Saifi
Encyclopedia
The Saifi are a Muslim community found in North India
, Pakistan
. They are now considered as forming a community with in the Shaikh caste. They are also known as Muslim BadhaiLohar
Kalayi gar.
, they claim descent from Arab
, Central Asian and Persian
immigrants to India, but according to other traditions they are Non Muslim converts from the Barhai
caste. Many saifi working like engineers in the field of Brass, wood, Aluminium in india
and pakistan
.
In Moradabad
one of greatest ustad Liyaqat Husain sb. guiyan bagh in the field of all type of Handicraft work in exports business of India.
The Saifi is sunni muslim related to Sallaluhualaihiwasallam (SAW). Saifi are known as worlds first engineers.
, such as Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti
.
They are a involved with wood carving and wood engravings. Many have also taking to the modern occupation of being mechanics, and selling furniture, working in sawmills and workshops with lathe machines for the manufacture of spare parts. They are now considered as forming a community with in the Shaikh caste. The Saifi are now one of the more successful Muslim community in North India, and include a number of professionals in their ranks.
The Saifi have their own council of elders to deal with matters relating to the community. This panchayat deals with issues such as elopment, fights, thefts and disrespect of community norms. They are an endogamous community, and cross-cousin and parallel-cousin marriages are prevalent.
, Gorakhpur
, Bulandshahr, Bijnor
, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Muzaffarnagar
, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Yamuna Nagar, Dehradun, Ambala, karnal Moradabad
, Meerut and Aligarh districts. They are mostly present in the Rohilkhand
and all over northe india region, as well as in Delhi
, with a diaspora in the Arab Gulf and other nations.
Many Saifi have immigrated to Pakistan, where they form an important element in the Muhajir community.
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. They are now considered as forming a community with in the Shaikh caste. They are also known as Muslim BadhaiLohar
Lohar
Lohar is an ethnic sub-caste found among Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in Northern India and Northern Pakistan. Originally this community was a warrior tribe living in provinces of Kermanshah in Iran right up to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. In India the Lohars are also known as Vishwakarma, Sharma,...
Kalayi gar.
History and origin
The Saifi are a community associated with the occupation of Blacksmith (Lohargiri) . Their name comes from the Arabic word saif ("sword"). Like many other artisan communities in North IndiaNorth India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
, they claim descent from Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, Central Asian and Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
immigrants to India, but according to other traditions they are Non Muslim converts from the Barhai
Barhai
The Barhai , or sometimes pronounced Badhai are Hindu caste, found in North India. They are also known as Panchali, Chowrasia,and Kolash. A small number are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. -History and origin:...
caste. Many saifi working like engineers in the field of Brass, wood, Aluminium in india
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
In Moradabad
Moradabad
Moradabad is a city and a municipal corporation in Moradabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established in 1600 by prince Murad, the son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan; as a result the city came to be known as Moradabad. It is the administrative headquarters of...
one of greatest ustad Liyaqat Husain sb. guiyan bagh in the field of all type of Handicraft work in exports business of India.
The Saifi is sunni muslim related to Sallaluhualaihiwasallam (SAW). Saifi are known as worlds first engineers.
Present circumstances
The Saifi are a Muslim community, and also visit the shrines of various Sufi saints found in North IndiaNorth India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
, such as Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti
Moinuddin Chishti
Sultan-ul-Hind, Moinuddin Chishti was born in 1141 and died in 1230 CE. Also known as Gharīb Nawāz "Benefactor of the Poor" , he is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. He introduced and established the order in South Asia...
.
They are a involved with wood carving and wood engravings. Many have also taking to the modern occupation of being mechanics, and selling furniture, working in sawmills and workshops with lathe machines for the manufacture of spare parts. They are now considered as forming a community with in the Shaikh caste. The Saifi are now one of the more successful Muslim community in North India, and include a number of professionals in their ranks.
The Saifi have their own council of elders to deal with matters relating to the community. This panchayat deals with issues such as elopment, fights, thefts and disrespect of community norms. They are an endogamous community, and cross-cousin and parallel-cousin marriages are prevalent.
