The Shaikh are a Muslim community found in the state of Bihar in India. They are part of the larger Shaikh community of South Asia. A number of Bihari Shaikh families are also found in the city of Karachi in Pakistan .Common surnames used by the community include Farooqi, Osmani, Siddiqui and Shaikh.Shaikhs in Bihar and Bengal; which were part of the same kingdoms. are mostly laborers and agriculturalists.
History and origin
The word Shaikh in
Arabic means a tribal elder or headman. Interestingly, the term is now used in Bihar and Bengal by people of humble origins specially the laborers and farmers.
The Kulhaiya Shaikh are found mainly in Araria District and in Kadwa. They get their name from the custom of not marrying within their clan or kul in Hindi, or within their village. They speak Maithili, while many also now have some knowledge of Urdu. The community are converts from the Ahir caste, and said to have converted in the 16th Century.
The term Shaikh now covers a large number of communities of no definite origin, since the name has been used by any individuals of wide background. This is especially the case in Bihar, for example in the Purnea division, where the Shaikh form just under one-third of the population.
Some Shaikhs played a key role in the early Islamic history of Bihar, serving as courtiers and administrators for the Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal rulers. These Shaikhs were local Muslim converts converted by Sufi missionaries from Middle-east although some of them were immigrants from the West of India . The oldest Shaikh families settled in Bihar Sharif, which was the centre of early Muslim rule in the region. Often these early settlers from the Central Asia were granted jagirs (estates), and were the earliest Muslim colonists in the region. These early colonists were often required to make converts, and these converts often adopted the clan name of those at whose hand they accepted Islam. This practice led to a large increase in those who call themselves Shaikhs, and these converts now form by far the largest Bihari Muslim community. The term Shaikh, particularly in Bihar and Bengal refers to any Muslim, and in the Muslim majority Purnia Division, covers four distinct groups. In East India, the term Shaikh is closer to its intended meaning in Arabian language i.e. an elder or old man. In fact, not only in Bihar but also in its parent state Bengal (W.Bengal and Bangladesh); Shaikhs comprise one of the three major social groups the other two being Khans and Kayasthas.
Present circumstances
The greatest concentration of the Shaikh are in the
Purnia division, especially in
Kishanganj district, but they are found through out
Bihar. They also have a presence in
Nalanda,
Patna,
Nawada,
Gaya,
Darbhanga,
Madhubani,
Samastipur,
Muzaffarpur,
Sitamarhi and
Saharsa.. The Shaikh speak
Urdu,
Hindi and various local dialects. They are
Sunni, and have customs similar to other
Bihari Muslims. In the rural areas, the community are a largely endogamous, marrying close within close kin. They practice both parallel cousin and cross cousin marriages. While in the cities, there is now great deal of intermarriage with other
Bihari Muslim communities. The abolishment of the
zamindari system at
Indian Independence saw the break up of the larger
jagirs. These changes have not affected the Shaikh who were medium and small scale farmers, who have actually benefited from the break up of the estates.
The Shaikh of Purnea Division
The Shaikh form the largest single community in the
Purnia division, particularly in the
Kishanganj District, where they make just under half the population. These Shaikh are a medium to small scale farmers, and are entirely rural. They are in fact four distinct communities, the Bengali, Kulaiya, Habalyar and Khutta, each of whom are endogamous.
The Bengali Shaikh
The
Bengali Shaikh make nearly half of the population of
Kishanganj district, with large communities in
Araria District, Amur Kasba and Kadwa, and are the largest Shaikh sub-group. They speak a mixed dialect of
Bengali and
Hindi, which gets more progressively closer to standard
Bengali as one get towards the
West Bengal border. They are a spill over of the largest sub-group of the
Bengal Muslims, the
Nashya Sekh. In
West Bengal, they are found in
Malda,
Jalpaiguri and
Dargeling districts. The community are converts from the
Rajbongshi caste, who have said to have converted during the period of
Mughal rule. They gave considerably trouble to the
British colonial authorities in the 19th Century, and are still known for their independent sprit. The Bengali are a small and medium sized farmers, although many are landless, and there has been a constant stream of emigration to
Kolkata from the 19th Century onwards. They are strictly endogamous, marrying among close kin, practicing both parallel cousin and cross cousin marriages. The community uses the surnames
Mandal and Shaikh. In addition to the
Nashya, there is another group within the Bengali Shaikh, the
Shershahabadia community. These two sub-groups are strictly endogamous, and do not intermarry.
The Kulhaiya Shaikh
The
Kulhaiya Shaikh are found mainly in
Araria District and in Kadwa. They get their name from the custom of not marrying within their clan or kul in
Hindi, or within their village. They speak
Maithili, while many also now have some knowledge of
Urdu. The community are converts from the
Ahir caste, and said to have converted in the 16th Century. Like other Shaikh groups, they are strictly endogamous, and continue the practice of clan exogamy. They are
Sunni Muslims, but their beliefs incorporate many local customs and traditions. The community live in villages which are single caste, and are largely small and medium sized farmers. Despite living near the Bengali, there are no intermarriages between the two groups.
The Haveliyar Shaikh
The Haveliyar, or sometimes pronounced Habeliyar, get their name from the from the town of Haveli and said to be the oldest Muslim group in the region. They are said to be descendents of
Muslim soldiers settled by
Bakhtiyar Khilji, the
Muslim conqueror of
Bihar. The Haveliyar are found mainly in
Purnia,
Katihar, Korha and Kadwa. The community speak
Maithili, and like other Shaikh groups is strictly endogamous. They are mainly small and medium sized farmers, with many now being landless. Despite living near both the Bengali and Kulaiya, there is no intermarriage between any of these groups.
The Khotta Shaikh
The Khotta Shaikh, or sometimes simply referred to as Khotta Muslim are immigrants from
Bhagalpur, and speak
Bhojpuri. They are the smallest of the Shaikh groups, and inhabit Damda,
Raniganj and
Forbesganj in
Araria district. The word khotta is used by
Bengali speakers to describe natives of
Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh, as a
Bhojpuri speaking community sarrounded by
Bengali speakers, the community has has acquired the name Khotta. They are also found in the neighbouring
Malda District of
West Bengal. Like other Shaikh groups, they are small scale cultivators, and strictly endogamous. They live near the Kulaiya, but cases of intermarriage are rare.
See also
Shaikhs in South Asia
Bihari Muslims
References
Category:Social groups of Bihar
Category:Muslim communities of India
Category:Muslim communities of Bihar
Category:Muhajir communities
Category:Shaikh clans
