity."''' '' He was highly respected by the British who further granted him the personal title of [[Raja]] also.

''Sardar [[Bahadur]] [[Malik]] Jahan Khan Tiwana'' - of Jahanabad, established a reputation as valiant, gallant and faithful in his time, being conferred also the titles of, ''' ''"...Sardar Bahadur for conspicuous bravery and merit..."'' ''' (''Chiefs and Families of Note of the Punjab, L.H.Griffin, Lahore 1909,p189)

''Sardar [[Bahadur]] Captain Hussain Baksh Khan Janjua'' - was a decorated and highly respected Chief during the British Raj. He was conferred the title of Sardar Bahadur for his bravery and courage. (''Tarikh e Janjua'' Raja M.A.Khan Janjua, Sahiwal Press)

All above, indicating a strong and continued martial tradition even into the present day with high ranking military officers listed in the below sections.

==Major Muslim Rajput clans==

* UP: Malkhana (Gaud and Jayaswal)
* Haryana: Mev (Laldasi, Khanzade), Toor/Tanwar/Tomar
* Punjab: Naru, [[Bhatti]], Manj, Punwar, [[Chauhan]], [[Minhas]], Tiwana, Noon, Noor, Joiya-[[Johiya]], Gheba, Jodhra, [[Janjua]], Sial, [[Chadhar]], Wattu, Khokhar, Gehlot, Kasvaal, [[Ranial Rajputs|Ranial, Dhamial]], Kerala.
* Rajasthan: Quayam Khani ([[Chauhan]]), Lalkhani.
* Gujarat: Mole Islam (Girasia)
* Sindh: Mahar/Maher (Suryavanshi), Bhutto, Deshwali (Agnivanshi), Sama (Bhati), Sodha (Parmar), Tonwar (Bhaiya, Tannu), Sattar (Rathore) etc.
* [[Azad Kashmir]]: [[Jarral]], Kalyaal, [[Khakha]], Chibh.
* NWFP: [[Tanoli]]

The Mughal princes had some maternal Rajput blood. Both [[Jahangir]], [[Shahjahan]] and [[Bahadur Shah Zafar]] had Rajput mothers.

==Distinguished Muslim Rajputs==

====Pakistani====

===Politics===

====Historical====
* [[Nawab Sir Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana]] (Prime Minister of the Punjab 1940's)
* [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] (President/Prime Minister of Pakistan)
* Sir Malik [[Feroz Khan Noon]], (Prime Minister of Pakistan)
* Mohammad Khan Junejo (Prime Minister of Pakistan)
* Mian Mumtaz Daulatana (Chief Minister of the Punjab)
* Abdul Sattar Laleka [[Johiya]](Federal Minister)
* Sadique Khan Kanju (Federal Minister)
* Ghaus Bux Khan Mahar (Federal Minister)
* Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan Kokhar (Federal Minister)
* Raja Muhammed Sarfraz Khan [[Minhas]], [[Pakistan Movement]], MLA 1929-1958
* Rana Phool Khan (Provincial Minister)
* Ayub Khan [[Tanoli]] (Pakistan Provincial Minister)
* Jam Sadiq Ali Junejo (Chief Minister of the Sindh)

====Contemporary====
* [[Benazir Bhutto]] (twice [[Prime Minister]] of Pakistan)
* Raja Zafar ul Haq [[Janjua]] (Chairman of Muslim League-Federal Minister)
* Sardar Ali Muhammad Khan Mahar (Chief Minister of Sindh)
* Muhammad Tariq [[Janjua]] (Federal Minister for Minorities, Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs)
* Sardar Tufial Ahmed Khan Meo (Member National Assembly Pakistan)
* Khalid Ahmad Khan Kharral (Federal Minister)
* Raja Lal Khan [[Janjua]] (Federal Minister)
* Sardar Ghulam Muhammad Khan Mahar (Federal Minister)
* [[Raja Nadir Pervez]], Sitara-e-Jurat {Federal Minister)
* Raja Lehrasab Khan [[Janjua]] (Federal Minister)
* Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Alpial [[Manj]] (Federal Mininster)
* Sardar Hanif Ahmed Khan Meo (Member National Assembly)
* Raja Parvez Ashraf of Gujar Khan [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]] (Member of National Assembly)
* Ch. Zaheerudin Khan (Provincial Minister Punjab)
* Raja Tariq Khan [[Janjua]] - District Nazim Qadian, Gujar Khan
* Sardar Ghulam Abbass Khan [[Minhas]] (Provincial Minister Punjab) District Nazim Chakwal 2002-Present
* Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]] (Leader Of the Opposition, Punjab)
* Raja Riaz Ahemad Khan [[Minhas]] [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]] MPA 1993-Present
* Mian Muhammad Latif Panwar Rajput (Member of Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Bhawalpur)

