Jat Muslim

History

The Jats were one of the first communities of the Subcontinent to interact with the Muslims. They were known as the Zuṭṭ (), although this term also referred to several other groups—such as the Sāyabija, Andāghar, and Qufs—not all of whom were necessarily ethnic Jats. The Zutt were originally from the Indus Valley, but had been settling in lower Iraq since the reign of Bahram V. Following the failed Zutt Rebellion, the Zutt lost their power and distinct identity. They ceased their migrations into Iraq following the fragmentation of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Arabs had noted several agglomerations of Jats settled throughout the province of Sind.

Between the 11th and 16th centuries, some Sindhi Jats migrated up into Punjab. Many clans have traditions of converting to Islam during this period, influenced by Sufis like Baba Farid. By the 16th century, many Punjabi clans west of the Ravi river had converted. Despite conversion, many Jats continued to resist foreign Muslim imperial powers such as the Timurids, Mughals, and Surs. Meanwhile, others chose to cooperate with the Muslim rulers to advance their own interests.

During the Delhi Sultanate, Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq was appointed as the governor of Multan, and later of Dipalpur. His early forces were primarily composed of Jat tribesmen recruited from Dipalpur, who fought alongside him in all his campaigns.

During Mughal rule, Jats came to own considerable land and exert local influence. The Mughals never had direct control over many of these rural grandees. Some also obtained high positions, such as Grand Vizier and Vakil-i-Mutlaq, Saadullah Khan, Faujdar of Sialkot, Rahmat Khan Bajwa, prominent Jagirdar, Rai Muhammad Jani Malhi, and governor of Gujrat, Rehmat Khan Warraich.

As the Mughal empire began to decline, various groups vied to fill the resulting power vacuum. Among them were several ambitious Muslim Jat chiefs and princes. In Rohilkhand, the Rohilla Nawabs established the Kingdom of Rohilkhand and the Rampur State. In the Deccan, a descendant of Saadullah Khan, Muzaffar Jang Hidayat, briefly became the Nizam of Hyderabad. And in Punjab, the Gondal Jats of the Gondal Bar resisted Nader Shah, while the Pakpattan and Chattha states resisted the expanding Sikh Misls. With the establishment of the British Raj, all formerly independent or autonomous polities were either annexed or integrated into the colonial empire as princely states.

During British rule, many Punjabi Muslims, including Jats, would enlist in the British Indian Army. Most were recruited from the Pothohar Plateau.

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 lineages include Habibullah Khan Mokal, Muhammad Arif Nakai, and Ahmed Said Pahuwindia.

Demographics

Along the Indus, where most Muslim Jats live, 'Jat' identity was historically more fluid. In West Punjab and NWFP, 'Jat' was more of a socioeconomic title associated with farmers, rather than a strict ethnic or caste identity. A powerful Punjabi Jat family could eventually become known as 'Rajput' instead. Similarly, in Sindh and Makran, 'Jat' usually referred either to peasants, or to the Jath people. As such, many of those included under the umbrella of "Muslim Jats" come from diverse origins.

Some Muslim Jats, especially those living in and around Majha Punjab, belong to clans which are also found among Sikh and Hindu Jats in India. For example, the Chatthas, Gondals, Sandhus, and Waraich.

British Punjab

As per the 1921 census, 47.3% of the Jats followed Islam in British Punjab, as compared to 33% who were Sikhs and 19% who were Hindus. In the 1931 census, the total Muslim Jat population was 2,941,395 (out of British Punjab's total population of 28,490,857).

The former Punjab Province of British India extended beyond the borders of present-day Punjab in both Pakistan and India, encompassing regions that are now parts of the modern-day Indian states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to today’s Punjab.

Pakistan and India

In modern times, Pakistani Jat maintain clan identity through the biradri system, and it plays an important role in politics in the country. This system is also influential among British Pakistani Jats.

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. In terms of percentages by religious affiliation, Sukhbir Singh also wrote that Jat Muslims form the largest subgroup, amounting to 42% of all Jats in the Indian subcontinent, followed by Hindus (33%) and Sikhs (25%).

In 2009, the Pakistani Jat population was estimated to be roughly 21 million. The Jats, together with Rajputs and Gujjars, are the dominant Punjabi Muslim communities settled across eastern Pakistan.

Notable people

• Saadullah Khan, Grand Vizier and Vakil-i-Mutlaq of the Mughal Empire
• Muzaffar Jang Hidayat, third Nizam of Hyderabad
• Ali Mohammed Khan, founder of the Kingdom of Rohilkhand, progenitor of the Rohilla dynasty
• Faizullah Khan, founder of the Princely State of Rampur
• Hafiz Barkhurdar Ranjha, Sufi saint, Punjabi poet and religious scholar
• Chitu Khan, a pindari chief, fought in the Third Anglo-Maratha war
• Pir Muhammad Chattha, fiercely resisted the Sikh Misls
• Qadir Yar, Punjabi poet, court poet of the Lahore Durbar
• Muhammad Arif Nakai, Pakistani politician, direct descendant of the Nakai misldars
• Amir Sultan Tarar, the "Colonel Imam", trained Afghan Mujahideen and Taliban fighters
• Qamar Javed Bajwa, 10th Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistani Armed Forces
• Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, 16th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistani Air Force
• Chaudhary Naseer Ahmed Abbas, member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, brother of Air Chief Zaheer Sidhu

References

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