Arain Book

THE ARAIN DIASPORA
IN INDIA: A HISTORICAL
PERSPECTIVE
Dr. Mohammad Rehan Asad and Dr. Shams Jilani
4/21/2017
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T H E A RA IN D I A S P O R A
I N T H E RO H I L K H A N D
REGION OF INDIA: A
HISTORICAL
P E R S P ECT I V E
MOHAMMAD REHAN ASAD AND SHAMS JILANI

This book is dedicated to the great Arain leader Sir Mian
Mohammad Shafi (1869-1932), Knight Commander of
the Order of the Star of India (KCSI), Companions of the
order of Indian Empire (CIE). He was a great visionary,
educationist, politician and administrator of British India
who dedicated his life for empowering the Indians in
British Empire.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Mohammad Rehan Asad was born in

Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1979. He
took his bachelor‘s and master‘s degree in
medicine from Aligarh Muslim University.
He is the medical educator by profession,
and has an avid interest in history. He has been pursuing
it as a passion for the last fifteen years. He is also the life
member of International Society for the History of Islamic
Medicine, Bahrain. He has delivered lectures on the
history of Islamic Medicine in seminars and workshops.
His other areas of interest lay in ethnology, microhistory,
and social anthropology.
Dr. Shams Jilani was born at Pilibhit,

Uttar Pradesh, India in 1931. He is a
prolific author, journalist, historian
and social worker settled in City of
Richmond, British Columbia, Canada from last twenty-
seven years. His writings touched the Islamic message of
tolerance, multicultural harmony, and pluralism that is
need of time in present global context. As a writer, he has
published more than eighteen books in history, political
sciences, and biographical accounts. He is blessed to
write a biographical account of Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him). He was founder and Chair of
Richmond Multicultural senior member‘s society. His
book ―Ethics and Islam‖ received positive recognition
from Canadian Media as it covered a holistic approach to
human rights from Islamic perspectives.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About the Authors ............................................................................... 5

Foreword ...........................................................................................10
Foreword ...........................................................................................11
Preface..............................................................................................12
Acknowledgements ...........................................................................15
Chapter1: Brief History of Arains and theories of their origin ...........17
Background ...................................................................................17
Theories of origin ..........................................................................19
Descendants of Banu Ummaya ................................................19
Descendant of Sheikh Haleem Al Rayee .................................21
Descendants of Zurrayeen/ Al Zurrayeen .................................22
Theories of Non-Arab Origin .........................................................23
Jewish origin .............................................................................23
Aryan Origin ..............................................................................23
Iranian origin .............................................................................23
Rajput Origin .............................................................................23
Analysis and review of different theories of origin ....................25
A critical review of alleged usage of the term ―Rain/Arain‖ by Kunjra
community of India in light of historical evidence .............................32
Chapter 2: Rohilkhand, its background in eighteenth century and
immigration of Arains ........................................................................40
Immigration of Arains in Rohilkhand .............................................41
Chapter 3: Land Settlement and its distribution among Arains in
Rohilkhand ........................................................................................44
Distribution and land settlement ...................................................45
Chapter 4: Socioeconomic conditions, proprietary estates, and
cultural background of Arains in Rohilkhand during colonial era ......51
Economic background of the community ......................................51
Proprietary estates ........................................................................53
Demography, Dwellings and General Lifestyle in Arain villages
during colonial era ........................................................................63
Religion .........................................................................................68
Socio-cultural condition .................................................................73
Food and drink ..............................................................................76
th
Literacy and moves for educational upliftment in late 19 and early
th
20 century ...................................................................................78
Move towards western education .................................................81
Effect of mutiny on north Indian Muslim society .......................81
Role of Arain leaders like Honble Justice Mian Shah Din &Sir
Mohammad Shafi in promoting modern education among Indian
Muslims .....................................................................................82
Services of Anjuman Arain Rohilkhand and Kumaon ...................88
Reflections of the introductory speech by Honarary secretary at
Arain convocation of Rohilkhand, 1917 AD ..................................90
Awakening ................................................................................92
Political and educational changes after the establishment of
Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand ........................................................93
Chapter 5: An overview of Arain tribe in Pakistan and India after
independence Background ...........................................................97
Socio-economic conditions and demographic distribution in
Pakistan ........................................................................................99
Glimpses of Community in Rohilkhand after Partition in 1947 AD
....................................................................................................100
Present conditions and way forward ...........................................105
Chapter 6: Biographical accounts ...................................................111
Prominent Arain Zamindars of Rohilkhand in colonial India who
were also philanthropist, politicians and oriental scholars ..........111
Sheikh Aziz Ahmad .................................................................111
Sheikh Zameer Ahmad ...........................................................113
Sheikh Manzur Ahmad ...........................................................113
Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad ............................................................116
Maulvi Sheikh Abdul Haqq ......................................................119
Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad ..............................................................121
Sheikh Wisaluddin and Sheikh Tajuddin ................................123
A Biographical sketch of the members from independent India and
Pakistan ......................................................................................126
Mr. Mohammad Jilani and Mr. Ahmad Jilani ..........................126
Mr. Aneesur Rehman ..............................................................128
Mr. Abdul Hafiz Naeemi ..........................................................129
Dr. Abdul Ghafoor ...................................................................129
Shiekh Kamaluddin .................................................................132
Mr. Saeed Ahmad ...................................................................133
Dr. Shams Jilani ......................................................................133
Mian Abdul Qayum .................................................................135
Sheikh Mian Badarul Hasan ...................................................135
Mr. Israr Ahmad ......................................................................136
Mr. Zakauddin .........................................................................137
Mr. Mohammad Naseem ........................................................138
Religious scholars .......................................................................142
Mufti-e Azam Pakistan Maulana Waqaruddin (May Allah show
mercy on him) .............................................................................142
Early life and education ..........................................................142
Teaching career and academic responsibilities ..........................143
Life in East Pakistan ...................................................................144
Life in Karachi, Pakistan .............................................................145
Maulana Hafizur Rehman .......................................................146
Appendix .........................................................................................148
Table 1.1: Name and designations/titles conferred during British
rule to Arains in Rohilkhand ........................................................148
Table 1.2: Name and qualifications of those who attained modern
education from third to fifth decade of twentieth century ............150
Illustrations ......................................................................................153
Photograph of Imperial medal bestowed to Sheikh Imtyaz
Ahmad during award of the title ―Khan Bahadur‖ in 1937 AD.153
Begum Jahanara Shah Nawaz (1896-1979) ..........................154
On 50 years of independence, Government of Pakistan issued
this special postal stamp in recognition of contributions by
Begum Shahnawaz in Pakistan movement. Founding All India
Muslim League (Women) and motivating Muslim women for
freedom were among her major contributions. .......................155
All India Muhammadan Educational Conference ...................156
A description of Rains/Arain tribe in Bareilly District Gazette,
1911 ........................................................................................157
Note of thanks and acknowledgement for Sheikh Tajuddin Taj
................................................................................................158
Photograph of Sheikh Wisaluddin of District Pilibhit Raees
Azam Dhakia estate in 1914 AD. ............................................159
A prominent Arain leader of Rohilkhand, founding member and
vice-president oF Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand in 1916 AD. .159
Photograph of Darul Ulum Amjadia, Karachi, Pakistan ..........160
A map of Amaria block ............................................................161
Family tree of Sheikh Mullah Ahmad and Sheikh Mulla Hussian S/0
Sheikh Allah Buksh .........................................................................162
Shiekh Allah Buksh emigrated from Punjab in late 18th Century to
Pilibhit .............................................................................................162
Family tree of Village Khamaria, District Pilibhit, India. ..........163
Bibliography ...................................................................................165
Index ...............................................................................................170
FOREWORD
Arain community has played an important role in the

history of Indian sub-continent. However, little had been
properly documented and published in form of books.
The general perception regarding Arains in Lahore, as
‗gardeners‘ is the reflection of distorted documentation of
their background and history. Most of the books available
on this topic only document the general history of Arains
leaving details. There is a sharp need to record detailed
history for future generations. I am glad that Dr.
Mohammad Rehan Asad took an initiative to document
fading historic facts. His work has unique importance in
many ways, especially documenting the link between
Arain communities scattered in Pakistan and India. I am
sure this book will also become good reference for future
researchers. It was really a need of time. I would also like
to appreciate the support and contributions of an eminent
scholar, Dr. Shams Jilani in this work.
Mian Hassan Farrukh, Lahore – Pakistan.

IT professional having avid interest in history& member of
well-known Mian family of Lahore1.
1
Prominent Arain family having long history of their
contributions in sub-continent; Shalimar Gardens
remained under the custodianship of this family for more
than 350 years.
FOREWORD
Arain history has always been a fascinating subject.

There are number of theories relating to their origin and
migration. The author, Dr. Mohammad Rehan Asad has
painstakingly collected the scarce material and made
extensive research of a large number of original and
secondary sources that are not present in any other book
on the subject. The attachments to the book are excellent
and valuable historical material and a great cultural
wealth of immense value for all the generations. Some
material relating to great personalities and the community
included in the book will come in public domain for the
first time. The book covers all the aspects of the
Community comprehensively. It is matter of pleasure that
the guidance of Dr. Shams Jilani is available who is a
living encyclopedia of Arain affairs. Here I remember
great personality of Mr. Aftabuddin Ahmad, Toronto,
Canada who had in-depth knowledge of history and
affairs of the Community and that too on his fingertips.
Alas he is no more. The fact of the matter is that people
come and go but books remain for generations. The book
is worth keeping in every household.
Mohammad Naseem,
Chairman, Global Law and Liaison services, Ex-Legal
Counsel, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, India
Author for the book titled ―Arain‖, New Delhi, India.
PREFACE
―Study the past if you would define the future‖. The great
Chinese Scholar Confucius once made this quote
regarding the study of history. Inspired by his thoughts,
we came up with the idea of jotting down the past in this
book. This book collects a historical account of one of the
Punjabi communities widely known as ―Arains‖ (constitute
around twenty percent of present Punjab population in
Pakistan) that immigrated in Terai plains of Himalayas in
late 18th century. The exact number estimation is difficult
but it was that hardly few hundred families migrated from
Punjab. By early 20th century, a diaspora of eight
thousand members has been established in the villages
of District Bareilly, Pilibhit, Rampur and Nainital. The
British accounts of an early 20th century of the region
applauded them as one of the finest, hardworking
agriculturist and landowners in the region. In the course
of time, they lost their native Punjabi language and part
of their ethnic customs. On visualizing through the
window of history, it was found that the community has
developed its unique culture. It was a blend of the
regional influences and cultured inherited by them from
Punjab. Although enough literature is available on
different socio-cultural and historical aspects of the
community but it was in Urdu language and mainly
published from Punjab, Pakistan covering mainstream
Punjabi speaking Arain community with few glimpses of
community in Rohilkhand, India. The idea of collecting
reviews and writing at one place was in my mind from
student days in Aligarh University. The motivation
boosted after I read a book titled ―Arain‖ by Mr.
Mohammad Ishaq and his son Mr. Mohammad Naseem
in 2001. It was published in Urdu language. It was the
first account on socio-cultural anthropology of ―Arain
community in Rohilkhand‖ after the independence of
India covering fine details of language, culture, and
history in a comprehensive manner. Unfortunately, the
rich work of Mr. Ishaq and Mr. Mohammad Naseem was
not able to spread among the youths, as the majority of
them have no understanding of Urdu language in
changing times. During the evolution of our book, we
have cited it several times as references. We were so
inquisitive about contributions and efforts of ancestors
that it tempted us to document this piece of work. It took
a long time to collect resources and references. This
work is based on multiple resources as mentioned in the
bibliography but I would like to mention one of the most
valuable resources. During literature review, with the help
of my father, Dr. Mohammad Asad, I had found a century
old valuable piece of article titled ―Rudad Ijals-e-awwal
Anjumane Arain‖, Rohilkhand, and Kumaon‖ published as
the transcript of first Arain convocation held in 1917 AD.
It was an amazing piece of information, which provided
rich information about the progressive mindset,
teamwork, socio-cultural background, and the
philanthropic approach of the community that prevailed
almost hundred years ago. It also reflected the
integration of Arain community with the great Arain
leaders of Punjab such as Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi
who were not only representing one ethnic or religious
community, but they were a face of Indian politics in
British India. A separate book will not be enough to depict
specific contributions of Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi
towards Indian masses especially in the area of higher
education. The guidance of such a great leader and
visionary was privilege the Arains. We also reviewed
Gazetteer of District Pilibhit (1909 and 1934), Bareilly
(1911) and Settlement reports of Bareilly (1874).
Numerous times, the perspectives of the community have
been referred in these texts. It provided an evidence-
based articulation to the work instead of mere claims.
When writing was started, I was fortunate that a
distinguished literary personality of Arain community, Dr.
Shams Jilani joined me as a co-author in the work in
2012. He is a noted author, editor, historian and
columnist settled in Canada for last twenty-five years.
Some of the accounts that have been cited in the book
have retrieved directly from the memory of Dr. Shams
Jilani as he witnessed the movement of community
members during the partition of India, abolition of
zamindari Act and several other transformations that
were faced by the community in the time line. We
conducted several meetings on Skype and worked
together by sharing files through common drop box
folder. He guided me in every part of writing by giving his
valuable inputs and providing extensive reviews. The
book starts with theories of origin of Arains as an ethnic
group that has been proposed by several scholars in last
two centuries. Then it move to migration and settlement
of the tribe in Rohilkhand region from Punjab that took
place around two centuries ago. The following sections
talk about the demographic distribution of populations,
culture, and cuisine. It also discusses reflections of the
socio-political changes that were going on in early 20th
century in Arain community of Rohilkhand in alignment
with the changes and reforms going in a larger tribe in
Punjab under the leadership of Sir Mian Mohammad
Shafi. The concluding sections discuss about the
demographic changes in the community with the partition
of India in 1947. Then a brief overview of the community
was presented in both countries India and Pakistan. The
last section presented biographical accounts of the
notables among the community in Colonial India. They
had rendered great services to Arain community. For
some of them, their role of community building starts with
their community and covers these objectives with wider
perspectives on District or regional level. In present
scenario, on the Indian side, the young populations of
Rohilkhand Arains are facing an identity crisis due to the
small isolated population of the community. The western
Uttar Pradesh is the cradle of civilization in North India
that inhabits hundreds of tribes and communities with
different origins and backgrounds in both Hindu and
Muslim Populations. With partition, the bulk of Arain
community that once inhabited both in east and west
Punjab moved to Pakistan with few traces of people left
in Malerkotla of District Sangrur. The small diaspora that
was built in last two centuries separated from their
homeland in Punjab is now on the brink of losing their
identity among more than two hundred million people of
Uttar Pradesh, India. This work will provide them a
thorough evidence-based insight about their culture,
society and background. On another side of the border,
the generations of twenty-first century Rohilkhand Arains
settled in different parts of Pakistan will find historical
connections with more than ten million Punjabi speaking
Arains. It is unfortunate to mention that Punjabi Arains in
Pakistan identified Rohilkhand Arain as a part of Urdu
speaking community. The Rohilkhand Arains shared a
common origin, history and culture with Punjabi Arains
and in colonial era, they were closely linked with each
other. It is an irony, how languages are used to create a
barrier in diving human souls even if they have common
origin. They maintained cultural and social interactions
until the partition of India. It is inspiring to see the
evidences during the review that Rohilkhand Arains
maintained strong connections with early twentieth
century leaders of Punjab such as Sir Mian Mohammad
Shafi, Hafiz Haleem, Malik Tajuddin, and Mahshar
Ambalvi. The book can attract scholars of South Asian
studies as readers who have an interest in the
microhistory of the communities.
Dr. Mohammad Rehan Asad
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
At the very outset, I would like to thank my father Dr.

Mohammad Asad for his extraordinary efforts in completing
this piece of work. He had provided me several references,
accounts, and articles to cite for this book. More ever, he
had provided me one of the most valuable manuscripts, the
transcript of ―First Arain convocation of Rohilkhand and
Kumaon (1917)‖. In addition to this, he was a source of
several accounts, information, and narrations that gave me
many help in writing biographical accounts. I do not know
how to convey my gratitude to Dr. Shams Jilani, who did
such a great work by continuously giving his scholarly
inputs. Further, in this context, I would like to acknowledge
Mian Hassan Farrukh S/O Mian Farrukh Nazir, a member of
historical Mian family of Baghbanpura, Lahore (a notable
Arain family that produced legends from the time of
Emperor Shahjahan and custodians of Shalimar gardens in
Lahore for 350 years) for providing me valuable accounts of
Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi and Justice Shah Din. Mr.
Mohammad Mazhar S/O Mian Mohammad Ahmad provided
me a copy of ―Tareekh Arain, 5th ed.‖ a valuable piece of
work by Chaudhry Asghar Ali published at Lahore in 1963. I
would like to thank him for his efforts and kind help. In
addition, I would like appreciate my friend Mr. Tabish
Akhyar who was the first one to motivate me with the idea
of writing. Mr. Israr Ahmad S/O Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad
provided me a copy of Kulliat Jalal, fourth ed. (edited by Mr.
Zakauddin) May Allah gives him a long life and good
health? I am indebted by the help done by a school days
friend, Mr. Khalid Siddiqui and Mr. Faisal Ali Siddiqui by
reviewing text and giving valuable inputs for linguistic
improvements. Finally, I would render thank to my wife Mrs.
Sadaf Fatima for her support and help during this work.
Regards
Dr. Mohammad Rehan Asad
CHAPTER1: BRIEF HISTORY OF ARAINS
AND THEORIES OF THEIR ORIGIN
BACKGROUND
Arain is a Muslim tribe of Pakistan mainly settled in

Punjab and parts of Sindh. According to Gupta, their
population exceeds ten million in Punjab, Pakistan by the
start of 21st century. 1 In India, the Arain populations are
present in District Pilibhit, Bareilly, and Rampur of
western Uttar Pradesh widely termed as Rohilkhand
along with smaller proportion in District Udham Singh
Nagar (Rudrapur) and District Nainital in neighbouring
state of Uttarakhand. The ancestors of Arains in
Rohilkhand migrated from Punjab in late eighteenth
century.2Who were the ancestors of Arains? From where
this community came into the sub-continent or their
ancestors were indigenous to the India. These questions
were answered in last two centuries by different authors
in their books and articles regarding the history of Arains
in the subcontinent. Multiple theories have been
proposed regarding the origin of Arain tribe. From last
few centuries, Arains had participated in all spheres of
life and several stances; their historical achievements not
only gave feeling of honour to the community but entire
sub-continent owed their noteworthy achievements.3The
changing trend of Indian history and the establishment of
British Empire provided the chance to Indians to
immigrate to different colonies of British Empire. Alison
Shaw introduced Arains as one of the largest Muslim
Asian community in Oxford, Huddersfield, Glasgow and
1
Gupta, O. (2006), Encyclopedia of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Isha Books, New
Delhi, pp.141.
2
Rose, H.A. (1911), A Glossary of Tribes and Caste of Punjab and North West
Province, Civil and Military Gazette Press, Lahore.
3
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), Tarrekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar.
Manchester in United Kingdom. 1 Ward and Jenkins
referred Arains as one of the earliest immigrant in United
Kingdom and majority of them came from east Punjab
and a small number from Karachi and West Punjab. 2
Nawab Mian Mohammad Fazil (a noble in Mughal court
whose ancestor Mian Muhammad Yunus alias Maher
Mehnga donated his land for Shalimar Gardens), Adina
Beg Khan (governor of Punjab under Mughals), Shah
Inayat Qadri (a great Sufi saint of 17th century and
spiritual master of Bulleh Shah Baba), Sir Mian
Mohammad Shafi (education secretary, member of
Viceroy executive council in Colonial India and founder of
Muslim League), Justice Mian Mohammad Shah Din (one
of the first Muslim Judges in Colonial Punjab), Begum
Jahanara Shahnawaz (founder of Women Muslim
League and first Asian women who presided legislative
session) 3 , Hafiz Haleem (notable businessman,
educationist and philanthropist of Colonial India), Sir
Mian Abdul Rasheed (first chief justice of Pakistan), Mian
Iftikharuddin (a Muslim face of Indian national congress
in Punjab Politics till 1945 who resonated for United
India, founder of two leading newspaper daily Imroz &
Pakistan Times, and first Minister in Charge for
Rehabilitation of Refugees in Pakistan), Naseem Hijazi
(Urdu novelist), General Zia-ul-Haq (President and Army
in Chief of Pakistan), Chaudhry Mohammad Ali (British
era ICS and ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan), Chaudhry
Mohammad Sarwar (U.K based Businessman, ex-
Governor of Punjab, ex-British Parliamentarian) were few
of the great personalities who enriched all spheres of the
life of South Asia (specifically North India and present
Pakistan) in last three hundred years. There are
1
Shaw, A. (2000). Kinship and continuity: Pakistani families in Britain, 1st ed.,
Harwood Academic Publisher.
2
Jenkins, R., and Ward, R. (1984), Ethnic communities in Business and strategies for
survival, Cambridge University press, pp.85.
3
Pakistan Day: Women at forefront. Retrieved from:
http://www.dawn.com/news/882736/pakistan-day-women-at-the-forefront
hundreds of the other members of the community who
have rendered exceptional services to the region. It
seems difficult to enlist all of them in this short
introduction.
THEORIES OF ORIGIN
In last two centuries, different theories have been put

forward regarding the origin of Arains. The most common
and valid theory was regarding the Arab origin of Arains
that purported Arains as the descendant of Banu
Ummaya, who came to sub-continent with the army of
Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 /90 Hijra. However, British
scholars such as H.A. Rose and Denzil Ibbetson had
confronted this theory. All the District Gazettes of Punjab
and other work of British scholars were mainly based on
the work of Sir Denzil Ibbetson (Lt. Governor of Punjab)
who compiled an extensive Glossary of the Caste and
Tribes in Punjab and North West Province in 1881. Most
the British accounts written after 1881 cited the work of
Ibbetson regarding the origin of Arains. From a long time,
different Arain authors had explained the theory of Arab
origin.
DESCENDANTS OF BANU UMMAYA
Akbar Shah Khan Najeebabadi, a renowned non-Arain

orientalist (Islamic Historian) of Indian subcontinent
explained and justified the Arab origin of Arains in his
remarkable work of Islamic history ―Aina-e-Haqiqat
Numa, Vol, I‖. In the introductory passage, he introduced
the readers with the background of South Asia during
Islamic invasion of Mohammad Bin Qasim in early eighth
century, i.e., 712 (90 Hijra) and then covered the invasion
of Mohammad Bin Qasim and establishment of the Arab
state of Sindh and modern Punjab.1In chapter “Influence
of Arabs on Sindh”, Najeebabadi (1926) stated, “Siddiqui,
Faruqi, Ansari, Abbasi, and Sadat's are pure Arab races
still populated in Sindh. Some tribes were considered
Indian in origin, but they were, in fact, pure Arab races in
which Arain race/tribe is most remarkable to be
discussed here. As discussed in previous chapters that
companions of Muhammad Bin Qasim were based on the
two the two factions, Syrians, and Iraqis. The Syrian
people were considered as most reliable and loyal for the
Umayyad Caliphate, and they were considered as the
royal army. Originally, they belonged to the tribe of Banu
Umayyad, migrated from Hijaz and settled in Levant
(Modern Syria, Palestine, and Jordan) during the time of
Hadhrat Amir Muawiya (May Allah be please with him). A
good number of this tribe settled at a place called Jericho
(Areeha) in Levant. The army that was dispatched for the
invasion of Sindh by Hajjaj bin Yusuf Shaqfi under the
command of Mohammad bin Qasim also represented
people from Areeha. These people were not able to go
back to their homeland, and were forced to accept Sindh
as a place of their residence. Under the rule of Abbasid
Caliph, they were victimized. They were even forced to
seek refuge in mountains. The establishment of the
independent state of Maksurah was the sigh of relief for
them. Some of them went toward the mountainous terrain
of Suleiman and most of them settled in Multan. They
were again victimized in the famous storm of Qarmatians.
The invasion of Mahmud Ghaznawi finished the atrocities
of Qarmatians and in this way, the Arab immigrant
community from Levant mainly settled in Multan. After
some time Mahmud Ghazanawi annexed the complete
area of Punjab and Punjab became one of the state of
Ghazni Empire. After establishment of the Islamic empire
of Ghazni, the majority of the old Muslim tribes those who
1
Najeebabadi Akbar, S. K. (1926), Ainae Haqiqat Numa, Vol 1. In: Arab influence of
Sindh, the United India Press, Lucknow, pp.125-127.
seek refuge in Multan due to the atrocities of Qarmatians
migrated in large number to the different parts of Punjab.
One of the tribe among these tribes was that came from
Areeha (Jericho), Syria and it was called as Areehai. The
Punjabi pronunciation made them “Arain” from “Areehai”
in due course of time. The natural result of above-
described incidents is that this community isolated
themselves from the victorious Afghans and conquered
Hindus and engaged themselves in agrarian tasks by
using their previous experiences that were the reason for
the prosperity and green revolution of the independent
Arab state of Mansurah. The Arab region is not fit for
cultivation but when Arabs reached any fertile country,
they proved themselves as the excellent agriculturist.
When Arab tribes conquered Andulas (Spain), they made
it a living garden. There was not a single piece of land left
in Iberian Peninsula without cultivation. When they left
the region, the country again became deserted and
barren for a long time. In the same way, Arabs has made
Mansurah as the garden of its time by applying their
excellent scientific cultivating skills. After coming in
Punjab, they displayed same skills.1
DESCENDANT OF SHEIKH HALEEM AL RAYEE
Sufi Akbar Ali proposed this theory in his book titled

―Saleem Al Tawareekh‖ in the year 1919. He tried to
prove the ancestry of the complete tribe with one man
named ―Shiekh Salem AlRayee‖. According to the author
Shiekh Habib was one of the pious son of Shiekh Saleem
who received a lot of spiritual gains from Hadhrat Salman
Farsi (May Allah be please with him). Sheikh Haleem
Alrai was the son of Shiekh Habib who joined with an
army of Muhammad bin Qasim expedition to Sindh. The
author of ―Tareekh Arain‖ ultimately rejected this theory
1
after reviewing the facts presented by the author of
―Saleem Al Tawareekh‖. Asghar Ali studied all the
standard references including Chachnama 1 to find the
name of Sheikh Haleem Alrai in the army of Muhammad
bin Qasim and he concluded that the personality of
Sheikh Haleem Alrai is in evident in this context. Asghar
Ali also pointed other historical mistakes in ―Saleem Al
Tawareekh‖ such as Sufi Akbar Ali misquoted the Mughal
leader of Badakhshan named as Zubair Rayee as one of
the members of Arain tribe. He further stated that author
of ―Ferishta‖ clearly referred that the title of this leader
was ―Rayee‖ as this term was also used for independent
leader or free war lords.
DESCENDANTS OF ZURRAYEEN/ AL ZURRAYEEN
Munshi Muhammad Ibrahim Mahshar Ambalvi proposed

one of the other famous theories of Arab origin, and he
wrote an extensive book on the origin of Arain tribe in
1922, titled ―Ale Zurrayeen‖, mean descendants of
Zurrayeen. He considered Arains as Qahtani Arabs tribe
that mainly belongs to Yemen. According to Mahshar,
Yaryam Zurayyeen was the father of Arain tribe. He was
the grandson of the King of Yemen and born in 1354 BC.
During his rule, the tribe of Zurayyen attacked sub-
continent around two thousand years before coming of
Islam. The author further supports his argument by a
mountain named as ―Rayeen‖ and even the region
around this mountain in Yemen is famous by the name of
―Rayeen‖. In a critical analysis of this theory, the author
of Tareekh Arainhas presented ample proofs to discard
this theory. It will be discussed in the last section of the
chapter.
1
The Chachnamah, An Ancient History of Sind, giving the Hindu period down to the
Arab Conquest. (1900). Translated from the Persian by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg.
Karachi: Commissioners Press.
THEORIES OF NON-ARAB ORIGIN
JEWISH ORIGIN
In April 1962, a weekly journal of Sindh named ―Khadimul

Watan‖ published an article authored by Mohammad
Hanif Maher Kachelvi that asserted the Jewish origin of
Arains. In fact, his claim was feeble, and it was merely
based on the one similarity between Jews and Arains,
i.e., both are an excellent agriculturalist. He claimed that
Arains are very excellent agriculturalist so might be they
were originated from one of the ten lost tribes of Bani
Israel.
ARYAN ORIGIN
This theory was based on the study of western

anthropologist mostly from 18th and 19th centuries who
considered majority of the communities of northern India
were descended from Aryans especially in Punjab,
Kashmir, and Baluchistan.
IRANIAN ORIGIN
A famous valley with the name of ―Raeen‖ was present in

Persia (Ancient Iran). The tribes that migrated from the
valley of Raeen were later on identified as Rains/Arains.
RAJPUT ORIGIN
Various authors supported this viewpoint regarding the

origin of Arains. Most of them believe that Arains are one
of the subsections of Rajput community. With the
incoming of Muslim invaders in Sindh in 8th century, this
tribe remained aloof from armed forces and engaged
themselves in agriculture. With the incoming of new
masters (Muslim rulers), i.e., armies were mainly
consisted of Turks, Persian, and Arabs, they feel
suppressed in Sindh. During 11th century, they moved
from Indus and spread on the five rivers of Punjab. Now
have a look on the Glossary of Tribes and Caste of
Punjab and North West Provinces that was based on the
census report of Sir Denzil Ibbetson (1883).
―Arain, Rain (the latter form prevails in the Jumna valley),
is a term which has at least two distinct meanings: in the
Sutlej valley and throughout the eastern plains the Arains
form a true caste, but in all the rest of the two Provinces
the term is applied to any market-gardener and is
synonymous with Baghban, Mali, Maliar, and even Jat in
the South-West Punjab. We are now concerned with the
Arains as a caste. Almost to a man Muhammadans and
strongly inclined to Orthodoxy, the Arains claim to be
immigrants from Uch and have some affinities with the
Kambohs. On the other hand, some of the Arain and
Hindu Saini clan names are identical, and those not
always merely names of other and dominant tribes. From
Uch, they migrated to Sirsa and then into the Punjab.
In Sirsa, the Sutlej Arains meet those of the Ghaggar.
The two do not intermarry, but the Arains of the Ghaggar
valley say they were Rajput‟s living on the Panjnad near
Multan, who were ejected some four centuries ago by
Saiyad Jalaluddin of Uch. They claim some connection
with Jaisalmer Rajputs. Till the great famines of 1759 and
1783., they are said to have held all the lower valleys of
the Choya and Ghaggar, but after the latter date the
Bhattis harassed the Sumras, the country became
disturbed, and many of the Arains emigrated across the
Ganges and settled near Bareli and Rampur. They marry
only with the Ghaggar and Bareli Arains.‖1
1
Rose, H.A. (1911). A Glossary of tribes and castes of Punjab and North-West
Province. Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883 by the late Sir
DENZIL.IBBETSON, and the Census Report for the Punjab, 1892, by the Hon. Mr. E.
D. MacLAGAN, and compiled by H. A. ROSE, Printed at Civil and Military Press,
Lahore, pp. 13-14.
ANALYSIS AND REVIEW OF DIFFERENT THEORIES OF
ORIGIN
Both Arain and non-Arain authors discarded the theory of

