Zikrism

Zikrism (also Zikriyya)<ref name=Boyajian-Sureniants-notes/><ref name=":2"/> is a Mahdist minority Muslim group or sect found primarily in the Balochistan region of western Pakistan. The name Zikri comes from the Arabic word Dhikr.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Like Shia and Sunni Muslims, Zikri revere the Quran. However, they follow different prayer practices and believe the Mahdi (the messiah figure and final leader in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice) has already come.

They already suffered sectarian attacks before the founding of Pakistan and more recent attacks and insecurity episodes have led some of them to migrate from Balochistan to other cities of Pakistan.<ref name="Baloch-2015">Template:Cite book quoted in Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Baloch-Responsible-2014" />

Their population is estimated to be somewhere between 500,000 and 800,000 individuals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Origins and beliefs

The Zikri faith developed in Makran in the late 16th-century.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref>

Zikris believe in a Mahdi figure known as Nur Pak, or "Pure Light." Zikris believe Nur Pak walked the earth before Adam and will return at the end of days to restore true Islam which has been perverted by the Sunnis.<ref name=Ahmed-tribal >Template:Cite book</ref> Some Zikris believe the founder of their sect to be a certain Mullah Attocki, who came from Attock in Punjab and propagated the faith in Makran, although others dispute it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to Stephen Blake, an Afghan named Mulla Muhammad declared himself Mahdi and formed the Zikri movement which faced persecution from the Mughal authorities.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> By the 18th-century, Zikrism virtually achieved the status of state religion in Southern Balochistan.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite book</ref>

A number of sources talk about how Sayyid Muhammad Jaunpuri is believed to be or thought to be by some, the founder of Zikrism.Template:Notetag According to at least two scholars (Robert Benkin and Sabir Badalkhan), this cannot be true. Benkin writes that outside observers have claimed the Mahdi figure of the Balochi Zikris was Muhammad Jaunpuri, but Balochi Zikris deny that Muhammad Jaunpuri visited Balochistan and insist their Mahdi is a different figure from a later period. Zikris believe Nur Pak was born in 977 AH, or between 1569 and 1570 AD.<ref name=":1" /><ref>See Badalkhan, "Zikri Dilemmas" (2008), page 299, note 299: Cf. the manuscripts Sayl-iˇ iah¯ an¯ı and Angab¯ın 1725; UMRANI BALOCH 1986:103; HOSHANG 1991:26; DURRAZAI 2003:18; 2005:6. The author of Itti˙h¯ ad-i nawˇi aw¯ an¯ an-i Zikr¯ı II:4 quotes several sources, some of them poems composed by the companions of the Mahdi and some poems composed by thesecond generation of his followers. All give 977/1569 as the birth date of the Mahdi. Among them is a poem composed by a companion of the Mahdi, Mir Abdullah Jangi, which records his travels, and the manuscripts Durr-i wuˇ i¯ ud (completed in 1107/1696) by Shaikh Mohammad Durfishan, grandson of Mir Abdullah Jangi; also Durr-i ˙sadaf (completed in 1182/1769) by Qazi Brahem Kashani, and several others. I have consulted http://www.islamsa.org.za/calendar/converter.htm Template:Webarchive to convert Hijri dates to Gregorian.</ref>

According to Sabir Badalkhan, the vast majority of Zikris, including their most influential leaders, reject the notion their Mahdi was Muhammad Jaunpuri, pointing to the different birth dates and deaths of Jaunpuri and their Mahdi, and that all Zikri sources record the Zikri Mahdi having died in Kech.<ref name="SBZDBaO2008:299">Badalkhan, "Zikri Dilemmas", 2008: p. 299.</ref> They state their ancestors have never heard of Jaunpuri, and that there are no relations between Zikri and Mahdavi communities, and that their beliefs and practices are distinct.<ref name=":2" />

Practices

Zikris make a pilgrimage (Ziyarat) to Koh-e-Murad, "Mountain of Desire" in Balochi, on the 27th of Ramadan in commemoration of their Mahdi. They observe this day as a sacred holiday.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> The descendants of the original believers of the Mahdi continue to lead the Zikri community and are known as Murshids. Zikris refer to them as Waja as a form of respect.<ref name=":0" /> Early that morning, Zikris observe Shab-e-Qadr, the commemoration of Muhammad receiving his first revelation from the Angel Gabriel.<ref name=":0" />

