Arain Muslims History: Roots in Punjab, Sindh, and India

by Arain Academy, India

Brief History

Arain is a Muslim tribe of undivided India and Pakistan mainly settled in West Punjab, parts of Sindh and in Uttara Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

According to Gupta, their population exceeds ten million in Punjab, Pakistan by the start of 21st century.

Glossary of Tribes and Caste of Punjab and North West Provinces,  based on the census report of Sir Denzil Ibbetson (1883). Arain, Rain (the latter form prevails in the Jumna valley), is a term which has at least two distinct meanings: in the Sutlej valley and throughout the eastern plains the Arains form a true caste, but in all the rest of the two Provinces the term is applied to some other castes. We are now concerned with the Arains as a caste.

Almost to a man Muhammadans and strongly inclined to Orthodoxy, the Arains claim to be immigrants from Uch (Multan) and have some affinities with the Rajput  Kambohs….., From Uch, they migrated to Sirsa and then into the Punjab. The distance from Uch to Sirsa is 340 K.M.

Uch Shareef  (first home of Arain) is an historic city near Multan in the Bahawalpur District of Pakistan’s Punjab province. It is famous for its cultural heritage and was epi-center of Muslim scholars and Sufis  during the Muslims period.

In Sirsa, the Sutlej Arains meet those of the Ghaggar. The two do not intermarry, but the Arains of the Ghaggar valley say they were Rajput’s living on the Panjnad (area of confluence or merger of the five rivers of the Punjab, namely Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej) near Multan, who were ejected some four centuries ago by Saiyad Jalaluddin of Uch (1198 – 1292 ). They claim some connection with Jaisalmer Rajputs.

Till the great famines of 1759 and 1783 (Chalisa famine), they are said to have held all the lower valleys of the Choya and Ghaggar, but after the latter date the Bhattis (Rajput) harassed the Sumras (the Soomra dynasty was Rajput kingdom of Sindh), the country became disturbed, and many of the Arains emigrated across the Ganges and settled near Bareli and Rampur. They marry only with the Ghaggar and Bareli Arains.” (The distance from Sirsa to Bareli is 540 K.M)

Arain zamindars, Jalandhar, Punjab, 1860 (c).

Source: "In pursuit of empire; treasures from the Toor Collection of Sikh art", By Davinder Toor 

Analysis of Rajput theory

Lt. Col. J. M. Wikeley, in 1915, wrote a handbook for the Indian Army, Punjabi Musalmans, which described the history of the people of Punjab and in which he rejected “any supposed relationship between the Kambohs Rajputs and the Arains. In Jalandhar, the Arains say they came from Sirsa, Rania and  that they were converted in the 12th century and migrated to the Jalandhar Doab about 300 years ago. But the Bhutta claim descent from Raja Bhutta, fifth in descent from Raja Karn and say they were forcibly converted even earlier – by Mahmud of Ghazni – and driven from Uch.

This  Rajput claim theory is not proved through other sources of that time. There were two prominent documents related to Arain caste of that time. The first one was Kulliat Jalal and the second was the report of the first meeting of the Anjumane-Arain, Rohilkhand conducted in 1918, and nowhere in these documents, the Arains claimed of the Rajput origin.

The author of Tareekh Arain states, “The strongest evidence that Arains are not Rajputs is that they never claimed Rajput origin themselves. Though, the Rajputs were considered one of the superior tribes of sub-continent in context Indian social hierarchies of communities & tribes. Gazette of Lahore (1883-84) cited that Arain never accepted money as compensation for giving their daughters in Marriage while Kamboh accepted money for this.  The majority of the Muslim Rajput’s abstained from marrying with widows.

Arab origin theory

Most Arain, however, propose descent from Arabs belonging to Muhammad bin Qasim’s expeditionary force to India. 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; Tareekh-e-Arain, Sham Ta Multan, Tareekh Frishta, Tohfa Tul Ikram and Aina-e-Haqeekat Numa, that reliably trace the lineage of many notable Arain including Zia Ul-Haq and the famous 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 allegedly came.

Indian Historian of Islam, Akbar Shah Khan Najeebabadi,  declared that they entered India thru Debal, Sindh with Muhammad Bin Qasim. He declared them Areehai from Arreha (Jericho) which was Punjabized with a nasal sound to Arain. 