===Army===
* General [[Muhammed Akbar Khan]] (P.A.1), First Muslim General of British Army & later Pakistan Army
* General Muhammed [[Iftikhar Khan]] ([[Minhas]]) (Died in Air crash 1949)
* [[General]] Asif Nawaz [[Janjua]] - Chief of Staff Pakistan Army.
* General Muhammed Anwar Khan ([[Minhas]])(First Engineer in Chief of Pakistan Army)
* General [[Tikka Khan]] Janjua - Chief of Staff Pakistan Army.
* [[General]] [[Iftikhar Janjua]] - Died on the frontline and honoured as a National Hero.
* [[Lieutenant]] General (retd.) Lehrasab Khan (Sitar-e-Jurat)- also Secretary Defence Production
* [[Lieutenant]] General (retd.) Mohammad Tariq
* [[Brigadier]] (retd) Amir Gulistan [[Janjua]] and also Governor (retd) of NWFP
* General Iftikhar Ali Khan ([[Manj]], Alpial)
* [[Lieutenant General]] Afzal Janjua
* [[Lieutenant General]] Afzal Muzaffar
* General Afzal [[Janjua]]
* General Tariq Pervaiz Khan
[[Image:Sawar_Hussain_Janjua_Nishan_e_Haider.jpg|thumb|right]]
* [[Lieutenant General]] (retd) Rao Farman Ali Khan
* General Ahsan Saleem Hyat (Vice Chief of Army Staff)
* [[Brigadier]] Nisar Mahar
* [[Brigadier]] Raja Fiaz Ahmad [[Janjua]]
* Brigadier Muhammad Yousaf of Mandra (Jaskham Rajput) [(Sitara-e-Imtiaz-Military) Dy. DG(r)FWO ]
* Col(r). Ghulam Mustafa (Janjua)[Chakwal]

===Air Force===
* [[Air Chief Marshal]] Kalim Saadat
* [[Air Vice Marshal]] Raja Aftab Iqbal

===Nishan-e-Haider===
* Raja Muhammed Sarwar
* [[Major]] [[Aziz Bhatti|Raja Aziz Bhatti]]
* Pilot Office [[Rashid Minhas]]
* Major Shabir Shareef
* Sawar Muhammad Hussain Janjua

===Victoria Cross===
* Subaidar [[Khudadad Khan]] [[Minhas]]

===Civil===
* Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, Sindh
* [[Khan Bahadur]] [[Raja]] Faqir Ullah Khan [[Jarral]]
* [[Khan Bahadur]] [[Malik]] Zaman Mahdi Khan [[Janjua]]
* [[Khan Bahadur]],Raja Sahib, Chaudhry Aurangzeb Khan, E.A.C [[Minhas]]
* [[Nawab]] Salahuddin Khan,([[Tanoli]] Janjua): [[Nawab]] of [[Amb]] state.
*[[ Ch Abdul Hameed Khan]], Rehabilitational Commissioner of East and West Pakistan.
* Raja Allahdad Khan [[Minhas]] Chief Secretary, NWFP
* Raja Ahmad Khan [[Minhas]] Chief Secretary, Baluchistan
* Ms Tehmina [[Janjua]] - Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations
* Dr Gulfaraz Ahmed Khan [[Minhas]] Federal Secretary, Government of Pakistan
* Raja Shahid Hussian [[Janjua]] - Federal Secretary, Government of Pakistan

===Sports===
====Cricket====
* Waseem Hassan Raja
* Rameez Hassan Raja
* [[Rana Naved-ul-Hasan]]
* [[Sajid Mahmood]] (Janjua)
* Rao Iftikhar Anjum
* Shafqat Rana

====Hockey====
* Col. Zafar Zafri [[Minhas]]
* Ch. Mudassar Ali Khan [[Minhas]]
* Mujahid Rana

====Boxing====
* [[Amir Khan (boxer)]] ([[Janjua]]) Olympic silver medalist 2004, Gold medalist in Junior Olympics 2003.