Aryan origin and Rajput origin. The great orientalist and
historian Akbar Shah Khan Najeebabadi was the first
non-Arain scholar who discarded the theories of Rajput
or Indian origin. As Najeebabadi stated in his remarkable
work titled Ainae-Haqiqat numa ―There are some tribes of
Sindh that were considered Indian in origin but they were
in fact pure Arab races in which Arain race/tribe is most
remarkable to be discussed here‖.1
The other important point to be discussed here was the
argument given by Ibbetson, which was referred by
H.A.Rose in his work titled ―Glossary of Tribes and Caste
of Punjab and North West Provinces‖, and the same
statement was copied in District Gazette of Sirsa and
Pilibhit. The argument is as follows and here directly the
words of Ibbetson are cited ―The Arains of the Ghaggar
valley say they were Rajput‟s living on the Panjnad near
Multan who were ejected some four centuries ago by
Saiyad Jalaluddin of Uch‖.”2
As literature showed that majority of the Arains in
Rohilkhand belonged to these Ghaggar Arains, we
reviewed around hundred-year-old documents that
reflected the history of the community. The first one was
―Kulliat Jalal‖3 and the second was the report of the first
meeting of the Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand conducted in
1918, and nowhere in these documents, the Arains
claimed of the Rajput origin. It seems that Ibbetson
1
2
Ibbetson, D. (1883), Minor Land owning and Agriculture caste, a reprint of ―the
chapter on The Races, Castes and Tribes of the People‖ in the Report on the Census
of the Panjab published in 1883 by the late Sir Denzil Ibbetson, K.C.S.I, Government
printing press, Lahore, 1916, pp.194.
3
Jalal, Maulana. Jalaluddin. (1986), Kulliat Jalal, addition of Family tree by Sheikh
Mohammad Tajuddin Taj, edited and compiled by Dr. Zakauddin Shayyan, 4th edition,
Printed by Bathu Color printers, Achal Taal, Aligarh, U.P, India.
concluded on its own the claim of Rajput origin and
directed this statement on the behalf of the community in
his census report of 1883. The later British Scholars such
as H.A. Rose and H.R. Nevill (author of most of the
District Gazettes of United Province including Pilibhit)
exactly copied these statements in their work published
in 1911 and 1906. The author of Tareekh Arain states,
―The strongest evidence that Arains are not Rajputs is
that they never claimed Rajput origin themselves.
Though, the Rajputs were considered one of the superior
tribes of sub-continent in context Indian social hierarchies
of communities & tribes. Due to this reason, whenever
Nais (Barbers), Moochi (Cobblers), Julahas (Weavers)
and Mirasi (Dancers) got a chance to change their tribe,
they affiliate themselves with Rajputs. That why after
1947 when mass migration of populations took place, it
provided an opportunity to the immigrants to change their
tribes. The old tribes and villages are not present where
the people were aware of their real identity. An
innumerable number of people changed their tribes and
wore the cloak of other tribes with pride especially in
Punjab they tried to affiliate with Rajput tribe. Arain is one
of the few clans of Punjab that even a single member of
the community never changes his affiliation. The Arains
themselves don‟t want to affiliate with Rajput‟s so why
without any reason they were forced to accept the Rajput
origin.‖1
A conclusion can be drawn by the above review that it
was the mistake of Ibbetson that was reflected in all the
later official documents. The theories of Aryan and
Iranian origin are weak and lack evidence. As concerned
with the theory of Aryan descent, the majority of the
communities of Punjab, Kashmir, Iran, Asia-Minor (Such
as Kurds and Armenians) were marked as Aryans by
British Scholars. In sub-continent, any community of
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: chapter five, Arains and Rajputs, Tarrekh Arain, 5th
ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.131.
North India (mainly Punjab, Kashmir and Rajasthan)
which they find had a complexion ranging from fair to
wheatish with an average built, sharp features and the
height ranged from medium to tall be categorized as
Indo- Aryans. The Arains were also classified in the
category of Indo-Aryans (Risley, 1908). 1 According to
Risley majority of the Punjabis reflected Indo-Aryans
features that were remarkably different from the Aryo-
Dravidian population of United Province. In the next
section, he contradicts his broad Aryan theory. He further
stated, ―As each wave of conquerors, i.e., Greek,
Scythian, Arab, and Mughal that entered the country by
land became more or less absorbed in the indigenous
population, their physique degenerated, their individuality
vanished, their energy was sapped, and dominion
passed from their hands into those of more vigorous
successors‖. 2 In this explanation, he himself proved that
Indo-Aryan breed was nothing but a particular type of
physique that was different from indigenous people of
India, i.e., Dravidian. In the other words, the Indo-Aryans
represented more reflection of foreign elements, i.e.,
Greek, Scythian, Arab, Mughal (broadly Central Asian)
and Persian in comparison with the Aryo-Dravidian
population, which reflected Dravidian, features. Now we
will review the claims of Arab origin. There are number of
the Muslim tribes in South Asia that seems to be
originated from the Arab world. During their golden ages,
the Arabs had conquered more than half of the known
world of its time. The Arab tribes immigrated in large
number in newly occupied colonies. South Asia had a
contact with Arabs even before the advent of Islam, but
this relation was mainly limited to the southernmost part
of the sub-continent. This contact was particularly limited
up to trade. It was the Arab occupation of Sindh by
1
Risley, H.H. (1908). The people of India printed at Thacker Spink and Company,
Calcutta.
2
IBID
Muhammad Bin Qasim in 8th century that resulted in
broad cultural contact of India with Arab caliphates for the
next few centuries. The independent Arab states of
Mansurah and Maksurah were established in Sindh after
the fall of Abbasid caliphate in 11th century. According to
Najeebabadi (1926), the Arains in Sindh faced
persecution under Abbasids due to their affiliation with
Ummayad tribe. Later, the establishment of the
independent Arab states of Mansurah and Maksurah in
Sindh was the sigh of relief for Arain tribe. During this
period majority of them centered in Multan. The
annexation of Punjab in Ghaznawid Empire by Mahmud
of Ghazni in early 11th century provided an opportunity to
Arains to immigrate in different parts of Punjab. Until late
19th century, the Arain tribe was divided in two major
subdivisions, Sirsawali and Multani. The latter term
showed their century‘s old affiliation with Multan. A
detailed review is required for each of the theory
depicting Arab origin. The theory of ―Ale Zurayeen‖ that
was proposed by Munshi Mahshar Ambalvi appeared to
be the sound that Arains were descendants of Qahtani
Arabs but such a mass movement from Yemen to Sindh
during pre-Islamic era appeared to be questionable by
historians. The critics of this theory put their point of view
to refute this claim. The author of ―Tareekh Arain‖
Chaudhry Asghar Ali was one of the foremost among the
critics of this theory. Chaudhry Asghar Ali referred some
of the virtuous socio-cultural traits of Arains that asserted
their orthodox practice of Islam and differentiate them
from their neighboring tribes. Somehow, he tried to
conclude that the cultural traits carried by Arain tribe
were, in fact, the part of their legacy due to their Arab
origin.1
1. It was very common from early days that mosques
were present in their settlements. Hundred percent of
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: chapter Descendants of Arabs, Tarrekh Arain, 5 th
ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.137-139.
the tribe belonged to Sunni School of thought. They
had a strong affiliation with Islam. Hajis (one who
perform Hajj pilgrimage) and Maulvis (Religious
scholars) were more frequently presented among the
tribe in comparison with the fellow tribes. It was a part
of their culture from generations to provide primary
religious education to kids.
2. This tribe was famous for their hospitality that was
also one the virtuous traits of Arabs.
3. In the case of the strained relationship between
couples, there was a practice of divorce. Among the
other neighboring tribes in Punjab (Pakistan), there
was a custom of leaving the girl deserted at the house
of her parent for the lifetime without giving divorce.
4. The widow remarriage is widely practiced among the
tribe in contemporary days. Even similar to the Arabs,
the widow has complete freedom and right to opt for
marriage. It is considered as the derogatory act by the
neighboring tribes of Arains in Punjab i.e., mainly
Muslim Jats and Rajputs.
5. They had a concerned for protecting the genealogy of
their tribe. Arains abstained from intermarriages with
other communities and even in this modern era; they
prefer to marry within the tribe. It is also one of the
unique features of Arabs.
6. According to the Islamic law of inheritance, the
practice of giving the share in the property to
daughters is quite common among Arain tribe.
He further asserted that any tribe or community
whenever comes under the umbrella of Islam always
carried a part of customs from their background or parent
religion. For example, Gazette of Lahore (1883-84) cited
that Arain never accepted money as compensation for
giving their daughters in Marriage while Kamboh
accepted money for this. This was mentioned as one of
the major socio-cultural difference between Arains and
Kambohs in Punjab. As Rajput Muslims is one of the
major tribe in Punjab (Pakistan). The majority of the
Muslim Rajput‘s abstained from marrying with widows
although it was one of the crucial social messages
delivered by Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessing
upon him). 1 In the same manner, Edward Blunt
mentioned a list of communities in North India in early
20th century who considered divorce as lawful act only in
the case of Infidelity and consent of Panchayat was
mandatory for divorce in this exceptional situation.2The
list of Edward Blunt included Bhishti, Churihar, Dafali,
Iraqi, Kunjra and Rangrez. In the same document,
Edward Blunt cited a unique custom among the ―Kunjra‖
/Green Grocers community that was contrary to the
Islamic jurisprudence. ―The Kunjra permits a man to
marry two sisters at once, which the law of Islam forbids
(Blunt, 1931)‖. 3The assertion of the author of ―Tareekh
Arain‖ appeared to be evident by reviewing the examples
that whenever a tribe or community comes in the fold of
Islam, they carried a part of the customs from their
original tribe. Sometimes these customs were not a
practiced generally among the Muslim community and in
extreme cases; these traditions seems to be contrary to
the teaching of Islam. Now review the claim of Chaudhry
Asghar Ali that Arains never reflected any custom that
appeared to be contrary to the teaching of Islam. In other
words, he asserted that Arains were descendants from
Banu Ummaya, so they entered in Indian Sub-continent
as Muslims that‘s why there customs didn‘t get
amalgamated, and their religious following didn‘t reflected
any local influence. In other terms, he accepted the
1
Chaudhry, Asghar. A. (1963), In: Chapter 5, Tareekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana,
Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.132.
2
Blunt, E.A.H. (1931), the caste system of North India with Special Reference to the
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. London: Oxford University Press.
3
―theory of Banu Ummaya descendants‖ that was
proposed by oriental historian Akbar Shah Khan
Najeebabadi in his work titled ―Ainae-Haqiat Numa‖
published in 1926. The claim of Najeebabadi seems to be
true as when we passed through ―Glossary of Caste and
Tribe of Punjab and North-west Provinces‖, the author
referred the religious inclination of this tribe in his words
as ―Almost to man Muhammadan and strongly inclined to
Orthodoxy”. The same document of Ibbetson cited on
page number 16 that Arains apart from their orthodoxy,
differ little in their customs and dress from other
Muhammadan. It means that even hundred years before
the work of Chaudhry Asghar Ali, i.e., the late 19th
century when ―Glossary of Caste and Tribe of Punjab and
North-west Provinces‖ was prepared, the Arain
community reflected strict adherence towards Islamic
practice. 1 It could be concluded that the religious
adherence that was termed as ―Orthodoxy‖ by Ibbetson
was carried as the part of their culture from generations.
In the other words, it was not the outcome of various
proselytic movements that attempt to inculcate Islamic
values in Sub-continent, especially in last six decades
among converted Muslim communities of India. Ibbetson
also claimed that the Arains came from Sindh and spread
over the five rivers of Punjab. This view matched with
Najeebabadi explanation that Arains were first stationed
in Sindh after coming from ―Areeha/Jericho‖ and during
eleventh century, they started to move in Punjab after its
annexation by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Even today,
the most ancient settlements of Arains can be found in
interior parts of Sindh.
1
Rose, H.A, 1911. A Glossary of tribes and castes of Punjab and North-West
Province. Based on the Census Report for the Punjab, 1883 by the late Sir DENZIL
IBBETSON and the Census Report for the Punjab, 1892, by the Hon. Mr. E. D.
MacLAGAN, and compiled by H. A. ROSE, Printed at Civil and Military Press, Lahore,
pp. 13-14.
A CRITICAL REVIEW OF ALLEGED USAGE OF
THE TERM “RAIN/ARAIN” BY KUNJRA
COMMUNITY OF INDIA IN LIGHT OF
HISTORICAL EVIDENCE
The Arain tribe that is mainly based in Pakistan

especially in Punjab and parts of Sindh were not aware of
the fact that a community located in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
and parts of Bengal provinces of India widely known as
―Kunjra‖ is using the appellation of ―Rain/Arain‖ with their
tribe. The term ―Kunjra‖ derived from Sanskrit language
that means vegetable seller in English and Sabzi Farosh
in Persian and Urdu language. A careful review of the
subject is required to understand when these vegetable
vendors started using this term ―Rain/Arain.‖ According to
Joshua Project, the population of Kunjra Muslim is
around 1.6 million and they are mainly distributed in
Bihar, West Bengal, parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh.
Do they have any link or connection with Arain tribe that
was mentioned many times in the Gazettes and census
reports of Punjab during colonial rule? For finding these
answers, first, we would review the reports and District
Gazettes of Punjab, United Province of Oudh and Agra.
Most of these documents were written hundred years
before in late 19th century and early 20th century by
British civil servants after performing demographic
studies of concerned provinces. Blunt classified North
Indian Muslims in two groups. First, one that had foreign
roots and they settled in the region with the passage of
time in last thirteen centuries. The first group along with
those who were converted from the higher socio-
economic communities of Hindus was considered as the
elite class of North Indian Muslims or Ashraf. The second
group constituted the bulk of North Indian Muslim
population, and they were mainly converted from socio-
economically backward Hindus. Most of them were
victimized for the centuries due to strict hierarchical order
of ―Varna/classes‖ practiced in India. In majority of the
cases, they belonged to the lowest order of Indian caste
structure and sociologist gave the term ―Ajlaf‖ for this
group. The first group was further divided into two
categories, Arabi, and Ajami. The Arabi section consisted
of Sayyids (mainly Alawi, Jafri, Abbasi, Hashmi) and
Sheikhs (mainly Qureshi, Usmani, Faruqi, Siddiqui, and
Ansari). 1 The Ajami section mainly constituted Turk,
Mughal, Afghan, Rajputs, and Khatris. The Arain tribe
were categorized by oriental scholars like Najeebabadi
and by themselves as the part of Arabi section, i.e., as
the descendant of Banu Ummayaa, one of the major sub-
division of Quraysh tribe. In United Province of Oudh and
Agra, the term Arain/Rain as the tribe was mentioned
only in the District Gazettes of Bareilly and Pilibhit of
Rohilkhand region. In both documents, they were
categorized among the propriety tribes of Muslims and
further described as most disciplined
zamindars/proprietors of the area. Along with them, the
other tribes that were categorized as
proprietary/zamindar tribes in these two Districts were
Pashtuns/Pathans, Sheikhs (mainly Siddiquis, Ansaris,
Usmani, Bani Israelis, Faruqis, and Qureshis), Sayyids
and few Punjabi Sheikhs (commonly known as Shamsi).
Second, Ibbetson clearly mentioned about the
immigration of Arains/Rains in Rohilkhand from Punjab in
late 18th century. Now just have a look at the long list of
the tribes that belonged to the second category of Blunt
(1931) and were categorized by sociologist as non-elite
Muslims (Ajlaf). They were as follows in North India:
Atishbaz, Baidguar, Bhand, Bhatiyara, Bhisti, Dafali,
Gaddi, Iraqi, Jojha, Julaha, Khanzada, Kunjra (also
termed as Kabariya at some places), Qassab, Turk, and
1
Robinson, F. (1974), Separatism among Indian Muslims, Chapter 1, Muslims in
United Province, Cambridge University Press, Digitalized in 2008, Cambridge, pp. 23.
Ranghar.1The Ibbetson document of Glossaries of Tribes
and Caste of Punjab and North-West Province also
mentioned the term ―Kunjra‖ as the occupational term
used for vegetable sellers.2In a similar manner, this term
was referred in the District Gazette of Sitapur 1906 and
again cited by H.R.Nevill in District Gazette of Lakhimpur,
United Province of Agra and Oudh.
It was cited as follows ―Faqir, Darzis,
Kunjras/greengrocers, and Telis are in number more than
5000‖ (Nevill, 1905).3 Rusell (1916) defined Kunjra as ―a
caste of greengrocers, who sell country vegetables and
fruit and are classed as Muhammadans. Mr. Crooke
derives the name from the Sanskrit kunj, „a bower or
arbour.‟ They numbered about 1600 persons in the
Central Provinces in 1911, principally in the Jubbulpore
Division. The customs of the Kunjras appear to combine
Hindu and Muhammadan rites in an indiscriminate
medley. They are also very quarrelsome and abusive
when bargaining for the sale of their wares or arguing
with each other. This is so much the case that men who
become very abusive are said to be behaving like
Kunjras; while in Dacca Sir H. Risley states that the word
Kunjra has become a term of abuse, so that the caste are
ashamed to be known by it, and call themselves Mewa-
farosh, Sabzi-farosh or Bepāri‖. 4
1
2
Rose, H.A, 1911. A Glossary of tribes and castes of Punjab and North-West
pp. 571.
3
Nevill, H.R. (1905), Sitapur, A Gazetteer ,Volume XI, District Gazetteers of the
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.
4
Russell, R.V. (1916),Indian Civil Service Superintendent of Ethnography, Central
Provinces, Assisted by Rai Bahadur Hira Lāl Extra Assistant Commissioner . The
Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, Published Under the Orders of
the Central Provinces Administration, In Four Volumes, Vol. IV. , Macmillan and Co.,
Limited St. Martin‘s Street, London, pp. 50.
As an example, the details of the tribe ―Momin Ansar and
Mansuri‖ are presented here that were cited by their
aboriginal names in District Gazette of United Province of
Oudh and Agra. Collectively both of these tribes form the
major composition of Ajlaf Muslims in North Indian states
and Bengal. District Gazette, Bareilly (1911) cited that
―Julaha/weavers numbered 11,000/15.5 percent of
Muslims. The weavers and cotton carders/Behnas are
almost identical in origin and appearance. It is not a
difficult matter to recognize the Julaha owing to the
absence of hairs on their cheeks. But not even the most
practiced observer can differentiate them from their
congener the Behnas‖ (Nevill, 1911). 1 It is evident from
the above examples that by the start of 20th century all
these communities were identified by their occupational
names and in most of the regions of North India, the
members of these communities form the core of
peasantry. Then why these tribes adopted new
nomenclatures. The answer can be concluded from this
piece of article published in the Milli Gazette:
―Historically, a good number of dalits converted to Islam.
But after conversion their socio-economic status
remained impoverished, backward and downtrodden.
Most of them continued with their traditional professions
as artisans, peasants and labourers, except those which
were considered impure or unacceptable in Shariah.
Nevertheless, of late, some of these Muslim caste groups
became organized and have given themselves Muslim
nomenclatures. They identified and associated
themselves with Islamic personalities. For example, the
butchers designated themselves as Qureshi; the weavers
as Ansari; the tailors as Idrisi; the Bhishtis as Abbasi; the
vegetable vendors as Raeen; the barbers as Salmani;
the carpenters and blacksmiths as Saifi etc. By joining
the fold of Islam they did not get such a boost to their
1
Nevill, H.R. (1911), Bareilly: A Gazetter being Volume XIII of the District Gazetteers
of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, pp. 91.
talents and abilities that they could face equal
competition with all others‖.1The Ajlafs came to the fold of
Islam for attaining equal status as given in the
commandments of religion (Ansari and Naushad, 2011).2
To some extent, they received status of equality but still
there was a feeling of discrimination in many areas of life.
As evident from above citation that most of the
socioeconomically downtrodden communities either tried
to affiliate themselves with the names of the old Ashraf
tribes or derived from Islamic personalities and Arabic
terms to segregate themselves from centuries old
indentities. For example, Abbasi*(sub-section of Sayyad
and Shiekh), Qureshis* (major sub-division of Arabi
Ashrafs), Raeen/Arain* (a big tribe of Punjab and partly in
Sindh that claimed to be descendants of Banu Ummaya),
Ansari* (major tribes of Medina at time of Hijra), Saifi
(probably derived from Arabic word saif means sword),
Idrisi (derived from Prophet Idris). In all the Gazettes and
official documents of Colonial India only Ashraf tribes
were referred by these appellations and other Ajlafs
tribes were referred by their occupational terms as cited
above in this section. We would like to go back in early
20th century to review those political changes among
Muslims of North India that were responsible for the
1
Ansari, M, Naushad (2011). Reservations for dalit Muslims, Milligazette, April 6, 2011.
Retrieved from: http://www.milligazette.com/news/839-reservation-for-dalit-muslims-in-
india [last accessed: 23/April/2015].
2
IBID
*the Ansari is the one of big tribe of Medina that were probably descended from Bani
Israil and at the time Hijra all of the members of this tribe get converted to Islam.
Quresh is one of the major sub divisions of Adani Arabs. All of later tribes were
descendants of Quresh. Abbasi are descendants of Hadhrat Abbas, the Uncle of
Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessing upon him) and Abbasid caliph belonged to
the same tribe. Banu Umayya also descended from Quresh tribe and Umayyad
Caliphs belonged to the same tribe. During the expansion of Islamic empire in 1 st, 2nd
and 3rd century Hijra all these above mentioned tribes spread in the countries of
Islamic world. Even up to current dates, these tribes can be traced in different
countries that were once part of Islamic world. Sindh became the part of Islamic
empire in the time of Umayyad dynasty and these tribes came and settled in Indian
sub-continent from 8th century up to the downfall of the Mughal Empire in early 18th
century.
reforms and changes in the centuries old identities of
Ajlaf tribes. Even the stalwarts of post 1857 era like Sir
Syed Ahmad Khan were not able to integrate the ―Ajlaf‖
Muslims in their movement. The Muslim League from the
time of its formation in 1906 also reflected similar picture.
Its main body was made up of Ashraf Muslims. For
example, the founding members of League, Hakim Ajmal
Khan, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar (Pashtuns), Syed
Nabiullah, Syed Zahur Ahmad, Nawab Sir Khwaja
Samimullah (Sayyids and Khwaja Sheikhs), Raja of
Mahmudabad Sir Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan
(Sheikh Siddiqui), Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi and Justice
Shah Din (Arains of Punjab). Rai (2011) also stated that
an antipathy of Ajlafs was formed towards the Muslim
League as they believed that the party represented only
Ashraf Muslims who were responsible for their long
socio-economic exploitation in Indian sub-continent down
the centuries especially among the weaver community.1In
1914, the weaver community, which formed the major
proportion of the Ajlaf North Indians, organized
themselves in Calcutta started reforms within the
community. Most of these were migrant‘s labourers who
worked in the cotton mills in Calcutta. The term ―Momin
Ansar‖ was proposed to refer the tribe instead of the
traditional term ―Julaha‖. 2 In 1923, All India Momin
organization was formed under their leader Hajiram
Mohammad Farkhund Ali of Sasaram to promote
traditional weaving, self-respect of the tribe and reforming
religious practices of the community. All India Jammatul
Ansar was formed and in 1930, it was officially declared
to use the term ―Momin Ansar‖ for representing the
community on the platforms. 3 In 1931, they also
demanded that their tribe would be enumerated with this
1
Rai, S.K., (2011), Muslim Weaver politics in early 20th century North India: Locating
an Identity. Economic and Political weekly, Vol XLVII (5), pp. 61-70.
2
IBID
3
Raman Vasanthi (2010), The Warp and the weft: Community and gender identity
among Banaras weavers. Published by Routledge, Tolstoy house, New Delhi, pp.63.
newly coined ―appellation‖ in the upcoming official
census. By 1933, they argued for the greater rights in the
society, and Congress party rallied with their demands as
they represented the major component of 77 million
Muslims in Imperial India. The Qasabs followed the
weavers and probably the second one among the list of
Ajlafs to be enrolled in the process of changed identities.
They preferred to be called themselves as
Quereshis.1The list goes on and in the same move, the
Kunjra tribe of Ajlafs renamed themselves as
Rains/Arains. Some of the nationalist leaders such as
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Syed Mahmood and few
others who themselves came from Ashraf background
gave the boost to these movements of Ajlaf tribes by
playing a role of social reformer. As per Islamic beliefs, a
tribe or community has no right to claim any superiority
over other irrespective of their origin, race or nationality.
This article does not intend to associate any sort of
superiority or chauvinism with Ashraf communities of
Muslims and especially Arain tribe, i.e., subject of our
study. On the other hand, the current democratic and
secular ideologies also rejected any discrimination in the
name of race, caste, color or tribe. This analysis is
presented with two objectives:
1. To provide factual information regarding the Muslim
tribes mainly about Arains of Rohilkhand in light of
historical evidence and socio-political order of
Muslims in Colonial India during early 20th century.
2. To distinguish the Arains community of Rohilkhand,
their origin and background from a tribe that started
using same appellation from last sixty years by using
evidence based approach.
The land distribution act of 1920 referred distribution
of Arain population in Bareilly, Pilibhit, Karnal,
1
Rai, S.K. (2011), Muslim Weaver politics in early 20th century North India: Locating
an Identity. Economic and Political weekly, Vol XLVII (5), pp. 61-70.
Ghatgaon, Hissar, Rohtak, Ambala, Firozpur,
Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kangraa,
Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Lahore, Shiekhupra,
Montgomery, Multan, Jhang, Lyallpur, Gunjarwala,
Sialkot, Jhelum, Attock, Mianwali, Dera Ghazi Khan,
Muzzafargarh, and the old settlements of Sindh
mainly located in Jacobabad, Larkana, Hyderabad,
Nawab Shah, and Sukkar. At present, the total
population of Arain community of Rohilkhand is
around forty thousand in India, ten thousand in
Pakistan and approximately three thousand in
countries outside India and Pakistan. All the members
of this community descend from the few hundred
Arain families that emigrate in Rohilkhand region two
hundred years before from Punjab. The latter group is
an occupational community spread across present
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal,
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In different
regions, they were derived from different ethical and
cultural background. Even the above-given population
distribution of Arains of 1920 had not mentioned the
presence of Arains in any District of United Province
of Oudh and Agra, Bihar, Bengal, Madhya Pradesh or
Maharashtra although these regions formed primary
demographic lot of the greengrocer‘s community. It
seems to be distinct from the detailed review that
community of greengrocers who asserted themselves
as Rains/Arains had no connection with Arain tribe of
Rohilkhand region in Uttar Pradesh or Punjab
(Pakistan). It is same as no kinship existed between
Sheikh Qureshi‘s and Qureshi‘s (Kasabs); Sheikh
Ansari and Momin Ansar (Weavers) or Abbasi Syeds
and Abbasi (Faqirs).
CHAPTER 2: ROHILKHAND, ITS
BACKGROUND IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
AND IMMIGRATION OF ARAINS
Katehar (Rohilkhand) was the area east of Ramganga

River in United Province, which was dominated by
Katheriya Rajput, Jat and Banjara zamindars from the
time of Turkish dynasties up to the reign of great
Mughals.1Katehar derived its name from the soil, which is
soft well-aerated loam suitable for cultivation. A marshy
and swampy long strip of jungle along the foothills of
Himalayas was known as Terai. It was the description of
Rohilkhand in eighteen century. The sapped Mughal
Empire after the death of Great Mughal Aurangzeb gave
the way to Afghan adventurers to consolidate their power
in Katehar. It was named after ―Rohilla‖ a Pashtun tribe
that was spread on Sulaiman Mountains, immigrated and
settled in the region around eighteen century.2 By 1740,
Rohilla tribe seized the whole area lying in the north-west
of Oudh.3 In 1774, the joint forces of Nawab of Oudh and
British under the command of Colonel Champion,
defeated Rohilla forces at Mirpur Katra near Bareilly in
which Rohilla commander, Hafiz Rehmat Khan was
killed.4This decisive battle marked the decline of Rohilla
power in North India. After the war, the complete
Rohilkhand was ceded by Nawab Shuja-ud-daula of
Oudh except the area of Rampur. For the next twenty-six
years, Oudh Nawabs ruled the complete area of
Rohilkhand except Rampur. In 1801, the Rohilkhand
came under the direct control of British East India
Company in the name of ―Ceded Provinces‖ by Nawab of
1
Baker, WR. (2010), A deadly religion Islam: A great Lie, published by William
Richard Baker.
2
Gommans, Jos. J.L. (1995), In: Chapter 4, the rise of Indo-Afghan Empire, c1710-
1780, Brill.
3
IBID.
4
Strachey, J., (1892), Hastings and the Rohilla war, printed at Oxford by the
Clarendon press, United Kingdom.
Oudh, Sadat Ali. 1 East India Company annexed the
complete territory of Rohilkhand due to anarchy and
mismanagement of the rulers of Oudh. The state of
Rampur continued to be ruled by Rohilla dynasty until the
partition of India in 1947.
IMMIGRATION OF ARAINS IN ROHILKHAND
It was around the late eighteenth century, a small number

of Arain community from Punjab immigrate to Rohilkhand
region. 2 According to Sir Denzil Ibbetson, it was up to
1783; they held the valley of Ghaggar and Choya. It was
the disturbance in the area caused by harassment of
Samaras by Bhatti Rajputs that forced a part of
community to emigrate across the Ganges and find
settlement around Bareilly region. 3 According to the
settlement report of Sirsa, they held around three
hundred villages in Ghaggar valley from Bhatner to
Tohana in Hissar District until 1759.4The famine of 1759
ruined them economically and weak control of degrading
Mughal authorities exposed them to be plundered by
neighbouring Bhattis.5It was the second famine of 1783
that crushed the morale of the tribe and forced most of
the tribe to be settled across the Yamuna River in Bareilly
and Rampur District. 6 There was no official account
available that represented the correct numbers of the
Arain population, which immigrated to Rohilkhand region.
1
Bhatt S.C, and Bhargava, G.K. editors (2006), Land and Peoples of Indian states
and Union territories, Vol 28, Uttar Pradesh, Kalpaz Publications, Delhi.
2
The Rohilkhand region in our writing also covered the early Arain settlements in the
plain villages of District Nainital, Kumaon division.
3
Rose, H.A, (1911), A Glossary of tribes and castes of Punjab and North-West
pp. 13.
4
Wilson, J., (1884), Final report of the revision of the settlement of the Sirsa District in
Punjab, 1879-1883. Printed by Calcutta central press company, Council Street,
Calcutta.
5
IBID
6
IBID
It could be estimated from official accounts of Arain
population available in District Gazette of Pilibhit and
Bareilly that were compiled about hundred years after
their immigration. According to Imperial Gazette of India,
the population of Arains/Rains (the two-term were used
interchangeably in Sutlej valley, Arains in Rohilkhand
were mostly mentioned by the second term 1 ) was
recorded as four thousand among eighty thousand
Muslim population of the District Pilibhit.2Probably it was
around few hundred families that emigrate in the first
phase of 1783. According to the author of ―Tareekh
Arain‖, the Arains in Rohilkhand mainly emigrated from
Ferozpur, Sirsa, Jalandhar and Ludhiana around 1780.3
The dates cited by the author of ―Tareekh Arain‖
approximately matched with dates provided by Ibbetson
and Wilson in their accounts. Emigration is an integral
component of human history down the ages. Multiple
factors were responsible for the migration of an ethnic
population from their homelands. In the case of Arains
immigration in Rohilkhand, it was the political
disturbances and famines in the region that forced them
to move in the search of new cultivating lands. They
found a safe haven in Rohilkhand, which had reputation
of good cultivating land. The same factor was responsible
for the emigration of large Pashtun ―Rohilla‖ population
from North West Frontier in late 17th and early 18th
century in the region. The name ―Rohilkhand‖ of the
region is still identified that derived its origin from the
Rohilla tribe. There were many significant differences
between Pashtun and Arain immigration. First, Pashtun‘s
were able to establish an empire, which played a
significant role in 18th century North Indian politics.
1
Wilson, J., (1884), Final report of the revision of the settlement of the sirsa District in
Calcutta.
2
Hunter, W.W. (1908), The imperial Gazetteer of India, Vol.VII: Bareilly to Berasia,
Oxford: Clarendon Press.
3
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), Tarrekh Arain, 5th Ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar,
Lahore.
Second, their immigration was on a mass scale that their
population at the time of Rohilla-British war in 1774 was
more than one hundred thousand in the region. 1 The
review of the social anthropology of the parts of
Rohilkhand especially Bareilly and Pilibhit (formerly
pargana of District Bareilly) showed an impact of Arain
immigration in these regions. The Arain settlements
made an effect on different spheres of life especially in
rural areas. As we go through the time after 1857, we can
find a significant percentage of zamindari holding among
Arians in District Pilibhit and Bareilly (tehsil Baheri). The
next chapter discussed the detailed account of their land
settlement based on the reports and gazettes of District
Pilibhit and Bareilly.
1
Nevill, H.R. (1911), Bareilly: A Gazetteer being Volume XIII of the District Gazetteers
of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.
CHAPTER 3: LAND SETTLEMENT AND ITS
DISTRIBUTION AMONG ARAINS IN
ROHILKHAND
According to Chaudhry, the immigration of Arains in the

