Arain

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Arain (अरैन)[1][2] , Aren (अरेन), Rain (रेन) is a Muslim tribe found in Pakistan. It is an important tribe of Punjab (Pakistan).[3]

Origin

This Gotra may have originated from Arihana (अरीहण), a place name mentioned by Panini under Arihanadi (अरीहणादि) (4.2.80.1) group. [4] and also mentioned as a person in genealogy of Pandavas in Mahabharata (I.90.18).

Jat Gotras Namesake

Mention by Pliny

Pliny[5] mentions Arabia....Up to the Nabatæi46 the ancients joined the Thimanei; at present they have next to them the Taveni, and then the Suelleni, the Arraeeni47, and the Areni48, whose town is the centre of all the commerce of these parts.


46 Whose chief city was Petra, previously mentioned.

47 Supposed by some writers to have been the ancestors of the Saracens, so famous in the earlier part of the middle ages. Some of the MSS., indeed, read "Sarraceni."

48 Their town is called Arra by Ptolemy.

History

H.A. Rose[6] writes that Arain (the latter form prevails in the Jumna valley), is a term which has at least two distinct areas: in the Sutlej valley and throughout the eastern plains the Arains are the landlords.


Almost to a man Muhammadans and strongly inclined to Islamic orthodoxy, the Arains claim to be immigrants from Uch. On the other hand some of the Arain and Hindu Saini clan names are identical, and those not always merely names of other and dominant tribes. From Uch they migrated to Sirsa and thence into the Punjab.


In Sirsa the Sutlej Arains meet those of the Ghaggar. The two do not intermarry, but the Arains of the Ghaggar valley say they were Rajputs living on the Panjnad near Multan who were ejected some four centuries ago by Saiyad Jalal-ul-din of Uch. They are the descendants of those Arab tribes who arrived with Umayyad general Muhammad Bin Qasim. They spread all over the lower ghagra valley from 1759to 1783 A. D. in the region of Behlol Lohdhi. But latter having conflicts with Hindu Bhattis they dispersed, and many of the Arains emigrated across the Ganges and settled near Bareli and Rampur. The term Arain is a joining form of Al Raee means head person of a tribe or sometimes shepherd in Arabic. According to Moulana Akbar Shah Khan Najeebadi the Arain word is a later form of "Areehai", drive from Areha "Jericho" a town in modern Palistine. After the Arab conquest of Sindh some Arain spread towards Sulaiman Mountain ranges whereas a bulk of them spread around the rivers of Punjab region. Also a considerable population of these Arab tribes settled in Multan region also. Before partition Arains were settled having good posts and landholding status in various districts of Eastern Punjab (modern Indian Punjab) including Jalandhar, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ambala, former Patiala state, Ferozpur and Ludhiana. Although a huge population of Arain was also predominantly found in the the districts of current Pakistan having diminant positions including Montgomery, Lyallpur, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Deraghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, and Rahim Yar Khan. After 1947, almost all Arain Muslim population migrated to Pakistan and settled in Faisalabad the new name of Lyallpur, Lahore, Bhakkar, and Bahawalpur. In southern Punjab the Arains who are living there pre-partition since centuries speaks Saraiki as their mother tongue. The Arain who migrated from Eastern Punjab (Indian Punjab) to Pakistan's southern Punjab have great contributions in the region.


Tank Pakistan have a considerable population of influential Arain tribe. The Arains of Tank District found both as Pashto speaking and Saraiki speaking. The Arain tribe found predominantly in Tank as Islam arrived in Tank in the 8th century A.D. during Muhammad Bin Qasim's expeditions towards Multan. The Arains of Tank are the descendants of those Arab tribes who came in the region with Muhammad Bin Qasim and later headed toward Sulaiman mountain range towards west of Multan. Arain tribe have really good reputation in the Tank city area and surrounding areas since centuries. Current nazim of the Tank city Advocate Zahid Khan Arain is also elected from the Arain community.

Distribution in Pakistan

According to 1911 census the Arain were the principal Muslim tribe in district with population -

  • Multan District : Arain (2,192)

Notable persons

References

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