===Academics, Science and Technology===
* Prof. Rao Muhammed Akber
* Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan Rajput (Vice Chancellor, Mehran University of Engineering and technology)
* Dr. Gulfaraz Ahmed [[Minhas]], BSc Civil Engineering (Gold Medalist), PhD(Stanford University California, USA) formerly: Chairman OGDC, Chairman NEPRA, Federal Secretary Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources, Member Board of Trustees Pakistan Science Foundation, Member National Reconstruction Bureau, Member Sixth National Finance Commission, presently: Regular Visiting Faculty National University of Sciences and Technology, Executive Director International Institute of Peace & Conflict Resolution
* Dr. Pervez Zamurrad Janjua, Foreign Professor, International Institute of Islamic Economics, Principal Investigator, Centre of Research for Development and Policy Studies, International Islamic University Islamabad, Approved HEC PhD Scholar, Member National Curriculum Committee (Economics) Pakistan
* Raja Sabri Khan (M.Sc. Aero & Astro, [[MIT]])--[[Minhas]]
* Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Farooq Rana (PMC Faisalabad)--(Toor Rajput)
* Prof. Dr. F.A.Shams (Late) M.Sc.M.A.(Cantab) President Pakistan Academy of Geological Sciences also former:Director ,Institute of Geology..Dean Faculty of Science, Director Centre for Integrated Mountain Research,Punjab University Lahore.(Naru Rajput)
* Rana Muhammad Safdar Jang khan. (Naru Rajput),(Ex. D.P.I. Punjab)
* [[Lt. General ]]Mohammad Akram Khan (Vice Chancellor, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.)
====North America====
* Riasat Ali Khan (1933 – 2003)
* Dr. Ali Rajput, O.C., S.O.M.
* [[Yasin Janjua]] - Economist


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Rajput architecture]]
*[[Meo]]
*[[History of Rajputs]]
* [[Rajput painting]]
*[[Rajput]]
* [[Rajputization]]
* [[List of Rajput dynasties and states]]
*[[Janjua]]
*[[Jarral]]
* [[Rajput clans]]
*[[Minhas]]
* [[List of Rajputs]]
*[[Sindhi people]]
*[[Ranial Rajputs]]
*[[Toor Rajput]]
*[[Chadhar]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
* ''A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province'' (3 vols)Maclagan Ibbetson, H.A. Rose:
* ''Handbook on Rajputs''.Bingley, A.H, Delhi: AES, 1986
* ''Annals and antiquities of Rajasthan or the Central and Western Rajput States of India'' by James Tod
* ''The early history of Rajputs: (750 to 1000 A.D.)''


{{Indian Muslim}}{{Social groups of Rajasthan}}
==External links==
* [http://www.geocities.com/pak_history/punjabis.html Leading Tribes of Punjab]
* [http://www.rajputsamaj.net/miscellaneous/pakrajput.htm Rajputs in Pakistan]
* [http://www.haryana-online.com/People/meos.htm Meos]
* [http://www.comeconnect.com/caste_tribes/caste_tribe1.htm Traditions of Punjab]
* [http://www.sikhrajput.com Sikh Rajput in Punjab/Haryana]
* [http://members.tripod.com/~INDIA_RESOURCE/sufi.html Sufi Currents and Civilization in the Islamic Courts]
* [http://www.geocities.com/jarralrajputs/ Jarral Rajputs]


[[Category:Social groups of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Social groups of Bihar]]
[[Category:Punjabi tribes]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Sindhi tribes]]
[[Category:Sindhi tribes]]
[[Category:Islam in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Social groups of India]]
[[Category:Islam in India]]
[[Category:Islam in India]]
[[Category:Rajputs]]
[[Category:Rajputs]]
[[Category:Muslim communities]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of India]]
[[Category:Muslim communities of Uttar Pradesh]]

