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| There are claims that many Arain descend from ] who came to India with the invading armies of ]. Such claims are given credence by how nearly all Arain are, and have been, Sunni Muslim, much like the early Arabs accompanying Muhammad bin Qasim. This assertion is supported by numerous references made in several Urdu language texts — such as ''Tareekh-e-Arain'', ''Sham Ta Multan'', ''Tareekh Frishta'', ''Tohfa Tul Ikram'' and ''Aina-e-Haqeekat Numa'' - that trace the lineage of many notable Arains including ], ], and the ]. According to these sources, the word ''Arain'' is derived from ''Areeha'' which is the Arabic name for the city of ] in the ], Palestinian Territory, the place from where they came.<ref>2.Tarikh-i-Araian by Ali Asghar Chaudri, published by Ilmi Kitabkhana Urdu Bazar Lahore Pakistan in 1989</ref>{{Page needed|date=December 2012}}<ref>Aina Haqeeqat Numa by Maulana Akbar Shah Khan pages 126,127</ref> | There are claims that many Arain descend from ] who came to India with the invading armies of ]. Such claims are given credence by how nearly all Arain are, and have been, Sunni Muslim, much like the early Arabs accompanying Muhammad bin Qasim. This assertion is supported by numerous references made in several Urdu language texts — such as ''Tareekh-e-Arain'', ''Sham Ta Multan'', ''Tareekh Frishta'', ''Tohfa Tul Ikram'' and ''Aina-e-Haqeekat Numa'' - that trace the lineage of many notable Arains including ], ], and the ]. According to these sources, the word ''Arain'' is derived from ''Areeha'' which is the Arabic name for the city of ] in the ], Palestinian Territory, the place from where they came.<ref>2.Tarikh-i-Araian by Ali Asghar Chaudri, published by Ilmi Kitabkhana Urdu Bazar Lahore Pakistan in 1989</ref>{{Page needed|date=December 2012}}<ref>Aina Haqeeqat Numa by Maulana Akbar Shah Khan pages 126,127</ref> | ||
| During the British rule the Arain cast become more familar because of their disciplined attitude. Before the british rule the Arains were knonw as a inferior cast (kami) but when british rule established in India they become more familar and stard occuping land with the help of British rulers because the britsh officer were much impressed by the faithful behavior of Arains to British government. Thus after 1947 the allotment of lands were in the favor of Arain family. | |||
| == British Raj period == | |||
| Gernal Albert Jacob said " We would never be able to occupy Punjab if Arains were not there". | |||
| The British considered the Arain as a landholding 'agricultural' caste. When the British wanted land developed in the Punjab after its annexation, Arain were brought in to cultivate lands around the cities, and were preferred to assist with the opening up of the new agrarian frontier in canal colonies of the Punjab between 1906 – 1940. The Arain received 86% of the land that was allotted to Muslim agricultural castes, and were thus the largest Muslim land holders in Punjab during British rule.<ref>Punjab Colony Manual (Lahore, 1936), p. 13; and Chenab Colony Settlement Report (1915)</ref><ref>"The Punjab Canal Colonies', 1885-1940", Ph.D. thesis, Australian National University, 1980; and Imran Ali, The Punjab Under Imperialism, 1885-1947 (Princeton University Press,Princeton, New Jersey, 1988).</ref> | |||
| The British considered the Arain the best cultivators amongst all the castes, and were favoured for their "hard work, frugality and sense of discipline".<ref name="ReferenceA">''Pakistan under Zia, 1977-1988'', Shahid Javed Burki.</ref>{{full|date=February 2013}}<ref>Castes The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir, by Sir James McCrone Douie. Printed in India at Deluxe Offset Press, Daya Basti, Delhi-110035 and Published by Seema Publications, Delhi-110007</ref>{{Page needed|date=February 2013}}{{dubious|date=February 2013}} Subsequent development of towns and cities and increasing urbanisation resulted in the value of the land settled by Arain to rise significantly, and Arain families thus flourished.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Education was prioritised with the new-found wealth<ref>"...the Arain families put their money into education and reaped quick rewards.", ''Pakistan under Zia, 1977-1988'', Shahid Javed Burki.</ref>{{Page needed|date=February 2013}} and the Arain came to dominate the legal profession amongst urban Punjabi Muslims. Many used law to enter politics.<ref>"Soon they came to dominate the legal profession... ...and... ...spring into politics.", ''Pakistan under Zia, 1977-1988'', Shahid Javed Burki.</ref>{{Page needed|date=February 2013}} | |||
| The Arain also contributed to military service predating and during British rule in India. Lt. Col. J. M. Wikeley acknowledged Arain presence in the military; "They (Arains) may be designated as a fighting race which has produced many Civil and Military officers who have rendered good services to the nation."<ref>Punjabi Musalmans, 1915, reprinted 1991, p 66, J. M. Wikeley - Ethnology</ref> Their lack of classification as a ] was most probably a consequence of rebellions against British rule. One notable rebellion occurred in the ], when the Arain ] led an inter-communal uprising in ] against the ].<ref>http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/news-33/</ref> | |||
| ==Present day== | ==Present day== | ||
Revision as of 22:57, 11 August 2013
Ethnic group| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Pakistan • India | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi • Seraiki • Sindhi • Urdu | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
The Arain (Template:Lang-ur) are a Muslim tribe of Pakistan who are found mainly in the Punjab province and also that of Sindh. They are chiefly associated with farming, with many being "peasant-proprietors" and some being zamindars (landlords).
Origins
The Arains are historically exclusively Muslim. Their origins are uncertain, with some members of the community claiming a connection with the Rajputs. Others, with whom the historian and political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot agrees, believe that they are probably displaced farming communities who moved to Punjab from Sindh and Multan as Muslim armies encroached. Jaffrelot also believes the community to be related to the Kamboj.
