Memon

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Memon (Gujarati: મેમણ; Sindhi: ميمڻ; Hindi: मेमन; Urdu: میمن) a minority social group primarily connected with the Indian sub-continent trace their roots largely to Sindh, Kutch and Kathiawar.[1] Much of them adhere to Hanafi Sunni Islam although some belong to the Shafi school . Adherents of the Maliki and Hanbali schools are very rarely seen in the Memon community. Many Memon are businesspeople and entrepreneurs. They share a common tongue, which is a mixture of Sindhi and Kutchi. Many belong to the local and well-organized societies called "Jamat" (which literally means congregation), for the social welfare of their brethren. They have built vast business legacies and most Memons around the world belong to the middle-upper class.

Memon community may be divided into 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 Hali Memons and they speak Memoni. 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 Sindhi language.

Many Memon, especially Kathiawadi Memon, further distinguished themselves into various sub-groups which generally refer to their ancestral villages or towns such as Bantva Memons, Jutpur Memons and Deeplai Memon. It is estimated that the number of Kathiawadi Memon, other than Kutchi and Sindhi Memon, worldwide are over one million.[2]

Contents

A number of theories have been proposed about the origins of the Memon community. These theories, although similar, differ in their details. This could be due to the fact that Memons have had to rely on oral history in order to determine their origins.[1]

According to Dadani, Memon community came into existence in 824 Hijri (1422 CE) when 700 families comprising of 6,178 persons belonging to the Lohana community of Sindh accepted Islam.[3]

According to Anthovan, those Lohanas of Thhato, who had also converted to Islam and became Memons, were invited by Jarejho Roa Khanghar, ruler of Bhuj (1548-1584) to settle in Bhuj. It is from there that Katchi Memons migrated to Kathiawar and Gujarat. Surat in Gujarat was an important trading center during 1580 to 1680 and Memons made their bounty there. Later, the Memons reached Bombay.[4] Diwan Bherumal M. Advani writes that all the Memons of Bombay, Gujarat and Kutch are Lohanas from Sindh. (A volume written by Mr. Anthovan, part 2, pages 52 and 53).[4]

Another theory states that Memons originated in 1422 CE from Thatta in Sindh. The converts were first called Momins or Mumins and the term, with the march of time, changed to Memons.[5] The story related therein states that some 700 Lohana families, (inclusive, perhaps of some earlier covert and neo-Muslim converts) comprising of some 6178 individuals, accepted Islam at the hands of one Sayed Yusuffuddin Quadri R.A. and finding themselves banished by their erstwhile Hindu brothers were forced to migrate.[1] 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.

Memons speak a non-written dialect called Memoni, a mixture of Sindhi and Kutchi which belongs to the Indic North-Western Zone family of languages. While the Sindhi and Kutchi languages are spoken by both Muslims and non-Muslims, Memoni refers exclusively to the vernacular of the Kathiawadi Memons who are Sunni (Hanafi) Muslims that migrated from Sindh to the neighbouring regions of Kutch and Kathiawar in Gujarat several centuries ago [6]. In stress, intonation, and everyday speech, Memoni is very similar to Sindhi, but it borrows vocabulary extensively from Gujarati, Hindustani and lately English. Like most languages of the Indian subcontinent the sentence structure of Memoni generally follows subject -> object -> verb order.

The following are some common well organized societies or welfare associations called Jamaat (Gujarāti script: જમાત ) of the Kathiawadi Memons community which is generally reference to their ancestral village or town in Kathiawar, Gujarat, India

A Jamaat generally means a congregation of people of the same community who come together to celebrate various functions in order to preserve their culture and language in this increasingly globalized world.

There are also Memons called Tharadi Memon mainly located in North Gujarat. Main Jamaat Himmatnagar, Idar etc.. There are Memons coming from various towns in Gujarat, like Lalpuria Memons, Upleta Memons and Sardargarh Memons who have their own Jamaats.

Memons migrated from Sindh to Kutch, and latter to Kathiawar (Kathiawad) and other part of Gujarat. Memons spread throughout the Indian Ocean basin in the 19th century, but most Memons lived in Kathiawar, prior to the Partition of India. Many later settled in Pakistan. Today, they are scattered throughout India and Pakistan, with significant communities in the United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya and Burma.

Memons are known for their involvement in business and philanthropy, with Memons having played a major part in the building of Pakistani industry, an increasing number of Memons are turning to professional occupations.[7]

Owing to their tradition of management and attention to detail, Memons are a prosperous community. You will usually find them owning convenience stores, gas stations, Subway sandwich stores, dollar stores, dry cleaners, etc. They have built vast business legacies and a high percentage of Memons around the world belong to the upper-middle class. [8]

Memoni is falling into disuse due to various reasons:

  1. Non-existence of language learning tools, especially disappearance of Gujarati in Pakistan
  2. Many second generation parents do not know their mother tongue themselves.
  3. Memoni does not have a written form and is an incomplete language, with many words borrowed from Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi and English language.

Memons follow the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam [9]. Up till now, the Memons have not produced many Top Islamic scholars their own, they generally rely on others for their spiritual guidance.

Memons usually marry within their own social affiliation (Jamat) (endogamy), depending on circumstances a group (Jamat) may be as small as few hundred families and as large as few thousand families. For example Kutchi Memon define their jamat to be entire group having very few sub-groups whereas Kathiawadi Memons are branched into few dozens sub-groups. For Kathiawadi Memon a group, by and large, usually shares their ancestor village in Kathiawad as a reference point. Marriage between close relatives especially first cousins is discouraged but such reunion is possible where a group is too small. Marriage outside the social group (e.g. marrying a Surti Muslim) is now quite common and accepted by most Memons, although some community elders may still discourage it.

