Monday, January 3, 2011

ORIGIN OF MEMONS



  The Memon Community is basically a peace loving, business community. A community which has a history as magnificent as the present and as promising future as can be (inshaAllah). The origin of Memon community is obsecure. There are many interesting stories about the origins of this community. Some say that in the 15th century about 700 families from the Lohana caste converted to Islam at Nagar, Thatha on the hands of Pir Yusufuddin. The converts were first called Momins or Mumins and the term, with the march of time, changed to Memons. This was also stated by Hussain Kassim Dada from his Presidential Chail at the first ever All India Memon Conference in Rajkot in the year 1931. Some say that they converted to Islam at Mansura during the reign of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA). British historian Richard Burton wrote that they embraced Islam in Kutch. Some say that they did so during the period of Muhamad bin Qasim and that the “me” in the word “memon” stands for business and “mon” for diamonds. Some historians claim that the people belonging to the Banu Tamim tribe in Memna later settled in Thatta and were known as Memons. Some hold that the Halai Memons, left Hala district of Sindh for economic reasons and spread out to other parts of the world. Okhai Memons belonging to Okha port spread out to various parts of the world in search of bussiness in their ships and boats.That was perhaps the reasons why some historians used the phrae “sailor businessmen” for Memons.
Okha port
Most members of the Memon community in the Indo-Pak subcontinent lived in Sindh, Gujarat and Kathiawar. They were known as Sindhi Memon, Gujarati Memon and Kathiawari Memon, respectively. Those living in Kenya are known as Nasarpuria Memon.