[[Category:Social groups of Rajasthan]]
[[ar:راجبوت]]
[[de:Rajputen]]
[[es:Rajput]]
[[fa:راجپوت]]
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[[ja:ラージプート]]
[[sv:Rajput]]
[[ur:راجپوت]]

Latest revision as of 15:49, 28 December 2024

Muslim Rajputs
Regions with significant populations
 India and  Pakistan
Languages
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Rajputs and other Indo-Aryan peoples

Muslim Rajputs or Musalman Rajpoots are the descendants of Rajputs in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who generally are followers of Islam.[1] They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period onwards, creating various dynasties and states while retaining Hindu surnames such as Chauhan.[2][3][4] Today, Muslim Rajputs can be found mostly in present-day Northern India and Pakistan.[5] They are further divided into different clans.[6]

History

The term Rajput is traditionally applied to the original Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi clans, who claimed to be Kshatriya in the Hindu varna system.[citation needed]

Conversion to Islam and ethos

Upon their conversion from Hinduism to Islam, many Muslim Rajputs maintained many of their Hindu customs, and hence retained their Cultural Hindu identity.[2] Muslim Rajputs also often retained common social practices, such as purdah (seclusion of women), with Hindu Rajputs.[5]

Despite the difference in religious faith, where the question has arisen of common Rajput honour, there have been instances where both Muslim and Hindu Rajputs have united together against threats from external ethnic groups.[7][weasel words]

There are recorded instances of recent conversions of Rajputs to Islam in Western Uttar Pradesh, Khurja tahsil of Bulandshahr.[8]

Muslim Rajput dynasties

Kharagpur Raj

The Kharagpur Raj was a Muslim Kindwar Rajput chieftaincy in modern-day Munger district of Bihar.[9][10] Raja Sangram Singh led a rebellion against the Mughal authorities and was subsequently defeated and executed. His son, Toral Mal, was made to convert to Islam and renamed as Roz Afzun. Roz Afzun was a loyal Commander to the Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan and Jahangir referred to him as his "favourite" commander in the empire.[11] Another prominent chieftain of this dynasty was Tahawar Singh who played an active role in the Mughal expedition against the nearby Cheros of Palamu.[12]

Samma dynasty

Makli Hill is one of the largest necropolises in the world.

In 1339 Jam Unar founded a Sindhi Muslim Rajput Samma dynasty[13] and challenged the Sultans of Delhi.

Khanzada dynasty

Mewat was a kingdom in Rajputana with its capital at Alwar ruled by a Khanzada Mewati Rajput dynasty during the period of the Delhi Sultanate in India. Raja Hassan Khan Mewati was represented the Meo Khanzada in Battle of Khanwa.[14] Mewat was covered over a wide area, it included Hathin tehsil, Nuh district, Tijara, Gurgaon, Kishangarh Bas, Ramgarh, Laxmangarh Tehsils Aravalli Range in Alwar district and Pahari, Nagar, Kaman tehsils in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and also some part of Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. The last ruler of Mewat, Hasan Khan Mewati was killed in the battle of Khanwa against the Mughal emperor Babur. The Meo Khanzadas were descended from Hindu Yadu Rajputs.[15][14][6]

Lalkhani Nawabs

Muhammad Said Khan, the Nawab of Chhatri and a Lalkhani Rajput

The Lalkhanis are a Muslim Rajput community and a sub-clan of the Bargujars. They were the Nawabs of various estates in Western Uttar Pradesh. These included Chhatari and neighbouring regions including parts of Aligarh and Bulandshahr.[16]

The Langah Sultanate was a kingdom which emerged after the decline of Delhi Sultanate in the Punjab region. The capital of the Sultanate was the city of Multan in south Punjab. The founding Langah tribe is said to have Muslim Rajput origin.[17][18]

