Muslim Gujjars or Musalmān Gujjars (Punjabi: مُسَلمَان گُجَّر) are an ethno-religious group predominantly found in the North-Western regions of South Asia. They embraced Islam from the medieval period onwards.
Ethnic group Kagan Gujars | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Pakistan,  India,  Afghanistan | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu, Panjabi, Hindi, Gujjari | |
| Religion | |
 Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Muslim Rajputs, Jat Muslim |
History
Origins
Gujjars are an Indo-Aryan agro-pastoral people, believed to be of either Hunnic or Scythian origins. They settled in the North-Western regions of South Asia around the fourth century where they adopted Hinduism.
Medieval period
Conversions of Gujjars to Islam began in the 11th century with the arrival of Sufi missionaries in the subcontinent. Numerous clans of Gujjars embraced Islam during the time of Shaykh Farid al-Din Masud and his successors. By the 16th century, Islam had become the predominant religion among the Gujjars of Punjab, Kashmir and Afghanistan.
Mughal period
During the Mughal era, the Gujjar tribe was notorious for their refractory and rebellious character. Following Nadir Shah's invasion of the Mughal Empire, several Muslim Gujjar chiefs emerged in Punjab, Hazara, and Kashmir. Notable among them were the Nawabs of Dera Ghazi Khan, the Rajas of Poonch, and the Muqaddams of Kot Najibullah.
British period
During the nineteenth century, they were listed as a martial race.
Demographics
In 1988, it was estimated that Muslim Gujjars constitute 60 to 65 percent of the total Gujjar population.
Notable people
- Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, 19th century Sufi poet
- Chaudhari Rahmat Ali, Pakistan movement activist
- Shoaib Akhtar, fastest bowler in cricket history
- Akhtar Ali Vario, King Maker, Politician from Sialkot
References
- ^ "Punjab: a History from Aurangzeb to Mountbatten".
- Brief View of the Caste System of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh.
- "Journal of the Asiatic society of Bengal - Volume 6, Part 1".
- "The India of Aurangzib (topography, statistics, and roads) compared with the India of Akbar: with extracts from the Khulasatu-t-tawarikh and the Chahar Gulshan".
- "Report of the land revenue settlement of the Dera Ismail Khan District of the Punjab, 1872-79".
- "The GUJJARS Vol 01".
- "Chiefs and families of note in the Delhi, Jalandhar, Peshawar and Derajat divisions of the Panjab".
- The Martial Races of India.
- Population Geography: A Journal of the Association of Population Geographers of India, Volumes 10-12, 1988, Page 6.
- "Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, a great Punjabi Sufi poet".
- Aziz, K. K. Chaudhari Rahmat Ali A Biography. p. 32.
- Shoaib Akhtar; Anshu Dogra, Controversially Yours: An Autobiography.
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