Rohilkhand commenced in 1780 and continued for next
fifty years. In the first phase of migration, only small
number of the families settled in the region. In 1909, the
Arain landholding as proprietors (zamindars) was 7.5
percent though their population was only 0.9 percent of
total population and 5 percent of total Muslim population
in District Pilibhit. 1 The Pashtuns were considered as
second largest landowning caste after Hindu Banjaras
i.e. 16.3 percent of landholdings as Proprietors and their
population among Muslims was around 17 percent 2 .
Based on the landholdings to population ratio, the Arains
took the lead in District Pilibhit and Bareilly in early 20th
century. The only change that took place after British
occupation was creation of Rains and Hindu
moneylenders as zamindars, of which Rains/Arains were
the creation of British government, who in the earlier
days of their immigration were styled as
3
Padhan/Thekedars (Nevill, 1909). The statement of Nevill
depicted the status of tribe by using the term
―Padhan/Thekedars‖ in early days of their settlement
seems to be accurate. There were multiple reasons for
this economic order of early immigrants; first, they were
financially ruined by the famines of 1759 and 1783 of
District Sirsa. Second, the Rohilkhand was in the state of
anarchy and Oudh rulers did not create proper zamindari
rights so it was tough for immigrants to establish their
estates by displacing fierce zamindars in the region.
1
Nevill. H.R. (1909), PILIBHIT: A Gazetteers, VolXVIII of the District Gazetteers of
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Nevill HR, pp.102.
2
IBID
3
Nevill. H.R. (1909), PILIBHIT: A Gazetteer, VolXVIII of the District Gazetteers of
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Nevill HR, pp.102.
Third, the occupation of the country by Oudh ruined the
cultivation of Rohilkhand in last two decades. Mr.
Tennant, a British Army officer sketched the situation of
Rohilkhand in 1799 in one of his accounts: ―Bareilly is a
large town, the capital of Rohilkhand. This fine country
we have passed through has within last twenty years
become vast desert. Extensive waste everywhere meets
the eyes, which were lately in cultivation but which are
now covered with long grass (Tennant, 1799)‖.1The Arain
tribe faced an extremely difficult time in first seventeen
years of their settlement in Rohilkhand i.e., from 1783-
1800. The establishment of British rule in the region
(1801) gave a chance to expand their landholdings. The
statistical details showed that the community, which
migrated in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
century from Punjab, had more landholdings in the terms
of per capita distribution in comparison with Pashtuns,
who were previously the ruler of the region under
Rohillas.
DISTRIBUTION AND LAND SETTLEMENT
The previous sections cited that immigration of Arains in

Rohilkhand commenced in 1783 based on accounts of
Mr. Wilson and Ibbetson.2Although they started settling in
the region around eighteen century, their immigration
was continuous up to the next fifty years. In the first
phase of immigration majority of the Arains came from
Sirsa (now in Haryana, India). Approximately their
population represented from thirty villages of Sirsa and
most of them settled in the western part of District Pilibhit
(part of District Bareilly at that time) and adjoining areas
1
Moens, S.M. (1874), Report on the settlement of Bareilly District, North West
Provinces, part II.
2
Wilson, J. (1884), Final report of the revision of the settlement of the Sirsa District in
Calcutta.
of District Bareilly. 1 The settlements of the first phase
were located in village Mundanpur, Mundia Jagir, Sarnia,
Mundia Nabi Buksh (District Bareilly), village Daang,
Khamria, Pauta, Aigraah, Karghaina, Sugatia, Dherum,
Turkunia, Bahadurganj, Dhundri (District Pilibhit) and
village Kiccha, Sirauli and Lalkuan (District Nainital)2. The
immigrants of the first phase were in touch with their kins
and larger tribe in Punjab. In the span of the first fifty
years of settlement, they were able to owned large
zamindari estates in the region. 3 The second phase of
Arain immigration in the region started at the beginning of
the 19th century and continued for the next fifty years.
This time majority of them belonged to the tehsil Nakodar
of District Jalandhar. In this phase, approximately Arains
from fifty villages of Jalandhar immigrated to Rohilkhand.
Multiple reasons were responsible for the second phase
of Immigration, but two of them were probably most
important. First, this was the time of Sikh domination in
Punjab and Arains were one of the victims of new rulers
in Punjab except for the prosperity of few individual
families. Second, they had relatives among immigrants of
first phase. Most of them had occupied vast agricultural
lands in the newly settled fertile Terai region of
Himalayas.4Most of the immigrants of the second phase
established their settlements with the help and facilitation
of British officers. Their main settlements were located in
village Udaipur, Jagat, Nurpur, Munadlia, Baanskhera,
Rampura, Bhainsa, Gopalnagar, Bara, and Uganpur in
District Bareilly, Pilibhit, and Nainital. The majority of the
second phase immigrants belonged to villages of Pahadh
area of District Jalandhar; they were still known as
Pahadh Wale in their community as a wide practice of
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: Chapter seven, Tarrekh Arain, 5th Ed., Ilmi
Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.431.
2
IBID
3
IBID
4
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: Chapter seven, Tarrekh Arain, 5th Ed., Ilmi
Punjabi culture to put the name of the villages of their
origin as an appellation. A settlement officer, SM Moens,
published the settlement report of Bareilly in 1874 and
Pilibhit was one of the tehsil of District Bareilly at that
time. So all these references of the Moens include
District Pilibhit also (Pilibhit was made separate District in
1879). ―Of all our zamindars, the Arains are almost the
only men who really exert themselves in the
management of their estates, and their proper cultivation
and irrigation. They have consequently become very
wealthy during the last settlement, and they are always
on the lookout of the purchase of new estates (Moens,
1874)‖. 1It could be concluded that up to 1874 the tribe
had passed almost ninety years in District Pilibhit,
Bareilly, and Nainital region and during this period Arains
had attained the status of able and hardworking
landlords. The other virtue of Arains that was referred by
Moen in the settlement report was regarding their
disciplined behavior as zamindars. He further stated,
―They are hard enough to grind down their tenants but at
the same time took proper care so that latter would not
starve‖. 2 This statement showed display of skillful
behavior that facilitated the balanced relationship with
their tenants.
In 1909, the total populations of the Arains were mainly
concentrated in tehsil Pilibhit, District Pilibhit, few
settlements in northern parts of tehsil Bisalpur3, Pargana
Richha and Chaumahla in District Bareilly. According to
the Nevill, their presence in the region was due to the
excellence of the high standard of cultivation present
among this community. With the commencement of
British rule in the region and creation of zamindari rights,
Arains had become zamindars of the large area
1
Provinces, part II, pp., 130.
2
IBID
3
Nevill, H.R. (1909), PILIBHIT A Gazetter, VolXVIII of the District Gazetteers of United
Provinces of Agra and Oudh,
especially in the tehsil Pilibhit (District Pilibhit), their
largest estates were Daang, Bhainsaha, Turkunia,
Dhundri, and Nurpur. 1 ―They were considered as most
capable and hardworking landlords but though they grind
down their tenants they take care that the latter do not
starve, and exert themselves to ensure that their villages
shall be well-peopled and well-tilled (Nevill HR,
1909)‖. 2 The British documents iteratively described the
conditions of the villages in Arain zamindari estates in a
positive manner. A conclusion can be drawn from the
above citations that Arains took lead among all other
proprietary communities in management of their estates
from 1837 up to 1911. The pargana Jahanabad that
comprised of total one hundred ninety eight villages, the
Muslim zamindars took a lead (approx. owned sixty-one
percent of zamindari holdings), of which Arains owned 33
percent and Pashtuns owned 26 percent. 3 Among the
cultivators also, the Musalmans were in the lead, and
11.6 percent were represented by Arains (highest among
Muslims) followed by Pashtuns.4In pargana Pilibhit, the
representation of Arains in zamindari landholdings was
13.1 percent, and they followed Pashtuns who were
owner of 13.6 percent zamindari landholdings.5In 1911,
the total population of the Arains in District Bareilly was
estimated to be two thousand nine hundred eight; most of
them were distributed in villages of tehsil Baheri, District
Bareilly (Nevill HR, 1911).6 It could be assessed from the
above references that population of Arains in the early
twentieth century was around eight thousand in
1
Nevill, H.R. (1909), PILIBHIT A Gazetter, VolXVIII of the District Gazetteers of United
Provinces of Agra and Oudh.
2
IBID
3
Nevill, H.R. (1909), PILIBHIT: A Gazetter, VolXVIII of the District Gazetteers of
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, pp.199.
4
5
6
of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, pp.93.
Rohilkhand region, which was distributed among the
villages of District Pilibhit, Rampur, Bareilly, and Nainital.
The Arains of village Khamaria in District Pilibhit are
descendants of Sheikh Jaan Mohammad and Sheikh
Dost Mohammad. By this way, all of them are the
members of one family and seven to eight generations
has been passed from the days of the first settler, Sheikh
Jaan Mohammad. Most of the landholdings among the
Arains of Khamaria were owned under joint zamindari
instead of individual villages. Mr. Ishaq and Mr. Naseem
published the detailed family tree of the village Khamria
in the book ―Arain‖ published in 2001. The family tree of
village Khamaria, District Pilibhit is present in Appendix.
In District Bareilly Sheikhs and Arains collectively held
9.01 percent of Zamindari. ―Among the most successful
Zamindars are Arains who had extended their
possession from District Pilibhit into Richha and
Chaumahala Pargana from Pilibhit (Nevill H.R,
1911)‖.1According to District Gazette, Bareilly (1911), the
Arain landholdings were around forty five thousand acres
under single and joint zamindari and most of them were
located in pargana Richha and Chaumahla in tehsil
Baheri.2The tehsil Baheri, District Bareilly during British
days included pargana of Richha, Chauhmala, Kabar and
Sirsawa.3 There were total four hundred thirty villages in
Baheri tehsil and in 1907-08; these comprised 1117
mahals, of which single proprietors owned 466 and 644
were under joint zamindari. ―Altogather at the time of
settlement Pathans held 24.2 percent of the tehsil and
Rains 11.9 percent and Banias 11.8 percent and rest was
divided among other proprietary tribes‖. 4 As the Arain,
population was less than four percent of total Muslim
1
2
IBID
3
IBID
4
population and Pathans/Pashtuns represented twelve
percent of total Muslim population in tehsil Baheri during
1911. In total Arains owned around fifty-two villages in
tehsil Baheri and per capita distribution of zamindari
holdings of Arains were highest in the tehsil. In the terms
of percentage, the zamindari owned by
Pathans/Pashtuns was highest in the tehsil and Arains
scored second position in tehsil Baheri, District Bareilly.
The Terai plains in the foothills of the Himalayas are one
of the most fertile plains in sub-continent. It was the
excellent cultivating skills and strong sense of discipline
that empowered Arains in British Rohilkhand as one of
the wealthiest proprietors in the region. It is evident from
the above extensive statistics provided by Nevill in
District Gazettes of Bareilly and Pilibhit that Arains were
one of the significant landholding communities in the
region. During the famines of 1860 and 1870, the Arain
landlords disbursed huge amount of grains for the
survival of their cultivators.1The other class of zamindars
compared with Arains put limited efforts for improving
their villages and their notion of improvement was
confined to raise the rents.2The efforts done by them to
improve the life of tenants and the strong sense of
responsibility in making their villages properly cultivated
and well-populated were most significant factors in
making them successful landlords of the region.
1
Provinces, part II, pp., 130.
2
IBID
CHAPTER 4: SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS,
PROPRIETARY ESTATES, AND CULTURAL
BACKGROUND OF ARAINS IN ROHILKHAND
DURING COLONIAL ERA
ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF THE COMMUNITY
A cyclic phenomenon can be noticed after the settlement

of a specific ethnic group of the population with any
immigration. First, in the new settlement, the access to
the available resources facilitated the generation of
wealth. Second, this leads to the growth and enrichment
of a particular culture that made an imprint on
surrounding environment. A similar phenomenon could
be observed in the settlement of Arain population in
Pilibhit, Bareilly and Nainital District of Rohilkhand. They
displayed immense capabilities in generating resources
in these new settlements. Within a span of forty to fifty
years, they were listed as one of the wealthiest and
cultured communities in the region. The Arain settlement
has made remarkable effects and contribution in
Rohilkhand especially in District Pilibhit and Bareilly. With
the end of 19th century and the start of 20th century,
there was a rise of many big zamindars among the
community and because of endogamous practice and
strongly interwoven network of relations between the
community members, most of them were close relatives.
The close relationships between higher sections of the
society was one of the conducive factor for the growth of
tribe as there was a mutual help in the purchase of new
estates. As stated by Nevill (1909), ―Almost all the
zamindars of this caste are related or connected by
marriage with one another”. 1 It is almost impossible to
discuss all zamindars in one chapter but an effort was
1
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.
made to sketch the biographical accounts of key figures
of the tribe of Colonial era in last chapter. There are no
references left of the condition and circumstances of
Arain community in Rohilkhand at the time of their
settlement i.e. late 18th century because of the
destruction of all personal libraries of different Arain
zamindars in the region, but some references are
available of later days (from late 19th century to early
20th century). During literature review, the first authentic
reference was settlement report of Bareilly published in
1874. The economic conditions of Arain tribe were
depicted in the following way.
―Of all our zamindars, the Arains are almost the only men
who really exert themselves in the management of their
estates, and their proper cultivation and irrigation. They
have consequently become very wealthy during the last
settlement, and they are always on the lookout of the
purchase of new estates. Their villages are always well
populated and well cultivated with their tenants and
during the famines of 1860-1861, the Arains expended
very large amount of grains in the support of their
cultivators. All other classes of Zamindars do, but little to
improve their villages as their notion of improvement is
chiefly confined to raising the rents‖ (Moens, 1874). 1The
previous term settlement that has been described by
Moens above took place in 1837, next settlement was
done in 1867, and the report was published in 1874.
From these references, it could be concluded that by
1837, the Arains were considered among the most
successful and wealthiest landlords of the region.
Similarly, the District gazette of Bareilly mentioned about
Arains under the title of proprietary caste and tribes in the
following manner: ―The Rains manage their estates in
business like principles and though they are usually hard
landlords, they themselves are farmers of high capacity
1
Moens, S.M. (1874), part II, Report on the settlement of Bareilly District, North West
Provinces, pp.130.
and take care that their villages should be well tilled and
well peopled (Nevill, 1911)‖.1The demographic pattern of
all Arains villages still today shows mixed population
pattern that comprises of many other communities also.
From the early days Arains were in minority in most of
the villages of their settlements and majority population of
the village was made up of tenants (assami) i.e., mixed of
both Hindu and Muslim tribes. Most of the Arains were
descendants of few families or one family and in most of
the cases, they were founders of those settlements. The
members of other communities were usually
descendants of the assamis (tenants) who used to work
as cultivators in the agricultural holdings of Arain
landlords. In those days, the economy of the Rohilkhand
was completely agrarian. The community up to the
nineteenth century was hundred percent rural as Arains
were directly associated with agriculture. The society was
divided into big landlords (zamindars), middle-class
landlords and cultivators.
PROPRIETARY ESTATES
The big landlords among Arains were few and it was the
case for all other propriety tribes in the District Bareilly
and Pilibhit. However, with a strong sense of discipline,
the spirit of hard work and excellent management of their
estates provide enough opportunities to middle-class
Arain landlords to enter in the list big landlords. ―Arains
are most capable landlords and successful agriculturalist,
and as rule their estates are in a very flourishing
condition (Nevill, 1911).‖ 2 As an agriculturist and
successful landlords, they were appreciated in an
iterative manner by British scholars in settlement report
1
2
Nevill. H.R. (1911), Bareilly: A Gazetter being Volume XIII of the District Gazetteers
of Bareilly, District Gazettes of Pilibhit and Bareilly,
Glossaries of tribes and caste of Punjab and North-West
Province and settlement report of District Sirsa (1884).
Nevill (1911) considered Udaipur, Bhainsa, Daang,
Madhopur, Dhundhri and Turkunia as biggest estates of
Arains in District Pilibhit. 1 Sheikh Ilahi Buksh was the
founder of Dhundri estate. The estate of Dhundri was
divided among two brothers, Sheikh Niyaaz Ahmad, and
Sheikh Nur Ahmad. Sheikh Nur Ahmad had shifted the
headquarter of the estate to the village Madhopur in
pargana Jahanabad, District Pilibhit. Collectively, the two
sons of Shiekh Nur Ahmad, Shiekh Aziz Ahmad and
Sheikh Zameer Ahmad were considered among the
richest citizens of District Pilibhit and Bareilly. Both
brothers paid the revenue of more than twenty thousand
Indian Rupees of their estates in 1900. Sheikh Nur
Ahmad was a capable landlord, and he extended his
estate in Nawabganj tehsil and Baheri tehsil apart from
the village Madhopur and some other villages in pargana
Jahanabad which he inherited from his father. 2 ―The
largest property among the Arains in Bareilly is that of
Shiekh Aziz Ahmad, the son of Shiekh Nur Ahmad of
Madhopur, Pilibhit. The latter died in 1890 and estate
was taken under the management of the court of wards
until 1900. Aziz Ahmad who is a municipal commissioner
pays Rs.7690 in Nawabganj and Rs. 3067 in Baheri,
while a separate property is held by his brother, Sheikh
Zameer Ahmad, (Nevill, 1911)‖.3The detailed account of
the sons of Shiekh Nur Ahmad is given in the chapter of
biographical accounts. The estate of Sheikh Niyaaz
Ahmad was divided among his two sons, Shiekh Zahur
Ahmad and Sheikh Fazal Ahmad alias Farrukh Sahab.
1
Nevill. H.R. (1909), Pilibhit: A Gazetter, VolXVIII of the District Gazetteers of United
2
3
of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, pp.105
Sheikh Zahur Ahmad possessed zamindari of Bhitauran
Kalan in pargana Pilibhit, Dhundri in pargana Jahanabad,
District Pilibhit, Amkhera, Zahurganj, Manzurganj,
Samaria, Makrui in pargana Richha, tehsil Baheri. The
great philanthropist and educationist of his time Nawab
Sheikh Manzur Ahmad was the son of Sheikh Zahur
Ahmad. The younger son of Shiekh Niyaaz Ahmad,
Sheikh Fazal Ahmad shifted headquarters of his estate
from village Dhundri to village Bhainsa. He constructed a
big haveli for his residence and a mosque in village
Bhainsa. Later on, he shifted his residence to Pilibhit city.
It was a bungalow located in the center of the town in an
area of approximately two thousand square yards. This
property was donated as the waqf to Jamia Mosque of
Pilibhit. Still, it houses more than ten Hindu families as
tenants from last forty years. The founder of Nurpur
estate was Sheikh Mohammad Buksh. His father came in
the late eighteenth century from Fatehabad, District
Hissar, Punjab. Sheikh Hafiz Ghulam Subhani
descended from the family of Nurpur proprietors. He was
the manager for Madhopur estate during the time of
Nawab Sheikh Zamir Ahmad. In 1932, he was appointed
as secretary for historical Jamia Mosque Committee of
Pilibhit. He compiled a detailed account of the families
who donated/waqf their properties for maintenance of
mosque. He not only documented those properties but
also tried to consolidate its income for the maintenance
and renovation of the historical mosque. Later he was
elected as chair of Municipal Board of Pilibhit city and
awarded the title of ―Khan Bahadur‖ from the British
government in 1944. The founder of Udaipur estate was
Sheikh Ghulam Mohammad. Among his descendants
Mohammad Hussain, alias Tanashah was prominent
member of this family. Shiekh Mohammad Hussain alias
Tanashah actively participated in the first war of
independence in 1857. Based on the historical records
provided by his descendants, he commanded a regiment
of freedom fighters and worked under the command of
Khan Bahadur Khan Rohilla, the Grandson of Rohilla
leader, Hafiz Rehmat Khan. Sheikh Mohammad Hussain
and his younger brother held the zamindari rights of
village Udaipur, Ainthpur, Chidyadah, Ghauhaniya,
Pakaria, Lahore gunj, Hajeera, Naugma Khaprail,
Rampuria, Gauntia, and some other village‘s in tehsil
Bisalpur and Barkheda. The zamindari of Udaipur estate
was divided among the descendants of Sheikh
Mohammad Hussain and his younger brother Ahmad
Hussain. Shiekh Mazhar Hussain was the son of Shiekh
Ahmad Hussain. He was the director Ujhyani Textiles in
District Badaun and he owned considerable properties in
Pilibhit city along with his zamindari estate in Udaipur,
pargana Jahanabad, District Pilibhit. Amanat Hussain,
Mahmood Hussain and Usman Hussain were
descendants of elder brother Sheikh Mohammad
Hussain. British Government awarded Malik Mohammad
Ahmad son of Sheikh Hamid Hussain with title ―Honorary
Magistrate‖.
Sheikh Taj Muhammad was considered as the founder of

the Daang estate who migrated from Salarpur tehsil of
District Jalandhar, Punjab. This estate reached the zenith
of its prosperity during the time of Haji Sheikh
Muhammad Buksh and his noble son Sheikh Nazeer
Ahmad. Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad used to pay revenue of
ten thousand four hundred eighty Indian rupees in 1932
for seven whole villages and fifteen shares that was
highest revenue among the Muslim proprietors in District
Pilibhit at that time. 1 Some of the villages of Daang
estates in pargana Jahanabad were Semalkhera, Daang,
Dhakia-Daang, Navada, and Dalelganj. In Pargana
Pilibhit, the whole village Barhani near Majhola was
under zamindari of Daang estate. In addition, the family
1
Drake-Brockman, D.L. (1934), District Gazetteer of United Provinces of Agra and
Oudh, Supplement D: Pilibhit District.
of Daang estate owned three whole villages, Baqarganj,
Samuan, and Bahnpur in tehsil Nawabganj, and hamlets
in some villages of Pargana Richa, tehsil Baheri, District
Bareilly. Apart from these zamindars, Sheikh Haji Qudrat
Ali of village Karghaina possessed zamindari of three
whole villages, i.e., Karghaina, Golarbogh and one other
village in tehsil Jahanabad, District Pilibhit. Sheikh
Maulana Jalaluddin S/O Shiekh Haji Pir Baksh held the
zamindari rights of the villages Dhakia Hulkari,
Aidwara,Tanda, Bahadurganj, and Banskhera,etc., in
District Pilibhit. Their ancestors came from the tehsil
Fatehabad, District Hisar, Punjab (now the part of
Haryana in Modern India). The founder of the family in
Rohilkhand was Sheikh Mullah Hussain. Sheikh Maulana
Jalaluddin and Haji Sheikh Alauddin were grandsons of
Sheikh Allah Buksh. Haji Sheikh Alauddin shifted his
residence in Pilibhit city during late 19th century and he
was considered as one of the foremost benefactors for
Muslim communities in Pilibhit city. The details of their
descendants have been described in biographical
accounts. Sheikh Fateh Mohammad widely known as
Fateh Padhan established the village Faridpur in Baheri
tehsil. Sheikh Tajuddin in his family tree referred Sheikh
Fateh Mohammad as the third son of Shiekh Allah
Buksh. 1 For several generations, Faridpur and
neighboring villages remained in their zamindari. Shiekh
Nazeer Ahmad S/O Sheikh Nur Ahmad was his
descendant in the seventh generation. Sheikh Haji
Ifthikhar Ahmad was his only son who is at present
around sixty-five-year-old. Sheikh Amir Ahmad owned
the zamindari estate of Turkunia. His ancestors extended
their estate and purchased zamindari of Faridpur from
the descendants of Sheikh Fateh Mohammad. Sheikh
Amir Ahmad held proprietary rights of Faridpur, Alsiabojh,
1
Jalal, Maulana. Jalaluddin. (1986), Kulliat Jalal, addition of Family tree by Sheikh
Printed by Bathu Color printers, Achal Taal, Aligarh, U.P, India, pp.121.
Mian Wali Sugahtia in District Bareilly, Turkunia, and
Sirsa in District Pilibhit. In later days, Rai Bahadur Lalta
Prasad widely known as Raja Sahab purchased it.
Sheikh Amir Ahmad was in the lineage of Shiekh Khuda
Buksh who was grandson of Sheikh Allah Buksh.1Shiekh
Rahim Buksh Son of Sheikh Mullah Ahmad was the
founder of Bara estate. The descendants of Sheikh
Rahim Buksh hold the proprietary rights of two whole
villages in pargana Jahanabad, i.e., Bara, Majhalia and
shares in surrounding villages. Sheikh Haji Abdul Rabb
was the pious person in this family who was very famous
for his charitable works in the region. Sheikh Faqir Buksh
S/O Sheikh Mullah Ahmad was the founder of Jagat
estate. Sheikh Faqir Buksh also received sanad from the
court of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.2Apart
from the above-described estates, the descendants of
Sheikh Nabi Buksh and his brothers held a considerable
number of shares and villages in District Bareilly. The
nucleus of this family remained in village Mundia, i.e.,
named after Shiekh Nubi Buksh as Mundia Nabi Buksh.
The zamindari of Mundia estate was divided among the
descendants of Sheikh Nubi Buksh, and his younger
brother Sheikh Hakim Buksh and Sheikh Rahim
Buksh. 3 The descendants of these three brothers held
1
Sheikh Allah Buksh was the ancestors of many Arain families in Rohilkhand. He
came from the Fatehbad Tahsil of Sirsa in 1780. He had three sons, Fateh
Mohammad, Mullah Ahmad and Mullah Hussain. There is some controversy regarding
Fateh Mohammad as a son of Sheikh Allah Buksh. Sheikh Mullah Ahmad had eight
sons who founded Arain settlement in different Villages. Shiekh Rahim Buksh settled
in Rahpura, Sheikh Hakim Buksh setteled in Badapura, Sheikh Mohammad Buksh in
Nurpur, Sheikh Khuda Buksh in Turkunia, Sheikh Faqir Buksh in Jagat, Sheikh
Ghulam Mohammad in Udaipur, Sheikh Ilahi Buksh in Dhundri, and Sheikh Rahman
Buksh in Bara Majhalia. That is a reason for using the title ―Mulla Zada‖ for the
proprietors/zamindars from these villages, as they were descendants of Mullah
Ahmad. Maulana Jalaluddin Jalal was the grandson of Sheikh Mulla Hussain.
Reference: Jalal, Maulana. Jalauddin. (1986), Kulliat Jalal, addition of Family tree by
Sheikh Mohammad Tajuddin Taj, edited and compiled by Dr. Zakauddin Shayyan, 4th
edition, Printed by Bathu Color printers, Achal Taal, Aligarh, U.P, India, pp.121.
2
Ishaaq, M and Naseem, M. (2001), Arain, Sangam offset and press, Sardarnagar
Publication, Pilibhit.
3
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: chapter seven, the Arain community of Mundia Nubi
Buksh, Tarrekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.234.
whole village of Mundia Nabi Buksh and hamlets in
village Labedi, Labeda, Khani Khinah, Dandiya Naglah,
Jangahdandi, Sheikhpur, Mundia Nasir, Gotha, Rahniya,
Bahdur Ganj, Karghaini, Ghazipur, Purnia, Nawada,
Singauti, Malpur, Chitawnia in District Bareilly.1
The pargana Jahanabad consist of total one ninety-eight

villages based on the assessment done in 1903. It was
divided in four hundred ninety mahals, of which two
hundred fifteen held in single zamindari, two hundred
twenty-seven in joint zamindari, three imperfect
zamindari, and ten revenue-free lands. ―Among
zamindars, Musalmans predominate, thirty-three percent
owned by Arains (Nevill, 1909)‖. 2 As referred in the
District Gazette, Pilibhit, Arains landholdings were
highest in this pargana. Around sixty-four villages came
under the zamindari holdings of Arains in Pargana
Jahanabad both under single and joint zamindari. Some
of the biggest estates have been discussed above in
detail. Now came, the largest section of the society,
middle-class Arain zamindars. This middle-class
landowners owned hamlets (shares) in different villages
under joint zamindari act. Along with this share, they also
held big shares of the agriculture land in cultivating
tenures. Their landholdings came in the category of
khudkasht (land cultivated by zamindars) and occupancy
tenants. In occupancy tenancy, the Arain cultivators hold
the land under ―Muqqadami tenure‖ which was more
privileged cultivation tenure compared with other sub-
division of occupancy tenancy, i.e., Ruqmi or an ordinary
cultivator. From the total area under cultivating tenures in
pargana Jahanabad, Arain cultivators, held around
twelve percent i.e., ten thousand acres. Around six
hundred twenty-five acres of land was under cultivation in
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: chapter seven, the Arain community of Mundia Nubi
Buksh, Tarrekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.234.
2
village pauta Kalan in pargana and tehsil, Pilibhit and
Arains possessed it under joint zamindari (Nevill, 1909).
Apart from big landlords, the list of middle-class
landowners was very long, and it was difficult for us to
trace all of them. We were able to retrieve the names of
some of the middle-class zamindar families via book
titled ―Tareekh Arain‖ and narrations passed through the
families. Maulvi Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa1 and his brother
Sheikh Ghulam Rasool held one-third of the proprietary
rights of village Amkhera and around fifty percent shares
of village Bagwa in pargana Jahanabad. The family
remained in village Amkhera and Maulvi Ghulam Mustafa
constructed a mosque in 1860. According to the author of
―Tareekh-Arain‖, he was a pious man and gave
considerable donations to the movement of
Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College. Until the abolition
of Zamindari in 1952, these shares remained in the
possession of his grandson Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad.
Sheikh Nisar Ahmad held proprietary rights of village
Gopalnagar in pargana Jahanabad. Later it was divided
among his three sons, Sheikh Abdul Waheed, Sheikh
Abdul Rasheed and Sheikh Abdul Lateef and they held
the major shares of village up to abolition of zamindari in
1952. Family of Sheikh Barkat Ahmad and his paternal
cousins owned the major hamlets of village Sirsi in
pargana Jahanabad. Sheikh Ata Rasool and his
ancestors held proprietary rights of village Haraipur in
pargana Jahanabad. Sheikh Karim Buksh owned
complete village Pauta Daam in pargana Jahanabad,
District Pilibhit. After his death, it was divided between his
two sons, Sheikh Fazal Hussain and Sheikh Muhammad
1
Maulvi Ghulam Mustafa, Shiekh Ghulam Rasool and their sons were buried in the
family graveyard lying close to the mosque constructed by him in village Amkhera.
The graves of some elders of Shiekh Nazeer Ahmad of Daang estate were also
located in same graveyards. The author of ―Tareekh-Arain‖ wrongly presented the
name of Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa among the family members of Daang estate. This
narration was passed to the author through Mr. Arshad S/O Sheikh Mohammad
Ahmad. He might got confused due to the presence of graves at commonplace i.e.,
family graveyard of Maulvi Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa and Shiekh Ghulam Rasool.
Noor. Sheikh Latfullah owned complete village Badwaar
in pargana Jahanabad, District Pilibhit. The father of
Sheikh Asghar Hussain, Sheikh Khaliluddin resident of
Amkhera owned proprietary rights for the complete
village Hussain Nagar in pargana Jahanabad, District
Pilibhit. Sheikh Munawwar Hussain and his ancestors
owned the village Rasula in Pargana Jahanabad. The
pargana Pilibhit comprised of two hundred fifteen
villages, which were divided in six hundred mahals, both
under single and joint zamindari. The Arain held 13.1
percent of Zamindari, third largest in pargana, after
Banias (26.6%) and Pashtuns (13.6%). Arains owned
around twenty-seven villages in this pargana. The Arains
of the village Khamaria held zamindari of village Pauta,
Gularia, Ghazipur Kunda, Ghazipur Mughal, Vikrampur,
Narainther, Keshavpur, Pirtipur, Khujaria, Pachpeda,
Phutekuan, and Khurraya. Most of them came under joint
zamindari act. The Arains of neighboring village Pandari
also shared some of these villages. Sheikh Haji Nisar
Ahmad and his paternal cousins Sheikh Ahmad Din and
Sheikh Mohammad Din owned the proprietary rights of
village Pandri, and shares in neighboring village Pirtipur
in Pargana, and tehsil, Pilibhit under joint zamindari act.
The proprietary rights of village Pipra in pargana Richha
was owned by Sheikh Amjed Ali and then divided among
his three sons, Shiekh Abdul Majeed, Sheikh Abdul
Rasheed and Shiekh Abdul Hameed. The hamlets of
village Pipra remained in possession of the descendants
of these three sons of Sheikh Amjed Ali until 1952.
Sheikh Ahmad Ali of Malpur held hamlets of Village
Malpur, Chitawnia, and Nadeli in tehsil Baheri, District
Bareilly. His grandsons Mr. Iqbal Ahmad and Mr. Afaq
Ahmad shifted to village Dhakia (Jawaharpur) in tehsil
Baheri of District Bareilly after the abolition of Zamindari
in 1952. Sheikh Raees Ahmad held hamlets in village
Gauntia, Makroi, Simaria and Sili Jagir of tehsil Baheri,
District Bareilly. The village of his settlement is still
popular by his name as Gauntia Raees. His descendant
Shiekh Altaf Ahmad and his sons, Sheikh Latif Ahmad
and Sheik Hafiz Shafi Ahmad owned the proprietary
rights in these villages until the abolition of zamindari in
1952. The family of Shiekh Abdur Rehman, and Sheikh
Abdul Rashid under joint zamindari act shared the village
Aigrah in tehsil Baheri. As discussed in previous chapter,
the land settlement of District Nainital was different from
District Bareilly and Pilibhit. British government directly
collected the land revenue from cultivators in District
Nainital. There was no land under zamindari act in this
District but as cultivators, Arains owned significant land
resources in Nainital District.
The zamindari abolition report of United Province (1948)