Distribution
In Uttar Pardesh, they are found in LucknowLucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed...
, Bulandshahr, Bijnor
Bijnor
Bijnor variously spelt as Bijnaur and Bijnour, is a city and a municipal board in Bijnor district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India...
, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar is a major city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was established in Mughal period by a Sayyid Jagirdar, Munawar Lashkar Ali, and so named in honour of his father, Muzaffar Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of the Muzaffarnagar district. It is a...
, Saharanpur, Baghpat, Yamuna Nagar, Dehradun, Ambala, karnal Moradabad
Moradabad
Moradabad is a city and a municipal corporation in Moradabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was established in 1600 by prince Murad, the son of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan; as a result the city came to be known as Moradabad. It is the administrative headquarters of...
, Meerut and Aligarh districts. They are mostly present in the Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand is a region of northwestern Uttar Pradesh state of India.Rohilkhand lies on the upper Ganges alluvial plain and has an area of about 25,000 km²/10,000 square miles...
and all over northe india region, as well as in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, with a diaspora in the Arab Gulf and other nations.
Many Saifi have immigrated to Pakistan, where they form an important element in the Muhajir community.
Notable Saifi
- Nusaybah bint Ka'ab, the first female to fight in defence of the religion. A member of the Banu Najjar tribe living in Medina
- Nadeem Saifi, Film Music DirectorMusic directorA music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
with ShravanShravanShravan is a Sanskrit word, which literally means listening.* Shravanam is one of the nine most important angas of bhakti.Shravan Kumar belonged to the time when King Dashratha ruled Ayodhya. He was born of poor and blind parents, but they had brought him up remarkably well. He was strong healthy... - Nadeem Akhtar Saifi, music director in the Indian film industry
- Mohammad Gulzar SaifiMohammad Gulzar SaifiMohammad Gulzar Saifi is an Indian educator, community organizer and polio survivor in the north Indian city of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh...
,Indian educator, community organizer and polio survivor in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. Acted in documentary film, The Final InchThe Final InchThe Final Inch is a short documentary about the effort to eradicate polio. It was directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky and focuses on health workers who are on the front lines of the fight to eliminate the disease....
See also
- Shaikhs in South AsiaShaikhs in South AsiaSheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, Šeih, Šejh, Şeyh and other variants , is a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that literally means "elder." It is commonly used to designate an elder of a tribe, a revered wise man, or an Islamic scholar...
- HajjamHajjamHajjam , alternately pronounced and spelled as Hajaam , are a ethnic group found in North India and Pakistan. In Pakistan, they are settled in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. The word Hajaam is derived from the Urdu word Hajaamat which in Urdu means barber and hairdresser...
- QassabQassabThe Qassab are members of the Muslim community involved in meat business. They are butchers and work in abattoirs and meat shops where they process and sell meat of poultry, seafood, cattle, goats, sheeps, etc. The most common surname of Qassab community is Quraishi. But all Quraishis are not ...
- Momin AnsariMomin AnsariThe Momin Ansari or Ansari, are a Muslim community, found mainly in West and North India, and the province of Sindh in Pakistan. A small number of Ansaris are also found in the Terai region of Nepal. The community were once known as al ansar, although the term is now obsolete. In North India, the...
- ManiharManiharThe Manihar or more commonly referred to as the Siddiqui Manihar, are a Muslim community, found mainly in North India, and the province of Sindh in Pakistan. A small number of Manihar are also found in the Terai region of Nepal.-History and origin:...
- Muslim HalwaiMuslim HalwaiThe Muslim Halwai are a Muslim community found in Pakistan and in the Uttar Pradesh state, in India. They were former members of the Hindu Halwai caste, who have converted to Islam. Halva means sweets in Urdu and Halvai or Halwai are sweet makers...
- KasgarKasgarThe Kasgar are a Muslim community, found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India . After independence of Pakistan in 1947, many Kasgar migrated and resettled in Pakistan...
- BhatiaraBhatiaraThe Bhatiara are a Pathan community, found in North India. They are also known as Farooqi or Shaikh Farooqi.-History and origin:...