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. The word Khoja is a phonetic corruption of the word Khawaja, an Arabic/Persian title(Arabic: خواج). The people are sometimes referred to as Persian Lords because of this lordship. A sect is generally a small religious or political group that has branched off from a larger established group. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... Twelvers or the Ithna Asharia are members of the group of Shias who believe in twelve Imams. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... The IsmāīlÄ« (Arabic: الإسماعيليون; Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmailiyan) are shia muslims which recognize the continuation of the line of imams from the descendents Imam Ismail, rather than the concept of the hidden Imam Mahdi, which is advoacted by other shia muslims and has arisen among the followers of Ismails brother... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Hanafi (Arabic: حنفى ) is one of the four schools (madhabs) of jurisprudence (Fiqh) or religious law within Sunni Islam. ... South Asia or Southern Asia is a southern geopolitical region of the Asian continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the Indian subcontinent. ...  Eastern Africa (UN subregion)  East African Community  Central African Federation (defunct)  geographic, including above East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. ... The phrase Zaban-e Urdu-e Mualla written in Urdu Urdu () is an Indo-European language of the Indo-Aryan family that developed under Persian, Turkish, and Arabic influence in South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire (1200-1800). ... Sindhi (سنڌي، सिन्धी sindhÄ«) is the language of the Sindh region of South Asia, which is now a province of Pakistan. ... {{Infobox Language |name=Gujarati |nativename=ગુજરાતી GujarātÄ« |region[[Pakistan|speakers=1 million |rank=122 |familycolor=Indo-European |fam2=Indo-Iranian |fam3=Indo-Aryan |fam4=Western Indo-Aryan |script=Gujarati script |nation=Gujarat |agency=Language Academy |iso1=gu|iso2=guj|iso3=guj |notice=Indic}} Gujarati (ગુજરાતી GujarātÄ«) is an Indo-European... The Kutchi language (also spelled Kachchi) is an Indo-Aryan Language spoken in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat, with about 866,000 speakers. ... Islam(Arabic: ; ) is a monotheistic religion based on the Quran. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The phrase Zaban-e Urdu-e Mualla written in Urdu Urdu () is an Indo-European language of the Indo-Aryan family that developed under Persian, Turkish, and Arabic influence in South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire (1200-1800). ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish:Müslüman, Persian:مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... South Asia or Southern Asia is a southern geopolitical region of the Asian continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the Indian subcontinent. ... Khawaja or Khwaja (Arabic: خواجہ ) is a Muslim title used in Middle East and South Asia. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Persian may refer to more than one article: the Western name for Iranian (see Iran/Persia naming controversy) Persian, an Iranian language the Persians, an ethnic group a Persian, a breed of cat Persian, a Pokémon character Etymology English Persian < Old English, < Latin *Persianus, < Latin Persia, < ancient Greek Persis... The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ...

In Pakistan, Khojas are concentrated in the province of Sindh and especially in the city of Karachi. In India, most Khojas live in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the city of Hyderabad. Many Khojas have migrated and settled over the centuries in East Africa, Europe and North America. Sindh (Sind) (Sindhi: سنڌ ;Urdu: سندھ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and is home to the Sindhis, Muhajirs and various other groups. ... Karachi (Urdu: كراچى, Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the capital of the province of Sindh, and the most populated city in Pakistan. ... Gujarat (Gujarati: , Hindi: ,, IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes Gujarath). ... Maharashtra (Devanagari: महाराष्ट्र, literally: Great Nation)( (help· info)) is Indias third largest state in terms of area and second largest in terms of population after Uttar Pradesh. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... Hyderabad or Haydarābād (Telugu:హైదరాబాదు Urdu:حیدر آباد, Hindi:हैदराबाद) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. ...  Eastern Africa (UN subregion)  East African Community  Central African Federation (defunct)  geographic, including above East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

Origins

Note that all Khojas can be told apart from others in the area due their physical traits and facial features as they are descendants of a warrior/meat eating nomad people.

Nizari Ismaili Khojas

About six hundred years ago, the Persian-born Pir Sadruddin arrived in Sindh. There are a number of myths about his origins. The most common consensus among historians is that he was the Dai (representative or emissary) of the Nizari branch of the Ismaili sect. This article is about the group of peoples who speak Iranian languages. ... Pir Sadardin was a fourteenth century spiritual leader and is regarded as the founder of Khoja Ismaili. ... Dai or DAI can mean: Distributed artificial intelligence, a subfield of artificial intelligence Dai people, one of the 56 recognized ethnic minorities of China Diffuse axonal injury, a type of traumatic brain injury Do As Infinity, a Japanese band State of Dai was a Xianbei state during the Sixteen Kingdoms... A sub-sect of the Sevener Shia Muslim Ismaili sect. ... The Ismāīlī (Arabic: الإسماعيليون; Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmailiyan) are shia muslims which recognize the continuation of the line of imams from the descendents Imam Ismail, rather than the concept of the hidden Imam Mahdi, which is advoacted by other shia muslims and has arisen among the followers of Ismails brother...

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 which consisted of secrecy and pride. It is a very mysterious religion, and little to none is known about it. ...

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". Persian is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ...