Throughout the world, the Memon community, alongside other Indian cultural communities, has contributed significantly in various fields.

  • Abdul Sattar Edhi, "Nishan-e-Imtiaz" Ambulance and Hospital Services, burial of homeless, Women Welfare orphanage, Founder of Edhi Welfare trust oundation
  • Abdullah Haroon


  • Hussain Dawood, Dynamic Businessman, Dawood business group, Pakistan
  • Aqeel Karim dhehdi prominet business man tycoon of community
  • Faruq sodagar darvesh prominet business man from INDIA
  • Hussain Kassim Dada Founder of Dada Limited, a powerful multinational business concern that dominated the food and grain trading business in pre-partition South and South East Asia, and a philanthrophist who founded the Hussaini Orphanage.
  • Haji Ali Mohammad- Pakolawala's
  • Haji Iqbal Memon (Chara Africawala) R.A., Businessman, Philanthropist, Social Worker
  • Ebrahim Bawani
  • Bashir Ali Mohammad - Gul Ahmed Group

  • Hajiani Khatijabai Batwa
  • Suleman Bhoora [9]
  • Allama Abdul Aziz Al-Memony Arabic language scholar well recognize in Middle-east[10]

  • Rahim JANOO chairman RECP
  • Ammar Ilyas Moten, Chairman Paf Chapter
  • Mohsin Dada, Chairman ISDLAF+, U.S.A.
  • Majed Aziz, ST President of KCCI
  • Zubair Sattar motiwlia President KCCI

  • Saleem Abdullah Brigadior from PAK Army serving in Karachi
  • G.M. Banatwalla - an Indian politician Member of the House of the People (Lok Sabha), the lower house of the Parliament of India]]
  • Haji Hanif Tayab, Former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Pakistan and Comunity Leader [11]
  • Major General Abu Bakr Osman Mitha

  • Salman Jangda, Investment Banker, Philanthropist, ??Hollywood Producer
  • Sattar teli visionary person in memon community
  • Bilal Memon for his work in business, film, and dance
  • Ismail Merchant India born Hollywood Film Director and Producer

  • Dr.Jamal Nasir Memon social worker (which city??)
  • Yunus Ahmed Kachchhi - Social Worker from Karad (from which city ??)
  • Sattar Masota councillor and ground level worker
  • Amin Chamadia prominent social worker
  • A.Rashid Ahmed Godil prominet social worker of community co ordinator and ex-Nazim Of gulshan
  • Late - Haji Iqbal Memon Chara, Al-Mustafa Welfare society Karachi Pakistan


  • Ahmad Adaya founding partner of prominent California real estate company IDS Real Estate Group (1927-2006) Batwa
  • Aziz Katiya FCA, fellow of chartered accountants,‎ a tax partner and member of the board of directors of KPMG Canada ‎

  • Ismail Mohammed, Chief Justice of South Africa and Namibia.
  • Majid vakil award winner from govt in Africa ???
  • Aboo tayoob from South Africa ???


  • Ahmed Chinnoy award winner of Govt Pakistan  ???
  • Dr.Amin Suria award winner of govt ???

The Memon community can be proud of the social work it has done. Many countries across the globe have seen this through the many Memon humanitarian ground workers. Examples such as the Calcutta, Kashmir, Turkey and Quetta earthquakes. Gujrat, Karachi and Bosnia are just a few recognised achievements of Memon humanitarian work.

Memons help people in need purely on a humanitarian ground upholding the moto social work will better our society. A few examples of they're work;

  • Larkana college of commerce established by Late Abdul Fatah Memon (1920-2002), former MLA Sindh Assaebly (1952), Ambassador of Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and Somalia (1963) in early fifties.
  • The Jama Masjid of Durban built by the Memons, is the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere.
  • Abdullah Haroon established Hajiyani Hanifabai Girls School in Karachi in 1914, which was the first girl's school in Sindh for Muslim girls.[10]
  • Hajiyani Khadija, although an illiterate widow, was the founder of Raunaq-eIslam chain of girls schools, colleges and industrial homes under the banner of the Pakistan Memon Women's Educational society.[11]

"Salik Papatia" complied Gujarati Reader Sahitay Sindhu for the Gujarati students of secondary schools in the early sixties, and got it published at his own expense.[12]

  • Kenya Mombasa, where the Memon community after emigrating just 50 years ago, built 200 mosques and madrasas (religious schools).

  1. ^ a b c Origin of Memons three versions[1]
  2. ^ Estimate of Memon Population by Mr. Ali Mohammad Tabba[2]
  3. ^ Bombay Gazzatter Story - Extracts from “The Memons” By Mahir Bose[3]
  4. ^ a b Islamic Perspective, a Biannual Journal. A special issue on Bohras, Khojas and Memons. Ed. by Asghar Ali Engineer, Bombay, Institute of Islamic Studies. vol.1, Jan 1988, pp. 41-48[4]
  5. ^ 'Abraazul Hq' by Sayed Ameeruddin Nuzat, under the guidance of one Peer Buzrug Alli, published in Bombay in 1873
  6. ^ Memoni Language Project[5]
  7. ^ http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0004-4687(197403)14%3A3%3C231%3ATUBFTM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R
  8. ^ The Upper Bourgeoisie from the Muslim Commercial Community of Memons in Pakistan, 1947 to 1971, Sergey Levin, Asian Survey, Vol. 14, No. 3, Soviet Scholars View South Asia (Mar., 1974), pp. 231
  9. ^ http://richpaki.tripod.com/memons.htm
  10. ^ http://www.memon.com/HTML/History/HistoryVer3.htm
  11. ^ http://www.memon.com/HTML/History/HistoryVer3.htm
  12. ^ http://www.memon.com/HTML/History/HistoryVer3.htm

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