classified the zamindars based on the amount of the
revenue paid by them. The report put the cut off for
implementation of reforms on the landlords who
submitted minimum revenue of 250 INR/annum. Based
on the report, the number of the zamindars in United
Province who paid revenue between 250 INR to 500 INR
per annum was sixteen thousand two hundred fifty-
eight. 1 They were presented in the report at the lowest
strata of big landlords. Most of the middle-class Arain
zamindars fell in the same category. The top strata of the
big landlords were categorized on the basis of the
revenue payment between the ranges of five thousand
Indian Rupees to the amount exceeding ten thousand
Indian Rupees. 2 Their total number in United Province
was seven hundred. Seven to eight zamindari estates of
Arains in District Pilibhit and Bareilly belonged to the
highest category of revenue payment i.e., more than five
thousand INR.
1
United Provinces Zamindari Abolition Committee, Vol 1, 1948, printed by M.G,
Shome, Printing and Stationary, Allahabad, India.
2
IBID
DEMOGRAPHY, DWELLINGS AND GENERAL
LIFESTYLE IN ARAIN VILLAGES DURING COLONIAL
ERA
The Arain villages was referred several times in the

settlement report of 1874 in context with the maintenance
of the proprietary estates by Arain zamindars. In most of
the villages inhabited by Arains, the other communities
were mainly brought and settled by them as assamis
(tenants) for the purpose of work in their lands. Usually,
the village was divided into two sections; they, and most
of the time they used to be the proprietor of that village
occupied the first section. In most of the villages, the first
settlers were their ancestors who emigrated from Punjab
in late 18th century and early 19th century. Either, the
Arain population was the members of that extended
family who descended from the common father or in few
cases, they were close relatives of the zamindars who
were brought and settled in the village as an accountant
(Karinda) of their estates or as cultivators. Among the
Muslims, the most common tribes that were present as
assamis1 in Arain villages were Julahas (Weavers/Momin
Ansar) and Behna (Cotton-weavers/Mansuri). As they
represented the highest population among the Muslims in
United Province, and most of them moved to the fields as
the laborers in the late 19th century due to the
destruction of their handlooms after British invasion. A
small number of Kasab (Butchers) and Nai (Barbers)
population was also the part of Arain settlements and
mainly engaged in their traditional occupations for
livelihood. As a rule, no other proprietary caste was
present among Arain settlements except in few villages
Muslims Banjaras were present as cultivators or
sometimes as shareholders in joint zamindari. It was the
responsibility of the proprietor to facilitate their tenants,
1
Assamis is the term used for the labourers working in the Zamindari Lands in
Colonial era of India.
as the latter will be responsible for cultivating their
lands. 1 They had to provide resources such as mud,
timber and space for building their dwellings. 2As referred
by Moens (1874), Arains took special care for settling
their tenants and is one of the foremost reasons that
enabled them as the most successful landlords in the
region in late 19th century.3
The zamindar and his family members occupied a well-

organized quarter of the village. A well-built housing was
present in this section. Some time there, was more than
one housing units, which were connected with each
other, as most of the members were the part of an
extended family? For example in village Khamaria
(District Pilibhit) and village Mundia Nabi Buksh (District
Bareilly), the family of the first settlers extended so much
that up to the start of 20th century; it gave a look of
Mohalla/Colony. An average size of these houses was
around five hundred to seven hundred square yard. The
gateway bounded the main entrance. Then came an
open space (Gher) with raised platform (Chabutra) made
up of bricks mainly used for evening sittings of male
members. Attached to this space, there was a big
spacious room with the high ceiling made up of bricks
and high-quality timber supported by iron grids. A toilet
and bathroom were also present along with the rooms;
this unit was termed as baithak/mehman khana. In one of
the flank of gher, there was a shade having thatched roof
used for keeping cattle‘s and plough animals. The inner
section of the house consisted of three to four rooms of
which one of them had high ceiling roof. These rooms
with high ceiling roof and thick plastered walls remain
cold and gave them real relief in high temperatures of
1
Provinces.
2
IBID
3
Provinces.
May and June in Rohilkhand region. The access to the
courtyard of inner section was through a narrow space is
known deohri which has a small door so that interior of
the house would not be visible from outside. As Randhwa
commented while describing the architecture of village
houses in those days, the ―deohri‖ was the feature of the
houses of wealthy zamindars. Most of the houses of late
eighteenth century were demolished, but we got a
chance of examining ruins in certain Arain villages. The
small bricks were used construction, and Atkinson
(1882)1 described its cost around 125 Rs/lakh. Lime was
mainly used as cementing material. In well-constructed
houses, mainly Sal wood was used as timber. It cost
around Rs. 2.8 to Rs. 3.4 per cubic ft. It cost around Rs.
1.2 per fifty kg. The above-given description was for the
houses of big zamindars around last quarter of the
nineteenth century in United Province, India. In most of
the Arian settlement up to the late 19th century, very few
houses in the village belonged to this category. Based on
the records, it was found that generally in North Indian
village only wealthy landlords could afford this type of
housings. By the start of 20th century, the regular size
brick was introduced and most of the middle- class
landlords enlarged and extended their dwellings. A
considerable number of them were able to afford this
type of housing in first quarter of 20th century.
The major proportion of the community, i.e., middle-class

zamindars, and cultivators used to live in the mat and
mud brick houses in late 19th century. These dwellings
were also quite spacious with an average area of around
700 square yards. It was a large house of three or four
rooms. For the construction of mat and mud brick house,
the first step was to make mud bricks. For this mud and
rice straw was mixed. Then bricks were prepared from
this mixture and dried in the sun for three or four days.
1
Atkinson, E.T, 1882. The Himalyan Gazetter, Vol 3.
The ground was dug about two to three feet in depth for
the construction of walls. In the long ditch made for the
foundation of the walls, mud bricks were placed. The
bricks were joined with a mixture of mud and lime. From
the foundation mud, brick walls were raised to a height of
12 to 14 feet. The walls were plastered with a mixture of
rice straw and mud. This imparted strength to the walls.
For the construction of rooms, a net of wooden bars were
placed over the walls covering the rooms. Over this net, a
thatched mat about 6 inches thick was placed. This was
plastered with mud and straw to protect the upper
surface of the roof. The general description of the ―type
A‖ houses of United Province of 1931 is given in the foot
note below.1This was considered as the best housing in
the villages of the United Provinces in early twentieth
century. Almost majority of the well-off cultivators and
middle-class Arain zamindars used to live in above
describe dwellings.
The third category of the dwellings belonged to the

laborers (assamis), and they constituted the major
proportion of village demography. Those were small mud
huts covered with thatched roof having one or two small
rooms, small courtyard without a kitchen, toilet, and
bathroom. It was very unusual that any Arain fell in this
category. Wislon (1884) referred in District Gazette of
Sirsa, Punjab: ―the best houses in the District out of
1
―Class A.—the houses of class A which, as a rule, belong to small landowners are
commonly made of mud, but occasionally with some parts of it of masonry. Attempts
are made to make them somewhat pretentious. Such houses have a big quadrangular
compound with a courtyard in the center, always open to the air. The rooms are
arranged all-round the courtyards. The houses are usually surrounded by a wall
containing one door for entrance and exit which leads generally into the courtyard
known as the "mardana" or men's apartment, and beyond this is often found a second
enclosure intended for the "zanana," or portion of the house set apart for females.
Back of these inner enclosures contains a courtyard with open sheds all round in
which the servants stay and animals are kept or other property is usually stored. The
wealthier people have often high houses with an ornamental gate and with a
verandah.”
Reference: Jafri, S.N.A. (1931), In: Chapter 2, Section B, The history and status of
Landlords and tenants in United Provinces, India, Printed at Pioneer Press, Allahabad,
1931, pp.198.
towns are those of Arains on Ghaggar, which are often
built substantially and neatly of Pakka bricks taken from
the numerous old thehs in the neighborhood, with open
verandah and a clean well-kept courtyards (Sahan) and
gateway”.1Most of the courtyards had big silos of the mud
used for storing grains. In the local language, these silos
were termed as Kothliya/Kothi. In general, cattle‘s and
other animals such as horses, bullocks were kept and
maintained by servants. They were used for the domestic
purpose as cattle‘s were used for getting milk and
products for household and other animals were used in
fields for agricultural works. The overall mean of the
transport was wagons or carts drawn by a fine pair of
bullocks. Elephants and horses were also used as a
personal mean of transport by rich zamindars that were
later replaced by newly introduced motor cars in early
20th century.
1
Punjab, 1879-1883.Calcutta central press company, Calcutta.
RELIGION
The Arain community at that time was hundred percent

Sunni, Hanfi in fiqh and Matrudi in belief. 1 The Sharai
rules were followed and practiced widely among the
community. Purdah was strictly observed by the females
in those days. The majority of the tribe was free from the
vices of their time. Most of the members of the
community were affiliated with the spiritual chain of
Sufism i.e., Qadriyaah, Naqshbandiya, Chistiyya, and
Mujaadidia. The female‘s members of the community
never used to visit the shrines of Sufi saints. The visiting
on the shrines for females is prohibited in Sharia. It was
the common practice of ignorant and illiterate Muslims in
those days and even in contemporary time also. The
Ulema and Mashaikh (learned scholars of Islam) were
highly respected in the community. The religious scholars
to which Arain community in 19th and early 20th century
were spiritually and scholarly affiliated were Syed Ale
Rasool, Maulana Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, Maulana
Hamid Raza Khan, Maulana Mustafa Raza Khan, Haji
1
This was the definition of Matrudi and Ashari published by the Ash'ari and Maturidi
Schools: These two schools of doctrine are followed by the bulk of Sunni Muslims and
differ only in minor details.
Ash'ari School: This school is named after the followers of the 9th century scholar
Abu alHasan al Ash'ari (May Allah show mercy on him) (874–936 CE) and is widely
accepted throughout the Sunni Muslim world. They believe that the characteristics of
God are ultimately beyond human comprehension, and trust in the Revelation is
essential, although the use of rationality is important.
Maturidi School: This school is named after the followers of the 9th century scholar
Muhammad Abu Mansur al Maturidi (May Allah show mercy on him) (853–944 CE)
and has a wide following in regions where Hanafi law is practiced. Sunni (90% of the
world's traditional Muslims) is either Ashari or Matrudi. Traditionally, they were termed
as referred to as Ahl as Sunnah wa'l Jama'h or 'people of the prophetic tradition and
community'—with emphasis on emulating the life of the last Prophet, Muhammad
(Peace and Blessing be upon him).
Reference: Schleifer, Abdallah Page number 26, Major Doctrinal Divisions in Islam,
the Muslim 500, Prof. S. Abdallah, 2012, 2nd edition, Royal Islamic Strategic studies
center, Amman, Jordan.
Mohammad Sher Khan alias Shahji Mian, Maharban Ali
Shah, Maulana Irshad Ahmad Mujadidi, Maulana
Salamatullah Mujadidi (May Allah show mercy to
them).Taziadari (making replicas of the shrine of Imam
Hussain (Radi Allah Anah) during Muharram) was never
practiced by the Arains and as a staunch sunnis, they
considered this custom as Biddat Sahiya (bad
innovation). Nawabs of Oudh introduced this practice in
the culture of Rohilkhand by after its annexation in 1774.
Taziadari was common practice in Rohilkhand during
those days. Almost every settlement has the well-
constructed mosque. Even in the early settlement of
Arains in Rohilkhand regions such as village
Bahadurganj and Khamaria in District Pilibhit in late 18th
century, the proper well-constructed mosque was
present. The majority of the community members provide
religious education to the kids. Most of the male and
female members of the tribe were able to read Quran.
The stress was laid on memorization of Quran and as a
result, there was a good number of Hafiz Quran in the
community. The records showed that in 1918, there were
fifteen Hafiz-Quran only in village Khamaria, Pilibhit.
Even the great leaders of the community such as Khan
Bahadur Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad of Khamaria and Khan
Bahadur Sheikh Ghulam Subhani of Nurpur were Hafiz-
e-Quran (term used for an individual who memorized
complete Quran). The premises of Mosques and
Baithaks were the site for religious discussion. The
learned jurist and Islamic scholars were invited to deliver
their sermons on some special occasion such as Eid
Mawlid Nabawi, Yaume-Ashura, Friday prayers and
congregations before leaving for Hajj Pilgrimage. The
feast was arranged before leaving for the Hajj Pilgrimage
where relatives and friends gathered to give a farewell
bid to the pilgrims who were to depart for a long voyage.
These congregations also facilitated religious teachings
by the sermons of religious scholars. The fellow
community members used to handover money as a part
of charity and zakat so that it could be distributed among
needy Muslims in Hejaz. The practice of constructing a
mosque in every part of their settlement was present
among the tribe. Not a single village of Arains was devoid
of the mosque in early days of their settlement, i.e.,
around a late 18th century and early 19th century. The
pilgrimage of Hajj was quite common among the
community even though travelling for such a long
distance was challenging in those days and voyage took
around six months. During literature reviews, it was found
that noble women such as Mohtarma Rahim Bibi bint
Sheikh Haji Peer Buksh and wife of Sheikh Zahur Ahmad
performed four Hajjs in last quarter of 19th century. One
can imagine difficulties faced in completing a long
journey for Hijaz about one hundred thirty years ago.
Shiekh Haji Qudrat Ali of Karghaina used to stay for more
than three years in Hijaz during his Hajj journey in 1890.
The Arain estates of Bara and Dhundri constructed rest
houses 1 in Makkah, Hijaz for the facilitation of the
pilgrims of the region. Sheikh Haji Abdul Rabb
constructed the Bara Rubat in late 19th century in Mecca.
For more than fifty years, the pilgrims from Rohilkhand
region used to stay at Bara Rubat. Dhundri Rubat was
constructed by Mohtarma Rahim bibi sister of Sheikh
Maulana Jalaluddin and wife of Sheikh Zahur Ahmad in
early 20th century. Her Nephew Shiekh Wisaluddin, who
was the man of extraordinary capabilities, helped her lot
in accomplishing this charitable work. Charity apart from
mandatory zakat was given frequently in different forms,
and it was common in both strata of the society, i.e.,
1
In late 18th and 19th century, there was the practice of constructing rest houses that
facilitates the stay of pilgrims especially those who came from that particular region.
These are known as Rubaat in Arabic. Most of the time, it was constructed by the
rulers of Independent states or big landlords. The Rubaat constructed by Nawab of
Tonk and Hyderabad are still present in Mecca. Up to 1950s, the above-described
Rubaat were present in Mecca and my maternal Grandfather Late Haji Atiq Ahmad
S/O Sheikh Haji Nisar Ahmad marked both of these structures during his stay in
Mecca for Hajj Pilgrimage in 1949.
higher and middle-class section. In some cases, it was a
monetary help for the social cause such as widow
remarriages or an upbringing of an orphan child. As
instructed by Islamic jurisdiction, the charity should be
received in this hierarchal manner, first by kith and kins,
second to the needy fellows in the locality and then to
anyone who is in need. The beneficiaries of the charities
given by Arain society were usually needy community
members, family servants, and poor tenants/assamis.
The culture was prevalent in the society to donate
properties for the social welfare and religious
preaching‘s, for e.g., allocating a land for the village
graveyard. Usually, properties were donated to the
mosques in the form of waqf so that all the expenses of
the mosque can be run by the income of these
properties. Some of the donations given to the historical
Jamia Mosque 1 of Pilibhit were documented in the
logbook of expenditures of the mosque by its managing
committee. A big property was allocated to the mosque
located in the premises of Bareilly District court by Sheikh
Nur Ahmad of Madhopur in 1880 and his sons, Sheikh
Aziz Ahmad and Sheikh Zameer Ahmad in 1910.2On few
occasions, the amounts of the donation and charity were
huge. We would like to present readers an evidence of
the same type of charity given by Nawab Sheikh Manzur
Ahmad of Dhundri before his death in 1912. This is his
legal statement that was published in the court
proceedings at Allahabad high court in December 1917
under the bench of Justice H. Richards and P. Banerjee.
On 29 August 1912, the deceased executed a deed of
transfer in favors of his mother Rahim Bibi. "I, while in a,
1
Rohilla Leader, Hafiz Rehmat Khan in early 18th century built the Jamia Mosque of
Pilibhit at cost of three hundred thousand Rupees. Till date, this is the only surviving
architectural model of Rohilla days after its annexation in 1774 by Nawab of Oudh.
Most of the palaces and buildings in Rohilkhand were damaged by Nawab Shuja-Ud-
Daula as a mark of retaliation against Pashtun rulers.
2
These properties are still present and now a days they worth in Millions of Indian
Rupees. The tenants have occupied them and mosque committee is fighting a legal
battle with them through Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, India.
sound state of body and mind, have absolutely sold of my
own free will the entire 20 biswas Zamindari property in
Mauza Bithaura Kalan, Pargana Jahanabad District
Pilibhit, and the entire 20 biswa Zamindari property in
Mauza Amkhera, including the hamlets called Zahurganj,
Manzargunj, Samaria, and Makruli, Pargana Richa,
Tahsil Baheri, District Bareilly, and with all the
appurtenances and interests appertaining there to,
without the exception of any right or share, to my mother,
Musammat Rahim Bibi, wife of Sheikh Zahur Ahmad,
resident of Mauza Dhundri, Pargana Jahanabad, District
Pilibhit, for two lakhs of rupees, half of which is one lakh
of rupees, and made over the possession of both the
properties sold to the vendee. Now neither I nor any of
my representatives have any right in the above-
mentioned properties sold. Out of the entire sale
consideration, I have received Rs. 10,000 in cash, and
have left Rs. 1, 90,000 with the vendee with my
directions, in order that she may spend it with her own
authority and at her own discretion for good purposes for
the benefit of my soul in the next world. Hence I executed
this document as a sale deed giving authority in respect
of the sum held in deposit for charity, on a stamp paper
of Rs. 2,000 under Article 23 and on a stamp paper of
Rs. 15 under Article 7, Schedule I, Act II of 1889, so that
it may serve as evidence."1
Now review the value of the amount, i.e., two hundred
thousand Indian rupees given in the form of charity by a
1
Sheikh Fazal Ahmad And Anr. vs Musammat Rahim Bibi And Ors. on 5 December,
1917, Equivalent citations: 51 Ind Cas 633, Bench: H Richards, P Banerji, Allahabad
high court. Some of the contemporary donations and charities that were done by
Muslim philanthropist at that time and they became an integral part of the history. The
home page of Lucknow University wrote about his founder Raja Mahmudabad and his
close ally ―At the close of the Conference donations of one lakh each from the Raja of
Mahmudabad and Jahangirabad were announced.‖ Retrieved from:
http://www.lkouniv.ac.in/history.html
H.H. Agha Khan and Raja Saheb of Mahmoudabad gave Rs. 36 thousand INR cash to
Aligarh College in 1906. On 16 January 1907,His Majesty Habeebullah Khan, Shah
of Afghanistan visited the Aligarh College and announced a grant of Rs.
20,000.Retrieved from: http://aligarhclassifieds.com/aligarh-muslim-university
great man almost hundred years ago. As an example, we
are quoting the cost of the construction of one of the
major sections of King George Medical College, Lucknow
about fifteen years after this event. As cited on their
website ―A new building housing the Pharmacological
departmental with its laboratories and museum and
containing a fine clinical theatre was completed in 1927
at a cost of Rs. 55,000/.‖1Some detailed accounts of the
contemporary donations have been referred in the
footnote. Alas, if the resources of these great charities
were channelized and implemented in an efficient
manner, the Arain community would come up with a well-
established educational institute at that time.
SOCIO-CULTURAL CONDITION
A description of Ghaggar Arains was given in settlement

report of Sirsa (1882). ―They are as a rule middle sized
man with pleasant features. Their language and dress is
similar to Sutlej Musalmans. They are thrifty and
industrious and have been for generations devoted for
agriculture. They are unusually intelligent and upon the
whole further advanced in civilization than any other tribe
in neighbourhood. They are on a whole a prosperous
community. Until very late, they are strictly endogamous
and allowing intermarriages only with Bareilly Arains as
they were really emigrants from their tribe, Wilson
(1882)‖. 2 The account of Wilson provides a detailed
description of the community including their physique,
features, dress, mindset, economic, and cultural
background. It also showed that Ghaggar Arains in Sirsa
were connected by Rohilkhand Arains by matrimonial ties
until the end of 19th century and they are an offshoot of
Ghaggar Arains.
1
http://kgmu.org/history.php
2
Punjab, 1879-1883.Calcutta central press company, Calcutta.
After settling in Rohilkhand, they used to strictly follow
endogamous practice as described by Wilson in the
above given citation. This was reflected for a long time as
in early days most of the marriages took place between
the cousins. In the early time of settlement, they were
divided as Sirsawal i.e. from Sirsa and Pahadwale. The
latter mainly immigrated from District Jalandhar,
Ludhiana, and Ferozepur of Punjab. The former group of
Arains claimed a sort of cultural superiority over latter.
Their language in early days were Punjabi and Urdu,
which was later replaced by Urdu with some inclusion of
local language and Punjabi words which are still in use in
rural areas. For e.g. the word ―Sandu: Husband of wife
sister‖ is only used by Arains in the region is Punjabi in
origin 1 . A list of Punjabi words that were used in the
common language of the tribe in those days and still
used in the rural population of the tribe is given in the
footnote.2 Some of the words are specifically used by the
Arains in the region such as chilak (shining), Biyunt
(measurement) 3 , Chakda (wide), Akwade (front of the
house/locality), Biran (used for addressing brother with
affection). Probably these words were evolved in the
course of time with the blend of Punjabi, Urdu and local
dialects of the region, for, e.g., Akwade (front of the
house/locality) is still used in the Punjabi language. The
dressing also showed the influence of Punjabi culture in
those days. A typical cotton lungi (Tehmat) and Kurta
were the casual dress of males. The females wore white
pajamas/salwar with Kameez. Ghaghra, Lahnga, Kurti,
dupatta were formal apparels of females, and these were
1
Wikeley, J. (1931), Chapter 4, Customs and ceremonies of Punjabi Muslims, Punjabi
Musalmans, 2nd ed., the book house, Trust Building, Lahore, pp.52.
2
Common Punjabi words used in community ―Pachaon: West, Gara: Clay, Dhund Fog,
KORA: Frost, Wirsa: Inheritance, Taaya: fathers elder brother, Raand: Widow, Tenant:
Asami, Box: Sandukh, Dallan: hall, Arbitrator: Wicholia, Bracelet: Paunchian, Drawers:
Khanne, Bag: Thaila, Lambardar/Nambardar: Village Head. Retrieved from:
http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/scripts/FullindexDefault.htm?path1=/data_copy/upload/007
6/074&first=1&last=354&barcode=6010010076069.
used on special occasions in the family such as marriage
or betrothal. While leaving home, there was the trend of
wrapping turban on the head by males. A chadar
(wrapper) was also used both in a casual and formal
dressing of males. In cold, weather the woolen blanket
that is known as loni replaced this chadar. 1 Kameez,
Pajamas, chadar, white turban and sadri (waistcoat) were
formal apparels. Smoking was commonly present in the
form of hukka. Hukka was always the part of baithaks so
that one could smoke in the evening gatherings while
relaxing and chatting. The marriages were quite simple
with almost no reflection of the Hindu society and
customs. There was no special season for the marriage,
but people abstained from marriage in Eid, Muharram
and first thirteen days of Safar. Polygamy was widely
practiced among the community. Marriage among the
cousins was quite common in those days. The major
portion of the jewellery as the gift to the bride was given
from groom‘s family. This custom is still practiced in Arain
tribe of Punjab (Pakistan) and Arains of Rohilkhand.2The
Islamic laws of inheritance were followed for giving the
share to the daughters. The females were treated equally
and they held important position among the family.
Although, the structured female education was not
common in those days but they received good
educational training at their homes. They play an
important role in the basic education of their kids. Even
among the affluent families where good numbers of the
housemaids were available, the female members took
lead role in managing household activities. Irrespective
of the social status, the female members of the tribe
1
Wilson, J., (1884), dress and ornaments, Final report on the revision of settlement of
Sirsa District in Punjab, Calcutta Central Press Company, Calcutta, 1879-1883,
pp.156.
2
The majority of the Muslim tribes in Rohilkhand and in Punjab (Pakistan), there is a
custom that major share of the jewellery was brought by the bride and it was
considered as the gift from the bride‘s family. The custom among Arains is contrary to
their fellow tribes and similar to most of the Middle Eastern societies where jewellery
was given as the gift from the groom‘s side other than the amount of Maher.
never worked in the fields. The widow remarriage was
commonly observed among the community. The guests
were honored and received with kindness and warmth.
The hospitality offered is completely based on the
Quranic commands of Almighty Allah. The strangers
were received and treated with the same warmth as
showed to relatives and friends. The host offered food
and drinks to his guest to the best of his abilities. The
male guests were lodged in the Baithak/Mehmankhana. It
was the rainy season when people used to stay for a long
time with their relatives and friends. Both section of
society, i.e., zamindars and cultivators were relatively
free at this time as most of them were engaged in the
agrarian task round the year and the rainy season is
almost free from most of the agricultural works.
FOOD AND DRINK
The cuisine of Arains reflects Punjabi culture until the

contemporary time. In those days, it was purely Punjabi
cuisine, which they carried for a long time in Rohilkhand.
Rice, wheat, and dairy products were the staple diet of
the community. Preparations of both wheat and rice were
taken for lunch and dinner. Especial preparation of rice
was served in the form of Yakhni Pulao, Matar Pulao,
and Khichri. ―Khichri‖ of split black gram (urad daal) was
commonly used in winters along with buttermilk. The
buttermilk was prepared by processing the milk with curd.
―After overnight preparation, the small amount of the
water is added, and the liquid is churned (Bilona) up to
the stage that butter (Makhan) comes out‖. 1 The butter
was melted to form the ghee and the remaining sour
liquid known as Lassi/Chhachh was used with ―Khichri.‖
The ―Khichri‖ with buttermilk now days also is one of the
favorite weekend lunch recipes among the community.
1
Wilson, J. (1884), Final report of the revision of the settlement of the sirsa District in
Punjab, 1879-1883.Calcutta central press company, pp.153.
Kadhi1 was the part of the cuisine for both regular meals
and special occasions. Pullao, Kababs, Kofta, and curries
were commonly used items in non-vegetarian cuisine.
They were usually prepared on special occasions and for
hosting the guest. Beef was more frequently used than
mutton. In those days, mutton preparations were served
on special occasions, as it was difficult to afford by the
middle class of the society due to its high cost based on
the per capita income of middle class section of North
Indians. Freshwater fish was also commonly used among
the community. Most of the settlement has well-
maintained ponds where fish farming was practiced only
for domestic consumption. The proprietor of the village
owned these ponds, and after independence, they
became government property. The vegetables and
pulses were also the part of the daily meals. Among
lentils, the preparation of pigeon peas, black gram, and
brown lentil was more common. The use of the mash
daal (a sub-type of black gram formed by removing its
black outer cover) was very common. Dry mash daal was
one of the common items of party menu. 2 Alu Ghost,
palak ghost, Daal Ghost were common in both daily
cuisine or on special occasions. Onion Salad was used
with every meal. 3 Most of the veg and non-veg dishes
were prepared in the form of curry that is mainly based
on onion paste along with the small flavor of garlic and
ginger. Sherbet was the common beverage in summers.
Panjiri, a traditional Punjabi dish was commonly used as
a snack. It was traditionally given as a nutritional
supplement to pregnant and lactating women. 4 It is a
mixture of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, dry nuts, cashew
1
A popular North Indian recipe made up of chickpea flour and sour yoghurt.
2
This dish is very common in Punjab Pakistan. Worldwide in every Pakistani
restaurant, the "Mash Daal" is in the list their menu.
3
In contemporary Punjab, Pakistan, the onion salad is specific item of Arain cuisine.
4
Devall, R. 2013. Traditional Punjabi dish for pregnant woman, The Hindu.
Retrieved from: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-
andhrapradesh/traditional-punjabi-dish-for-pregnant-women/article4940178.ece
nuts, wheat flour, sugar, edible gums, poppy seeds, and
fennel seeds.
LITERACY AND MOVES FOR EDUCATIONAL

UPLIFTMENT IN LATE 19 T H AND EARLY 20 TH
CENTURY
The District Pilibhit was relatively backward in the terms

of literacy. According to 1901 census, the literacy rate
among the males was 4.1 percent and among females
was 0.21 percent. Of the total population of four hundred
thousand, only three hundred twenty people in the
District knew English at that time. There was no official
account found that reflects only literacy rate of Arains.
Although, it was mentioned in the District gazette of
Pilibhit that literacy rate of Muslims (4.8%) was relatively
better than Hindus (3.6%).It could be estimated that
literacy rate of Arains was far higher than the average
literacy rate of Muslims in District Pilibhit, Bareilly, and
Nainital in early 20thcentury. It is not merely a claim, but
this assertion is based on evidences that were presented
in the following section. While reviewing ―Kulliat Jalal‖
and ―Rudad Ijals-e- awwal Anjumane Arain, Rohilkhand
and Kumaon‖, it seems that majority of the community
members were able to read Arabic and Urdu. The
transcript of first regional Arain convocation that was held
in 1917 was prepared and printed from Bareilly. It was
titled as ―Rudad Ijals-e- awwal Anjumane Arain,
Rohilkhand, and Kumaon‖ and more than a thousand
copies were distributed among the community. One copy
was provided to each member of the Anjuman, and every
member of the Anjuman represented one extended
family. Therefore, it could be estimated from here that the
report of the convocation covered almost one-third of the
community at that time. The complete report was more
than thirty-five pages, and a high standard of Urdu
language was used. A thorough understanding of Urdu
language is required by an individual to understand this
report. It can be presumed that members who received
the circulation of Arain convocation report were not only
literate as per definition of Indian subcontinent
educational standards but had a thorough understanding
of Urdu language. The first edition of ―Kulliat Jalal‖ was
published in 1904 during the lifetime of Maulana Sheikh
Jalaluddin and copies were widely circulated among the
community. Most of the villages received monthly journal
of community titled ―Arain Gazette‖ that was published
from Lahore, Punjab. The majority of the community
members both male and females were familiar with the
Arabic language up the extent that will facilitate the
reading of Quran. How the community achieved such a
high literacy rate? The high literacy rate was attained due
to the excellent culture of home schooling present among
the tribe that facilitated the basic education of Urdu and
Arabic. Here the female members of the society played
the major role. The second step, i.e., higher learning was
facilitated by madrassa education. The Arains in their
villages built a chain of Islamic schools. Apart from
providing Islamic studies, it also served as learning
centers for oriental languages like Urdu, Arabic and
Persian apart from inculcating Islamic knowledge. 1 The
mosques of almost every Arain village served as a center
of traditional learning in those days. Some of the certified
scholars who had completed their comprehensive
training of ―Darse-Nizami‖ were Sheikh Jalaluddin of
Dhakia, Sheikh Abdul Haqq of Karghiana, Sheikh Habib
Ahmad of Mundia Nubibuksh, Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa of
Amkhera, Sheikh Nazir Ahmad of Village Samuan,
District Bareilly. Some of the schools of note were
established and they were located in village Karghaina,
Mundia Nabi Buksh, Dhundri, Khamaria and Daang.2 The
1
Ishaaq, M., and Naseem, M. (2001), In: Chapter eight, Arain, Sangam offset and
press, Sardarnagar Publications, Pilibhit, pp.35.
2
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: chapter seven, the Arain community of Mundia
Nubi Buksh, Tarrekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.432.
notable alumni of Manzur-ulum Dhundri were Mr.
Fahimuddin (ex –Military Accountant General, Pakistan),
Mian Abdul Khaliq Jilani (Deputy Controller of Military
Accounts, Pakistan) and Mahmud Ahmad, (Ex-General
Manager Punjab Cooperative Bank, Lahore, Pakistan).1
The ancestors of Shiekh Maulana Habib Ahmad
established the Islamic school of Mundia during 19th
century. Most of these Madrassas (Islamic School) were
established in early 19th century and they continued for
almost hundred years. One of the important distinctions
of Mundia School was Allama Fazl-e-Haqq Khairbadi; a
great revolutionary of 1857 freedom movement who
guided this school as a tutor for short time before 1857.
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: chapter seven, the Arain community of Mundia
Nubi Buksh, Tarrekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.430.
MOVE TOWARDS WESTERN EDUCATION
EFFECT OF MUTINY ON NORTH INDIAN MUSLIM

