The Khwajahs or officially Khojas (Urdu: خوجہ) are a (mostly Muslim) community that are mainly concentrated in South Asia, but due to migrations over the centuries have spread to many parts of the globe. See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam For the Egyptian city see Ismaïlia. The Ismāʿīlī ( Urdu: إسماعیلی Ismāʿīlī, Arabic: الإسماعيليون Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic The Hanafi ( Arabic حنفي school is the oldest of the four schools of thought ( Madhhabs East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. The Indo-Aryan languages (within the context of Indo-European studies also Indic) are a branch of the Indo-European language family Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Sindhi ( Arabic script: سنڌي Devanagari script: सिन्धी Sindhī) is the language of the Sindh region of South Asia Gujarati (ગુજરાતી Gujǎrātī ? Language Memons speak a non-written Dialect called Memoni, a mixture of Sindhi and Kutchi which belongs to the Indic (North-Western Kachhi (also spelled Cutchi or Kachchhi) ( Urdu: کچھی) is a Indo-Aryan Language spoken in the Kutch region of the For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The word Khoja is a phonetic corruption of the word Khawaja, an Arabic/Persian title(Arabic: خواجه). Khawaja or Khwaja ( Arabic: خواجة khawājah, Persian: خواجه pronounced khâje) is a title used Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The people are sometimes referred to as Persian Lords because of this lordship.

In Pakistan, Khojas are concentrated in the province of Sindh and especially in the city of Karachi. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Sindh ( Sindhī: سنڌ Urdu: سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. (ڪراچي) is the largest city in Pakistan. It is the world's second largest city proper behind Mumbai in terms of population which exceeds 10 million While in India, most Khojas live in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the city of Hyderabad. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India. Maharashtra ( Marathi: mahārāṣṭra, IPA) is a state located on the western coast of India. Rājasthān ( Devanāgarī: राजस्थान raːdʒəst̪ʰaːn is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area Many Khojas have migrated and settled over the centuries in East Africa, Europe and North America. East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent.

Ismaili Khojas

About six hundred years ago, the Persian-born Pir Sadruddin arrived in Sindh. The Iranian people are a collection of Ethnic groups defined along linguistic lines as speaking Iranian languages. Pir Sadardin or Pir Sadruddin was a Fourteenth century spiritual leader and is regarded as the founder of Khoja Ismaili Sindh ( Sindhī: سنڌ Urdu: سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. There are a number of myths about his origins. The most common consensus among historians is that Pir Sadruddin was a Muslim Dai (missionary). A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion This is evident from the so-called old Ginans, which have survived in their original form. The Ginans are a vast corpus of devotional literature in the form of lyrics and hymns and has been the living tradition of Nizari Ismailis particularly from the These original Ginans clearly teach and advocae mainstream Islam. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Below is an English translation of a few verses from such old Ginan entitled Booj Niranjan, attributed to Pir Sadruddin.

"If you control your instincts, keep the fasts of Ramadan, recite Shahada with belief, then can relish Islam. Ramadan or Ramazan ( Arabic: رمضان Ramaḍān) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic The Shahada ( Arabic: ar الشهادة, from the verb ar شهد "to testify" is the Islamic Creed. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Read the Qur'an, understand the book, then you will visualize the path of Nabi (prophet)". The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics

Pir Sadruddin lived for some time amongst the rich Hindu landowners of Sindh known as the Thakurs. After studying their way of life, Pir Sadruddin enlightened them to a new faith of Islam. Many Sindhis converted to Islam by the missionary work of Pir Sadruddin. Before the arrival of the Aga Khan, Khojas followed Sunni belief but retained many Hindu traditions including the one about ten incarnations (Dashavatar) of Vishnu, the only difference being that they believed Imam Ali was the tenth and last incarnation (Avatar). Aga Khan ( آقا خان) is the Hereditary title of the Imam of the Nizārī Muslims the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation

Some historians maintain that he converted the Thakurs to Nizari Ismaili Islam. Whatever may be the case, these converts could no longer be called Thakurs or Hindus and they came to be known as "Khawaja" (Persian: خواجہ ; lord, master) which overtime became phonetically corrupted as "Khoja".

Over a period of time, several pirs came after Sadruddin and gradually, the beliefs crystallised to those of the Muslim Ismaili Nizari faith; particularly after the arrival of the Aga Khan I from Iran to South Asia in the first half of the 19th Century. Aga Khan I ( آغا خان اوّل; or less commonly but more correctly آقا خان اوّل;) was the title accorded to Hasan Ali Shah For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. By this time, the Khojas had spread all over Gujarat. Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India. Some had also moved to Bombay and Muscat. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Muscat ( Arabic: مسقط) is the Capital and largest city of the Sultanate of Oman. They paid their dues to the Ismaili Jamaat-khana and lived quite harmoniously within their society. See also Ismaili A Jamat Khana or Jamaatkhana or Jamaat khana ( Arabic, Persian: جماعتِ خانة) (meaning The main place of worship was the Jamaat-khana and the community was organised round the Jamaat-khana too - which served as a religious as well as a social centre. The Ismaili Khojas number over 270 thousand of an estimated 25 million Shia Ismailis.

