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Memon people

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The Memon (Gujarati: મેમણ ) (Urdu: میمن ) The Memon a minority social group primarily connected with Indian sub-continent trace their roots largely to Sindh, Kutch and Kathiawar [1]. They adhere to Hanafi Sunni Islam, mainly businesspeople and entrepreneurs , share common tongue, mixture of Sindhi and Kutchi, and strongly connect themselves locally with well organized societies called Jamat (literally means congregation) for the social welfare of their brethren.

The Memon may be divided into three main groups, those who traced their ancestors from Kutch region are identified as Kutchi Memon and they speak Kutchi dialects. Those who traced their ancestry to Kathiawar are identified as simply Memon or Kathiawadi Memons and they speak Memoni and those Memon who remained in Sindh (their ancestor never migrated to neighboring regions such as Kutch and Kathiawar) are identified as Sindhi Memon and speak Sindhi language.

Many Memon especially Kathiawadi Memon further distinguished themselves into various sub-groups which is generally refer to their ancestral villages or towns such as Bantva Memons, Dhoraji Memons Deeplai Memon etc. It is estimated that the number of Memon worldwide are over one million. [2]

Language

Memons speak a non-written dialect is called Memoni, a mixture of Sindhi and Kutchi which belong to an Indo-Iranian (North-Western Zone) family of languages. As the Sindhi or Kutchi languages are spoken by both the Muslims and Non-Muslims but Memoni dialect relates exclusively to Kathiawadi Memons who are Sunni (Hanafi) Muslims and who migrated to neighbouring regions Kutch, and Kathiawar, districts of Gujarat state in India, few Centuries ago. The Memoni in sound such as stress and intonation and basic everyday speach is very much like that of Sindhi, but it borrows extensively words from Gujarati, Hindustani and lately English languages. Like most languages of sub-continent the sentence structure and pattern of Memoni generally follows subject -> object -> verb order. [3]

History

Sindhi Origins

A number of theories have been proposed about the origins of the Memon community. These theories, although similar, differ in their details. This could be due to the fact that Memons have had to rely on oral history in order to determine their origins. [1]

According to Dadani, Memon community came into existence in 824 Hijri (1422 CE) when 700 families comprising of 6,178 persons belonging to the Lohana community of Sindh accepted Islam. [4] According to Mr. Anthovan, those Lohanas of Thhato, who had also converted to Islam and became Memons, were invited by Jarejho Roa Khanghar, ruler of Bhuj (1548-1584) to settle in Bhuj. It is from there that Katchi Memons migrated to Kathiawar and Gujarat. Surat in Gujarat was an important trading center during 1580 to 1680 and Memons made their bounty there. Later, the Memons reached Bombay. [5] Diwan Bherumal M. Advani writes that all the Memons of Bombay, Gujarat and Kutch are Lohanas from Sindh. (A volume written by Mr. Anthovan, part 2, pages 52 and 53). [5] Another theory states that Memons originated in 1422 CE from Thatta in Sindh. The converts were first called Momins or Mumins and the term, with the march of time, changed to Memons. This is revealed in a book entitled 'Abraazul Hq' by Sayed Ameeruddin Nuzat, under the guidance of one Peer Buzrug Alli, published in Bombay in 1873. The story related therein states that some 700 Lohana families, (inclusive, perhaps of some earlier covert and neo-Muslim converts) comprising of some 6178 individuals, accepted Islam at the hands one Sayed Yusuffuddin Quadri R.A. and finding themselves banished by their erstwhile Hindu brothers were forced to migrate. [1] This was also stated by Hussain Kassim Dada from his Presidential Chail at the first ever All India Memon Conference in Rajkot in the year 1931.

Post-conversion

Memons migrated from Sindh to Kutch, and Kathiawar (Kathiawad) in modern Gujarat following their conversion. Memons spread throughout the Indian Ocean basin in the 19th century, but most Memons lived in Kathiawar, prior to the Partition of India. Many later settled in Pakistan. Today, they are scattered throughout India and Pakistan, with significant communities in the United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE, South Africa, and Burma.

Memons today

Memons are known for their involvement in business and philanthropy, with Memons having played a major part in the building of Pakistani industry, although an increasing number of Memons are turning to professional occupations. The success of many Memons has aroused some jealousy from other ethnic groups, who sometimes stereotype Memons as being stingy [citation needed].