SOCIETY
We would like to give the brief sketch of the factors that

were mainly responsible for the backwardness of the
Muslims toward western education. On careful review, it
was found that the British considered freedom movement
of 1857 AD as an Islamic revolt against the European
powers. The new masters of Indian sub-continent
victimized the elite Muslims of the North India mainly
Delhi, United Provinces, and Punjab. The properties of
the North Indian Muslims that British ruler confiscated
worth millions of Indian Rupees. The noble citizens of
Delhi were exiled from their beloved city. A large number
of Islamic scholars were penalized by Colonial rulers on
the charge of instigating against British rule in India
during the mutiny. Some of the notable Islamic scholars
such as Allama Fazle-Haqq Khairabadi, Shah Abdul
Qadir Ludhianwi, and Maula Jafar Thaneswari were sent
as the exile to Andaman and Nicobar Islands along with
last Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar. In fact, post-1857
era was considered by scholars as one of the most
difficult time for Muslims in Indian Sub-continent. The
foundation of the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental (MAO)
College in 1877 was the first milestone of Muslims in the
educational history of Modern India. Its establishment
can be considered as the first significant reaction of the
Indian Muslims to face the challenges of post -1857 era.
Different other organization also came up both from the
Hindu and Muslim leaders to cope up the socioeconomic
trauma of 1857 apart from the establishment of MAO
College.
ROLE OF ARAIN LEADERS LIKE HONBLE JUSTICE MIAN
SHAH DIN &SIR MOHAMMAD SHAFI IN PROMOTING
MODERN EDUCATION AMONG INDIAN MUSLIMS
Now review the role of Arain tribe during the freedom

struggle of 1857 and response of the tribe in the post-
1857 era. In the Punjab, the community took a lead role
in a war against British rule. Most of the Arain Landlords
took full-fledged participation in the first war of
Independence. Even two of the great Islamic Scholars
Maulana Shah Abdul Qadir Ludhianvi and Maulana Jafar
Thanesvari who took a lead role in motivating masses
against British rule in 1857 were Arains. Both of them
were sent to exile for charges of instigating
antigovernment feelings against British rule. By 1880, the
Arains established a formal organization in the name of
―Anjumane Arain.‖ 1 Most of the eminent members
participated in the first conference of the community. The
main objective was to emphasize the importance of
modern education among the community and in general
among the Muslims. As a result, large number of young
Arains entered in Law and other specialties. Two cousins
of noble Mian family of Baghbanpura Arains, Mian
Mohammad Shah Din, and Mian Mohammad Shafi were
sent to England for studying Law in 1887 and 1889. Who
could have predicted at that time that ten years afterward
these two cousins would become a leading figure of
Muslims in Indian Politics? The paper presentation titled
―The education of Musalmans in Punjab‖ by Mian Shah
Din at Muhammadan educational conference in 1894
drew the attention of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the
Principal of Anglo-oriental College, Sir Theodore Beck
towards this twenty-six old intellectual. At the end of the
conference, Sir Syed Ahmad as the president of the
educational conference honored him. Two years later, he
was elected as the trustee of Aligarh College. Again, in
1
International Journal of Punjab Studies, Vol 1(1), page 16-19, 1994.
1913, Mian Shah Din presided the twenty-seventh
session of Muhammadan educational conference held in
Agra. His presidential address was focused on major
challenges and issues that were the hindrance in
educational progress among Muslims. In 1914, he laid
the foundation of Islamia School in Lahore. He was also
appointed as the fellow of Punjab University in 1883. In
1908, he was appointed as the Judge in Punjab high
court. This great Arain educationist passed at the age of
50 years in 1918. The magazine published by Natesan
covered the death of this visionary and it was cited in
following words: ―His death was universally mourned by
all classes and communities and it was acknowledged on
all hands that the province had suffered an irreparable
loss in the death of a man, who besides being an
excellent speaker, a brilliant writer, and a thoughtful
judge, was also an indefatigable worker in the cause of
education and social reform and possessed a character
and a personality which profoundly influenced all those
who from time to time came into contact with him
(Eminent Musalmans, 1925)”.1
After returning from England in 1892, Mian Mohammad
Shafi also was engaged with Aligarh educational
movement. He attended all annual meetings of All India
Mohammad educational conferences. On many
occasions, he presided the ―Female Education‖ section of
the conference. He established the ―Anjuman Islamia‖
during the stay at Hoshiarpur with the objective of
establishing the educational center for the community. It
was his extraordinary efforts that lead to the foundation of
the Muslim High school in Hoshiarpur District in
collaboration with Nawab Viqar-ul- Mulk. In 1897, the
Lieutenant Governor of Punjab appointed him as the
fellow of the Punjab University. Through his complete life,
he retained this position. He also held other important
1
Natesan, G.A, (1925), Eminent Musalmans, published by The Indian Review, Vol
XXIV, Madras.
positions in University such as the member of Arts,
Oriental and Law faculties. In 1898, he was elected as
the trustee of Aligarh College. After the death of Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan, the leadership of Aligarh College came
under Agha Khan and Mian Mohammad Shafi was
appointed as the Vice-president of All India Muslim
University Association. During this period, he worked
hard to collect a huge amount of three hundred thousand
rupees for the upgradation of the Muslim College to
University. He donated five thousand Rupees for Aligarh
College.1 He was a member of the delegation that met
the education member of Indian Government, Sir
Harcourt Butler for upgrading the Aligarh College to
University. Who could have predicted that this man after
few years will frame a University bill for Aligarh and got it
approved through Imperial legislative council as an
education member of Indian Government? He was
elected as the President of All Indian Muslim League in
1916. Although he had the complete background of
western education but he always promoted the Urdu
language as ―lingua Franca‖ for Indian Masses. In honor
of the educational services delivered by him, he was also
appointed as the president of All India Urdu Conference
and All India Muhammadan Educational Conference in
1916. He was only Muslim leader of his time who held
the post as president of all three important movements of
Muslims in Indian sub-continent at the same time. On 28
July 1919, he took the charge of Education Member in
Imperial Government. He was the first Muslim in India to
hold this position. All the subjects related to educational
administration, archeology, epigraphy, census, the record
office and an Imperial library of vast British India came
under the jurisprudence of Mian Mohammad Shafi as an
education member in Imperial government. In the end, it
was his great efforts as an education member that
1
The donation of Rs. 5000 in 1900 would be equivalent to 1.5 Million Indian Rupees
of contemporary days based on the inflation parameters.
resulted in the implementation of Sadler Commission.
This resulted in the establishment of Universities at Delhi,
Nagpur and Aligarh. For his excellent services, Aligarh
University, and Delhi University conferred him an
honorary Doctorate of Literature in 1920. It was his
tenure of education member of Indian Government that
results in thirty-three percent Indianization of the Indian
educational services. Let see his perception regarding
the importance of elementary education for Indians from
his speech delivered at Imperial legislative council in
1912. ―The remarkable educational activity observable on
all sides is one of those gratify log features of the existing
situation which mark the turning of a new leaf in the
history of India, and will prove a source of incalculable
good to the country. The establishment of an increasing
network of elementary schools throughout the length and
breadth of the Indian continent and the gradual adoption,
as the financial conditions of the country permit, of steps
towards making elementary education free so as to bring
it within easy reach of the masses. It constitutes the
foremost need of the time (Speech at Imperial Legislative
council, Mian Muhammad Shafi, 1912)”.
The previous section discussed detailed services of two
great Muslim leaders who served for the interest of Indian
masses as a politician, philanthropist, educationist, law
experts and bureaucrat in British India. This section
covers the services rendered by them for their
community/tribe, i.e., Arains. From 1896, the formal Arain
convocations had been conducted with the objective for
reviewing the challenges faced by the community
especially related to modern education. Even in all
previous convocations, the ancestors of Mian
Mohammad Shafi and Justice Shah Din participated
actively as one of the honorable members of Arain tribe
in Punjab. These convocations of ―Anjumane Arain‖
received a new energy with the active participation of Sir
Mian Mohammad Shafi in early 20th century. Regular
meetings were conducted on the bungalow of Sir Mian
Mohammad Shafi under his leadership along with active
participation of Malik Tajuddin B.A (Assistant Accountant
General of Punjab), Hafiz Haleem (an eminent Arain
businessperson and educationist) and some other
eminent Arain leaders. During this period, some of the
Arain leaders from Rohilkhand also took part in these
convocations. Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad, Sheikh Tajuddin,
Sheikh Wisaluddin and Sheikh Maulvi Abdul Haqq of
Rohilkhand were in direct contact with Sir Mian
Muhammad Shafi and Hafiz Haleem. At the same time in
Punjab, the British government declared Arains as non-
martial race and banned their recruitment in Indian Army.
The incident created disquietude among the great
leaders and after along meeting at the bungalow of Malik
Tajuddin at Lahore; All Indian Anjumane Arain was
established on 27 February 1915. Sir Mian Mohammad
Shafi (KCSI) accepted the presidentship of the
organization. Malik Tajuddin B.A (Assistant Accountant
General of Punjab) was appointed as Secretary, and
Qazi Fateh Mohammad was appointed as the envoy of
Anjuman. It was decided to form different regional
branches of Anjuman Arain, and they were organized
and governed under the umbrella of All Indian Anjuman
Arain. It was asked by Arain leaders to send a delegation
to the viceroy under the leadership of Khan Bahadur Sir
Mian Mohammad Shafi regarding the ban imposed on
recruitment of Arains in Imperial Army. 1 A petition was
filed to Lord Kitchener. In a petition to the commander-in-
chief, Justice Mian Shah Din, Mian Sir Muhammad Shafi,
and more than fifty other Arain leaders asserted that
Arains were in fact ―one of the dominant agricultural
tribes of the Punjab,‖ whose status was ―in no way
inferior to that of the other principal agricultural tribes
such as Jats, Rajputs, etc". To bolster these claims they
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: chapter eight, awareness among Arain community,
Tarrekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.468.
included a list of Arain zaildars1 and sufedposhes (sub-
zaildars) in the province (the zaildars alone numbering
over forty) and a list of Arains in military service. But the
petitioners went beyond this; they claimed to be ―more
advanced in western education than the other agricultural
tribes of the Punjab‖ and ―to outnumber the other
agricultural tribes of the Punjab as regards services in the
Civil Departments of the state (Gilmartin, 1988).2All these
efforts came up with a plenteous decision on 19 October
1916 AD; an apology letter from Punjab Government was
sent to Sir Mian Muhammad Shafi along with reinstated
status of Arains as a ―Martial Race‖ and permission was
granted regarding their entry in the imperial army. During
this period, the Arain community of Rohilkhand
participated actively in the formation of ―All India Anjuman
Arain‖ at Lahore. Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad of Daang,
Sheikh Tajuddin and Sheikh Wisaluddin of Hulkari
Dhakia and other notable leaders and landlords from
Rohilkhand and Kumaon attended the first convocation of
―All India Anjumane Arain‖ at Lahore under the
supervision of Khan Bahadur Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi.
On the arrival of Qazi Fateh Mohammad from Punjab in
Rohilkhand on 16 March 1916, the complete charter was
prepared. The second All India Arain conference was
conducted under the leadership of great philanthropist,
educationist, and businessperson, Sheikh Hafiz Haleem3
of Bissi, Patiala on 14 April 1916. It was during this
conference, ―Anjumane Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon‖
1
Zaildar is the feudal title granted in Colonial Punjab to big Landlords who use to
control administrative affairs of a zail (covering approximately fifty villages).
2
Glimartin, D., 1988.Empire and Islam, Punjab and making of Pakistan, University of
California Press, pp.90.
3
Hafiz Mohammad Halim, a progressive Arain leader of Bissi, Patiala (Punjab) who
started his tanning firm in Kanpur and later became one of the successful leaders of
Kanpur business community. In 1911, he started a middle school that was elevated to
high school in 1916. His son S.N. Bashir efforts elevated it to Inter College in 1931. In
1959, it was further elevated to status of Degree College and still running in Kanpur as
Halim Degree College.
Reference: Singh N, 1983. Education Under siege: A sociological study of Private
College, Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi, pp.93.
were officially approved as one of the regional bodies of
―All India Anjumane Arain‖ and Arain leaders of Punjab
offered their political support and help to the Arains of
Rohilkhand. One of the primary objectives was to
inculcate modern education among the community.
SERVICES OF ANJUMAN ARAIN ROHILKHAND AND

KUMAON
Until 1916, the Arain community had passed more than

hundred years in Rohilkhand. From the time of their
settlement, they had overcome the challenges of the
time. After six decades of their settlement in their region,
they were considered as one of the wealthiest and
successful landlords of the region (Moens, 1874). With
the passage of time, different societal vices were also
introduced among the tribe such as extravagance, family
feuds, and engagement in legal battles. The social
changes taking place in Punjab lead to the formation of
Anjumane-Arain Rohilkhand and Kumaon by progressive
leaders of the community as one of the provincial branch
of Central Anjumane-Arain, Hind. All the donations of
Anjumane-Arain Rohilkhand and Kumaon collected from
1st March 1916 AD to 17th February 1917 were reflected
in the transcript published after the first convention of
Anjumane-Arain Rohilkhand and Kumaon held at
Karghaina Building, Pilibhit, UP, India in 1917. Based on
the report published in transcript, the collection and
expenses were covered under following categories1:
 Collection for Boarding schools
 Membership fees
 Marriage Funds
1
Rudade Ajlas Awwal, Anjumane Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon, conducted on
18thFebruary, 1917 at the house of Sheikh Maulvi Abdul Haqq, Joint secretary and
Raees Pilibhit. From Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad Raeese Azam Daang and President, and
Shiekh Tajuddin Sahib, Raees Hulkari Dhakia, Joint Secretary. Printed and designed
at Kohadapeer, Bareilly, pp.21.
 Fees for upgrading Madrassas located in different
Arain settlements
 Expenses on upgrading madrassas
 Expenses related to social work of Anjuman
 Expenses on scholarships of students
 Expense on boarding school
 Collection for orphans
At the end, the report showed the remaining fund of
sixteen hundred Indian Rupees after depicting collection
and expenses in each of the above-mentioned
categories. One can assess the spirit and energy of the
community by reviewing the sheet of donations attached
as an appendix at the end of the report. More than
thousand families contributed for the noble cause. The
donations ranged from the multiples of hundred Rupees
to four anna.1 Based on the estimation of gold prices in
those days, one hundred Rupees of the above-cited year
is equivalent to one hundred thousand Indian Rupees of
current market rates.
These services were limited to the regional level but their
connections with central Arain committee of Lahore,
Punjab provided an opportunity to perceive the winds of
the Indian national politics of the early twentieth century.
On the other hand, they received an opportunity to
realize the importance of modern education. It also
reflected that up to early twentieth century, the
community in Rohilkhand was connected with the larger
Arain tribe in Punjab. A detailed account of the socio-
political changes taking place in Punjab was presented in
the previous section so that readers can align it with the
changes going on among the Arain community of
Rohilkhand. The speeches of the leaders at convocation
showed a profound insight about the reforms going on in
1
Anna was a currency unit used formerly in India and Pakistan. It is equal to 1/16
Rupees.
the country on larger scale at that time. They were also
able to perceive the danger of perishing if community
was not ready to move towards modern educational
system.
REFLECTIONS OF THE INTRODUCTORY SPEECH

BY HONARARY SECRETARY AT ARAIN
CONVOCATION OF ROHILKHAND, 1917 AD
Shiekh Abdul Haqq, Honorary Secretary, ―Anjumane

Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon‖ gave us the idea of the
social problems present among the tribe at that time in
his introductory speech at first Anjumane Arain,
Rohilkhand, and Kumaon convocation. ―In the new colors
of the time, a new phase also passed that our community
came from Punjab. We do not know about exact dates
but almost a time of more than a century has been
passed. However, it was a point to be discussed that our
tribe also passed a golden time in the region. By their
efforts, this simple and honest tribe had progressed a lot
living far away from the city life in villages and periphery.
Apart from showing consistency and efforts in their
profession, they had displayed honesty, hospitality even
for strangers, kindness and help for the deprived
sections. These virtues add in their fame in the region
within the short time. Hospitality, honesty, unity, and
obedience are some of the virtues present among this
tribe. Our destiny remained high up to the time when our
acts and words were aligned with the teachings of Islam.
This wind of progression was passed and winds of
opposition start. Affection and love parted away; self-
respect vanished, legal wars continued and zamindari
estates indebted. All congregations were celebrated with
pomp and show. Even loans were taken to display pomp
and show on small congregations such as birth
ceremonies, Aqiqa (a sacrifice in the name of Allah for
new born in Muslims) and circumcision. Disputes entered
in the community at the same time. Legal battles started
among the families, and they were running towards the
court as sweets were distributed there. For extravagance,
the treasure of Qarun is not enough then what could be
assessed for our wealth and resources. We were
drowning in this flood, and suddenly a hope of rescue
came from the Arain tribe of Punjab. A Central Arain
Anjuman was established and on 16 March 1916
“Anjumane Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon” was
established as one of the thirty-one regional bodies of
Anjumane Arain, Hind. Our tribe in Punjab was thousand
times more progressive and developed in our
comparison. On 18 February 1917, the first annual
convocation took place in Pilibhit, United Province
(Introductory speech by Sheikh Abdul Haqq, 1917,
translated from Urdu by authors).1
1
at Kohadapeer, Bareilly.
AWAKENING
From the speech of President Shiekh Nazeer Ahmad

(cited in last chapter, biographical accounts) and Joint
Secretary, Sheikh Abdul Haqq, it could be assessed that
the community had perceived the role of modern
education. It also reflected the efforts of their ancestors in
establishing themselves in the villages of Rohilkhand in
late 18th century. In fact, the extreme climate of
Rohilkhand and surrounding jungles of Kumaon was a
big challenge for the early Arain settlers in those days.
The area around their settlements was epicenter of
Rohilla-British war of 1774. Until the end of 18th century,
this region witnessed skirmishes of countryside Pashtuns
against new masters.1With these entire disturbances, the
Arain settlers of early days put their efforts with discipline
and honesty that facilitated them in winning the favors of
British rulers. They were well aware of the global
changes taking place at the start of 20th century. The
stress was laid on the financial management, as it was
evident from here that their vast lands and estates were
curbing due to family feuds, legal battles and
extravagance on irrelevant social customs. The social
and political awakening among the Arain tribe influenced
all aspects of the community in Rohilkhand. The Arain
tribe in Rohilkhand was fortunate enough to receive the
guidance and leadership of great leader Sir Mian
Mohammad Shafi who was not only Arain leader but
emerged as one of the leading politicians of colonial
India. Glimpses of Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi
participation in the nation and community building was
discussed in the first section of this chapter. A thorough
1
The Rohilkhand was annexed by joint forces of Nawab Shuja-Ud-Daula and Colonel
Champion of British, East India Company in 1774. Up to 1800, the area of Rohilkhand
remained in the possession of Nawabs of Oudh. Then East India Company took direct
control of administrative affairs of Rohilkhand in 1800. During first war of
Independence, the freedom fighter, Khan Bahadur Khan, the Grandson of Hafiz
Rehmat Khan established his government from 1stJune, 1857-12 May, 1858.
analysis of the report of the first convocation of
―Anjumane Arain, Rohilkhand, and Kumaon‖ showed that
several times within the convocation, the leaders like
Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad praised and appreciated the
services done by Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi for Arain
community. So many times, the role of the tribe in Punjab
was discussed as the beacon for the community in
Rohilkhand and Kumaon. It seems that sociopolitical
thoughts and awakening developed among the
community of Punjab served as a role model for the Arain
diaspora in Rohilkhand during early 20th century. It
reflected the passing over of heyday when the tribe
achieved fame and prosperity in the region after leaving
their homeland (Punjab).
POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL CHANGES AFTER

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ANJUMANE-ARAIN,
ROHILKHAND
A big shift was noticed in the perception of the

community towards western education after the efforts of
Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand. A huge fund was raised in
a year after the establishment of the Anjumane-Arain,
Rohilkhand. The majority of the landlords started sending
their children's to universities for attaining higher
education. Sheikh Riazuddin S/o Sheikh Tajuddin and
three elders sons of Sheikh Wisaluddin were sent to
Aligarh University in 1924, and they were kept under the
mentorship of Late Sir Ziauddin 1 , the then Vice -
Chancellor of University. After completing pre-university
course, Sheikh Riazuddin was sent to Edinburg
University, U.K for pursuing his bachelors in agricultural
sciences. Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad, one of the most
progressive leaders of the community, admitted his two
1
Most of the leading Arain families in Rohilkhand maintained acquaintance with Dr.
Sir Ziauddin. It was due to close friendship of Khan Bahadur Nawab Zameer Ahmad
and his elder brother Nawab Sheikh Aziz Ahmad with Dr. Sir Ziauddin Ahmad.
elder sons and his nephew at Saifuddin Tahir High
School (Minto-Circle) at Aligarh Muslim University. The
educational efforts were not only confined to the higher
section of the society. The fund raised by the Anjuman
was used for the education of orphans and children of
financially weak families.1A representation of Arains can
be seen in all sociopolitical events of District Pilibhit and
Bareilly. Shiekh Ameenuddin S/O Sheikh Karimuddin and
Sheikh Zakiuddin S/O Shiekh Rafiuddin, the two cousin
brothers from village Khamaria, District Pilibhit, took
active participation in Khilafat movement. British
Government jailed both of them. After the movement was
finished, they were rescued from prison. Whether it was
an honorary title of ―Khan Bahadur‖, the appointment as
Honorary Magistrate, or electoral representation in the
legislative council, their presence could be seen
everywhere. From the time of the first war of
independence until 1947, they had shown representation
in all spheres of life. They took a lead role in representing
Muslim community of District Pilibhit and Bareilly in
political and administrative circles of Imperial
government. A list of the honorary titles and political
designations conferred to the community members in
British India are given in Table 1.1 in Appendix. Arains
played a lead role in the establishment of the Islamia
College in District Pilibhit along with other leading Muslim
communities mainly Pashtuns. Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad of
Daang, Sheikh Usman Hussain, Sheikh Hamid Hussein
and Shiekh Mazhar Hussain of Udaipur, and Sheikh
Tajuddin and Sheikh Wisaluddin were some of the
notable Arains who contributed politically and financially
in the establishment of Islamia College. First, it was
started as the junior high school in 1932. Later on, it was
1
upgraded as high school and then senior secondary
school. From the time of its establishment, Arains
represent themselves in top management of this center
of learning.1By the time of partition, a large number of the
Arains entered into the arena of modern education. The
details are given in Table 1.2 in the appendix. We tracked
the data until the fifth decade of the twentieth century by
AMU Alumni records and other sources. The data for
higher education was tracked only up to fifth decade of
the twentieth century because up to this time, the literacy
rate of India was lingering on eighteen percent. It was a
mark of distinction to attain a bachelors or masters in
those days where overall percentage of literates is
eighteen percent.2The Aligarh Muslim University served
as a source of attaining higher education for most of
them. The Arain community gave the first technocrat,
lawyer and doctor to District Pilibhit in British India. By
1952, they received huge economic losses due to land
reforms introduced by Indian Government. Nevertheless,
the efforts of socio-cultural upliftment started by their
elders helped them to emerge as one of the most
educated communities among the Muslims in the region.
The majority of the educated members of early twentieth
century moved to Pakistan. Apart from attaining higher
education, a significant percentage of the people among
the community were secondary and senior secondary
schools pass out in those days. Some of them entered in
service sector during British government as clerks,
primary school‘s teachers, Patwaris3 and Amins4.
1
First Mr. Mohammad Jilani was Manager and President of Islamia High school from
1944 and remained till 1970 when he moved to Pakistan. Then Mr. Abdul Hafeez
Naeemi remained secretary of Islamia School from 1972 to 1990. Mr. Mahmoob
Ahmad S/O Khan Bahadur Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad remained manager from 1990 till his
death.
2
According to South Asian standards, the definition of literate means any person who
can read and write in any one of the official languages of the country.
3
Patwaris are the village record keepers of the agriculture lands in Imperial India.
4
Amin is the helper of British Administrator who works in close association with
Patwari for survey of lands.
CHAPTER 5: AN OVERVIEW OF ARAIN TRIBE IN
PAKISTAN AND INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE
BACKGROUND
The start of the twentieth century witnessed the rise of

various social and political movements in India. The
majority of these changes were the direct result of British
occupation. With the growth of immense poverty among
peasant, the British government was under tremendous
pressure for agrarian reforms from Indian National
Congress. By 1939, the United Province tenancy act was
passed, and it has the direct implication on the status of
proprietary (zamindars). 1 This was the first major land
reform in United Province that affects the status of
Proprietary rights. The Arain community in Rohilkhand
was described as one of the major Proprietary castes in
Bareilly and Pilibhit District.2They were directly affected
by this new reform. Most of the big and middle-class
landowners of the community received huge financial
setback by these reforms. The primary objective of this
reform was intended to empower occupancy tenants so
that they could have a right to ―Sir/Khudkasht‖ land of
zamindars. This was a major blow on proprietors as they
lost large chunk of the lands as discussed in previous
sections. As discussed before that the majority of the
landowning Muslim communities were allied with Muslim
league from the time of its formation. Mohammad Amir
Ali Khan, Raja of Mahmudabad was national treasurer
and chief financer of Muslim League and his father Sir
Mohammad Ali Mohammad was among the founding
1
Misra, B.R (1942). LAND REVENUE POLICY in the United Provinces under British
Rule. Nand Kishore and Bros, Benares.
2
members of League.1 Based on the revenue collection,
the Raja of the Mahmudabad was the second richest
man in United Province during Colonial days. For the
Arains especially in Punjab, the foremost leaders of the
community such as Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi were
founding the member of the league. In District Pilibhit,
Arains represented the top leadership of league although
there was representation from other Muslim tribes mainly
Sayyads, Sheikhs, and Pashtuns. Mr. Ahmad Jilani S/O
of Shiekh Mazhar Hussian of Udaipur was president of
District Muslim League in 1946. Shiekh Badaruddin, Mr.
Saeed Ahmad, Mr. Mohammad Jilani and Dr. Abdul
Ghafoor were considered as active leaders in Muslim
League at the regional level. Mr. Saeed Ahmad of
Mundia Nabi Buksh contested for the legislator and won
the election from ticket of Muslim League from Nainital
against his contender Mr. Abdullah of Congress during
the elections of 1946. After the historic declaration of the
partition of India in 1947, the Muslims from United
Province also started migrating to the newly created state
of Pakistan.
The Arain population that was around fifteen thousand at
the time of partition was scattered in villages of District
Pilibhit, Nainital, Bareilly and Rampur was affected by
this new political change. In the first phase, the only
western educated individual tried to relocate for getting
opportunities in the newly created country. The
declaration of zamindari abolition and land reform act in
1950 was one of the main factors that lead a significant
movement of Arains from Rohilkhand to Pakistan.
Although it was one of the biggest positive reforms of its
time in independent India but Arain, community suffered
a massive loss due to their high stakes in agrarian lands
as proprietors. Almost forty percent of the younger
population left their homelands by the sixth decade of the
1
Dhulipala, V. (2015). Creating a New Medina, State power, Islam, and quest for
Pakistan in late Colonial India, Cambridge University Press, pp.69.
twentieth century for seeking avenues and chances in
Pakistan.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND

DEMOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION IN PAKISTAN
The majority of the Arains from District Bareilly, Pilibhit

and Nainital settled in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Sukkur
Districts of Sindh province. Karachi became the epicenter
for all Urdu speaking communities those who migrated
from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of North India.
Rohilkhand Arains mainly take a route from Indian
Province of Rajasthan through a border town in Sindh
known as Khokrapar. Their immigration on mass scale
took place from 1950 to 1955. It was a big struggle and
challenge for those who left their homelands and
ancestral properties back in the villages of Pilibhit,
Bareilly and Nainital District. In newly created state of
Pakistan, they faced cultural and linguistic discrimination
along with other challenges. On the other, these adverse
conditions provide them a strong will to move forward. In
a fifth and sixth decade of the twentieth century, Karachi
was considered as one of the fastest growing
cosmopolitan city of Pakistan. The vibrant city culture
also played an important role in the growth of this small
group of immigrants coming from the villages of Terai belt
of Himalayas. By 1970, this small Urdu speaking Arain
community in Pakistan has made a remarkable growth in
all spheres of life. Their representation can be seen as
educators from high centers of learning such as Karachi
University and Punjab University down up to primary
schools in Sindh province. Mr. Fahimuddin and Mr.
Ahmad Hussain hold the top offices of their
establishments in the country. The former one was
Military accountant general in Pakistan Army and latter
was Director General of Pakistan Trade Corporation
during 1970. The participation of Rohilkhand Arains can
be seen in all major departments of service sector. The
Arain community became the part of burgeoning middle-
class section. The others were engaged in business, and
few of them had achieved a remarkable growth this
sector. Other than these three cities of Sindh, there are
small settlements in Mardan, Peshawar, Islamabad,
Kohat, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Shikarpur and Mirpur Khas.
Few of the wealthy landlords managed to get the
allotments of agrarian lands in Sindh and North West
Province as displaced landowners under Evacuee
property act, 1950. By the eighth and ninth decade of
twentieth century, the regional intolerance in peripheral
Sindh and North West Province against Urdu speaker
heightened. Their descendants were forced to sell out
these possessions in midst of heightened intolerance
against Urdu speakers and moved to Karachi.
GLIMPSES OF COMMUNITY IN ROHILKHAND