Soomra dynasty

After the decline of Habbari dynasty, the Abbasid Caliphate then appointed Al Khafif from Samarra; 'Soomro' means 'of Samarra' in Sindhi. The new governor of Sindh was to create a better, stronger and stable government. Once he became the governor, he allotted several key positions to his family and friends; thus Al-Khafif or Sardar Khafif Soomro formed the Soomro Dynasty in Sindh;[19] and became its first ruler. Until the Siege of Baghdad (1258) the Soomro dynasty was the Abbasid Caliphate's functionary in Sindh, but after that it became independent. The Soomros were first native Muslim dynasty in Sindh with probable Parmar Rajput origin.[20] Along with Rajput origins, the Soomros also claimed Arab ancestry.[21][22]

Qaimkhanis of Fatehpur-Jhunjhunu

The Qaimkhanis were a Muslim Rajput dynasty who were notable for ruling the Fatehpur-Jhunjhunu region in Rajasthan from the 1300s to the 1700s.[23][24] They were descended from Hindu Chauhan Rajputs, though as also stated by the historian Dirk Kolff the Qaimkhani have Turkic origins.[25]

Mayi chiefs

The Mayi clan were the chieftains of the Narhat-Samai (Hisua) chieftaincy in modern-day Nawada district in South Bihar. The founder of the Mayi clan was Nuraon Khan who arrived in Bihar in the 17th century. His descendants were Azmeri and Deyanut who were granted zamindari rights over six parganas by the Mughal authorities. Deyanut's son was Kamgar Khan who expanded his land by attacking and plundering neighbouring zamindars. Kamgar Khan also led numerous revolts against the Mughals and attempted to assert the Mayi's independence. His descendant was Iqbal Ali Khan who took part in the 1781 revolt in Bihar against the British however his revolt failed and Mayi's lost much of their land.[26]

Bengal

Rajput communities began settling in Bengal during the Sultanate period where they were given high ranks in the Bengal government. One notable example is of Bhagirath of Ayodhya, who belonged to the Hindu Bais clan, who was appointed as the Dewan of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah.[citation needed] His son, Kalidas Gajdani embraced Sunni Islam through the guidance of Ibrahim Danishmand and became known as Sulaiman Khan. Bhagirath's grandson, Isa Khan, grew to become the chief of Bengal's Baro-Bhuiyan confederacy which posed as a threat to the Mughals who wanted to conquer Bengal.[27] The diwans of Mymensingh and Dhaka during the 19th-century were said to be the descendants of Muslim Rajputs.[28]

Another Bengali Rajput community are the Ghosi, who can predominantly be found in the 24 Parganas and Midnapore districts, particularly near the towns of Barrackpur and Kharagpur. They migrated to Bengal from Kanpur five centuries ago and are descended from Amar Singh Rathore, a Rajput nobleman from Jhansi who converted to Islam. They are divided into several clans; Rathore, Dogar, Chauhan, Khelari, Tatar, Lehar, Nahar and Maidul.[29][need quotation to verify]

Demographics

British Punjab

In the Punjab province of British India, comprising Punjab and some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in modern Pakistan as well Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and some parts of Himachal Pradesh in modern India, in 1921, 70.7% of the Punjabi Rajputs were Muslims while 27.7% were Hindus, with the highest percentage of Rajputs found in Rawalpindi, with 21%.[30]

Pakistan Punjab

In Pakistan's Punjab province, the Rajputs are dominant in the Potohar plateau through its politics and military.[31]

As per the 2017 Pakistan census, Rajputs numbered around 5% of Lahore's population, their population amounting to some 550,000 individuals out of Lahore's total population of around 11 million.[32]