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. By this time, the Khojas had spread all over Gujarat. Some had also moved to Bombay and Muscat. They paid their dues to the Ismaili Jamaat-khana and lived quite harmoniously within their society. 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. Aga Khan I (1800-1881), was the title accorded by general consent to Hasan Ali Shah (born in Persia, 1800), when, in early life, he first settled in Bombay under the protection of the British government. ... South Asia or Southern Asia is a southern geopolitical region of the Asian continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the Indian subcontinent. ... This article or section should be merged with Mumbai Mumbai (previously known as Bombay) is the worlds most populous conurbation, and is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world. ... Classification City Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said Area 3,500 km² [1] Population  - Total (2005)  - Density  - Oman calculated rank 646,024 [2] 184. ... A jamaat-khana (or jamaatkhana, jamaat khana; Arabo-Persian: community-house) is an Ismaili place of prayer. ...

Sunni Hanafi Khojas

With the arrival of the Aga Khan I in South Asia, greater control was exercised by the Aga Khan in the affairs of the community. This led to certain groups dissenting and being ousted from the Jamaat-khana. The most celebrated one was the case of the Bar Bhaya where an influential family by the name of Habib Ibrahim refused to accept the dictate (firman) by the Aga Khan that all the property that belonged to the Jamaat would now vest in the Aga Khan. Eventually this group was out-casted and influenced by Sunni missionaries eventually to become Sunni Hanafis . Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Hanafi (Arabic: حنفى ) is one of the four schools (madhabs) of jurisprudence (Fiqh) or religious law within Sunni Islam. ...

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. During their discussions they realised that there was a need for a teacher to come to South Asia to teach the community Islam. 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. Ziyarat is a pilgrimage to sites associated with the prophet Muhammad, his companions, or other venerated figures in Islamic history, such as Shia imams or Sufi saints. ... Najaf (Arabic: ) is a city in Iraq, about 160 km south of Baghdad, located at 31. ... ijtihad is a technical term of the Islamic law and means the process of making a legal decision by independent interpretation of the sources of the law, the Quran and the Sunna. ... Shaikh, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Sheikh (Arabic: شيخ), is a word in the Arabic language meaning elder of a tribe, lord, revered old man, or Islamic scholar. ... Islam(Arabic: ; ) is a monotheistic religion based on the Quran. ... See also Akhoond, alternate title for such an individual Shaykh Categories: | | | | | ... Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... Twelvers or the Ithna Asharia are members of the group of Shias who believe in twelve Imams. ...

From these few families, the community has now grown to well over 100,000 Khoja Shia Ithna-asheris. The overall number is still very small when considering that there are an estimated 60-90 million Shia Ithna-asheris in the world today. The Ismaili Khojas number over 270 thousand and there is a group of Sunni Hanafi Khojas. Twelvers or the Ithna Asharia are members of the group of Shias who believe in twelve Imams. ... Twelvers or the Ithna Asharia are members of the group of Shias who believe in twelve Imams. ...

Khwajah Hindu Mystics

These Khojas of Kutch follow a secret faith system which is apparently Hinduism, although it is very different from the conventional practices of the religion. Almost nothing is known about these people. However, they are of the same Khwajah Persian Lordship. Most of these people have moved out of Kutch and slightly farther away to commercial areas such as Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai and Rajasthan. Many have also gone to East Africa, North America, and Europe. Kutch (Kuchchh) District, State of Gujarat Kutch (also spelled Cutch, Kachh, Kachch and even Kachchh) is a district of Gujarat state in western India. ... Hinduism {Sanskrit/Hindi - Hindū Dharma, also known as Sanātana (eternal) Dharma and Vaidika (of the Vedas) Dharma} is the religion based on the Vedas as well as other traditional scriptures and beliefs. ... Vadodara (Marathi बडोदा), , also known as Baroda, is the third-most populated town in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Surat, and is one of four towns in the state with a population of over 1 million, the other being Rajkot. ... Ahmedabad (Gujarati: અમદાવાદ) or Ahmadābād is the largest city in Gujarat and the 7th largest city in India, with a population of more than 5. ... Surat (Gujarati:સુરત) is a port city in the Indian state of Gujarat and administrative headquarters of the Surat District. ... Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई) (pronounced ), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006)[1]. Mumbai is located on Salsette Island, off the west coast of Maharashtra. ... Rajasthan (राजस्थान) is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ...

They follow the same principles and beliefs of the Imams and have their own version of the Jamat Khana.

These Khojas share surnames such as Thakker, Patel, or Khoja/Khwajah with some Hindu communities of the region. It has been suggested that Patidar be merged into this article or section. ...

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. There were young Khojas amongst these early sailors and some of them stayed behind in East Africa and exploited opportunities in commerce and trade. South Asia or Southern Asia is a southern geopolitical region of the Asian continent comprising territories on and in proximity to the Indian subcontinent. ...  Eastern Africa (UN subregion)  East African Community  Central African Federation (defunct)  geographic, including above East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ... Monsoon in the Vindhya, a mountain chain in central India A monsoon is a (wind) pattern that reverses direction on a seasonal basis. ...

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 Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ...

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 is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... A Hussainia (Arabic: حسينية Persian: Hosseiniyeh) is a congregation hall for Shia ritual ceremonies, especially those associated with the Festival of Muharram. ... A Madrasah complex in Gambia Ulugh Beg Madrasa, Samarkand, ca. ...

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. Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ... The Golden rule, also known as the British Rule means that words to be taken in their ordinary sense. ...

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.

Beyond Africa

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

See also

• Aga Khan
• Ismaili
• Ithna 'ashariyah
• Hanafi
• Khoja (clan)
• Panjwani
• Bhojani