AFTER PARTITION IN 1947 AD
The freedom of India seems to be an inevitable event

during the 1940s but imperial government from London
does not want to loose on the largest colony of United
Kingdom. By 1939 British got engaged in World War II,
and the pressure was built both by Indians under the
leadership of Congress and from their key ally in war, i.e.,
the United States for providing freedom to Indian
masses. 1 The crisis between Indian National Congress
(INC) and Muslim League deepens with World War II as
INC openly rejected cooperation with British in War and
league back British to get support for the Muslim nation in
post-Independence. Finally, in February 1947, British
Government announced that India would have granted
freedom by June 1948. With rising chaos and sectarian
tensions, Lord Mountbatten reluctantly announced
1
Weigold, A., 2008. Churchill, Roosevelt and India: Propaganda during World War II.
Routledge, Taylor and Francis group, London.
partition of India and proposed date was preponed to
August 15, 1947. According to experts of modern Indian
history, this was a hasty decision by Mountbatten. The
United Nation Refugee agency reported the displacement
of around fourteen million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslim
population during the partition of India in 1947. 1 It was
considered as one of the largest migration of humans in
history. The administrative bodies were not prepared to
facilitate the relocation of such a great numbers in newly
created countries of India and Pakistan. The British
Punjab, the homeland of Arains witnessed one of the
biggest massacres in human history. The partition of
Punjab province proved to be most difficult for authorities
and it cost the life of more than one million humans on
both sides. The Arain population in eastern Punjab
suffered heavy losses and almost majority of the tribe
was forced to relocate in western Punjab (now part of
Pakistan) due to geographical lines drawn by Sir Cyril
Radcliffe.2The freedom from two hundred years of British
rule cost the blood of more than one million Indian
masses from Sikh, Muslim and Hindu communities. This
was the brief political background of Indian partition. This
historical event also affects the Districts of United
Province but in general, Arain community in Rohilkhand
remained safe and secure for two reasons. First, their
settlements were located in rural areas that were in
general remained peaceful. Second, the landlord class of
the community has strong links and influences in the
administration. These events in general create a sense of
apprehension and anxiety among the community. As
discussed above there was wide support for Muslim
league among the elite of the community but in 1947,
1
UNHCR (2000), In Chapter: "Rupture in South Asia", The state of world refugees
2000: Fifty years of Humanitarian action. Retrieved from:
http://www.unhcr.org/publications/sowr/4a4c754a9/state-worlds-refugees-2000-fifty-
years-humanitarian-action.html
2
Sir Cyril Radcliffe was the Chairman of border commission responsible for marking
borderline between newly created states of India and Pakistan. The borderline was
still termed as Radcliffe Line.
only a small proportion of the community migrated as
they were living peacefully in their areas. With the
implementation of land reforms in 1950, most of the large
landowners start crumbling. The educated youngsters of
these zamindars migrated to Pakistan. There was a
change in social order, and it was widely noticed in rural
areas. According to a study conducted in western Uttar
Pradesh, the statistics showed that Muslims left as many
as 14,221 bighas (portions) of land, which was acquired
by the custodian of evacuee property. The Arains held
more than seven percent of zamindari and around ten
percent of agrarian holdings as cultivators in District
Bareilly and Pilibhit before independence of India. 1 The
per capita distribution of lands among Arains was highest
among all Muslim communities in Pilibhit and Bareilly
District. It is apparent that the Arains received huge
losses in the District Pilibhit and Bareilly in newly
implemented land reforms of 1950. The Robinson quoted
that stigma of association with the Muslim League also
impedes access of Muslim zamindars towards the
centers of political power in comparison with Hindu
zamindar. 2 The opinion of Robinson was applicable in
this context also. The descendants of all these landlords
who were once considered as richest in the region were
hardly able to save any possessions of their ancestors.
From 1950 to 1960, the families of all prosperous
landlords left their villages and tried to consolidate in
cities of District Pilibhit and Bareilly. Most of the educated
members of their families migrated to Pakistan. Till the
1960s, there were few large landholdings remained with
big landlords and a good number of middle-class
landowners but the implementation of the ceiling on
Landholdings acts 1960 in the January 1961 was a final
blow on falling mammoth. It limits the size of landholding
1
2
Robinson, F. (1983). Islam and Muslim society in south Asia. Contributions to Indian
sociology, 17(2), 185-203.
for an individual with five members of his family to fifteen
hectares. Until the sixth decade of 20th century, no
significant change was noticed in the community. There
was a general sense of melancholy as most of the
educated class has left for Pakistan, and land holdings
were confiscated. With this melancholic environment, a
transformation was going on among the middle class of
the society. Although their economy was completely
agrarian but they integrate themselves with changing
Indian politics and society. By 1970, the dream and story
of Pakistan was erased from the minds. They tried hard
for attaining modern education. On the other side of the
Indian border, the community has an advantage of
dwelling in cities like Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi.
The urban culture provided opportunities for education,
jobs and attainment of high standard of living. Back
home in India, the District Pilibhit and Bareilly were
considered as educationally backward region of Uttar
Pradesh. The generations of the 1970s used to ride on
bicycles for kilometers from the distant villages for getting
access to secondary and senior secondary schools in
nearby towns of District Pilibhit, Bareilly, and Nainital.
They had to wait for the harvesting of the crops to submit
their dues in University and Colleges. This generation of
this decade has worked hard in attaining higher
education. Again, the same Aligarh College that got the
status of University under tenure of Sir Mian Mohammad
Shafi (then education member of British India)1 in 1920
served as beacon of higher education. In next twenty
years, their representation can be found in almost all the
specialties of higher education. In Pilibhit, the same
Islamia School, which was founded by the previous
generation Arain leaders, served as a source of
secondary and senior secondary schooling. It is a matter
of appreciation to achieve success in such an adverse
1
Mehra, P (1987), A Dictionary of Modern Indian History, 1707-1947, Oxford
University Press, Delhi.
circumstance when there was the lack of adequate
resources such as inefficient schooling system, no career
counseling and many more deficiencies. The village life
and culture has been changed in democratic India. The
zamindars had replaced by democratically elected village
head known as Pradhan. The Arains maintained to exert
political influence in their respective villages no to the
level as seen in Colonial days. As a book ―Arain‖
mentioned that there were thirteen democratically elected
Pradhan from the tribe in District Pilibhit during the year
2001.1 On the regional/ District level, their representation
in politics was much stronger in British period. After
partition, Mr. Aneesur Rehman of Village Sugatia was
elected as Member of Legislative Assembly of Pilibhit in
1962 from Indian National Congress. He was the first
Muslim legislator of District Pilibhit after Independence.
On the other hand, he was the first and last Arain, who
represented as a legislative member in state assembly
after independence. Mr. Abdul Razzaq Alias Lalu of
Gopalnagar became Block Prumukh of Amaria (head of
the block) from 1963 to 1968. These were only two
successful representation of the community in politics at
District level in independent India. In electoral politics, the
representation mainly depends on the strength of the
number that was significantly low in both District Pilibhit
and Bareilly. With growing education, people start moving
towards service sector. This initiated the movement of a
considerable number of people from the community
toward cities. Some of them remained dependent on
agrarian resources but moved to urban centers for
accessing better schooling and health services for their
kids. From 1980, a mass movement of Arain community
towards the town and cities was noticed. Their main
settlements are in Pilibhit, Bareilly, Rudrapur, Kichaa,
Sitarganj (Town of Rudrapur), Haldwani (Town of
1
Ishaaq, M and Naseem, M. (2001), In chapter five, Arain, Sangam offset and press,
Sardarnagar Publications, Pilibhit, pp.21.
Nainital) and Rampur. A small settlement of Arains can
be located in Delhi, Lucknow, Faridabad and Aligarh.
Roughly the rural to the urban ratio for Arain population in
Rohilkhand and Kumaon, India would be forty/sixty
percent in present time. The last thirty years was the time
for a massive transformation in India. The changes were
greatly reflected both in rural and urban localities. The
green revolution of 1970 played an important role in the
upliftment of village life. On micro level, the impact of
green revolution can be felt in Arain villages and its lead
to the upgradation of the life style of an average Arain
cultivator in countryside.
PRESENT CONDITIONS AND WAY FORWARD
Their ancestors created an entrepreneurship in agrarian

lands under British masters. The descendant of these
Punjabi immigrants has made footprints in all the walks of
life, but unfortunately, the entrepreneur sense is far away
from the community in general with few exceptions. On
Pakistan side, the community flourished in first two
decades after independence. They became the part of
flourishing Urdu speaking middle-class community that
was the major chunk of Pakistan bureaucracy for first
twenty years after its creation.1After two decades of the
creation of Pakistan and India, the educated members of
the community start moving towards western countries.
With growing intolerance towards Urdu speaking
communities in Sindh, the migration of Muhajirs towards
western countries took place at more fast pace. As
Cohen mentioned in Story of Pakistan that Muhajirs were
the part of educated elite during the creation of the new
country, so it was easy for them to move their next
generations in United States, Canada, and the United
1
Cohen, Stephen (2004) The Idea of Pakistan, Washington: Brookings Institution
Press, 382.
Kingdom with growing intolerance in Pakistan.1By 1970,
the educated elite of Rohilkhand Arains started to move
towards western countries from both Indian side and
Pakistan. The highest numbers of Arain families of
Rohilkhand, India are settled in Canada and United
States. In Canada, their main settlements are in
Vancouver, Toronto, and Mississauga. Approximately,
there are more than two hundred Arain families settled in
different provinces of Canada. In the United States, the
majority of them are settled in Houston as it was a major
cosmopolitan of United States absorbing South Asian
Communities. More than one hundred fifty families of
Rohilkhand Arains are settled in the United States. Other
than these two countries, there are small settlements in
U.K, Australia, and some other European countries. In
Middle Eastern countries, Rohilkhand Arains are mainly
centered in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
A subtle number of them are present in Oman and Qatar.
Back home in District Bareilly, Pilibhit, Rampur, Nainital
and Udham Sigh Nagar, the villages of Arain community
saw a mass movement towards the cities. The first
movement started with the abolition of zamindari and
implementation of Land Ceiling Act (1952). This has been
described in detail in the introductory section of this
chapter. In last two decades, the economic pressure due
to the decrease in the size of land holdings and the need
for high-quality education were two main factors that lead
a movement towards towns and cities. Still around fifty
percent of community dwells in rural areas and their
primary source of income are coming from agriculture. In
Year 2000, the hilly terrain of Uttar Pradesh was created
as 27th state/Province of the Indian republic. The small
Arain population in District Nainital and Udham Singh
Nagar was scattered in approximately twenty-three
1
Cohen, Stephen (2004) The Idea of Pakistan, Washington: Brookings Institution
Press, 382.
Villages. 1 The state Infrastructure and Industrial
Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited
(SIDCUL) announced a creation of industrial zones in
Sitarganj, Udham Singh Nagar and Pant Nagar in
Kumaon region. The Arain community appeared to be
one of the biggest beneficiaries among Muslim
communities with the creation of separate state and
establishment of industrial zones. The corporate giants
acquired lands for establishing their industries in the
newly announced province. This witnessed a steep rise
in real estate price of the region around SIDCUL projects.
Corporate giant at hefty prices purchased the agriculture
lands. Most of Arain villages are located in proximity with
SIDCUL Sitarganj and SIDCUL Udham Singh Nagar. The
Arains have significant land holdings in comparison with
other Muslim communities. The inflows of the capital
generated by selling these properties raised their living
standards significantly. The creation of new province
need massive infrastructure developments and most of
the villages are connected with highways. The educated
members of the community worked hard to avail the
opportunities in government jobs of the newly created
province. The percentage of Arain population is low but
they showed a presence in Higher Judicial Services,
Administrative services and other elite services of the
state. In general, the Arain population in the villages of
District Bareilly and Pilibhit is on losing end. The glory of
zamindari has been lost six decades before. Whatever
landholdings were left among big cultivators and
descendants of zamindars were divided among the
families and this decrease land holding size down the
time. At present, the considerable percentage of the
1
H.R.Nevill reported population of fifteen hundred Arains in District Nainital during
1904 and most of them were settled in tehsil Kicha. In those days, Rudrapur (Udham
Singh Nagar) was paragon in tehsil Kicha. We have no official statistical data of
present population of Arains in these two Districts. Demographically, they are
distributed in twenty-three villages and in urban areas such as town Sitarganj, Kichha,
Haldwani, and city of Udham Singh Nagar.
community in countryside is surviving on one acre of
landholdings. The switching on alternative earnings in
rural areas other than cultivation was low among the
community. There is a danger of emerging landless
laborers among the community in coming decades that
was almost non-existent until now from the time of the
British Rule. With all pathetic and terrible circumstances
in the countryside, the positive side is the predilection for
educating their off springs. The primary school enrolment
for kids in Arain villages is almost hundred percent. There
is no gender bias observed in the mindset of Arain
cultivators in providing education for their children. It is
one of the progressive attributes as North Indian villages
are plagued with many social issues and misogynism is
one of them. In recent years, the community witnessed
girls coming from pure rural background passing charted
accountancy certificates or entering in business and
medical schools. In general, most of the Arain
populations in villages are simple and law-abiding
citizens. In comparison with their Kith and Kins living in
urban surroundings, they are passing a tough life.
However, they are the real face of the Arain culture in the
term of language and cuisine. Still one can find the same
degree of hospitality in Arain villages, a trait carried by
their ancestors from the time of settling in Rohilkhand two
centuries before. India has shown consistently eight
percent growth rates from last few years, and a
considerable impact can be felt on the infrastructure of
villages. Still, the amenities are more concentrated in
urban areas. India is facing a big challenge of rural-urban
divide. Half a century behind, Arain community is one of
the communities in the region that has hundred percent
rural backgrounds. Their vast agrarian resources have
been exhausted due to several reasons; one of them is
new rules and regulation implemented by the government
after independence. They carried a glorious past in
Rohilkhand where their ancestors established
themselves as the most successful immigrant community
under British rule. The nucleus and heart of the
community still located in the village settlements having a
history of two centuries in the region. The educated elite
should devise measures that will empower the young
generations coming from the rural background with all the
tools that are essential in shaping stable future in the
competitive global environment of the twenty-first
century. They have to look back to understand the
conditions of Muslims a century before in sub-continent.
The Arain leaders like Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi and
Justice Shah Din were torchbearers for entire Muslim
communities in North India after the death of Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan. It was Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi efforts as
education member of Viceroy Executive Council to
introduce the bill of Aligarh Muslim University in council
and get it passed on September 9, 1920 AD. 1 A brief
description of his high stature described in a book
Eminent Muslims ―And on the retirement, owing to ill-
health, of Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru from the Law
Membership, His Excellency the Viceroy appointed Sir
Muhammad Shafi as Law Member. He had, thus, during
the tenure of his office as Member of the Viceroy's
Executive Council, been in charge at one time or another
of three portfolios (Education, Law and health) a fact
unprecedented in the history of the Government of India,
1925).2
It is admiring spirit of a great leader who was
representing Indian masses at Imperial Government. On
the other hand, he was concerned for uplifting his
community at local level. It was the establishment of
Central Anjumane-Arain and Anjumane-Arain,
Rohilkhand and Kumaon in 1915 under the guidance of
1
Muhammad S, 2002. Nationalist trends at Aligarh. Education and Politics from Sir
Syed to the Present day, The Aligarh School, Efficient off set printers, New Delhi.
2 Natesan, G.A, (1925), Eminent Musalmans, published by The Indian Review, Vol
XXIV, Madras.
this great visionary that kindled the light of modern
education among the Arain community. It was due to
efforts of Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi and other notable
Arain leaders that today we saw the participation of
Rohilkhand Arains in almost every discipline modern
education. The community has shown presence in
Medicine, Engineering, Management, Law, Commerce,
Islamic Studies, Arts, Journalism, Politics and Literary
activities. With rapid rise in international trade and
revolution in information technology changed the
perceptions of twenty-first century world as mentioned by
the New York time‘s columnist Thomas Friedman, the
world seems to be flat. 1Taking the advantage of the flat
world, the small Punjabi diaspora of Rohilkhand Arains
dispersed from the villages of Bareilly, Pilibhit, and
Nainital in the cities of India, Pakistan, Middle Eastern
Countries and Western Countries mainly in Canada and
the United States in last five decades. Now the moral
responsibility lies on twenty-first-century generation to
move forward in a pluralistic and secular manner in
globalized era of twenty first century world order. Hope
the book will open a window for the youth of the
community to visualize the efforts of ancestors. The
youngsters have to carry the light of progression kindled
by their elders around a century before. The same
message of pluralism and respect for other civilizations
has been instructed in the true message of Islam.
1
Friedman, T. L. (2005). The world is flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century.
Macmillan.
CHAPTER 6: BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNTS
PROMINENT ARAIN ZAMINDARS OF ROHILKHAND

IN COLONIAL INDIA WHO WERE ALSO
PHILANTHROPIST, POLITICIANS AND ORIENTAL
SCHOLARS
SHEIKH AZIZ AHMAD
He was born in the Arain family of Dhundhari, Paragana

Jahanabad, District Pilibhit. His father Sheikh Nur Ahmad
held a vast zamindari estate in District Bareilly apart from
Madhopur in District Pilibhit, which was taken under the
management of court of wards in 1890 after his death till
1900 1 . Sheikh Nur Ahmad (father of Sheikh 2 Aziz
Ahmad), Sheikh Niyaz Ahmad, (father of Sheikh Fazal
Ahmad, one of the prominent zamindars of Bhainsaand
grandfather of Sheikh Manzur Ahmad, zamindar of
Dhundri) were real brothers. Their father Sheikh Ilahi
Buksh S/O Sheikh Mullah Ahmad founded the estate.
After his death, the estate was divided between these
two brothers; one of the brothers, Sheikh Nur Ahmad
expanded his estate in District Bareilly. ―Sheikh Aziz
Ahmad S/O Sheikh Nur Ahmad, who is municipal
commissioner, pays Rs. 7690/3 in Nawabganj Tehsil and
Rs. 3067/ in Baheri tehsil, while a separate property is
held by his brother, Sheikh Zameer Ahmad S/O Sheikh
Nur Ahmad of Madhopur estate got the title of Nawab
1
of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Nevill HR, Pp.105.
2
Sheikh: In all of the references of Bareilly and Pilibhit the term ―Sheikh‖ was used
before the name of Arains probably due to self-asserted Arab origin.
3
The value of all the revenues cited for proprietary estates in 1911 can be assessed
by the cost of gold at that time and average salary given by British Government. The
cost of the gold in those days was around 10 INR per 10 grams. On the other hand,
the salary of class II officer was also about 70 INR per month in early 20th century in
British India. The above cited amount in current days is worth in millions of Indian
Rupees.
from British government‖(Nevill, 1911). 1 Based on the
British records Sheikh Aziz Ahmad was considered as
richest zamindars among Arains, second richest
zamindar among Muslims (richest zamindars among
Muslims was Shah Wali Khan, one of the relatives of
Hafiz Rehmat Khan) in the term of revenue payment and
third richest among all the zamindars of District Bareilly.2
He held total propriety rights of fifteen villages3. He was
one the few Muslims in Rohilkhand who held the post of
Municipal Commissioner in Colonial era. He was one of
the close friends of Dr. Sir Ziauddin Ahmad: a great
philanthropist, Mathematician, founder and Ex Vice
Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. A big palatial
bungalow (approximately area was around 7000 square
meters) was built by him in civil lines, Bareilly. It was
used as personal residence apart from his ancestral
haveli in Madhopur, Pilibhit. He also constructed a
mosque in the premises of District court of Bareilly, civil
lines and he donated a large property to the mosque that
is still owned by mosque waqf. Both the mosque and
bungalow are still located in civil lines, Bareilly.
1 1
of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Nevill HR, Pp.105.
2
of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, pp. 104.
3
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: Chapter three, Tarrekh Arain, 5th Ed., Ilmi
SHEIKH ZAMEER AHMAD
He was the younger son of Sheikh Nur Ahmad, brother of

Sheikh Aziz Ahmad of Madhopur, District Pilibhit. He held
separate estates apart from his brother in tehsil
Nawabganj and tehsil Baheri, District Bareilly 1 . ―In
paragana Jahanabad of District Pilibhit, he holds five
whole villages and two shares for which he pays revenue
of Rs. Seven thousand six hundred and sixty‖.2 He was
one of the few Muslims of the region who was awarded
with honorary title of ―Khan Bahadur‖ by British
government. 3 He married his only son Sheikh Mushtaq
Ahmad with the granddaughter of the Nawab of Tonk,
Nawab Ibrahim Khan. 4 Shiekh Mushtaq Ahmad sold all
his remaining possession in Rohilkhand after the
abolition of zamindari and shifted to Tonk, Rajasthan.
Mr.Saleem, the only son of Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad still
resides in Tonk, Rajasthan is probably around seventy
years old right now. When Dr. Sir Ziauddin arrived in
Bareilly for meeting with Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (May
Allah Show mercy on him) in 1915 AD, he stayed in the
bungalow of Nawab Sheikh Zameer Ahmad in civil lines,
Bareilly. 5 He witnessed the partition of India and
abolishment of feudal zamindari estates. He parted from
this world in 1959.
SHEIKH MANZUR AHMAD
Sheikh Mazur Ahmad belonged to one of the leading

Arains family of the region. He was the son Sheikh Zahur
1
2
Drake-Brockman, D.L. (1934), District Gazetteer of United Provinces of Agar and
Oudh, Supplement D: Pilibhit District.
3
IBID
4
Tonk was one of the princely states located in Rajasthan, British India. Muhammad
Amir Khan who came to India as adventurer from Afghanistan founded it. The state of
Tonk was entitled with salute of ―seventeen‖ guns by British government.
5
Qadri, M., Zafaruddin, Allama (2003), Hayat Ala Hazarat, Edited by Iqbal Ahmad
Faruqi, Maktaba Nabwiya, Lahore, pp.244.
Ahmad1of village Dhundri. His grandfather Sheikh Niyaz
Ahmad was brother of Sheikh Nur Ahamd (one of the
leading Zamindar and father of Sheikh Aziz Ahmad and
Sheikh Zameer Ahmad). 2 Sheikh Fazal Ahmad was his
paternal uncle (younger brother of Sheikh Zahur Ahmad)
and father in-law. 3 His mother Mohtarma Rahim Bibi
belonged to one of the leading Arain family of the region.
Sheikh Alauddin and Sheikh Jalaluddin of Bhadur Ganj
estate was the maternal uncle of Sheikh Manzur Ahmad.4
Sheikh Wisaluddin and Sheikh Tajuddin S/O of Sheikh
Jalaluddin of Dhakia Estate were his maternal cousins.
He was widely known by his nickname Mullahzada.5He
married four times but never had children. His youngest
wife, Jilani Begum was the daughter of his paternal uncle
Sheikh Fazal Ahmad. 6 After his death, Mohtarma Jilani
begum entered in nikah with Shiekh Nazeer Ahmad of
Dang estate. He was a man of great distinction having
the intense desire of education upliftment and
philanthropy. He donated a considerable amount of his
wealth for the social causes and waqf. One of his biggest
achievements was upgradation of the madrassa
established by his grandfather in 1890.7It was named as
Manzurul-Ulum to render note of thanks for his efforts
after his death in 1912. His maternal cousins Sheikh
Wisaluddin and Sheikh Tajuddin put great efforts in
completing his noble mission after his death. 8 After the
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), In: Chapter three, Tarrekh Arain, 5th Ed., Ilmi
2
Judgment, Allahabad High court, Zamir Ahmad vs Mt. Quamar-Un-Nisa And Ors. on
5 September, 1939
3
high court.
4
IBID
5
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), chapter three, Tarrekh Arain, 5 th Ed., Asghar Ali
Chaudhry, Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.142.
6
high court.
7
Ishaaq, M and Naseem, M. (2001), In chapter eight, Arain, Sangam offset and press,
pp.36.
8
IBID
death of Sheikh Manzur Ahmad, the school was
transferred to the waqf created by donations of Sheikh
Manzur Ahmad and some other notable Arain
landlords. 1 He owned fifteen villages. 2 Among his
zamindari villages, one of the villages was Bhitauraan
Kalan in pargana Pilibhit for which he paid revenue of two
thousand eight hundred thirty-three to British government
during 1900. 3 He donated huge property to the waqf of
historical Jama Masjid of Pilibhit in 1909. 4He constructed
a big mosque and bungalow in village Dhundri, pargana
Jahanabad. As a wealthy proprietor, he owned
elephants, horses and big force of workers, security
guards, accountants (Karinda) and Muqqadam (head of
cultivators) for running the task of his estate.5 He died on
29 August 1912 leaving behind the property of six
hundred thousand Indian rupees approximately one
century ago. 6During the illness of long phase, he sold his
zamindari possession of Bhitauran Kalan (District Pilibhit)
and Amkhera of District Bareilly to his mother in two Lakh
rupees, of which he received 10,000 rupees in advance
and made a sale deed with his mother in the form of waqf
to spend remaining one lakh ninety thousand Rupees in
the form charity.7
SHEIKH NAZEER AHMAD
1
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), chapter seven, Tarrekh Arain, 5 th Ed., Asghar Ali
2
Chaudhry, Asghar A. (1963), chapter three, Tarrekh Arain, 5th Ed., Asghar Ali
3
Nevill, H.R. (1909), Pilibhit: A Gazetter, VolXVIII of the District Gazetteers of United
4
Subhani Mohammad Ghulam, (1938), , Hisabaat, Jamma Masjid Pilibhit, , Secretary,
Jammiat Munatazima Jamma Masjid, 1938, Nizami Press, Badaun, pp. 4.
5
6
high court.
7
Sheikh Fazal Ahmad And Anr. vs M`usammat Rahim Bibi And Ors. on 5 December,
high court.
He was born in famous Arain family of Daang, pargana
Jahanabad, District Pilibhit. Sheikh Taj Mohammad was
the founder of the household in Rohilkhand region. Sixth
in the generation of Sheikh Taj Mohammad was born
Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad in the family Sheikh Mohammad
Buksh. 1 According to Tarrekh Arain, the ancestor of
Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad originally belonged to Salarpur,
District Jalandhar, Punjab, who migrated to Mangala,
District Sirsa, presently in Haryana, India. 2 Sheikh Taj
Mohammad migrated in late 18th century from Sirsa to
Rohilkhand region. According to District Gazette of
Pilibhit, 1909, the family of Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad was
considered as one of notable and leading zamindar of
Pargana Jahanaba.3 His father Haji Sheikh Mohammad
Buksh son of Sheikh Imam Buksh was the religious man.
He donated a considerable property from his zamindari
shares in pargana Richaa, District Bareilly to waqf of
Jama Masjid, Pilibhit. He was the founder of the madrasa
in Daang, which was later upgraded by his son Sheikh
Nazeer Ahmad. Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad was educated in
oriental languages. He had a good understanding of
Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. As one of the founding
members and president of Anjumane Arain Rohilkhand
(1916), he rendered great services to the community.
4
According to Tarrekh-Arain, he owned thirteen villages in
zamindari holdings and honorary exempted from British
Government arm acts. 5 ―Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad son of
Sheikh Mohammad Buksh, an Arain hold seven villages
1
Ishaaq, M., and Naseem, M. (2001), In: Chapter 13, Arain, Sangam offset and press,
Sardarnagar Publications, Pilibhit, pp.36.
2
3
Nevill, H.R. (1909), PILIBHIT: A Gazetteer of the District Gazetteers of United
Provinces of Agra and Oudh, VolXVIII.
4
5
and fifteen shares in District Pilibhit and pay revenue of
ten thousand four hundred thirty eight INR” (Drake,
1934). 1A man with sociopolitical insight and awakening
for the conditions of Muslims and in particular for his
community in sub-continent that could be perceived by
his speech which he delivered at the inaugural session of
the annual meeting of Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand in
1918 as the President of Anjuman.2
Respected friends,
―When on the arrival of Sheikh Qazi Fateh Mohammad
Sahab, Assistant Secretary, Anjumane Arain, Hind to
Rohilkhand on 16 March 1916 this Anjuman was
established. In our remotest thought, we could not think
that we are prepared for the annual convocation of this
kind. Though for the ignorant guys of the community, this
convocation is just an indifferent event but those who
were aware of the conditions of educated and elite
communities and their achievements, they know very well
about the fast pace of progress in changing time. These
convocations are not new for the communities who want
to march with the pace of changing time. The second
convocation of Anjumane Arain, Hind was going to be
held on request of Sheikh Hafiz Halim raees e azam,
Bissi, Punjab. It was due to the efforts of Anjumane
Arain, Hind that in such a small time a large number of
regional anjumans were formed, and all of them are
working actively on their levels. It was the efforts of Qazi
Fateh Mohammad Sahib, Assistant Secretary and envoy,
Central Anjuman which unites the Arain community of all
over Punjab and Rohilkhand, who was working under
guidance and leadership of great leaders of Community
1
Drake-Brockman, D.L. (1934), District Gazetteer of United Provinces of Agar and
Oudh, Supplement D: Pilibhit District
2
Ahmad, N. (1917), Rudade Ajlas Awwal, Anjumane Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon,
conducted on 18thFebruary, 1917 at the house of Sheikh Maulvi Abdul Haqq, Joint
secretary and Raees Pilibhit. From Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad Raeese Azam Daang and
President, and Shiekh Tajuddin Sahib, Raees Hulkari Dhakia, Joint Secretary. Printed
and designed at Kohadapeer, Bareilly, pp.6.
like Khan Bahadur Mian Muhammad Shafi and Malik
Mohammad Tajuddin, (B.A). Dear brothers if you want to
do something for the community, it is my personal
request that please attend annual convocation of
Anjumane Arain, Hind in Lahore. After attending the
conference, you will fill with the spirit of development and
after meeting with notable leaders of the community in
Punjab, you will find yourself in elation that you belongs
to one of the noble and renowned community of Indian
subcontinent. The feeling of low self-esteem in the
community around Rohilkhand region is self-inflicted, and
it is due to the unawareness towards our history. The
brothers of our community in Punjab reached the heights
because of the attainment of modern higher education. It
is sense pride for all of us, but we should follow their
footsteps. Modern education is the only tool to remove
ignorance among communities. Muslims like other
communities in subcontinent do not have an inclination
for modern education and this is the reason of the
lagging of Muslims in all walks of life. Especially for our
community in Rohilkhand, we are deliberately parting
away from modern education. It is the lack of the modern
education, which is responsible for our heavy losses, and
it will remain same in future. It would be a sense of grief
for all of us that in the time of British government which
had blessed us with a lot of favors, facilities and freedom
and still if our community would be isolated from the
jewel of modern education. It should be our duty and
efforts that we should accept the importance of modern
education from our hearts. By the grace of God you all
are quite capable with resources to provide higher
education to our young generation and also to those
orphans of the community those are in utmost need.
Therefore it is necessary to donate hefty amounts related
to the scholarships for higher education” (Speech Sheikh
Ahmad Nazeer, 1917, translated from Urdu by authors).1
1
Ahmad, N. (1917), Rudade Ajlas Awwal, Anjumane Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon,
The profound social insight and intellect can be assessed
from his speech. Even hundred years before, he was
aware that lack of modern education was the main
reason for the backwardness of Muslims in the
subcontinent. The same factor is responsible for the
backwardness of the Muslims in sub-continent even
hundred years after in the twenty-first century.
MAULVI SHEIKH ABDUL HAQQ
Maulana Sheikh Abdul Haqq was born on 27

