Jat Muslim
Ethnoreligious subgroup on the Indian subcontinent From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jat Muslims or Musalman Jats (Punjabi: جٹ مسلمان; Sindhi: مسلمان جاٽ), also spelled Jatt or Jutt (Punjabi pronunciation: [d͡ʒəʈːᵊ]), are an elastic and diverse[1] ethnoreligious subgroup of the Jat people, who follow Islam and are native to the northwestern Indian subcontinent.[2] They are primarily found in Sindh and Pakistani Punjab.[3] Some are also found in Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, where they are known as Muley Jats.[4]
The Jats began converting to Islam during the early medieval period, influenced by Sufi saints like Baba Farid. The conversion process was gradual.[5]
History
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Perspective
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The Jats were one of the first communities in the Subcontinent to interact with Muslims. They were known as the Zuṭṭ (Arabic: الزُّطِّ), which is the Arabicized word for Jat.[6][7][8] However, this term described several other groups (like the Sāyabija, Andāghar, and Qufs), not all of whom were necessarily considered Jats.[9] The Zutt were originally from the Indus Valley, but had been settling in lower Iraq since the time of Sassanid Emperor Bahram V. After the failed Zutt Rebellion, the Zutt lost their power and distinct identity.[10] Their migrations into Iraq ultimately stopped as the Abbasid Caliphate fragmented, giving way to newer polities in Makran, Sindh and Multan. The Arabs noted several agglomerations of Jats settled throughout the region of Sind.[11]
Between the 11th and 16th centuries, Sindhi Jats migrated into Punjab.[12][13] Many clans have traditions of converting during this period, influenced by Sufis like Baba Farid.[14] Before the rise of the Mughals in the 16th century, many Punjabi clans west of the Ravi river had converted to Islam.[15] However, local Jats continued to resist Muslim forces.[16][17][18][19]
During Mughal rule, Jats came to own considerable land and exert local influence.[20][21] The Mughals never had direct control over many of these rural grandees.[22] Some Jats also rose up the Mughal ranks, such as Grand Vizier Saadullah Khan.[23][24]
As the Mughals declined, several groups fought to fill the power vacuum.[25] In Rohilkhand, the Jat Nawabs of the Rohilla dynasty would found the Rohilkhand Kingdom and Rampur State.[26][27][28][29] In the Deccan, the Pindari Jat chief Chitu Khan would plunder the domains of the Nizams, Rajputs, Marathas, and British.[30][31][32] In Punjab, local chiefs established regional principalities, such as the Chishti Pakpattan state and the Chattha chiefdom, which fiercely resisted the expanding Sikh authority.[33][34] Ultimately, the British conquered India, leading to annexation or transformation of these states into princely states.
During British rule, many Punjabi Muslims, including Jats, would enlist in the British Indian Army.[35][36] Most were recruited from the Pothohar Plateau.[37] During this period, Sultan Muhammad Khan, a Tatla Jatt hailing from the district of Sialkot, would become the chief secretary and ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
Certain Punjabi Jat families—such as the Mokals, Nakais, and Pahuwindias—had strong ties to the Lahore Durbar before their conversion to Islam, which granted them significant influence in the districts of Lahore, Kasur, Sahiwal, and Okara. Despite their conversion and the subsequent Partition of Punjab, these families maintained much of their social and political standing. Notable figures from these influential lineages include Sardar Habibullah Khan Mokal, Sardar Muhammad Arif Nakai, and Ahmed Said Pahuwindia.[38]
Demographics
British India
As per the 1921 census, 47.3% of the Jats followed Islam in British Punjab.[39] In the 1931 census, the total Muslim Jat population was 2,941,395 (out of 28,490,857).[40]
Pakistan and India
In 1988, Sukhbir Singh estimated the total Muslim Jat population to be around 13 million in Pakistan and 240,000 in India. He extrapolated these numbers from older British censuses, and factored in the natural population growth in both countries.[41]
In 2009, the Pakistani Jat population was estimated to be roughly 21 million.[42] The Jats, together with Rajputs and Gujjars, are the dominant Punjabi Muslim communities settled across eastern Pakistan.[43]
Notable people
- Saadullah Khan, esteemed Grand Vizier and Vakil-i-Mutlaq of the Mughal Empire[23]
- Muzaffar Jang Hidayat, great grandson of Saadullah Khan, third Nizam of Hyderabad[44]
- Ali Mohammed Khan, founder of the Kingdom of Rohilkhand, progenitor of the Rohilla dynasty[26][45]
- Faizullah Khan, son of Ali Mohammed Khan, founder of the Princely State of Rampur[29]
- Chitu Khan, prominent Pindari chief and general, plundered Hyderabadi, Rajput, Maratha, and British domains[46][47][48]
- Sultan Muhammad Khan, chief secretary and ambassador of Afghanistan, father of Faiz Ahmad Faiz[citation needed]
- Muhammad Arif Nakai, Pakistani politician, direct descendant of the Nakai misldars[49][50]
- Shahab-ud-Din Virk, Punjabi politician, member of the Punjab Legislative Council and elected president for three consecutive terms between 1925 and 1936[citation needed]
- Sultan Amir Tarar, the "Colonel Imam", trained Afghan Mujahideen and Taliban fighters[51][52]
- Sardar Ahmad Chishti, Islamic scholar, known as the Muhaddith-e-Azam of Pakistan[citation needed]
See also
References
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