Zikris observe daily prayers called Zikr in place of Salah, the daily prayers of other Muslims. There are five daily Zikrs. Three prayers are obligatory and performed in group orally. Two are silent and generally performed only by older and more devout Zikris. Women perform only the spoken Zikrs.<ref name=":2" /> The five prayers are known as Gwarbamay, Nemrochay, Rochzarday, Sarshapay, and Nemhangamay.<ref name=":2" /> Rochzarday and Nemhangamay may be performed individually, with all others being said in a group.<ref name=":2" />

Zikri places of worship are called Zikr Khanas or Zigrāna (Template:Lit). Zikris gather at three times a day at Zikr Khanas and perform a special prayer in a square formation with the leader in the middle. This prayer consists of formulae in Persian and Balochi, Quranic verses, and the repetition of God's name while standing, sitting, and prostrating. Zikri worshippers wear white or light-colored clothing, wash before participating, and cover their head with a scarf or handkerchief called a rumal. Non-Zikris are forbidden to attend Zikri worship services at the Zikr Khana. Zikr Khanas were often built on Astanas, places deemed holy by the Zikri community. This could be a place a Murshid meditated or the former home of a community leader.<ref name=":0" /> Unlike Mosques, Zikr Khanas have no Mihrab (there is no need to mark the direction of prayer because God is everywhere), nor Minarets.<ref name="SBZDBaO2008:301">Badalkhan, "Zikri Dilemmas", 2008: p. 301.</ref>

Contrary to some popular beliefs, Zikri do not have a different holy book than the Quran or in addition to the Quran. According to Sabir Badalkhan, they keep copies of the Quran ("printed by Sunni Muslim printing presses in major Pakistan cities") in Zikr Khanas on shelves or in niches, "usually wrapped in clean costly cloth" and are treated with customary reverence, being kissed by Zikris after recitation of a verse.<ref name=":2" />

On special occasions, Zikris observe Chaugan, songs of praise for Muhammad, the Mahdi, Turbat and Koh-i-Murad, accompanied by ritual dance-like movements. Members stay up all night performing devotions. A female reciter known as the Shehr stands in the middle of the formation reciting devotions to which the male group calls back.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

Chaugans are sung in celebration of religious events such as the 27th of Ramadan, Shab-i-Barat (the 15th day of Sha'ban), and Eid al-Adha. Zikris believe the fourteenth day of the lunar month, if it falls on a Friday, to be auspicious, and may perform the Chaugan then.<ref name=":2" />

Persecution

Zikris have faced persecution from other Muslims for their beliefs.

Zikris faced persecution in the eighteenth century under the rule of Mir Nasir Khan the Great, the Sunni Muslim ruler of the Khanate of Kalat.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite book</ref> Their religious and historical records were destroyed and surviving information was carried on by oral tradition and non-Zikri writings.<ref name="Baloch-2015" /> Nasir Khan waged a war to convert Zikris to Sunni Islam, killing 35,000 Zikris, in a period known as the Zikri-Namazi war.<ref name="dawn-attack">Template:Cite news</ref> Sunni Islam became the dominant religion in Balochistan with modern Zikris living in more remote areas.<ref name=":6" />

In the 1930s, in Iranian Makran, an extremist called Qazi Abdullah Sarbazi declared jihad against Zikris, "which resulted in a major massacre" and the driving out of Zikri from that area.<ref>Zand Moqaddam 1991: Hekayat-e Baluc I. Tehran: Karun 1370 h.s. quoted in Badalkhan, "Zikri Dilemmas" (2008), pp. 294-5.</ref> Also in that era, "hundreds of other Zikris were killed" in periodic pogroms by "fanatic Sunnis at the instigation" of their religious leaders in the areas of Farod, Baftan and Kishkaur (in Balochistan), according to Abdul Ghani Baloch.<ref>Quote is from Badalkhan, "Zikri Dilemmas" 2008, pp. 294-5. Source of his description is Abdul Ghani Baloch (Abdul Gani Baloc) Zikri Firqa ki Tarikh, Karachi 1996.</ref>