Dulhqaddah, 1281 Hijri (1860 AD) in the house of Sheikh
Haji Qudarat Ali Rais Karghaina, pargana Jahanabad,
District Pilibhit. 1 He was the eldest son of his father.
According to Tarrekh Arain, Sheikh Haji Qudrat Ali held
the zamindari rights of three whole villages. He was a
religious and pious man. He used to stay for three years
in Hijaz when he performed his Hajj in late 19th century.
Sheikh Haji Qudrat Ali had a great association with
Islamic scholars of his time. He upgraded madrassa
(Islamic school) in his village Karghiana, District Pilibhit
that was established by his ancestors. He appointed a
great Islamic scholar of his time Maulvi Salamat Ullah
(May Allah show mercy to him) of Rampur for religious
education of his younger sons Sheikh Abdul Rahman and
Sheikh Abdul Ghafoor. Sheikh Abdul Haqq was born in
this background. His basic education was of Arabic and
Persian that was started under the guidance of his father.
Later on, he completed his Darse-Nizami under the
guidance of great Islamic scholar of his time; Sheikh
Muhaddith Surti Maulana Wasiuddin (May Allah show
mercy to him).Sheikh Abdul Haqq had a great
conducted on 18thFebruary, 1917 at the house of Sheikh Maulvi Abdul Haqq, Joint
secretary and Raees Pilibhit. From Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad Raeese Azam Daang and
President, and Shiekh Tajuddin Sahib, Raees Hulkari Dhakia, Joint Secretary. Printed
and designed at Kohadapeer, Bareilly.
1
Haider, K.R. (1981), Tazkirah Muhhadith Surti, Khwaja Razi Hiader, Surti Academy,
Nizamabad Karachi, pp. 279.
association with Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi (May
Allah show mercy to him), a great Islamic scholar and
revivalist of 19th century India. Their relationship started
with Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (May Allah show mercy on
him) from the time of his father, Sheikh Haji Qudarat Ali.
He was a murid (Spiritual Disciple) of Syed Shah Ale
Rasul (May Allah show mercy on him) of Maherera who
was spiritual guide of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan and
awarded Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (May Allah show
mercy on him) with Khilafat (Sufi affiliation) in his Qadri
order. 1 By this affiliation Sheikh Haji Qudrat Ali was Pir
Bhai (spiritual brother)2 of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (May
Allah show mercy on him). All three sons of Sheikh Haji
Qudarat Ali were murid (disciples) of Imam Ahmad Raza
Khan. In 1902, Sheikh Abdul Haqq purchased a garden
(approx. area of more than four acres) in the center of
city Pilibhit from a Pashtun named Natthu Khan. He
constructed a big palatial building and named it
Karghaina Building after his village, which was also the
center of religious and cultural activities of city during his
lifetime. 3 British Government awarded him with a
designation of ―Honorary Magistrate‖. He was one of the
founding members and Joint Secretary of Anjumane-
Arain Rohilkhand and Kumaon in 1916. 4 The first
convocation of Anjumane- Arain, Rohilkhand and
Kumaon took place at his residence in 1917. Apart from
his spiritual and scholarly affiliation with Islamic studies,
he was deeply influenced by the idea of Sir Mian
Mohammad Shafi, and other Arain leaders of Punjab,
who were pioneers of inculcating modern education
1
Sanyal, U. (2005), In: Chapter three, Ahmad Riza Khan Barelvi: In the path of
prophet, Oxford Publictaion, pp.63.
2
Asad, M., (2007), Noori Noori Yaad Unki, Jahan Mufti Azam, Allama Mohammad
Ahmad Misbahi, Raza Academy, Mumbai, pp.909.
3
IBID
4
among the community members and broadly in the
Muslim community of North India. This great man passed
away in 1932 and his Namaze Janazah (burial prayer of
Muslims) was performed by Maulana Hamid Raza Khan
(eldest son of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan) as this was his
last wish. 1 He left behind one son, Maulana Sheikh
Anwarul Haque and four daughters. Maulana Hashmatali
Sahab, Maulana Mahboob Ali Khan, Muhaddith Surti,
Maulana Abdul Ahad Sahib, Maulana Ziauddin ( May
Allah show mercy on them) were notable Islamic scholars
of Pilibhit, who used to gather in Karghaina building after
Friday Prayers during his life time. His residence was the
place of intellectual and religious discussion. Maulana
Hakim Zakir Hussian, Maulana Hakim Maqsood Hasan
Khan, Maulana Hakim Mahmood ur Rehman Khan were
close friends of his lifetime. Shiekh Abdul Haqq was
blessed to enjoy the company of the great scholars of his
time such as Maulana Syed Zafaruddin Bihari, Maulana
Hamid Raza Khan, and Maulana Sardar Ahmad Sahib.
SHEIKH IMTIAZ AHMAD
He was born in 1884 in a middle-class zamindar family of

village Khamaria, District Pilibhit. His father name was
Shiekh Abdul Razzaq. His education was completed
under the guidance of his father, as the trend of noble
Muslim families of that time; he studied oriental
languages, i.e., Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. He was also
privileged by the grace of Almighty God as Hafiz Quran
(person who memorizes complete Quran). The
proprietorship of the whole village Keshavpur in
Barkehda tehsil was in his family. His family also held
joint shares of zamindari in villages of Barkheda. From
the early days of his life, he was very active in politics. He
built a big palatial house in 1913 in village Khamaria in an
1
Asad, M. (2007), In chapter: Noori Noori Yaad Unki (Dr.Mohammad Asad), Jahan
Mufti Azam, Allama Mohammad Ahmad Misbahi, Raza Academy Mumbai, pp.909.
area of approx. five thousand square foot. It was the
center of cultural and political activities during his lifetime.
In 1937, he was elected as a member of legislative
assembly. It was a big privilege for the Muslims of
District Pilibhit as he was the first member of the
legislative assembly from District Pilibhit. The same year,
i.e., 1937, the Imperial Government honored him with the
title of ―Khan Bahadur‖. The ceremony of this great honor
took place on his ―Kothi‖ in Village Khamraia. The
Governor of United Province Sir Mohammad Ahmad Said
Khan, KCSI was guest of honor for this ceremony. An
imperial medal inscribed with the name and picture of
Queen Elizabeth and the royal title was endowed to
Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad. The medal is still present with
Sheikh Waseem Ahmad, the grandson of Sheikh Imtiaz
Ahmad in Khamaria. Apart from political activities, he
participated in social progression of the Muslim
community. In 1944, a riot took place in the neighboring
village of Khamaria known as Raipur. The zamindari of
this village was under the Arain families of Khamaria. The
cultivators (assami) were both Muslims and Hindus.
Initially, it was the disturbance between two parties but
later on, it took the communal turn.1The Muslim victims
approached Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad and Shiekh Badrul
Hasan, an Arain zamindar of Khamaria (later a prominent
businessman of Pakistan) for the rescue. Both of them
played an active role in rescuing Muslim victims. They
arranged bullock carts and provided support of their
personal armed security workers for the safe escort of
their families.2The families of victims were provided lands
in village Khamaria. The descendants of those
immigrants who were rescued from Raipur are still
inhabited in village Khamraia. Most of them were Faqirs
and Julahas (Momin Ansar) who worked as assamis in
land holdings of Arains in Raipur. He was also the
1
Kadri, Syed. S.H (1982), Creation of Pakistan, Wajidalis Publishers.
2
IBID
member of the educational and managerial committee of
Drummonds Intercollege. This great man passed away
in 1948 AD.
SHEIKH WISALUDDIN AND SHEIKH TAJUDDIN
Sheikh Wisaluddin and Sheikh Tajuddin were real

brothers. They were born in the literary Arain family of
Bahadur Ganj, which held big zamindari estate of Dhakia
and shares in more than eighteen villages. Their father
Sheikh Maulana Jalaluddin was great scholar and Urdu
poet of late nineteenth century. He authored a collection
of poetries titled ―Kulyat e Jalal‖ published from Agra in
1904. One of his poems ―Safarnama Nainital‖ was the
sketch of his journey to Nainital in late nineteenth
century. It took us back to one and a half century before
when one had to travel by horses from Haldwani to
Nainital via mud roads on the mountains of Himalayas in
beautiful Urdu language. His writing reflected a wide
perspective of society, culture, taboos of Muslim
community in late nineteenth century. Sheikh Alauddin,
the elder brother of Maulana Jalaluddin Jalal was also a
great philanthropist of his time. He shifted his base from
their ancestral village to Feelkhana locality in Pilibhit city.
He constructed a mosque near his house in 1880 that is
still popular by his name Masjid Alauddin. In 1890, he
performed his journey to Mecca and Medina for Hajj. He
donated a big piece of land for the graveyard in
Feelkhana locality and after his death; he was buried in
the same graveyard. Sheikh Haji Mohammad Wisaluddin
was born in 1881. He was a man of extraordinary
capabilities. He inherited an affiliation for scholarly work
from his father. Apart from literary activities, he has deep
insight for the problems of the Muslim community in his
time. His efforts and monetary help were the reason for
the success of one of the local Muslim fellow of Pilibhit in
electoral council in 1923 against Abdullah Yusuf. He
started a magazine titled ―Musalaman Member‖ to
provide the awareness of contemporary issues in Muslim
society. For a long time, he remained the chairperson of
District Board, Pilibhit. Along with other great
philanthropists of the community, he took a lead role in
promoting educational activities among the
1
community. He was a key ally of his maternal cousin
Sheikh Mazur Ahmad for the establishment of the school
in Dhundri. In fact, he helped a lot his aunt Mohtarma
Rahim Bibi (mother of Sheikh Manzur Ahmad) in a legal
battle with Sheikh Fazal Ahmad (Uncle of Manzur
Ahmad) for getting the authority of two hundred
thousand*INR waqf properties so that it can be used for
upgrading Dhundri School. He was one of the founding
members of ―Anjuman- Arain‖ Rohilkhand, which was
formed in 1916. He has four sons, Mr. Kamaluddin, Mr.
Jameeluddin, Mohammed Jaffer and Mr. Zakauddin. He
sent the elder three sons to Aligarh Muslim University for
attaining modern education in 1924. The younger son
was also enrolled in Aligarh University but after
independence of India. This great man passed at the age
of sixty on 15 October 1941. His last resting place is
located in the graveyard Filkhana locality in Pilibhit close
to the grave of his uncle, Sheikh Alauddin. These poetic
lines were inscribed on the grave stone made of white
marble on his grave along with his name.
Farsh gul bistar tha apna Khaak par sote hain ab!
Khast zer sar nahi ya takia tha zanuae dost!
Once floor made of flowers was my bed but now I am
sleeping on dust!
1
Jalal, Mualana. Jalaluddin. (1986), Kulliat Jalal, Maulana Jaluddin Jalal, addition of
Family tree by Sheikh Mohammad Tajuddin Taj, edited and compiled by Dr.
Zakauddin Shayyan, 4th edition, 1986, Printed by Bathu Color printers, Achal Taal,
Aligarh, U.P, India, pp. 19.
Once we have pillows even for supporting my thighs but
now even stone is not available for the support of my
head!
SHEIKH TAJUDDIN was the third son of Maulana
Jalaluddin Jalal. He was born in 1884 in village
Mahnchandi, District Pilibhit. He received his education in
oriental languages, i.e., Urdu, Arabic and Persian under
the guidance of his father, Maulana Jalaluddin Jalal. He
also wrote several poems in the Urdu language. He used
two pen names for his writings, Taj, and Chishti. 1As the
political and social worker, he was connected with all the
movements and reforms going in Arain community in
Punjab under the leadership of Sir Mian Mohammad
Shafi. He attended first All India Arain convocation that
took place at the house of Malik Tajuddin (Accountant
General of Punjab) along with other Arain members from
Rohilkhand on 15, April 1915. 2He was later on appointed
as joint secretary from Anjumane- Arain Rohilkhand and
Kumaon in 1917. He motivated and gave monetary
support to the author Munshi Mahshar Ambalvi who
wrote an elaborative historical text ―Al Zurayeen‖ in 1922.
All the cost of printing and distributing was afforded by
Sheikh Tajuddin and rewarded him with Indian Rupees
500 at that time for his scholaraly effort. As an
acknowledgment, the author puts ―Taqreez‖ and couplet
on Sheikh Tajuddin on the cover page of his book ―Ale-
Zurayeen‖.
“Ahl hajat ki trah baqi nahi hay aihjat”
“Mahrban mujh per hoi hain jab say Tajuddin Taj”.
No needs/desires are left now as needy people have!
1
Jalal, Maulana. Jalauddin. (1986), Kulliat Jalal, addition of Family tree by Sheikh
Printed by Bathu Color printers, Achal Taal, Aligarh, U.P, India, pp.121.
2
Chaudhry, Asghar. A. (1963), In: Chapter, Awareness in community, Tareekh Arain,
5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, pp.237.
From the moment, I received the blessings and help from
Tajuddin Taj!
The cover page of ―Ale-Zurayeen‖ is present in appendix
in the list of illustrations. He was the great patron of
modern education. His writings and poetries also
reflected the concern related to the downfall of the
Muslim community in changing time. In 1924, he send his
son Mr. Riazuddin to Aligarh Muslim University and then
to Edinburgh University (U.K) for pursuing bachelors in
agricultural sciences. In 1947, he published the second
edition of ―Kuliat Jalal‖ with the addition of some family
biographies and his poetic collections. He passed in year
1950.
A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE MEMBERS

FROM INDIPENDENT INDIA AND PAKISTAN
MR. MOHAMMAD JILANI AND MR. AHMAD JILANI
Mr. Mohammad Jilani and Ahmad Jilani were born in

family of Sheikh Mazhar Hussain. His grandfather Shiekh
Ahmad Hussain participated in 1857 against British army
along with his elder brother Sheikh Mohammad Hussain
alias Tanashah. Shiekh Mazhar Hussain inherited big
zamindari holdings in Udaipur estate. Shiekh Mazhar
Hussain was also managing director of Wiyung India
Spinning Mill, Ujhyani, Badaun District and he owned
shares in this factory along with Raja Lalta Prasad
Bahadur of Pilibhit. Both brothers inherited a large
property from his ancestors in Udaipur village in District
Pilibhit. The Jilani brothers generated good wealth and
fame in District by engaging in business. Their primary
business was the production of sugar by small scale
sugar factories. They also held shares in big companies
of their time in the region. They were very active in socio-
political activities of the District. The younger one Ahmad
Jilani was the president of District Muslim League in
1946. Elder brother Mohammad Jilani was honorary
magistrate and Manager of Islamia High school. Their
efforts for community building can be assessed from the
letter written by elder brother to Mohammad Ali Jinnah
describing the efforts done by them among the
community. Zaidi published this in Quaide–Azam papers
project in 2006. 1 Mr. Mohammad Jilani addressed to
Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1946 in an elegant manner.
My younger brother, Ahmad Jilani, is the president of
District Muslim League, Pilibhit, and we have been doing
all we can to help the Muslims. However, we cannot do
what we are required to do. I hope you would excuse me
and favor me with reply.
Honorary Magistrate and Manager, Islamia High School
Mr. Mohammad Jilani
District Pilibhit2
Mr. Mohammad Jilani villa is still located close to Masjid
Pathani in Pilibhit city. In fact, Masjid Pathani lies in the
premises of his villa. During his life, it was a culturally
vibrant meeting place where notables of different creeds
and communities use to gather. He has a close friendship
with Raja Lalta Prasad Bahadur, a renowned
philanthropist, industrialist and landowner of Pilibhit in
British era. Mr. Mohammad Jilani had four sons and four
daughters. In 1970, Mr. Mohammad Jilani moved to
Karachi, Pakistan with his family. His two elder sons, Mr.
Hamid Jilani, and Mr. Mahmood Jilani received their
higher education from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
Mr. Hamid Jilani did his BSc (Engineering) in 1952. He
moved to Zurich, Switzerland for pursuing postgraduate
studies and later on received the Swiss nationality. Mr.
Mahmood Jilni moved to Karachi with his father after
1
Zaidi, Z.H. (2006), Quaide Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah Papers: Cabinet mission
Parley‘s for shaping India‘s future, 1st April-31 July 1946.
2
IBID
completing his Masters in chemistry from AMU in 1964.
Then he went for higher studies to the United States and
settled there. The younger brother, Mr. Ahmad Jilani
passed away in 1955 in Pilibhit, India without leaving
behind any heir.
MR. ANEESUR REHMAN
He was born in village Sugatia, District Pilibhit. His father

name was Ejazur Rehman. He was the straightforward
and honest person. From young age, he was inclined
towards politics. He joined as a youth member of Indian
National Congress (INC), Pilibhit divisions before
partition. In 1962, he contested the election on the ticket
of INC for the member of legislative assembly. He won
the election with the sweeping majority and represented
Pilibhit in the state assembly for five years. In next
tenure, he lost the election and got the second position in
1967. As a politician, he was a man of Gandhian and
Nehruvian era that reflects honesty, commitment and
affection towards his people. He witnessed the economic
fall of the Arain community due to partition, the abolition
of zamindari and implementation of Land Ceiling Act
1960. By going out of the way, he got the approval of
special backward status for the community for five years
from the state assembly. It was the difficult task at that
time because still after such steep decline, the economic
indicators of Rohilkhand Arains were far higher than the
backward communities of the region at that particular
time. This move was widely criticized by the elders of
Arain community. They perceived this change in a
negative manner as it downgraded the status of
Rohilkhand Arains by making them equitable with Ajlaf
(backward) communities. The association with Ajlafs was
considered as the social stigma in a country that is
stratified by caste and creeds. Although this was a
special status approved for five years due to special
circumstances. However, after that people started using
certificates by the name of Rain (Kunjra) that is legally
questionable. It is evident from the review presented in
the first chapter, that the Arains of Rohilkhand has no
association with this community. For rest of his life, he
stayed in Pilibhit and passed away in year 2000.
MR. ABDUL HAFIZ NAEEMI
He was born in village Karghaina in the family of Shiekh

Hafiz Abdul Rashid. He was born at a time when
transformation in the community was started and a few
years later after his birth ―Anjumane-Arain Rohilkhand
and Kumaon‖ was established under the guidance of
visionary leaders such as Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad and
Sheikh Abdul Haqq. He worked hard for attaining higher
education. He started his early education from Manzur-
Ulum Dhundhri. Then he moved for higher education to
Aligarh Muslim University. He completed his Bachelors in
Law in 1935. He was one of the first lawyers of District
Pilibhit. He practiced as the civil lawyer at the bar. He
has a special interest in Urdu poetry. He carried an
impressive personality with the typical reflection of
Aligarh Urdu tahzeeb (culture) of early twentieth century.
After immigration of Mr. Mohammad Jilani to Karachi, he
took the responsibility of Islamia College management.
He also remained manager of Jamia Mosque Committee
for a long time. Though many members of his family
moved to Pakistan but he has the special affection for his
homeland. Some of them like his brother in law Mr.
Fahimuddin was very influential and held the key post in
Pakistan Army, but he refused to leave India. His house
was the center of literary people during his lifetime
especially Urdu poets. He died in the year 2002.
DR. ABDUL GHAFOOR

Dr. Abdul Ghafoor was born in 1898 village Dayyabog,
District Bareilly. He was among the pioneers of the
community to enter in Modern education. He completed
his matriculation from Pilibhit. Then he entered at
Thomson Medical School 1 , Agra to get Licentiate in
Medical Practice in 1917. It was five-year program
started by British Government for Indian civilian to equip
them for practicing modern medicine. It has the same
duration like Bachelors program in Medicine (MBBS), but
the content was relatively less than Bachelors
Programme. 2 He completed his Licentiate in Medical
practice in 1922. The Thomson Medical School, Agra has
only Licentiate program up to 1939 when after extensive
up gradation, the first MBBS batch was started. After
completing his studies from Agra Medical School, he
started his medical practice at Pilibhit. He was probably
the pioneers of private medical practitioners in District.
From the school time, he was active in socio-political
activities. For education at Agra Medical School, he
received a monthly allowance of Indian Rupees four from
Anjumane, Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon. He
represented as the face of Arain youths at the annual
convocation held at Karghaina building, Pilibhit on 1917.
As the first year medical student, his speech was
eloquent, humble and touching the heart of audiences.
We had translated the Urdu version of his speech in
English from the transcript of First Annual Arain
convention of Rohilkhand and Kumaon for our readers.
Dear elders, I stood up here on the behalf of the
community to deliver thanks to “Anjumane-Arain
Rohilkhand”. It would be a big injustice if the services of
these elders for the tribe would not be acknowledged.
You all are aware of the condition of the community
before the establishment of “Anjumane-Arain, 1916” as it
1
Thomson Medical School was later on upgraded and renamed as Sarojni Naidu
Medical College.
2
Das, A., and Sen S., (2011).History of Science, Civilization and Culture in Indian
Civilization. Centre for studies in civilizations, Pearson education.
can be compared with dead flesh. On this dead body, the
clouds of quarrels, jealousy, and other sinful vices are
moving on it. We are like a live image of flaws. We are in
the need of helping hands that can pull us from this
swamp. We should thanks to Almighty Allah that even in
these dry and harsh days of the twentieth century that
there is no shortage of such generous people who strives
hard for the welfare of the community. As far as all the
members of this “Anjumane- Arain” deserves an
appreciation for this work. Especially these enlisted
elders deserve especial thanks and appreciations from
our side. First among them is Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad,
President Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon,
Raees e Azam, the pride of the community. The springs
of his generosity relinquish the thirst of the community.
His hand of love and affection for poor guys like me is
comparable with showers of mercy. Second, I would like
to thanks, Shiekh Mazhar Hussain of Udaipur, District
Pilibhit. Third, I would like to thanks, Honorary Assistant
Secretary of “Anjuman-Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon”
Sheikh Taj Uddin of Hulkari Dhakia, District Pilibhit for his
efforts and services for the community. His heart is
always filled with the pain of community. O youngsters of
Community, it is my request for all of you to follow the
instructions of our elders. Whenever required, please try
to help this committee with your agrarian resources.
Regards
Mohammad Abdul Ghaffor, Dayyabogh, Bareilly
First Year Student, Agra Medical School, 1917
He started his medical practice and for twenty years, he
served the region as first allopathic general practitioner in
the city. His wife also worked as the resident of
Obstetrics and Gynecology in government-run District
hospital of Pilibhit. Along with his medical career, he has
interest towards the political activities of Muslim League
from the days of Agra Medical School and formation of
Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand, and Kumaon in 1917. He
published a monthly Journal by the title ―Al Haram‖. The
first edition of ―Al Haram‖ was published in 1925 and it
was circulated until the independence of India. This
journal covers literary events, religious events and
sociopolitical events of Muslim community. When India
was partitioned, he was the active member of League.
With the rise of problems between the newly formed state
of India and Pakistan, the political activist of opposite
sides faced harsh treatment on both sides. Dr. Abdul
Ghafoor also faced same consequences, and he was put
behind the bars by District administration of Pilibhit in
1947. Then after his release, he was forced to leave for
Pakistan. After migrating from India, he settled in Sukkar,
Sindh, Pakistan. Hardly one year after leaving his
birthplace, he passed away in District Sukkur, Sindh,
Pakistan in 1948. In his lineage, Dr. Firozah Israr who
was granted with honorary citizenship of Saudi Arabia is
the daughter of his younger brother, Mr. Abdul Shakur.
SHIEKH KAMALUDDIN
He was the eldest son of Sheikh Haji Wisaluddin. He was

born in 1905. In 1924, his father sent him for schooling
to Aligarh Muslim University. After coming back from
Aligarh, he started participating in social and political
activities under the guidance of his father. He was
elected as Vice-chairman of District Board, Pilibhit in
1938. He held the position of Vice-Chairman District
Board until 1947. He inherited special affection for the
literary activities from his grandfather. In 1938, he started
an Urdu newspaper ―Al Kamal‖. The newspaper ―Al
Kamal‖ covered regional and national socio-political
conditions at that time. In 1952, he moved to Karachi,
Pakistan. In 1961, he passed away from this world
leaving behind three sons, Shams Jilani, Akbar Jalal and
Azhar Wisal. Mr. Akbar Jalal and Mr. Azhar Wisal served
as Vice- President at Saudi American Bank, Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia.
MR. SAEED AHMAD
He was born on 19/02/1916 in village Mundia Nabi

Buksh, District Bareilly. His father Shiekh Maulana
Habeeb Ahmad was a great Islamic scholar of his time.
Due to early death of his father, his elder brother, Mr.
Inayat Ahmad, raised him. The early death of his beloved
elder brother secluded him from the family. For the higher
education, he was sent to Christian College, Lucknow
University in 1935. He completed his graduation from
Christian College, Lucknow University in 1938. After
completing his education, he sold zamindari shares of the
ancestral property from village Mundia and started his
business in Bareilly. His showroom of Radio/Transistor
was famous by the name of Opera Radio House at Kutub
Khana, Bareilly. Later on, he became one of the
successful automobiles dealers in District Bareilly, India.
In 1946, he got a ticket from Muslim League for the
legislative member from District Nainital (part of United
Province at that time). He won that seat with the
sweeping majority over Congress contestant, Mr.
Abdullah, a famous businessperson of Haldwani. He
moved to Pakistan in 1950. He also served as Municipal
Commissioner of Fatima Jinnah Colony, Karachi,
Pakistan. Pakistan Government allotted a big agriculture
land under claim act.1
DR. SHAMS JILANI
He was born in 1931 in District Pilibhit. His father Sheikh

Kamaluddin and grandfather Sheikh Wisaluddin were
famous among Muslim community of Pilibhit for their
1
Chaudhry, Asghar. A. (1963), Tareekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana, Urdu Bazar,
Lahore.
cultural, literary and political participation. In 1952, he
moved to Pakistan with his father, Mr. Kamaluddin. His
early education was completed under the supervision of
his grandmother and father Sheikh Kamaluddin. After
reaching Pakistan, he completed his higher studies in
Urdu literature from Punjab University. He was deeply
inspired by the spiritual and educational status of
Maulana Waqaruddin sahib. He was searching for a
spiritual master from a long time who reflected the true
teaching of Islam in his real life. He found that all those
traits were reflected in the behavior of Maulana
Waqaruddin Sahib. He entered in Sufi order of ―Qadriya‖
by giving his allegiance to Maulana Waqaruddin Sahib
and accepted him as his spiritual master. This
relationship was further strengthened with matrimonial
alliance of his daughter Miss. Uzma with his son Mr.
Jameel Waqar in 1983. In 1988, he moved to New York,
United States but he did not like the culture of New York,
and he applied Immigration of Canada. Finally, in 1989,
he settled in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. He
had written more than seventeen books in Urdu on
Islamic History and several other contemporary topics of
religion, culture and sociology. He tried to disperse
humanistic aspects of Islam through his writings
especially to the western society. His book ―Huqooq ul
Ibad and Islam‖ was translated and published with title
―Ethics and Islam‖. This book received attention from
Canadian Media, and Dr. Shams Jilani received the best
writer‘s award from Miracle‘s (Community Newspaper) by
Deputy Premier of British Columbia, Honorable Christy
Clark. In 2003, the city of Vancouver awarded Cultural
Harmony Award to him for his contributions as a chair of
Multicultural Committee (411 senior‘s center society of
Vancouver). He has been president of Canada Urdu
Association and secretary for Hindi literary society. He
also served as the affidavit commissioner for twelve
years in Ministry of the Attorney General, British
Columbia. He has been founding the member of liberal
senior‘s Commission, Richmond, British Columbia,
Canada. He is an active contributor in ―Voices of
Wisdom‖, a program sponsored by Government of British
Columbia. He is an active member in Urdu Journalism.
His articles are published in Nawai Waqt (London),
Pakeezah (Toronto, Canada), Hamdam (China &
Pakistan), Gulban (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), and Bakhshiat
(Calcutta, India). He is currently honorary editor of Alami
Akhbar, London and Armugahne Hamd, Karachi. At
present, he is sitting member of Richmond senior‘s
Advisory Committee City of Richmond, British Columbia,
and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Multicultural
Advisory Committee.
MIAN ABDUL QAYUM
He was born in 1933 at village Dayyabogh, District

Bareilly. His father name was Mian Riyaz Uddin. In 1950,
he came to Sukkar, Sindh after migrating from India. He
started his journey of the trade from ―Shahi Bazar‖ in
Sukkar, Sindh by opening a shoe store. He remained in
this business up to 1952. Then he diversified his
business and moved in soap production industries and by
1957, he moved to chemical industries. In 1963, he got
agency of Liquid Glucose and in 1966, he got agency of
Karachi Alkali limited. In 1970, he registered all his
business and factories by the name of Forum Trading
Company. He was considered as one of the most
successful business people among the Arain community
of Rohilkhand in Pakistan during 1970.
SHEIKH MIAN BADARUL HASAN
He was born in Arain family of Khamaria, District Pilibhit.

His father Sheikh Zakiuddin was a man of extraordinary
capabilities. Shiekh Zakiuddin active participation was
reflected in Anjuman- Arain, Rohilkhand and Kumaon in
1917. He represented village Khamaria and Pandri in
Arain convocation and provided a detailed report on
social and educational efforts done by him in his
allocated region. In his humble speech, he described his
educational background in oriental languages. At the end
of his speech, he gave especial thanks to Khan Bahadur
Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi, an Arain leader of Punjab,
who filled the gap of Muslim politics in North India after
the death of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. The madrassa
(Islamic school) of village Khamaria was one of his
initiatives and put his efforts in building along with his
other friends. In 1920, he and his family members
actively participated in Khilafat Movement. British
Government sent him to jail for his political activism along
with his paternal cousin Shiekh Aminuddin for three
months. This was the background of the Shiekh Badrul
Hasan that he inherited from his family. His participation
and relief work was done in collaboration with Khan
Bahadur Shiekh Imtiaz Ahmad in communal riots of
village Raipur were appreciated in historical documents
of Muslim freedom. 1 From his young age, he joined
Muslim League and contributed a lot in sociopolitical
activities. After the partition of India, he migrated to
Pakistan and started his business in Sukkar, Sindh. Later
he shifted his residence in Gulshan Iqbal, Karachi. Later
on his is son Mr. Zaki Saeed moved to United States. 2
MR. ISRAR AHMAD
He was born at village Pipra, District Bareilly in 1942. His

father Hakim Siraj Ahmad did Bachelors in Unani
Medicine from Ajmal Khan Tibiya College, Delhi. Then he
shifted to Pilibhit city and worked as a Medical
1
Ahmad, J. (1970), Historical documents of Muslim freedom movement, united
publisher, New Delhi.
2
Chaudhry, Asghar. A. (1963), In: Chapter 5, Tareekh Arain, 5th ed., Ilmi Kutubkhana,
Urdu Bazar, Lahore.
Practitioners of alternative medicine. After completing his
secondary education from Pilibhit, Mr. Israr Ahmad was
enrolled at Aligarh Muslim University and completed his
bachelor's in science in 1963. In 1964, he moved to
Pakistan and started his career in hotel industry from
Intercontinental, Karachi. In 1970, he went to Austria for
achieving higher qualifications in hotel management. Mr.
Israr Ahmad then joined as assistant manager for Food
and Beverages in Intercontinental Karachi. Later on in
1972, he moved with his wife Dr. Firozah Israr who was a
consultant of Gynecology to Saudi Arabia in
Intercontinental Hotel, Jeddah. He retired as General
Manager for Intercontinental, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The
family received honorary citizenship of Saudi Arabia as
the reward for clinical services rendered by his wife Dr.
Firozah Israr as the consultant of Obstetrics and
Gynecology. The nationality in Saudi Arabia is granted
only in exceptional circumstances where only King can
grant it for an outstanding service for the nation.
MR. ZAKAUDDIN
He was born in 1933. He was the youngest son of Shiekh

Wisaluddin of Hulkari Dhakia. By completing
matriculation, he got a good understanding of Arabic,
Urdu and Persian literature due to the literary
environment of the family. Continuing the interest in the
Urdu language that he inherited from his poet
grandfather, Maulana Jalaluddin Jalal, he took admission
in Bachelor Programme of Urdu in Aligarh Muslim
University in 1950. He completed his bachelor's in
Education (Bed) in 1954. Then he finished his masters
and doctorate in Urdu from Aligarh Muslim University in
1969. One of the notable Urdu Poet of Indian
Subcontinent, Mr. Sharyar was his contemporary in AMU
and one of his closest friends. He joined as Urdu lecturer
in Islamia Inter College and passed his rest of the life in
Pilibhit. Some of his famous collections of Urdu Poetry
are ―Reig Siyah‖, ―Zeir Ghaur‖ and ―Kuliat Jalal‖. Several
of his articles, poems, and views were published in India
and Pakistan. In circles of Urdu notables, he was popular
by his pen name ―Shayan‖. This great scholar of Urdu
took his last breath in the year 2003 and buried in same
graveyard by the side of father Shiekh Wisaluddin.
MR. MOHAMMAD NASEEM
Mr. Mohammad Naseem was born in 1954 at Village

