Malik (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Malik are a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 community found in the state of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

 in India. In addition, they are also found in the city of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

 in West Bengal; Bangladesh and a few of them are settled in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and some other parts of the world, but large numbers of them migrated to Pakistan after 1947.

History and origin

The group traces its origin to Ibrahim Malick, a Sufi born in Kamta (Afghanistan), descended from ancestors who had migrated there from Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

 to escape persecution at the hands of the Abbasids. Ibrahim Malick came to India in 740 Hijri
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...

 (1339 AD), where he served as a general in Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq's army. After several successful battles and campaigns he received the title of Mallick Biya from the Sultan Tughlaq, and was later appointed the Governor of the district of Bihar by the Sultan's son.

The descendants of the eight children of Ibrahim Malik Biya multiplied over 600 years and constituted a significant portion of the Muslim community in Bihar. The Muslim population of Bihar was around 13% before the partition of India in 1947. At that time, Maliks constituted about 25% of the Muslim population of Bihar, mostly concentrated in the villages and towns in the Districts of Patna, Nalanda, Gaya, Jehanabad, Nawada, Arrah, Jamui, shekhpura and Munger.

After the division of India, a great number of Malik families migrated to Pakistan and Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...

) and some of these villages may not have now a single Maliks family there. However, the names of these villages are still of historical importance and for the purpose of record and identification of the Maliks whose forefathers hailed from these villages.

Custom

As the Maliks migrated during the Abbasids regime to Afghanistan then to India it possesses the many Arab and adopted some Afghan values as well. They only marry in family and it is not appreciated outside community even after 600 years. It helps to still maintain the family characteristics like fair colour, tall height, brown eyes and hair unlike the natives of Bihar.

Present circumstances

The Maliks are a relatively educationaly advanced community, having provided many professionals (scholars, educationists, chartered accountants, writers, poets, judges, film and theatre artistes, higher civil and army, navy and airforce officers, medical doctors, advocates, barristers, engineers, players, businessmen), and have played an important leadership role among the Bihari Muslims in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and other countries of the world.

The majority of the Maliks community of Bihar is highly qualified and well educated. In past and recent years, a number of Maliks have migrated and settled to the USA, Canada, UK, European countries and to the Middle East for higher education and for economic reasons.

See also

  • Malik (clan)
    Malik (clan)
    The Malik are a Muslim teli malik community found in the state of Gujarat in India Many members of Malik clan have migrated to Pakistan after independence have settled in Karachi, Sindh.-History and origin:...

    , a Gujarati Muslim
    Gujarati Muslim
    The term Gujarati Muslims is usually used to signify an Indian Muslim from the State of Gujarat in west India, who speaks the Gujarati Language as a mother-tongue and follows certain customs different from the rest of Indian Muslims...

     community.
  • Malik (Kashmir), a Kashmiri
    Kashmir
    Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

     kram or tribe.
  • Bihar Sharif
    Bihar Sharif
    Bihar Sri is the district headquarters of Nalanda district in the state of Bihar in eastern India.-History:The ancient Odantpuri University was located here, an important centre for the learning of Buddhism. Odatpuri is center of Buddhist culture...

  • Syed Ibrahim

External links

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