Memon community can be divided in three main groups. Those who traced their ancestors from Kutch region are identified as Kutchi Memon and they speak Kutchi dialects. Those who traced their ancestry to Kathiawar are identified as simply Memon or Kathiawadi Memons or Halai Memons and they speak the Memon language. Those Memon who remained in Sindh (their ancestor never migrated to neighboring regions such as Kutch and Kathiawar) are identified as Sindhi Memon and speak the Sindhi language. Many Memons, especially Kathiawadi Memons, further distinguished themselves into various sub-groups which generally refer to their ancestral villages or towns such as Kutyana Memons, originated from Kutyana in Junahgarh (now India). Bantva Memons, Jutpur Memons, Dhoraji Memons, Rajkot Memons with other 18 Jamaats are now collectively called Halari Memon which is the largest Jamaat of memons in Pakistan, Bombaywala Memon (whose ancestors used to live in the main city of Bombay and its suburbs) and Deeplai Memon. It is estimated that the number of Kathiawadi Memon, other than Kutchi and Sindhi Memon, worldwide are over one million.
All of these sub-groups or Jamaats have their central organization which are generally established for the social welfare of its members and development of the society which may include issuance of marriage license, matrimonial dispute resolution, adaptation and enforcement of the rules and guidelines against certain undesirable customs, establish healthcare and education centers, provides various facilities for the community need and also financial support and housing for the poor and needy members and sometime non-members.
Some famous organizations, welfare associations or Jamaats of the Memon community which generally refer to their ancestral town are:
  • Amreli
  • Bantva,Bagasra
  • Bombay
  • Dhoraji
  • Deeplai
  • Gondal
  • Halari Memon
  • Jetpur
  • Jamnagar Memon Jamaat
  • Kutiyana
  • Kathiawar
  • Ladhubhai
  • Morbi-Tankara Memon Association also called M.T.M.A
  • Nasserpuria Memon Jamaat - Kenya
  • Okhai
  • Porbandar
  • Rajkot
  • Sourashtra
  • Tharti
  • Upleta
  • Vanthli
  • Vasawad
  • Walakh
 Memons are by nature generous, kind-hearted and charitable people. Not only do they support their less fortunate Jamaat fellows and community members by monthly maintenance allowances, scholarships and other necessities but also help humanity at large by establishing hospitals, maternity homes, orphanages, schools, colleges, industrial homes and other humanitarian activities, whose benefits are traditionally open for all persons without distinction of caste, color or creed. All large nation-wide funds start with the donations of Memons and generally they are among the topmost donors.
Wherever the Memons have settled they first built a mosque and schools and if in considerable numbers, also established a Jamaat. Many mosques built by Memons have become outstanding architectural landmarks of their particular cities. Such mosques include Zakaria Masjid of Calcutta, Minara Masjid of Bombay. New Memon Masjid of Karachi and Bitul Muqarram Masjid of Dacca. Memons have also built large mosques in the countries spread from Japan to South Africa. The Jama Masjid of Durban built by the Memons, is the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere.
Kharadar, Karachi
Upon getting to know them better, one soon realizes that they are soft-spoken, amicable, kind and very patriotic. It would take a thick volume to describe all their services to the humanity and our country. Suffice it to say that whatever they have done for the economic, social welfare of Pakistanis since its creation is highly praiseworthy and to be proud of. Ordinary people connect the word “Memon” only with trade, but their services in other fields have been exemplary. After partition , they set up a number of important industrial units in East Pakistan: Bawa Jute Mills, Adamji Jute Mills, Adamji Tea Gardens, Karnafuli Paper Mills, Karnafuli Jute Mills, Dawood Rayon Mills and Chemical Factories, to name but a few.
After the seperation of East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) many of them lost everything. However, they did not give up and concentrated all their efforts in building up the industrial infrastructure in (West) Pakistan. We are all familiar with names like Adamji, Pakola, Dawood, Fecto, Al-Noor, Dada, Hussain, Dadabhoy, Abdullah, Jaffer, Bawany, Machiara, Tabani, and many more.
According to available data, there are about 1-1/2 million Memons outside Pakistan. There are about 600,000 in Pakistan, about 700,000 in India, about 13,000 in America and about 25,000 in England.
It is debatable why a small community produced so many magnificient characters,but the number of highly successful people in this community is unmatched  to any other community big or small. Some famous Memons, past and present, are Haji Sir Abdullah Haroon, Haji Abdul Sattar, Seth Adamji, Haji Dawood, Haji Abdul Ghani Beg Mohammad Bawani, Usman Isa Bhai Vakil, Haji Dada Wali Mohammad Modi, Ahmad E H Jafar, Yusuf Haroon, Mahmood Haroon, Ashraf Wali Mohammad Tabani, Zain Noorani, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Alhaj Zakaria Kamdar, Haji Hanif Tayyab, Kassim Parekh, Abdullah J Memon, Ghulam Ali Memon, Ahmad Dawood, Hussain Dawood, Abdul Qadir Lakhani, Aqil Karim Dhedhi, Razzaq Balwani, Aziz Tabba, Abdul Razzaq Thalpawala, Hussain Lawai, Amin Ghaziani, Justice A Hafeez Memon, Justice Rahim Bux Memon, Justice M Bachal Memon, Justice Rahim Bux Munshi, Ghulam Mohammad. Adamji Fecto, Ahmad Ibrahim Wali Mohammad Bawani, Haji Ilyas Memon, Hussain Ibrahim, Latif Ibrahim Jamal, M Ibrahim Tabani, Yaqub Tabani, Usman Salman, Haji Abdul Razzaq, Amin Lakhani and many more.

33 comments:

Unknown said...

great

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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Humera said...

Thank you for generating iinfo about the memons. I have learned a lot from this website

Altaf Kalmserwala said...

May Allah gives more financial support to memons for serving humanity irrespect of religion ,cast,etc etc.

Unknown said...

Masha'Allah
good knowledge about memon community & their generousity
kudos to whoever has collected information

Unknown said...

You have not mentioned some very big names such as M A Rangoon wala Haji Umer Ahmed Matches wala Haji Ali Mohamad Teli

Shehnaz said...

You also forgot to mention haji kasam Aagboatwala, who charities , orphanage , hospitals and schools throughout Bombay India.

Unknown said...