Owing to their tradition of management and attention to detail, the Memons are one of the most prosperous communities in South Asia and elsewhere. They have built vast business legacies and most Memons around the world belong to the upper-middle class [citation needed] .

Memoni is falling into disuse and the younger generation is unlikely to learn it as their mother tongue for various reasons:

  1. Non-existence of language learning tools, especially disappearance of Gujarati in Pakistan
  2. Many second generation parents do not know their mother tongue themselves.
  3. Memoni is going out of fashion among younger generations. [citation needed]

Memon Around the World

Religious Beliefs and Customs

Religious Practices

Memon follow Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. In South East Asia the Hanafi school is further branched into two main maslak (path or approaches) Deobandi and Barelvi.[6] Up till now, the Memon have not produced any Top Islamic scholars their own, they generally rely on others for their spiritual guidance (this however, is changing now, and great scholars such as Allama Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri, and many others are emerging). Although Memon tend to be religious but their knowledge in Islam is fair to poor. Until recently, the great majority of the Memon approve and follow Sunnah similar to the Barelvi maslak, besides questionable belief about Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him).[6] , Barelvi observed many controversial practices such as Eid al-Mawlid an-Nabawī - Festival of the birth of the Prophet , visiting tombs of Sufi shrine Dargah various rites dealing with decease Chehlum Ziarat (3rd day visit) and 'vershi' (death anniversary). Also ceremonies of Ghiyarvi (11th) Sharif .[7] of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani addressing him as Gosh-Pak when a specific food is prepared and distributed among friends and poor annually which the Deobandi maslak does not approve. Lately strong effort by Tablighi Jamaat these customs and ceremonies are no longer approved or practiced by many.

Marriage customs

Most Memons tend to marry within their community as it is not highly regarded that a Memon marries an outsider. Traditionally, the bride is chosen by groom's parents, who then send a proposal to the bride's parents. If accepted the bride's family invites grooms family. This ceremony is called "Mitha Muin" (English: Mouth Sweetener).

Memon husbands are known for being extremely romantic.

Famous Memons

Pioneers

Others

  • Ahmad Adaya founding partner of prominent California real estate company IDS Real Estate Group (1927-2006)
  • Prof Omar Vali Jooma, Pioneering neurosurgeon of Pakistan
  • Pir Mohammed A. Kaliya C.A. Former head of several professional institutes
  • Abdul Fatah Memon, Former Ambassador of Pakistan in Saudi Arabia and Somalia
  • Mohammad Ali Dada, Head of Group Internal Audit for Monarch Group and Monarch Airlines
  • Ali Nawaz Memon, Former Chairman National Electric Power Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (NEPRA); Former World Bank Resident Representative in Somalia

Jamat

The following are some common well organized societies or welfare associations called Jamat (Gujarati script: જમાત ) of the Kathiawadi Memons Community which is generally reference to their ancestral village or town in Kathiawar Gujarat India

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Origin of Memons three versions [[1]]
  2. ^ Estimate of Memon Population by Mr. Ali Mohammad Tabba[2]
  3. ^ Memoni Language Project [[3]]
  4. ^ Bombay Gazzatter Story - Extracts from “The Memons” By Mahir Bose [[4]]
  5. ^ a b Islamic Perspective, a Biannual Journal. A special issue on Bohras, Khojas and Memons. Ed. by Asghar Ali Engineer, Bombay, Institute of Islamic Studies. vol.1, Jan 1988, pp. 41-48;[[5]]
  6. ^ a b The Sunni Hanafi school of law is divided into Deobandis and Barelvis school of law in South Asia. Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui. [6].
  7. ^ What is Gee-Yaar-Ween Shareef? Islamic Educational & Cultural Research Center [7]


Bombay Gazzatter Story, (Extracts from “The Memons” By Mahir Bose[14] Siddique Katiya , Origin of Memoni Language a Memoni Language Project by [15] END OF THE ROAD, Random, Ramant & Runaway Thoughts on the Ultimate Journey by Ebrahim C. Moomal version 1 Memons International, Magazine of the Memon Association UK version 2

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