Muhammad Sharif, a UK based Indian historian, writes in “Destiny of the Tribe Raeen” that they started coming to Sindh (Iraq-i-Ajam) in 46 Hijri (666 AD) at the end of Orthodox Caliphate. They belonged to the Banu Sama (Saama or Samma) sub-tribe of Banu ‘Amir (Aamir or Amer) tribe of the larger clan Aal-i-Adnan (The House of Adnan) through Hawazin. This Sama dynasty had a long list of Rulers in Sindh, Multan, Uch and Kach, 14 of whom became famous. It had three distinct off shoots and some historical tribes which are mistaken to be local Balochs or Dravidian Sindhis such as Zardari, and Hangaro also belonged to this sub-tribe. Raeen and not Arain are the people who took their name from famous Sama ruler Jam Raeena. Jam Raeena (Raeedun or Raideena) also known as Mulla Raeena was grandson of Sultan Awadh who was son of Jahankaran from Abreeha sub-caste of Sama. He ruled Kachh and then Sindh. There are 9 distinct sub-castes of Samma tribe which are specific only to Raeen till this date viz Nain, Sair, Qadria, Chachar, Chanan, Bahmani, Miana, Laman, and Khambrah. These are pure Sarsawal Raeen. Other Samma sub-castes are variably known as Multani Raeen or Baloch or Local Sindhi or even Abro viz Jhumrah, Zohabdari, Bali, Halpota, Phulpota, Sarangi and Hangaro. Sub-sub-castes are however in hundreds and one can find from ones revenue record.

Arain Muslims history and present

 Tughlaq or Mahmood Ghaznavi sent a horse-mounted army comprising of Awan and Arain from Jalandhar and Anbala under the command of Imam Ali-ul-Haq, an Arain,to capture the rioting town of Sakala near Jammu. Imam captured the town and many people accepted  Islam through him. The town was named Aspalkot which changed to Spalkot and later Sialkot. Imam was martyred in a skirmish and buried in the city. The people who came with him were called Aspal or Spal Arain. This sub-tribe also settled in Gujrat and Wazirabad in boloch in daddar in bolochistan.

Religion

The Arain are overwhelmingly, if not entirely, Muslim. The only specific data found on the subject is from the Joshua Project, which shows them to be 97% Muslim a proportion much greater than the other agricultural castes of the Punjab (the Jats, Gujjars and Rajputs, which are 53%, 55%, and 31% Muslim, respectively).

Blood Group

 A study by the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences on blood types of the major ethnicities in the Punjab showed that O is the most common blood group (among all ethnicities), except among the Arain where B is most common, the difference being statistically significant. Whilst not proof of non-local ancestry, it does illustrate a difference between the Arain and the other castes inhabiting the Punjab. More research would be needed to determine in greater detail the caste’s migratory provenance.

Genetics of Arain Tribe.

Genetic datasets taken from 25 Pakistani Punjabi Arain by Xing et al’s Human genome variation study paints an intriguing picture. Preliminary studies by the Harappa Ancestry Project of the data of the Arain group show an almost identical profile to Sindhi’s (without African admixture), however, there appears to be a little West Asian contribution, indicating any recent descent from an Arab population is unlikely. Interestingly this does back up the idea that Arain and Sindhi groups are related so tales of Arain migration from Sindh to Punjab may hold some truth, as well as the idea that Arain converted to Islam under the rule of Muhammad bin Qasim.

There are some flaws in this data, it is most likely that Arain genetic profiles vary according to the region and economic class of the Arains involved. This is backed up by the observation that Western Punjab Arain often has colored eyes and fairer skin than their Eastern Punjab counterparts. However, since the creation of Pakistan, there has been increased intermarriage between the two groups creating a more complex genetic picture. The ancestral background of the subjects is not stated beyond classing the pro-bands as Arain.

Profession

In canal colonies of Punjab between 1906 –1940. The Arain, all of whom were Muslims, received 86% of the land that was allotted to Muslim agricultural castes and was thus the largest Muslim landholders in Punjab during British rule. The Arain landholders should not be confused with the more gentrified Zamindars such as the feudal Rajput landlords of vast holdings. Polo, partridge shoots and tea parties were therefore not associated attributes. Neither was the more negative and profligate practices such as “dancing girls, drunken evenings listening to poetry, or numerous marriages”.

Shahid Javed Burki (1988) wrote that The British considered the Arain the best cultivators amongst all the castes, and were favored for their “hard work, frugality and sense of discipline”. Subsequent development of towns and cities and increasing urbanization resulted in the value of the land settled by Arain to rise significantly, and Arain families thus flourished. Education was prioritized with the new found wealth and the Arain came to dominate the legal profession amongst urban Punjabi Muslims. Many used law to enter politics.