There is not a mention of great Kutchi Memons like Seth Zakaria Noorani,Seth Haji Ismail Haji Habib (DadaSeth), Cummoo Jaffer Suleman, Sobhani Seth to name a few whose contribution to memon community and society at large is worth mentioning

Unknown said...

Thanks for for upgrading more knowledge about our memon community from:- Ismail memon, Mandvi Kutch

Shafik Ismail said...

I just like Aknie'

Anonymous said...

Thanks. Good info about memons. Salaams from a memin in turkey

Anonymous said...

Nice information about memon community, keep it up!! Must Remember also Late Osman Hasan Poonawala has served specially Kutchi memon community with his health and wealth , after the seperation time

Tufail said...

Thanks for appraising us about our origin and culture...

Abdulrauf Sivany said...

Very informative details on Memons. I would recommend that a book should be published under the supervision of World Memon Organization with the support of all chapters spreaded around the globe. This book will help understand the history of Memons by our new genetations. JazakAllah.. Abdulrauf Sivany

Moin Ali said...

Memons are located all over the world. Nice blog about this small but great community. More about Memon people's - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memon_people

Unknown said...

Very knowledgeable information about memons history it is necessary for us to know what really we are and from where we was made....Thanks for aknowledging me..
Regards..
Mustufa Akbani.

Unknown said...

Who will mention the name of Haji Saboo Siddique

Unknown said...

Please add Peermohammad Diwan who initiated the Memon Medical Institute, and Gatron Potyester with his partners The Bilwanis.

Unknown said...

Memons are Memon even some of the big Seth’s names not included but all will remained in high ranking status In sha Allah in the books of Allah swt for serving suffering, needy communities irrespective of their cast, color, religion, faith, nationality, gender etc.
Memons are spreaded all over the World and serving humanity in various capacity all over.
Memons are by nature, humble, submissive, honest, business minded and helping hands in terms of physical, financial, social and community services. Needless to mention that majority of Memon like to remain anonymous while participating in financial supports and donations in a big way. Keep it up Memons.
Find the best but don’t ignore the rest. It’s Memon nature.

Unknown said...

Memons are loving

Unknown said...

MERA PEER GHOUSPAAK PEOPLE FORGOT HIM OLD PEOPLE USED TO SAY GHOUSPAAK JO WASELO.TODAY THE PEOPLE SAYS ITS SHIRK....

Unknown said...

IN MUMBAI MANY MEMONS ARE SUFFERING WITHOUT JOB

Unknown said...

MasaAllah great

Unknown said...

MasaAllah great

Unknown said...

Yes my grand mother too would say "GAUS PAAK jo vasilo " which was very helpful and this blessing w always gave success and saved from calamities.Memons then we're ruling the world. So we should continue in the same manner which will give us continued success aameen salaam HajiKarim Lakhany Colombo

Unknown said...

Yes, there should be a book and documentary with pictures of our great community peoples and places of origin and of Educational and hospital buildings, so that people of Pakistan and the world knows about the contribution of Memon Community, not in business but in the field of Social human welfare. As memon community is contributing most. We are the peaceful people. Our ancestors have done much now its our time to help and support the community under one Umbrella without division and differences.Because we can do the best. Memon Community Zindabad. Long live Pakistan.

Anonymous said...

We are from Bangalore and our jamath was registered in 1940 ..Our Jamath Khana is world class we belive in maintaining our origanality

Anonymous said...

MaShAllah .. may the goodness continue .. with guidance from Al-Quran & Rahmah from Al-Wadood, Ar-Razaw Al-Baseet .. in Oneness & kindness we find success.

Faizel Katkodia said...

" Ar-Razaq

Ariff Cassim Washington DC USA 🇺🇸 said...

Very informative article it has enlightened me lot more than I had previously been informed before. May Allah Ta’ala continue to Bless the Memon community. Aameen

Anonymous said...

Proud to be a memon. May Allah SWT bless us all .Ameen suma Ameen

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