Ansari (nesbat)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (June 2007)

Ansari (Arabic: انصاری) is a Nesbat or second name common in South Asia and Middle East. It originates from Ansar (Arabic: انصار) the Medinan people that helped Islamic prophet Muhammad when he migrated from Mecca to Medina. The literal meaning of Ansar is supporters.

Contents

[edit] Arabic Usage

'Al-Ansari' is commonly used as a surname in many Arab states. Historically speaking, however, the name was not used as a surname amongst Arabs, but rather as a form of patronymic: the word would be added as a title to the end of the name, if one had an ancestor who was an Ansar. This form of patronymic, derived from the name of a distant ancestor or relation, is known as a "Nesbat" in Arabic, meaning "relation".

As a surname, Al-Ansari is mostly used in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. 90% of Al-Ansari members in Qatar are, by descent, from Medina in Saudi Arabia, whereas the remainder can claim descent from many parts of the Middle East.[citation needed] The Al-Ansaris are one of the richest families in the Middle East because of the high proportion of government positions that they hold, and owing to their dominance of Saudi-Qatari trade.[citation needed]

[edit] Iranian Usage

In contrast, Iranians use surnames instead of Patronymics. In Iran, it has become a Surname, since Iranian use surnames. This has also happened with the "Tabatabai", also originally a Nesbat.

[edit] Pakistani and Indian Usage

The Ansari surname goes as far as being used in Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh, to show a lineage or ancestral link to the Ansar of Medina. Through the various waves of migration from the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Central Asia, and Afghanistan, descendants of the Ansar tribes arrived in the Indian subcontinent. These families, amongst what were commonly know as the Ashraafiyyah or Ashraaf in India, mainly came either as scholars, government administrators and functionaries, soldiers or officers. Ansaris in the Indian subcontinent hail both from the Shi'a and Sunni Muslim schools of thought.

The main original settlements and concentrations of Ansaris on the Indian subcontinent, were in Multan,Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Hafizabad Pakistan,Sangla Hill(Nankana Sahib); the Sindh province, Pakistan; Lilla, in western Punjab, Pakistan; Panipat, India; Saharanpur, India; Gorakhpur, India; Ballia, India; Moradabad, India; and Lucknow, India - see Firangi Mahal.

It seems that over a period of time, others, and many of the new Muslim converts, in India also identified themselves as Ansari, to show reverence to their Islamic faith. Many of these in northern India and Pakistan were involved in fabric manufacturing). Often, but not necessarily, Ansari is used to identify a caste, as well. In the Indian Hindu Caste System and in the (Urdu: baradari) system traditionally, different cast were involved or associated with different trades or professions. See also, Islam in India.

The ancestral link from Medina was brought to India by the descendants of Abu Ayub Ansari who were members of Mohammed Bin Qasim's army when he invaded Sindh. Some of those early Ansaris settled in Paat, district Dadu, Sindh and were considered a highly educated family in the province producing prominent figures on the national level.

On the other hand some of the Ansaris in Indian sub-continent were among those who changed their religions to please the Muslim rulers.

[edit] See also