History of Memon Community (Version 1)

The question of Memons has always been close to my heart and I have delved deeply into its origin. There has been some controversy as to the veracity of various versions. There have been attempts by many a historian to lend unnecessary scholarly elaboration and colour to the debut of our modest, magnanimous and religiously adherent society. The research is undoubtedly very thorough and verifiable, So much so, that it becomes so complex and awkward for the layman. The reason for the investigation is undoubtly to establish the fact that the advent of Memons was much earlier than the date propounded. However, this merely aids to confuse and obscure the whole issue by the introduction of the Bohras, the Khojas, varieties of Ismailis, the Ishnasaries, the Shias and the whole issue of the propagation of Islam into the sub-continent of Indo-Pakistan, tracing it to Muhammad Bin Quassim.
The version that this community of Memons might have originated around the year 1422 C.E at a place called Nagar Thatta, then a capital, in the province of southern Sindh, then in India and now in Pakistan, has been widely accepted. It seems such a modest claim without a great deal of a do and glorification. Even if it is sucked from the thumb, the passage of time has lent it a degree of authenticity, despite its record of somewhat dubitable and questionable origin. The converts were first called Momins or Mumins and the term, with the march of time, changed to Memons. This is revealed in a book entitled 'Abraazul Hq' by Sayed Ameeruddin Nuzat, under the guidance of one Peer Buzrug Alli, published in Bombay in 1873. 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 one Sayed Yusuffuddin Quadri R.A. and finding themselves banished by their erstwhile Hindu brothers were forced to migrate. This version persisted over decades, so much so that it was reiterated by one Hussain Cassim Dada from his Presidential Chail at the first ever All India Memon Conference in Rajkot in the year 1931, and is in vogue even to this day.
What lends authenticity to this version is the extreme faith of the Memons in the Peers and Aulias, as a matter of gratitude, for their conversions to Islam. Particularly to Sheikh Abdul Kader Jilani R.A., whom they refer to as peran-e-Peer Dastagir, Gausal-e-Azam, Vado Peer and Gaus Paak as a mark of respect and reverence.
Another aspect that adds plausibility to this origin is the fact that the Memons are per se a merchant class in line with their ancestors, the Lohanas, a Hindu sect confined to business.
The origin may or may not be so significant, but what is extraordinary is that it is a peculiar brotherhood that has defied extinction. It has suffered ravages of war to the point of catastrophe. It has been forced to migrate under circumstances of a holocaust. It has lived, survived and prospered in adverse circumstances of hostile fanatics of different religions.
Memons are not a nation. At best they are a tribe, a nomadic tribe at that. They have no land or country that they can call exclusively their own. Nor do they have an aspiration for such. They have no king, crown, flag, anthem or a leader to whom all and sundry swear allegiance. There was a time when the size of the bank balance of the Balance Sheet determined the leadership. Now with proliferation of wealth and the far-flung settlements of the Memons, the need for a leadership is of little consequence.
Having fled Sindh, they settled in Okha Bundar and then proceeded to Kutch. From there to Kathiawar, where they were stationed for quite a period of time. With the advent of the partition of the sub-continent of Indo-Pakistan, the base was shifted to Karachi, Pakistan.
Their arrival and stay in the Republic of South Africa is well documented in the text itself. I am sure that my effort in exploring this history will be of some importance to the people concerned. There are actually huge colonies of Memons in the United Kingdom, United States, the Latin American countries, and all over Europe, especially Portugal. Isolated Pockets live in the various islands all over the world. In India there are large numbers in Mumbai (Bombay) and in the South, especially in Hyderabad, Madras, and Madurai; there are scattered colonies over the rest of India and in Bangladesh also there is a sizeable colony. The largest concentration is of course in dear old Pakistan, nowadays the hub of Memon brotherhood. It is a fact of history that the Memons contributed the hilt in the creation and establishment of Pakistan. In the year 1940 when Pakistan was first mooted Memons came out in open and full support of Qua'ede Azam Mohamed Ali Jinnah and the Muslim League. They gave blank cheques in support of the cause. The price they had to pay for this was a catastrophe in the form of holocaust unprecedented in the history of mankind. The village of Kutiyana was well near destroyed from the face of the earth, in so far as the Memon community was concerned.
Another aspect I wish to dwell on is that Memons are never averse to inter-communal marriages, as long as these are between a Muslim and Muslim, since a Nikah between a Muslim and a non-Muslim is invalid. Polygamy is permissible in Islam, but under very stringent conditions and only then could people opt for diversity.
(Excerpts from the book END OF THE ROAD, Random, Ramant & Runaway Thoughts on the Ultimate Journey by Ebrahim C. Moomal, P.O. Box 13164, Laudium, District Pretoria (0037) Repbulic of South Africa.Ph: 374-4951.(012) Fx: 374-1940 (012)