Bihari Muslims

Sher Shah Suri Tomb in Sasaram. He was the founder of the Sur Empire and was born in Bihar to Pathan parents.

The large-scale arrival of Muslims in Bihar began in the 14th century, when Turk traders and Sufi saints-warriors settled in the South Bihar plains and furthered the process of agricultural colonisation while also spreading Islam among the local populace. Muslims were not the only new immigrants to Bihar during this period. Inscriptions in Bihar Sharif tell of a Sufi warrior by the name of Malik Ibrahim Bayu who came to Bihar and defeated the non-Hindu Kol tribe who had been oppressing the local Muslims. He conquered many Kol chiefdoms.[17]

Some of the kings and chieftains of medieval Bihar were Muslim. The chieftaincy of Kharagpur Raj in modern-day Munger district was originally controlled by Hindu Rajputs. In 1615 after a failed rebellion by Raja Sangram Singh, his son, Toral Mal converted and he changed his name to Roz Afzun.[18]

The Faujdars of Purnea (also known as the Nawabs of Purnea) created an autonomous territory for themselves under the leadership of Saif Khan and ruled in parts of Eastern Bihar in the early 1700s. They were engaged in a protracted conflict with the neighbouring Kingdom of Nepal.[19]

Many Bihari Muslims migrated to Pakistan and Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) after independence in 1947.[20]

Bihari Muslim society has traditionally been divided by caste and clan affiliations. Muslims refer to these distinctions as Biradri and the intermarriage remains rare.[21] The neologism Ashraf socio-political groups are historic ruling upper class castes [22] and include groups like Pathans, Sayyid, Sheikh, Mallick and Mirza. The Pathans of Bihar are mostly the descendants of Pashtun settlers with some being descended from local high-caste Bhumihar and Rajput converts who intermarried with the said ethnoreligious group. The Mirzas claim descent from the Mughals and are found mainly in the area around Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur. Among the largest socio-political grouping under the neologism of so-called Ajlaf groups are the Ansaris who form 20% of the Muslim population in Bihar. Their traditional occupation is weaving.[21]

The following table shows the Muslim population of Bihar by district:[23]

Sum total of this table is 14,780,500 Muslims out of 83.0 million total population in 2001 census, hence Muslims were 16.5% of total population in Bihar. In 2011 census, total population grew to 103.9985 million, of which 16.9% or 17,557,809 were Muslims.[24] During 2001–2011, Muslims grew by 33.433%, while non-Muslims grew by 23.537%. District-wise break up by religions for 2011 is not available.

Kishanganj is the only district in Bihar with a Muslim majority.

• Muslim Bhumihars
• Pathans of Bihar
• Kulhaiya
• Sheikh of Bihar
• Muslim Kayasths
• Muslim Rajputs
  • Thakurai
  • Malkana
  • Khanzada
• Shershahabadia
• Malik clan (Bihar)
• Abdal
• Muslim Chhipi
• Lal Begi
• Turuk Pasi/Pashai
• Sayyid/Syed
• Chik
• Kunjra
• Sai
• Muslim Rangrez
• Pamaria/Sheikh Abbasi

In common with the rest of India, the Muslims in Bihar are largely descendants of native converts from various castes.[25] The rise of the Indian Muslim population can be traced back to the early 12th century, with many conversions to Islam taking place during the rule of the Sur Empire, which had established its capital in Sasaram.[26]

Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh

• Syed Ali Imam - Prime Minister of Hyderabad State and Indian independence activist.
• Khuda Bakhsh - Chief Justice of Hyderabad State and founder of the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library
• Sheikh Zainuddin - 18th century painter
• Shad Azimabadi - 19th century poet from Patna
• Ali Ibrahim Khan - 18th century statesmen and poet
• Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri 13th century Sufi mystic

• The Forgotten People: Bihari Refugees of Bangladesh, UCANews