Uttar Pradesh

In India's Uttar Pradesh, many Rajput communities have embraced Islam, such as the Bais or the Gautam, the Gautamanas or Gautam Thakurs as they like to call themselves being the largest such group in the Fatehpur district, where they number around 100,000.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ "UNHCR Refugee Review Tribunal. IND32856, 6 February 2008" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b Singhal, Damodar P. (1972). Pakistan. Prentice Hall. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-13-648477-6. Large communities converted to Islam from among Hindus carried with them Hindu customs and usages, and often passed them on to other Muslims. Many Rajput converts even retained their family names, such as Chauhan and Rajput.
  3. ^ Singh, Yogendra (1973). Modernization of Indian Tradition. Oriental Press. p. 74. The next in status are a few higher caste Hindu converts to Islam, particularly the Rajputs
  4. ^ Cambridge South Asian Studies, Issue 16. 1965. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-521-20432-3. The latter may be subdivided into three distinct groups: converts from Hindu high castes such as Muslim Rajputs, converts from clean occupational castes such as Julahas and Qassabs, and converts from unclean occupational castes such as Bhangis and Chamars.
  5. ^ a b "Rajput". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. ^ a b توصیف الحسن میواتی الہندی (23 August 2020). تاریخِ میو اور داستانِ میوات.
  7. ^ Self and sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since 1850 by Ayesha Jalal, Routledge 2000, p480, p481
  8. ^ Muslim Women by Zakia A. Siddiqi, Anwar Jahan Zuberi, Aligarh Muslim University, India University Grants, M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1993, p93
  9. ^ Tahir Hussain Ansari (20 June 2019). Mughal Administration and the Zamindars of Bihar. Taylor & Francis. pp. 22–28. ISBN 978-1-000-65152-2.
  10. ^ Yogendra P. Roy (1999). "Agrarian Reforms in "Sarkar" Munger under Raja Bahrox Singh (1631-76) Of Kharagpur". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 60: 287–292. JSTOR 44144095.
  11. ^ Yogendra P. Roy (1993). "Raja Roz Afzun of Kharagpur (AD 1601 - 31". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 54: 357–358. JSTOR 44142975.
  12. ^ Yogendra P. Roy (1992). "Tahawar Singh-A Muslim Raja of Kharagpur Raj (1676 - 1727)". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 53: 333–334. JSTOR 44142804.
  13. ^ U. M. Chokshi; M. R. Trivedi (1989). Gujarat State Gazetteer. Director, Government Print., Stationery and Publications, Gujarat State. p. 274. It was the conquest of Kutch by the Sindhi tribe of Sama Rajputs that marked the emergence of Kutch as a separate kingdom in the 14th century.
  14. ^ a b "Tareekh-e-Miyo Chhatri by Hakeem Abdush Shakoor". Rekhta. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  15. ^ Bharadwaj, Suraj (2016). State Formation in Mewat Relationship of the Khanzadas with the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal State, and Other Regional Potentates. Oxford University Press. p. 11. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199462797.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-946279-7. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  16. ^ Eric Stokes (1978). The Peasant and the Raj: Studies in Agrarian Society and Peasant Rebellion in Colonial India. CUP Archive. pp. 199–. ISBN 978-0-521-29770-7.
  17. ^ Qanungo, Kalika Ranjan; Kānūnago, Kālikā Rañjana (1965). Sher Shah and His Times. Orient Longmans. p. 286. Under the shadow of Rajput Langah dynasty of Multan...
  18. ^ Kumar, Raj (2008). Encyclopaedia Of Untouchables : Ancient Medieval And Modern. Gyan Publishing House. p. 338. ISBN 978-81-7835-664-8. Meanwhile the Langah Rajputs had established themselves on the throne of Multan...
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  20. ^ Dani, Ahmad Hasan (2007). History of Pakistan: Pakistan through ages. Sang-e Meel Publications. p. 218. ISBN 978-969-35-2020-0. But as many kings of the dynasty bore Hindu names, it is almost certain that the Soomras were of local origin. Sometimes they are connected with Paramara Rajputs, but of this there is no definite proof.
  21. ^ Wink, André (2002). Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7Th-11th Centuries. BRILL. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-391-04173-8. The Sumras were a dynasty of local origin, later claiming to be Rajputs as well as Arabs, and are clearly distinguishable from the pastoral-nomadic Jats or Mids.
  22. ^ Siddiqui, Habibullah. "The Soomras of Sindh: their origin, main characteristics and rule – an overview (general survey) (1025 – 1351 AD)" (PDF). Literary Conference on Soomra Period in Sindh.
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  26. ^ Gyan Prakash (30 October 2003). Bonded Histories: Genealogies of Labor Servitude in Colonial India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 87–89. ISBN 978-0-521-52658-6.
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  31. ^ Arshad, Sameer (7 May 2013). "Caste plays dominant role in Pak elections". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Rajputs are dominant in northern Punjab, where Abbasi's constituency is located, followed by Jats in central and Balochs in the province's south.
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