After the establishment of Pakistan, Sunni Muslims attacked Zikris and subjected them to forced conversions. With the general rise of Islamic extremism and jihadism in the region since the 1980s, Zikris have been discriminated against, targeted, and killed by Sunni militants in Pakistan.<ref name="dnaindia.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Epaper">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="The Shia Post">Template:Cite web</ref> Under the military government of Zia-ul-Haqq, Sunnis sought to have Zikris declared as non-Muslims.<ref name=":5" /> In the 1990s, Zikris were harassed, and protestors called for the destruction of their shrines.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref>

The persecution of Zikris by Sunni militants as of 2014 has been part of the larger backlash against religious minorities in Pakistani Balochistan, targeting Hindus, Hazaras, Shias, and Zikris, resulting in the migration of over 300,000 Shias, Zikris, and Hindus from Pakistani Balochistan.<ref name=":5" /> The militant groups Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Pakistani Taliban were responsible for persecutions.<ref name="Epaper" /><ref name="The Shia Post" />

During the 1990s, there was a movement among Sunnis to declare Zikris non-Muslim, and a campaign was mounted against their annual congregation at Koh-i-Murad in Turbat. This was accompanied by demonstrations calling for the destruction of the Zikri Baitullah (House of God), and members of the sect were subjected to violence and harassment.<ref name="IRBC-1999">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="UNHCR May 1998, 22">UNHCR. May 1998. Background Paper on Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Pakistan. 22</ref><ref name="ECOSOC 2 Jan. 1996, #46">Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), United Nations. 2 January 1996. Implementation Of The Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief: Report submitted by Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur, in accordance with Commission on Human Rights resolution 1995/23. Addendum. Visit by the Special Rapporteur to Pakistan. [Accessed 6 Dec. 1999], #46.</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref>

An attack occurred August 29, 2014, on a shrine in the Awaran district of Pakistan. Gunmen killed at least six Zikris and wounded seven others.<ref name="Aljazeera-2014">Template:Cite news</ref> On October 7, 2016, a gunman shot a Zikri religious leader dead in the Kech district of Balochistan.<ref name="Kech-shot-2016">Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2017, two Zikri pilgrims were killed and two were wounded when a bomb detonated in the Kamp Tal area of Pangjur, Balochistan.<ref name="Remote-controlle">Template:Cite news</ref>

Population

The Makran Division of Pakistani Balochistan.

The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in 2004 stated that there were approximately 200,000 Zikris.<ref name="ReligiousFreedom2004" /> Victoria Williams estimates the number of Zikris at 800,000<ref name=":4" /> and Sabir Badalkhan at around 600,000 to 700,000.<ref name="SBZDBaO2008:293">Badalkhan, "Zikri Dilemmas", 2008: p. 293.</ref>

Zikris live primarily in Pakistani Balochistan, concentrated in the southern coast of Makran, the Lasbela District, and Quetta.<ref name=":2" /> They are a majority in the Gwadar District of Makran in Balochistan.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="ReligiousFreedom2004">Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Annual Report on International Religious Freedom (2004), p. 656.</ref> There are sizable communities of Zikris in Pakistan's Sindh province and Karachi,<ref name=":2" /> especially in the economically disadvantaged Lyari Town.Template:Citation needed While Zikris also historically lived in the province of Iranian Balochistan, almost all of them left for Pakistani Balochistan in the last decades of the 20th century.<ref name=Boyajian-Sureniants-notes>Template:Cite journal</ref> Some Zikris have migrated from Pakistan to the peninsula of the Arabian Gulf where most live in the Sultanate of Oman.<ref name=SBZDBaO2008:293/>

Persecution has driven hundreds of Zikri and other minorities from Balochistan to safer cities in Pakistan like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.<ref name="Baloch-Responsible-2014">Template:Cite news</ref>

Pakistani Balochistan has a population of people of African descent from slavery.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In the Makran region, many of these Afro-Balochi's follow the Zikri sect.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Bibliography

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• Template:Cite book At Anna's Archive.

Further reading

• Azhar Munīr, I. A. Rehman. Zikris in the Light of History and Their Religious Beliefs, Izharsons, 1998.