Sardarnagar, District Pilibhit. His father Mr. Mohammad
Ishaq was the Primary school teacher. Along with his
teaching career, he has bent of mind towards history and
culture. As a dedicated father and educator from his
background, Mr. Ishaq has played a significant role in the
early education of his son. Mr. Mohammad Naseem
passed his junior high school from the nearby town of
Amaria close to his village in District Pilibhit. Then he got
admission in Drumond Intercollege Pilibhit in class ninth.
In 1973, he got admission in Pre-University Course at
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and then entered in Pre-
Medical Course for pursuing the career in Medicine.
Unfortunately, he was not able to succeed in Medical
entrance exams. In the other words, he was destined by
Almighty Allah to become one of the most successful law
experts of his time. In the coming years, he completed
his bachelor's in Science and took admission in LLB
(Bachelors in Legislative Law). After completing his LLB,
he completed his masters in Merchantile Law from AMU.
In 1985, he started his career as a legal advisor to Oil
and Natural Gas Commission of India. He served in
ONGC around three decades and retired as Deputy
General Manager (Legal) and Vice-president of ONGC
Videsh (foreign) Legal cell. 1His work as a law expert is
1
Ishaaq, M and Naseem, M. (2001), In chapter eight, Arain, Sangam offset and press,
Sardarnagar Publications, Pilibhit.
remarkable especially in arbitrating, international biddings
and acquisition of oil properties by ONGC throughout the
world. We are citing a short introduction about his
academic and professional achievements published in
his profile as author‘s introduction by journal titled Oil,
Gas, and Energy (OGEL) and other sources on the net.
―Mr. Mohammad Naseem is an Energy Law Expert and
Chairman and Managing Partner of Global Law and
Liaison Services, New Delhi. He is ex-Legal Counsel of
ONGC Limited, which he joined in 1985. In his
professional career spanning over more than three
decades, he has dealt with a large number of high-value
commercial matters, domestic and international
arbitration and litigation. He has been part of a large
number of negotiation teams that have successfully
negotiated various types of contracts worth billions of
dollars including acquisitions in a number of countries.
He is the author of Monograph/books on Energy Law,
Medical Law, Sports Law, Religion Law and
Environmental Law for Kluwer Law International,
Netherlands. Two of his books namely on Migration Law
and Energy Law International are under publication by
the same publisher. He is co-author of Fuel and Energy II
(Petroleum and Natural Gas) of Halsbury‟s Laws of India
Series (volume 21) published by Laxis Nexis
Butterworths India Limited. Edward Elgar Publishing
Limited has published paper authored by him, by the title
“World Petroleum Regimes” in the Hand Book on
International Energy Law and another article on “Natural
Gas Provisions in Host Government Contracts -
Regulatory and Contractual Aspects in India” published
by Oil, Gas and Energy Law Intelligence (OGEL), United
Kingdom. He has to his credit a number of papers
published in national and international journals of repute.
He is the visiting Faculty and guest expert speaker of the
Indian Academy of International Law and Diplomacy,
India International Centre for Alternate Dispute
Resolution, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies,
Dehradun and Indian School of Petroleum. He has
travelled extensively throughout the world about
negotiation and delivering lectures. He has spoken in
Seminars organized by IBC Asia Limited at Singapore,
Oil and Gas IQPC at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and at
Tehran, Iran in a seminar conducted by OIPF, Iran. For
conducting negotiations, he has visited Myanmar,
Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong,
Thailand, Iran, U.A.E., Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Egypt,
Libya, Sudan, Italy, Russia, Kazakhstan, Denmark,
Netherlands, Switzerland, France, U.K, USA, Canada,
Ecuador, Venezuela, and Uzbekistan. He is the member
of Indian Society of International Law and India
International Centre for Alternate Dispute Resolution.
With more than thirty years of varied practical and on the
job legal experience in negotiation, drafting, interpretation
and vetting of the legal documents and dealing with
arbitration and litigation on one hand and acting as
trainer, speaker and author, Mr. Naseem has been part
of an exclusive team of trainers, negotiators, advisers,
and strategists, and is a legal luminary of international
repute in his own right.”1
After retiring from ONGC, he is currently working as
chairperson and managing director for Global Law and
Liaison services in New Delhi, India. He is also the
President of the Shahjahanabad CGHS, one of the best
Muslim residential Societies in New Delhi. He was one of
the role models in his expertise for Muslim community
who was born in post-partitioned India. A man having
roots from middle-class rural India and minority
community marked exceptional success in his academic
career. The strength lies in the democratic and secular
character of the country that provided a chance to the
meritorious and committed guys. Other than his field, he
1
Profile, Mohammad Naseem, Oil, Gas and energy law, https://www.ogel.org/about-
author-a-z-profile.asp?key=1219
has the interest in Urdu Language, history, and Islamic
studies. His work titled ―Arain‖ published in 2001 was the
first book published after independence depicting
historical sketches of Arain community in Rohilkhand.
RELIGIOUS SCHOLARS
It‘s a Grace and Blessings of Almighty Allah that Arain

tribe was always enriched with Islamic scholars. Here is
the biographical account of two scholars who were
blessed to receive teachings and guidance from some of
the greatest Islamic scholars of early twentieth century in
Indian Sub-continent.
MUFTI-E AZAM PAKISTAN MAULANA

WAQARUDDIN (MAY ALLAH SHOW MERCY ON
HIM)
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
He was born on 1st January 1915 (14 Safar, 1333 Hijri)

in village Khamaria, District Pilibhit in United Province of
India. He belonged to well to do middle-class zamindar
family. His father Sheikh Hameeduddin was the pious
and religious man. He was Hafiz-Quran. His mother
Imtiazun Nisa was the daughter of Sheikh Haji Nisar
Ahmad of village Pandri, District Pilibhit. In that sense,
both of his parents belonged to the scholarly and
religious family. After passing class fifth, he entered in
religious education. The primary religious education was
started in ―Madarsa Astanae Shirya‖ in Pilibhit under the
tutelage of great scholars like Maulana Abdul Haqq and
Maulana Habibur Rehman. After completing four years in
―Madarsa Astanae Shirya‖, he moved to ―Manzarul Islam‖
in Bareilly for higher education. Here he studied hadith
and other branches of Islamic studies from Sadrul Sharia
Hadhrat Allama Amjad Ali, Hadhrat Allama Sardar
Ahmad (later on titled as Greatest Muhaddith of Pakistan)
and Hadhrat Maulana Ehsan Ilahi (May Allah show mercy
to them). During this period, Allama Amjad Ali (May Allah
show mercy to him) moved to village Dadon in District
Aligarh.Maulana Waqaruddin followed his favorite hadith
tutor and for three years he studied hadith with him in
Dadon, District Aligarh. Allama Abdul Mustafa Alazhari,
Maulana Mustafa Ali and Maulana Khalil Ahmad Barkati
were his classmates during this time. In 1937, he was
awarded degree for the completion of hadith. Maulana
Hakim Amjad Ali (May Allah show mercy on him)
awarded the degree. During his educational period, he
attained excellent grades in all branches of Islamic
studies. In 1945, he got married with Mohatarma
Jameela Begum Daughter of Sheikh Maulana Anwarul
Haaq of village Karghaina, District Pilibhit.
TEACHING CAREER AND ACADEMIC

RESPONSIBILITIES
He started his teaching career from ―Manzarul Islam‖ at

Bareilly. Due to his extraordinary capabilities, he was
given many managerial and administrative
responsibilities other than teaching. On appointing as
Vice-President for Faculty affairs, Maulana Mufti Azame-
Hind Mustafa Rida Khan (May Allah show mercy on him)
gave him a certificate of appreciation in Arabic. The
English translation is as follows: ―I am appointing him as
vice-president for faculty affairs, but he deserves the post
of president.‖ He was also appointed as an in charge and
manager for teaching issues at Manzar Ulum. He was
always nominated for debates with scholars of another
school of thought. Once he was sent for debate with an
Ahle Hadith scholar in village Tanda, District Bareilly. In
this debate, he presented a list of hadith and references
against his controversial beliefs. For his achievements in
debates, he was presented with a turban and cloak from
Mufti Azame-Hind Mustafa Raza Khan (May Allah show
mercy on him). He was the big supporter of Pakistan
Movement and participated through the platform of the
Sunni conference. After the creation of Pakistan, he
moved with his family to East Pakistan (Present
Bangladesh) in 1947.
LIFE IN EAST PAKISTAN
After migrating to East Pakistan, he struggled for seven

years to find a center of excellence and knowledge, i.e.,
strictly adherent to Maturdi beliefs (Beliefs of Ahle
Sunnah Wal Jamma). In these seven years, he received
multiple offers from different schools, but ignorant
management committee that interpreted Islamic rulings
according to their mundane benefits governed most of
these schools. In these years, he also engaged in
different business for earning bread for him and his
family. In 1954, he found an academic position in Darul
Uloom Ahmadiyya at Chittagong. He joined as Principal
of School and head for curricular affairs. Soon after
joining he suggested to modify the name of the school
from Darul Uloom Ahmadiyya to Darul Uloom Ahmadiyya
Sunniah as he suggested that the title ―Ahmadiayah‖ was
associated with Qadiyani movement in Indian Sub-
continent. He made enormous curricular reforms at
school and implemented ―Darse Nizami‖ at the place of
―Alia‖ that was run by the government. With new
advanced curriculum and upgraded teaching under his
supervision, the school achieved cent percent results in
board exam conducted by the government. He resigned
from Darul Uloom Ahmadiayah Sunniah in 1962 due to
the change in the policy of the institute after the death of
the top administrator. After leaving, Darul Uloom
Ahmadiayah Sunniyah Maulana sahib put all his energies
in spreading the real message of Islam. He started a
printing press as a mean for spreading true colors of
Islam. He also gave his opinions regarding issues of day-
to-day life as a jurist. He also took active participation in
debates during his extended stay of thirty years in East
Pakistan (Present Bangladesh). By the Grace of Allah
and due his extraordinary scholastic aptitude, he
dominated his opponents during debates. Up to 1971, the
residents of East Pakistan benefitted by the services of
Maulana Waqaruddin. Due to chaos and civil war in East
Pakistan, he decided to move towards West Pakistan in
1971. After facing the difficult time, he was able to board
the ship to Karachi along with his family members and
close associate on 23 March 1971.
LIFE IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN
The news of the arrival of Maulana Waqar UddinSahib in

Karachi spread among Islamic Scholars of Karachi.
Sheikhul Hadith Hadhrat Allama Abdul Mustafa Al Azhrai
and Mufti Zafar Ali Nomani insisted Maulana Sahib to join
Darul Ulum Amjadiya. He joined Darul ulum Amjadiya in
1971 as the head for teaching and learning. He was also
given the responsibility for the center of jurisprudence. In
this branch of Islamic studies, his contributions were
remarkable. His answers and Islamic rulings towards
different spheres of life are published in three volumes as
―Fatawa Waqaria‖. It was due to the services rendered by
him as Jurist; he was bestowed with the title of ―Mufti –e-
Azam‖ Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan nominated
him as the member of Markazi Ruatay Hilal Committee
during the tenure of General Zia ul Haque. He coined
the definition of the term ―Muslim‖ in Pakistani
constitution. He passed away on 19th September, 1993
/20 Rabiul Awal 1413 Hijri due to cardiac arrest. He was
buried too in Dar ul uloom Amjadia Karachi where he
spends a long time in teaching as Sheikhul Hadith. His
grave is located in the hall that lies in the flank of the
mosque of Darul Ulum Amjadia. His two close fellows of
academic life, Allama Abdul Mustafa Alazhari (May Allah
please with him) and Mufti Zafar Ali Nomani (May Allah
please with him) are also resting close to his shrine. The
list of his notable students is very long. He served as a
tutor of Islamic studies in India, Bangladesh, and
Pakistan for more than forty years. 1
MAULANA HAFIZUR REHMAN
He was born in village Gaibog, District Pilibhit in 1918.

His father Shiekh Khalilur Rehman was middle-class
landowner. As a rule, it was expected from his son to
take care of agriculture affairs, but Hafizur Rehman Sahib
was inclined towards religious education. In 1936 AD, he
took admission in Manzarul Islam for studying Fiqh,
Hadith and other branches of Islamic Science. In this
time, he took classes from Maulana Waqaruddin Sahib
for few weeks that were in the final year of Darse Nizami
in that peroid. In 1942, he completed his higher studies
and same year he got his sanad from notable religious
scholars of that time after performing his final exam.
Then he started teaching hadith and fiqh at same institute
and remained there up to 1948. On invitation of Maulana
Sardar Ahmad Sahib, he joined as the teacher of hadith
at Mazhar-Islam, Faisalabad, Pakistan in 1948. He
remained there for two years and came back to India due
to family issues back home. In 1951, he again joined
Manzare-Islam and served in teaching hadith and fiqh up
to 1952. In 1985, he took a tour to all Middle Eastern
countries especially Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Iraq to
visit all historical sites of Islam. Then he performed his
Hajj and after staying in Medina returned to India. As a
scholar of Hadith and Hanafi Jurist, he disseminated his
services throughout his life with humble and generous
intentions. He never tried to use his authority of religious
knowledge in the front of common people. All his dars
and teaching were intended to spread the true knowledge
of Islam. During his complete life, he never took a single
penny in return for his religious services and teachings.
1
Authors Introduction, 1997, Waqarul Fatawa, Vol I, Mufti Azam Pakistan, Hadhart
Allama Mufti Mohammad Waqaruddin Qadri Razvi, Printed by Bazme Waqaruddin.
He passed in the year 2002 in Pilibhit and buried in
graveyard beside old Jamia Mosque of Pilibhit city.
APPENDIX
TABLE 1.1: NAM E AND DESIGNATIONS/TITLES

CONFERRED DURING BRITISH RULE TO ARAINS IN
ROHILKHAND
Name Designation/Title Year/Time
Shiekh Aziz Ahmad S/O Shiekh Municipal From 1905 -till his
Nur Ahmad, Nawab of commissioner, Bareilly death.
Madhopur estate, Pilibhit
Sheikh Abdul Haque S/O Honorary Magistrate Awarded in 1905
Sheikh Haji Qudart Ali of
Karghaina , Pilibhit
Shiekh Haji Wisaluddin S/O Chairman, District Board 1917
Sheikh Maulana Jalaluddin Vice President,
Jalal Anjumane Arain,
Rohilkhand and
Kumaon
Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad S/O Haji President and founding 1917
Sheikh Mohammad Buksh of member Anjumane-
Daang Estate, Pargana Arain, Rohilkhand and
Jahanabad, District Pilibhit Kumaon. Founding
member of Islamia High
school, Pilibhit.
Honorary exempted
from Arms licensing acts
by British Government.
Sheikh Imtiaz Ahmad of Khan Bahadur, Elected 1937
Khamaria, Pilibhit. Member of Legislative
assembly in United
Province
Shiekh Zameer Ahmad S/O Awarded with honorary 1934
Sheikh Nur Ahmad, Nawab of title of ―Khan Bahadur‖
“Madhopur estate”
District Pilibhit
Malik Mohammad Ahmad S/O Honorary Magistrate Appointed in British
Sheikh Hamid Hussain, India and retained
Udiapur, Pilibhit this designation until
his death.
Sheikh Ghulam Subhani of Secretary, Jamia From 1937 until his
Nurpur, District Pilibhit Mosque Committee, death
Pilibhit Elected in municipal
President, Pilibhit board in 1940.
Municipal Board 1944
Awarded with honorary
title of ―Khan Bahadur‖
Mr. Ghulam Yazdani S/O Civil servant during Continued his job as
Sheikh Ghulam Subhani British Rule Deputy collector after
1947 at Aligarh and
passed away during
his service tenure as
District Magistrate of
Dduriya (UP), India
during his service
tenure.
Mr. Ahmad Jilani S/O Sheikh President, District 1946
Mazhar Hussain Muslim League
Mr. Mohammad Jilani S/O Manager Islamia School From 1945 until his
Sheikh Mazhar Hussian Honorary Magistrate death
Sheikh Musthtaq Ahmad of Honorary Magistrate From 1940 until his

Mundia Jagir death.
Sheikh Kamaluddin S/O Sheikh Vice-Chairman District From 1940 till the
Wisaluddin Board, Pilibhit partition of India.
Mr. Saeed Ahmad S/O Maulana Elected as Member of Held the post until
Sheikh Habib Ahmad of Mundia Legislative Assembly partition of India.
Nabi Buksh from District Nainital in
1946.
TABLE 1.2: NAM E AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THOSE
WHO ATT AINED MODERN EDUCATION FROM THIRD TO
FIFTH DECADE OF TWENTIETH CENTURY
Name Qualifications Year Designation and
participation
Dr. Abdul Licentiate in 1918 Worked as general
Ghafoor Medical Practice, Practitioner in Medicine and
Agra Medical active worker of Muslim
School league, Pilibhit branch,
Moved to Pakistan in 1947
Mr. Mohammad MA (English) from 1935 Lecturer (English), AMU,
Fahim Uddin S/O AMU, Aligarh from 1935-39. In 1939,
Shiekh Tajuddin commissioned in British
Army financial services.
Retired as Military
Accountant General of
Pakistan.
Mr. Abdul Hafiz Bachelors in 1935 Worked as lawyer, social
Naeemi S/O Legislative Law worker, and promotes
Shiekh Hafiz (LLB), AMU, literary activities in Urdu
Abdul Rashid Aligarh language
Ahmad Hussain MA (Economics) 1948 Retired as director general,
S/O Sheikh Pakistan trade corporation.
Usman Hussain
Mohammad Tahir BA (English), 1944 Engaged in textile business
Rohilkhand
University
Mohammad Msc (Military 1955 Continued to manage his
Akhtar S/O Science) farmlands.
Sheikh Abdul
Lateef
Saeed Ahmad MA (Psychology) 1956 Retired as Professor of
S/O Sheikh Psychology at Karachi
Waheed Ahmad University
Altaf Ahmad S/O MA, English 1941 Professor, Faculty of Arts,
Barkat Ahmad MA, Economics 1945 Karachi University,
BT 1942 Pakistan
Riaz Faruqi Bsc Engineering , 1952 Worked as civil engineer in
S/O Shiekh AMU Pakistan and then retired
Mohammad as senior engineer from
Riazuddin Jilani Canada.
Mr. Hamid Jilani Bsc Engineering, 1952 Settled and worked in
S/O Mohammad AMU Zurich after completing his
Jilani Post Graduate postgraduate studies from
Study at the Swiss Switzerland.
Institute, Zurich
Mr. Tajuddin Bsc, AMU 1938 Retired as Principal,
MA (Economics) 1942 Aitchison College, Lahore
Mr. Maqbool Bsc (Agriculture) 1951 Director, Agriculture
Ahmad S/O Kanpur University Development bank of
Sheikh Abdur Pakistan
Rehman of
Khamaria
Mian Abdul MA (Economics) 1942 Retired as Deputy controller
Khaliq Jilani Military accounts,
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Mr. Siddiq Ahmad MA Retired as Deputy controller
Military accounts, Quetta,
Pakistan
Mr. Jamal Ahmad MA, AMU 1942 Shifted to Pakistan and
S/O Sheikh later moved to Jeddah,
Imtiyaz Ahmad Saudi Arabia.
Ubaid Ahmad S/O MA (Economics), 1954 Retired as Lecturer, Islamia
RiyazAhmad AMU Intercollege, Pilibhit
Mrs. Anjum Ara BA, AMU 1957 Moved to Pakistan with his
Naeemi husband.
Dr. Zakauddin BA (Urdu) 1953 Prominent, poet, Adeeband
“shyan “S/O Bed 1954 Nqqad.
Shiekh MA (Urdu) 1957 Retired as Lecturer,
Wisaluddin Phd (Urdu) 1969 Islamia Intercollege, Pilibhit
Mohammad Athar Bsc (AMU) 1958 Retired as deputy director
S/O of Sheikh of Pakistan, Oil and Gas
Nazeer Ahmad corporation.
Mian Mohammad MA Retired as lecturer, Islamia
Shafeeq college, Lahore.
Hakim Siraj Bachelors in Unani 1937 Worked as unani medical
Ahmad S/O Medicine Practitioner in Pilibhit
Sheikh Abdul Ajmal Khan Tibbiya
Waheed of Pipra, College, Delhi
Bareilly
Mr. Mohammad Completed his 1947 Joined banking services in
Abdul Rauf higher education State Bank of Pakistan and
from British India retired as deputy director of
State bank of Pakistan.
Also founded Pilibhit
society in Karachi with his
friends Mr. Musharraf and
Mr. Siddiq.
Hakim Anwar Bachelors in Unani 1940 Worked as unani medical
Ahmad S/O Medicine Practitioner in Bareilly
Sheikh Abdul Ajmal Khan Tibiya
Waheed of Pipra, College, Delhi
Bareilly
Mr. Asrarul Passed his 1955 Served as charted
Haque S/O matriculation from accountant in Pakistan
Maulana Shiekh British India in
Anwarul Haque 1946
Higher education in
commerce and
accountancy from
Pakistan
Mr. Saeed Ahmad Bachelors of Arts, 1937 Businessman, Politician
S/O Sheikh Christian College, and landlord
Maulana Habib Lucknow University
Ahmad
ILLUSTRATIONS
PHOTOGRAPH OF IMPERIAL MEDAL BESTOWED TO

SHEIKH IMTYAZ AHMAD DURING AWARD OF THE
TITLE “KHAN BAHADUR” IN 1937.
The STATESMAN December 4, 1932 published
photograph and account of Begum Shah Nawaz, the
honorable daughter of Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi in
column “PEOPLE PROMINENT IN THE PUBLIC EYE”.
This Arain lady was among one of the few female
politicians of India who attended first, second and
third round table conference in England in year 1930,
31, and 32.
BEGUM JAHANARA SHAH NAWAZ (1896-1979)

ON 50YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE, GOVERNMENT OF
PAKISTAN ISSUED THIS SPECIAL POSTAL STAMP IN
RECOGNITION OF CONTRIBUTIONS BY BEGUM
SHAHNAWAZ IN PAKISTAN MOVEMENT. FOUNDING ALL
INDIA MUSLIM LEAGUE (WOMEN) AND MOTIVATING
MUSLIM WOMEN FOR FREEDOM WERE AMONG HER
MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS.
ALL INDIA MUHAMMADAN EDUCATIONAL
CONFERENCE
HELD IN DHAKA (DEC'1906) WHERE MIAN SIR

MUHAMMAD SHAFI PROPOSED NAME "ALL INDIA
MUSLIM LEAGE" AND WAS WIDELY ACCEPTED.
MIAN SHAHDIN WAS ALSO PRESENT.
A DESCRIPTION OF RAINS/ARAIN TRIBE IN BAREILLY
DISTRICT GAZETTE, 1911
A GAZETTER VOLUME XIII OF THE DISTRICT

GAZETTERS OF THE UNITED PROVINCES OF AGRA
AND OUDH, NEVILL, H.R. (1911).
NOTE OF THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR
SHEIKH TAJUDDIN TAJ
BY NOTED ARAIN AUTHOR MOHAMMAD IBRAHIM

MAHSHAR AMBALVI FOR FINANCING HIS BOOK
―ALE-ZURAYEN‖ IN 1922.
PHOTOGRAPH OF SHEIKH WISALUDDIN OF DISTRICT
PILIBHIT RAEES AZAM DHAKIA ESTATE IN 1914.
A PROMINENT ARAIN LEADER OF ROHILKHAND,

FOUNDING MEMBER AND VICE-PRESIDENT OF
ANJUMANE-ARAIN, ROHILKHAND IN 1916.
PHOTOGRAPH OF DARUL ULUM AMJADIA, KARACHI,
PAKISTAN
MAUALA WAQARUDDIN SAHIB SPENDS TWENTY

TWO YEARS AS A MANAGER, TUTOR AND HEAD OF
THE INSTITUTE. HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE IS
LOCATED IN THE PREMISES OF THE CENTRE.
A MAP OF AMARIA BLOCK
THAT COVERS THE VILLAGES OF PARGANA

JAHANABAD AND PARAGANA PILIBHIT OF BRITISH
ERA. THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ARAIN ZAMINDARI
VILLAGES WERE LOCATED IN THESE TWO
PARGANA OF DISTRICT PILIBHIT IN BRITISH RULE.
SOME OF THE PROSPEROUS ARAIN ESTATES OF
COLONIAL DAYS DISCUSSED IN TEXT CAN BE
MARKED IN THIS MAP.
FAMILY TREE OF SHEIKH MULLAH AHMAD
AND SHEIKH MULLA HUSSIAN S/0 SHEIKH
ALLAH BUKSH
Shiekh Allah Buksh emigrated from Punjab in late 18th Century to
Pilibhit.
FAMILY TREE OF VILLAGE KHAMARIA, DISTRICT
PILIBHIT, INDIA.
THE FIRST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY WAS SHIEKH

DOST MOHAMMAD WHO CAME FROM PUNJAB IN
1780. ALL THE ARAIN FAMILIES OF KHAMRIA
DESCENDED FROM HIM. IN SPEECH OF ARAIN
CONVOCATION OF ROHILKHAND, 1917 SHEIKH
ZAKIUDDIN AS REPRESENTATIVE OF VILLAGE
KHAMARIA AND PANDRI QUOTED THE TOTAL ARAIN
POPULATION OF FIVE HUNDRED. HE FURTHER
CLARIFIED THAT THE TOTAL ARAIN POPULATION
OF THESE TWO VILLAGES ARE DESCENDANTS OF
SHEIKH DOST MOHAMMAD.
CO-AUTHORS FEEDBACK AND SHALIMAR GARDEN.
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INDEX
Matrudi, 69
Adina Beg Khan, 18 Maulana Imam Ahmad Raza
Ahmad Jilani, 98, 126, 127, Khan, 69
128, 148 Maulana Sheikh Abdul Haqq,
Ajlaf, 34, 36, 128 119
Akbar Shah Khan Maulana Sheikh Jalaluddin,
Najeebabadi, 20 80
Akbar Shah Khan Najeebadi, Maulvi Ghulam Mustafa, 61
26, 32 Mian Mohammad Shafi, 13,
All Indian Muslim League, 85 15, 83, 84, 86, 93, 109
Anjuman Arain, Rohilkhand Mian Mohammad Shah Din,
and Kumaon, 88 18, 83
Anjuman e Arain, 83 Mian Shah Din, 82, 83, 87
Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand, Mohammad Jilani, 95, 98,
26, 131, 132, 147, 157 126, 127, 129, 148, 149
Arain villages, 64, 66, 105, Mohtarma Rahim Bibi bint
107 Sheikh Haji Peer Buksh, 71
Arains in Rohilkhand, 17, 26, Momin Ansar, 36, 40, 64, 122
42, 43, 45, 46, 52, 70, 147 Mr. Mohammad Naseem, 12,
Areeha, 21, 32 138, 139
Ashraf, 33 Muhajirs, 105
Banu Ummaya, 20, 31, 37 Muhammad bin Qasim, 20, 22
Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz, Muslim League, 18, 38, 97,
18 100, 127, 132, 133, 136,
Chaudhry Asghar Ali, 16, 29, 148, 153
31 Nawab Mian Mohammad
Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, 18 Fazil, 18
cotton carders, 36 Nevill, 27, 35, 36, 44, 45, 48,
District Bareilly, 12, 44, 46, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 55, 60,
48, 54, 58, 62, 65, 73, 81, 97, 102, 106, 111, 112,
99, 102, 106, 111, 112, 115, 116, 164
115, 116, 130, 133, 135, pargana Jahanabad, 49, 55,
137, 143 57, 60, 115, 119
Dr. Abdul Ghafoor, 98, 130, Qarmatians, 21
132, 149 Rains, 24, 34, 39, 40, 43, 45,
Gazette of Lahore, 30 51, 53, 155
Ghaggar, 25, 26, 68, 74 Rains/Arains, 24, 39, 40, 45
Hafiz Haleem, 15, 18, 86 Rohilkhand, 12, 14, 16, 17,
Indo- Aryans, 28 34, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45, 47,
Kunjra, 31, 33, 34, 35, 39, 129 50, 52, 54, 58, 59, 66, 70,
largest Muslim Asian 72, 75, 76, 77, 79, 86, 89,
community, 17 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 97, 98,
99, 100, 101, 105, 109, Sir Mian Mohammad Shafi, 3,
112, 113, 116, 117, 118, 13, 14, 16, 18, 38, 86, 93,
120, 124, 125, 128, 130, 98, 103, 108, 109, 120,
135, 136, 141, 147, 149, 125, 136, 152
157, 165 Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, 38, 83,
Rohilla, 41, 43, 57, 72, 92, 84, 109, 136
165 Sir/Khudkasht, 97
Sheikh Fazal Ahmad, 55, 73, Sirsa, 25, 26, 42, 45, 46, 59,
111, 113, 114, 115, 124, 68, 74, 75, 76, 116
165 Sunni, 29, 69, 143
Sheikh Hafiz Ghulam Tareekh Arain‖, 22, 29, 31,
Subhani, 56 43, 61
Sheikh Hafiz Haleem, 88 tehsil Pilibhit, 48
Sheikh Manzur Ahmad, 56, United Province, 27, 28, 33,
72, 111, 113, 114, 124 34, 36, 40, 41, 63, 64, 66,
Sheikh Nazeer Ahmad, 57, 67, 92, 97, 101, 122, 133,
61, 86, 89, 92, 93, 94, 115, 141, 147, 165
116, 117, 118, 120, 129, Urdu, 12, 15, 17, 18, 27, 29,
131, 147, 150, 165 31, 33, 43, 47, 59, 75, 79,
Sheikh Niyaaz Ahmad, 55 81, 85, 87, 92, 99, 105,
Sheikh Nur Ahmad, 55, 58, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116,
72, 111, 112, 147 118, 121, 123, 125, 129,
Sheikh Tajuddin, 58, 86, 114, 130, 132, 133, 134, 136,
123, 125, 156 137, 141, 150, 162
Shiekh Aziz Ahmad, 55, 147 weavers, 36, 38, 64, 164
Shiekh Wisaluddin, 71, 137, zamindars, 34, 45, 48, 49, 52,
150 53, 58, 59, 60, 63, 64, 66,
Sir Denzil Ibbetson, 20, 25, 68, 77, 97, 101, 107, 111
26, 42, 163

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THE ARAIN DIASPORA

Dr. Mohammad Rehan Asad and Dr. Shams Jilani

The copyright of the book is reserved with authors.

MOHAMMAD REHAN ASAD AND SHAMS JILANI

Dr. Mohammad Rehan Asad was born in

Dr. Shams Jilani was born at Pilibhit,

About the Authors ............................................................................... 5

Arain community has played an important role in the

Mian Hassan Farrukh, Lahore – Pakistan.

Arain history has always been a fascinating subject.

At the very outset, I would like to thank my father Dr.

Arain is a Muslim tribe of Pakistan mainly settled in

In last two centuries, different theories have been put

DESCENDANTS OF BANU UMMAYA

Akbar Shah Khan Najeebabadi, a renowned non-Arain

DESCENDANT OF SHEIKH HALEEM AL RAYEE

Sufi Akbar Ali proposed this theory in his book titled

DESCENDANTS OF ZURRAYEEN/ AL ZURRAYEEN

Munshi Muhammad Ibrahim Mahshar Ambalvi proposed

In April 1962, a weekly journal of Sindh named ―Khadimul

This theory was based on the study of western

A famous valley with the name of ―Raeen‖ was present in

Various authors supported this viewpoint regarding the

Both Arain and non-Arain authors discarded the theory of

The Arain tribe that is mainly based in Pakistan

Katehar (Rohilkhand) was the area east of Ramganga

IMMIGRATION OF ARAINS IN ROHILKHAND

It was around the late eighteenth century, a small number

According to Chaudhry, the immigration of Arains in the

DISTRIBUTION AND LAND SETTLEMENT

The previous sections cited that immigration of Arains in

ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF THE COMMUNITY

A cyclic phenomenon can be noticed after the settlement

Sheikh Taj Muhammad was considered as the founder of

The pargana Jahanabad consist of total one ninety-eight

The zamindari abolition report of United Province (1948)

The Arain villages was referred several times in the

The zamindar and his family members occupied a well-

The major proportion of the community, i.e., middle-class

The third category of the dwellings belonged to the

The Arain community at that time was hundred percent

A description of Ghaggar Arains was given in settlement

FOOD AND DRINK

The cuisine of Arains reflects Punjabi culture until the

LITERACY AND MOVES FOR EDUCATIONAL

The District Pilibhit was relatively backward in the terms

EFFECT OF MUTINY ON NORTH INDIAN MUSLIM

We would like to give the brief sketch of the factors that

Now review the role of Arain tribe during the freedom

SERVICES OF ANJUMAN ARAIN ROHILKHAND AND

Until 1916, the Arain community had passed more than

REFLECTIONS OF THE INTRODUCTORY SPEECH

Shiekh Abdul Haqq, Honorary Secretary, ―Anjumane

From the speech of President Shiekh Nazeer Ahmad

POLITICAL AND EDUCATIONAL CHANGES AFTER

A big shift was noticed in the perception of the

The start of the twentieth century witnessed the rise of

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND

The majority of the Arains from District Bareilly, Pilibhit