Ithna-asheri Khojas

This was followed by several court cases and much commotion in the community. In the early 1800s, some Khojas went for Ziyarat and while in Najaf, they met the Mujtahid of the time, Sheikh Zainul Aabedeen Mazandarani. Ziyarat is a pilgrimage to sites associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his companions, or other venerated figures in Islamic history Najaf ( BGN: An Najaf) is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Ijtihad (Arabic اجتهاد is a technical term of Islamic law that describes the process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the legal sources Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Cheikh, Shaikh, and other variants ( Arabic:, shaykh During their discussions they realised that there was a need for a teacher to come to South Asia to teach the community Islam. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Soon after, at the behest of Sheikh Mazandarani, Mullah Kader Hussein arrived in the subcontinent and some Khoja families left the Ismaili sect and learnt from Mullah Kader, the principles of the Shi'a Ithna-asheri faith. Mullah ( ملا) is a Muslim learned in Islamic theology and sacred law See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam

A student of Mullah Kader Hussein, Haji Ghulamali Haji Ismail, remembered as Haji Naji was born in Bombay (now Mumbai, India) was a Gujarati speaking Shia Islamic Scholar who was instrumental in converting many Ismailis into the Shia Ithna-asheri sect. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam His remarkable achievement was his pen revolution in which he published magazines like Rah-e-Nijat and Books of supplications in Gujarati language, a feat that was achieved by none before him. One such book, Majmuaa, is an integral part of the Ithna-asheri Khojas' library to-date. See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam His speeches, his preaching and his simple way of explaining the religion has earned him a lot of respect and is revered by Ithna-asheri Khojas all around the world. See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam Ismaili Khojas About six hundred years ago the Persian -born Pir Sadruddin arrived in Sindh. ^[1]

From these few families, the community has now grown to well over 125,000 Khoja Shia Ithna-asheris. See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam The overall number is still very small when considering that there are an estimated 200 million Shia Ithna-asheris in the world today. See also Shi'a Islam Twelver Shi'ism ( ar اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) is the largest branch of Shi'a branch of Islam In North America, there is a fair concentration of Ithna-asheri Khojas, from Vancouver to Orlando.

Migration to Africa

It is a well known fact that for hundreds of years South Asians sailed down the coast of East Africa in their sailships during the North Eastern Monsoons. East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months There were young Khojas amongst these early sailors and some of them stayed behind in East Africa and took advantage of opportunities in commerce and trade.

While the new land offered limitless opportunities to the Khojas, the new environment and prevailing influences called for a reorientation. The majority of them converted from Ismailism after arriving in East Africa and were novices in the complete sense of the term:-

• new to the place
• new to the faith
• facing a vast unexplored tract of land
• no previous cultural contact with the indigenous African population
• not knowing the African language
• not able to communicate with the established Arab traders

The Khojas around 1870s had their own brand of Islam and they seemed a confused mass. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Their beliefs had thrown them into disorder. The devout ones with their orthodoxy could not bear and accept the changes and modernity that seemed creeping into their system. They revolted and while some were debarred from the jamatkhana (place of worship) others abandoned it on their own. They adopted the main brand of Shiaism calling themselves Ithnashris (twelvers). They even recruited the priestly Persians to guide them through, hence the origination of an Agha(Persian) community in Zanzibar. Alongside were the Bahranis(Arab Shias from Bahrain) whose inspirations emanated from Kalbe Aly Khan, a wazir(minister) to Sultan Majid/Bargash. He proved a great influence and helped out the Khojas to secede.

Zanzibar had a prosperous Khoja community and it was quite forthcoming into this secession. In fact the Kuwwat Jamaat(communal society) of Zanzibar became the first ever Khoja Shia Ithnashri Jamaat in the world in 1882 when the Khojas elsewhere including the subcontinent were still facing opposition to establish their separate identity. There were stirring events and emotions were roused as the dissidents fervently built up their mosque. Initially the connection between the two Khoja groups persisted for a while and even a couple of dhegs(large pots) used to be dispatched to the jamatkhana from the mosque during jaman(feast). Social traditions also prompted the two counterparts to meet each other. Later restrictions became severe and even family members separated disconnecting ties between each other or the two met in hiding at a secret place.

Religious centres

Members of the Jamaat engaged in religious activities, first with modesty appropriate to their means; but as their fortunes grew, they became vigorously activated. They built Mosques, Imambargahs, Madrasahs and schools. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger A Hussainia ( Arabic: حسينية Persian: Hosseiniyeh Urdu: Imambargah) is a congregation hall for Shia ritual ceremonies "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə.

Retention of identity

Under German rule in Tanganyika, British rule in other parts of East Africa, French rule in Madagascar, Italian rule in Somalia, Belgian rule in the Congo and Portuguese rule in Mozambique, these early settlers were subjected to a variety of influences and experience. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Tanganyika is the name of an East African territory lying between the largest of the African great lakes Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika In Law, the Golden rule, or British rule, is a form of Statutory interpretation that allows a judge to depart from a word's normal meaning in order to avoid This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Democratic Republic of the Congo (République démocratique du Congo often referred to as DR Congo, DRC or RDC, and formerly known or referred to Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa

The thrust of these influences was great, engendering a fear in the minds of the Khoja of losing their identity. Hence the persistent perseverance by the Khojas to remain within a well-knit framework of the Jamaat, allowing no intrusion.

Non-Khojas are often considered racist because of their "insular" behavior and their zealousness to "preserve the identity". Amongst Shia Khoja groups, it is believed there exists a heavy "Khoja only" attitude. This idea is further demonstrated by the history of "Khoja Only Membership" among Islamic centres. While many centres no longer say they're Khoja only, the idea is not completely off the table.

Beyond Africa

In the same manner, that the young Khojas had braved the monsoons in search for better opportunities, the Khoja Community has now spread all over the world.

See also

• World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna Asheri Muslim Communities
• Abdulaziz Sachedina
• Aga Khan
• Ismaili
• Ithna 'ashariyah
• Sunni
• Shia
• Hanafi
• Khoja (clan)
• Panjwani
• Bhojani
• Khojki

External links

• World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithna Asheri Muslim Communities

References