Arain Tribe as a Martial Race

According to Ishtiyaq Ahmed, political scientist, during the Mughal and Sikh periods Arains held prominent positions, such as governors and army generals and many military title names adopted by the various clans of the community indicate a tradition of military employment. According to him, Shah Abdul Qadir Ludhianvi, was the first in Punjab to take up arms against the English East India Company in 1857. He collected a large fighting force, which included Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, that drove the English out of not only Ludhiana but also Panipat. He then headed to Delhi with his men to support Bahadur Shah Zafar. He fell fighting along with thousands of others at Chandni Chowk in 1857.

In British records Ludhianvi is described as a fiery speaker who exercised considerable influence on the people in that region.  In any event, the British deprived his family of their property and subjected them to other forms of persecution.The Arains in general were branded as a dangerous group, their lands were confiscated and they were excluded from recruitment in the army; hence their classification as a non-martial group. It is important to note however Arain contributions to military service predating and during British rule in India.

Lt. Col. J. M. Wikely 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.” Their lack of classification as a martial race was most probably a consequence of rebellions against British rule. One notable rebellion occurred in the Revolt of 1857 when the Arain led an inter-communal uprising in Ludhiana against the British East India Company.

According to Rajit K. Mazumder (2003), although at first denied entry to the British Indian Army following the events of 1857, in the early 20th century the Arain were classified by the Britisher government in “martial race” classification.

Economic Status of Arain Tribe

The Arains have proven to be industrious and disciplined practitioners. In the present day, they are the largest agricultural community in Pakistan  and moderate agricultural caste in India. During the British period  Arains were the largest land-owning tribe in Punjab and Sindh areas of undivided India. Arains are professional farmers and agriculturists. In villages of Punjab and in India (Bareilly, Pilibhit and Udham singh Nagar) ,  Arains  grow all types of agriculture product from Wheat, Rice, Sugarcane, Cotton, Pulses  etc.

Population concentration Distribution of Arain Tribe.

The Arain were found in a territory stretching from the Chenab in the west to the Sutlej 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. In Punjab, Arains are present in all divisions, districts, and tehsils. In west Punjab they are present in great numbers in Lahore, Faisalabad/Lyallpur, Toba Tek Singh, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Jaranwala, Sargodha, Jhangh, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahimyar Khan, Sahiwal, Multan, etc. All East Punjab Arains are mainly settled in Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Bahawalpur, Multan, Sahiwal districts, speak the same Majha, Doaba accent of Punjabi spoken in east Punjab. Before partition Arains were present in great numbers in east Punjab districts of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Haryana, Ambala, Batala, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur. They were landlord and businessmen and transporters at that time, educated and prosperous.

In India, the Arain populations are present in District Pilibhit, Bareilly, and Rampur of western Uttar Pradesh termed as Rohilkhand along with proportion in district Udham Singh Nagar (Rudrapur) and District Nainital in neighbouring state of Uttarakhand. The ancestors of Arains in Rohilkhand and nearby area migrated from Sirsa and Puhad area of Punjab in 1783 (Chalisa famine).

Villages in Pilibhit District

Starting with Pilibhit District, they are found in the villages of AmariyaBarhepuraBhainsahaDheramDangDhundhariGaibojhHarraypurKarghainaMadhopur,  Nurpur, Patti, TurkaniaSardarnagarSirsi,  Sukatia, and Udaipur. There are also several villages located north of the town of Bisalpur including Khameria, and near Jahanabad.

Villages in Bareilly District

In Bareilly District,they occupied several villages near the town of Baheri like ArsiabojhDayyabojhDhakiaEkgrah, Fardia Gunah Jawahar, GuleriaMundia NabibakhshMundia NasirMundia JageerPipraPaiga, and Suketia.

Villages in Udham Singh Nagar (formerly part of Nainital District)

In Udham Singh Nagar District they are settled in the towns of Kichha , Rudrapur and Sitarganj, and in the villages of BandiaBaroda, Kachhi KhamariaLalpurMalpuraNaugwan, SisaiPipelia, Sirauoli. Nayaganv and Kathangari

Diaspora community

Alison Shaw introduced Arains as one of the largest Muslim Asian communities in Oxford, Huddersfield, Glasgow and Manchester in United Kingdom. Ward and Jenkins referred Arains as one of the earliest immigrants in United Kingdom. The community is also scattered in some gulf countries, in some European countries as well as in Canada and U.S.A.