There are claims that many Arain descend from Arabs who came to India with the invading armies of Muhammad bin Qasim. Such claims are given credence by how nearly all Arain are, and have been, Sunni Muslim, much like the early Arabs accompanying Muhammad bin Qasim. This assertion is supported by numerous references made in several Urdu language texts — such as Tareekh-e-Arain, Sham Ta Multan, Tareekh Frishta, Tohfa Tul Ikram and Aina-e-Haqeekat Numa - that trace the lineage of many notable Arains including Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Zia Ul-Haq, and the Mian Family of Bhaghbanpura. According to these sources, the word Arain is derived from Areeha which is the Arabic name for the city of Jericho in the West Bank, Palestinian Territory, the place from where they came.
During the British rule the Arain cast become more familar because of their disciplined attitude. Before the british rule the Arains were knonw as a inferior cast (kami) but when british rule established in India they become more familar and stard occuping land with the help of British rulers because the britsh officer were much impressed by the faithful behavior of Arains to British government. Thus after 1947 the allotment of lands were in the favor of Arain family. Gernal Albert Jacob said " We would never be able to occupy Punjab if Arains were not there".
Present day
Although gardening and market-gardening were considered historically to be ritually impure occupations and thus those engaged in such activities were considered to be of low standing, the Arains have proven to be industrious and disciplined practitioners. In the present day, they are the largest agricultural community in Pakistan and they often have a wealth that belies their low ritual status.
Distribution
Historically, the Arain community was concentrated in territory that is now part of Indian Punjab, especially the Jalandhar Doab. According to 1911 Census of India, the highest concentrations of Arains was in the Kapurthala State, where they accounted for 16% of the population, and neighbouring Jalandhar District, where they formed 15% (about one third of the Muslim population) of the population. By the late 19th Century, the Arain were encouraged by the British colonial authorities to settle in the new canal colonies in the Sandal Bar and Neeli Bar regions, and by 1911 Arain formed 12% of the population of Lyalpur District and 7% of Montgommery District. Other districts with large Arain populations were Lahore (10%), Gurdaspur (7%), Ferozepur (6%), Gujranwala, Sialkot (6%) and Multan (5%). In the Phulkhian States, Hoshiarpur, Karnal, Delhi and Hissar they formed less than five percentage of the population. North and west of the Jhelum, they were practically absent in the Pothohar region, the Salt Range and the Thal Dessert, where their place was and still taken by the Maliar caste. Those few Arains who were found in this region are often treated as sub-tribe of the Jats. In essence the Arain were found in territory stretching from the Chenab in the west to the Sultlej in the east, in what was the Punjabi speaking heartland of the British colonial province of Punjab. This was also the region that suffered the worst violence during the partition of India in 1947, with almost the entire Arain population of Indian Punjab migrating to Pakistani territory. However, there are still a small number of Muslim Arains still found in Malerkotla, Sangrur and Patiala districts.
The bulk of the Arain population is now settled in the districts of Faisalabad, Sahiwal and Toba Tek Singh, with a large number of refugees settled by the Thal Development Authority in the districts of Khushab, Mianwali, Bhakkar and Layyah.
Related communities in North India
There are a number of communities in North India, that claim kinship with the Arain of Punjab. The Arain of Delhi claim to be descended from Arains who settled in Delhi during the rule of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
Another community that is connected with the Arain are the Rayeen, who are a Muslim tribe found in Bareilly, Pilibhit, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Rampur, Bijnor and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Rayeen in Rohilkhand region mainly immigrated from the villages of Jalandhar, Sirsa and Ferozpur around 1780 AD due to famines in their native Punjab region.
Notable people
- Adina Beg, Governor of Punjab in 1758.
- Sir Fazli Husain, politician and a founder of the Unionist Party
- Asrar-ul-Haq Mian, lawyer and President of Supreme Court Bar
- General Zia-ul-Haq, President of Pakistan and Chief of Staff of Pakistan Military.
See also
References
- Burki, Shahid Javed (October 1988). "Pakistan under Zia, 1977-1988". Asian Survey. 28 (10): 1082–1100. JSTOR 2644708. (subscription required)
- Jaffrelot, Christophe (2004). A History Of Pakistan And Its Origins. trans. Beaumont, Gilliam. Anthem Press. p. 154. ISBN 9781843311492. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2004). A History Of Pakistan And Its Origins. trans. Beaumont, Gilliam. Anthem Press. p. 208. ISBN 9781843311492. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- 2.Tarikh-i-Araian by Ali Asghar Chaudri, published by Ilmi Kitabkhana Urdu Bazar Lahore Pakistan in 1989
- Aina Haqeeqat Numa by Maulana Akbar Shah Khan pages 126,127
- ^ Census of India 1911 Vol 14, Punjab Part 1, A Report by Pundit Harkishan Kaul pages 438 to 439 and 445
- People of India Punjab Volume XXXVII edited by I.J.S Bansal and Swaran Singh pages 37 to 42 Manohar
- Kinship and continuity: Pakistani families in BritainAlison Shaw Page 121
- Three Pakistan villages by John Joseph Honigmann
- People of India Delhi Volume XX edited by T Ghosh & S Nath pages 49 to 52, Manohar Publications
- A People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII
- Page no 140, Tarrekh Arain, 5th Ed, Chaudhry Asgahr Ali, Ilimi Kutub Khana, LahoreAD
- "Dina Arain: the master 'double game' player".
- ^ Pakistan under Zia 1977-1988 by Shahid Javed Burki. Asian Survey. Vol. 28, No. 10 (Oct., 1988), pp. 1082–1100
- The Nation, Thursday, November 01, 2012