Jinnah family

Jinnah family
Mazar-e-Quaid, the final resting place of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Fatima Jinnah
Place of originKathiawar, Bombay Presidency, British India[1]
(now in Kathiawar, Gujarat India)
MembersMuhammad Ali Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah
Emibai Jinnah
Rattanbai Jinnah
Dina Wadia
Connected familiesWadia family
Petit family
DistinctionsPolitical prominence
Estate(s)See full list

The Jinnah family (Urdu: خاندان جناح) (Gujarati: ઝીણા)[2] was a political family of Pakistan. It has played an important role in the Pakistan Movement for creation of Pakistan, a separate country for Muslims of India. The family held the leadership of All-India Muslim League, and its successor, Muslim League, until it was dissolved in 1958 by martial law.

Members of Jinnah family, Muhammad Ali Jinnah (often referred to simply as Jinnah) and Fatima Jinnah, have been important figures in the history of Pakistan. Jinnah is considered as the founder of Pakistan and served as the first Governor General of Pakistan upon independence, while Fatima played an important role in the struggle for Pakistan Movement and was the founding mother of Pakistan. Several public places, universities, and hospitals in the world have been named after Jinnah and his sister Fatima, and the former's birth and death anniversary are among the public holidays in Pakistan.[3][4]

Jinnah's family history is disputed among various sources.[5] Originally from a Khoja background,[6][7] they moved to Karachi from Kathiawar, Bombay Province in 1875.[8] Jinnah's paternal grandfather was from Paneli Moti village in Gondal state in Kathiawar peninsula (now in Gujarat, India).[9] Jinnah was the eldest of seven children of Jinnahbhai Poonja, a prosperous merchant, and his wife, Mithibai. His family was a member of the Khoja caste, Hindus who had converted to Islam centuries earlier and who were followers of the Aga Khan.[6] Although born to a Khoja (from Khwaja or 'noble') family who were disciples of the Aga Khan, Jinnah moved towards the Sunni sect early in life. There is evidence later, given by his relatives and associates in court, to establish that he was firmly a Sunni Muslim by the end of his life.[10]

  1. ^ Maroof Raza, M. (1996). Wars and No Peace Over Kashmir. Lancer Publishers. ISBN 9781897829165.
  2. ^ Bawany, Yahya Hashim (1987). Rare speeches and documents of Quaid-e-Azam. Arif Mukati. p. 39-40.
  3. ^ The story of Pakistan
  4. ^ Guriro, Amar (30 June 2009). "Aslam Jinnah's claim of being Quaid's family disputed". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  5. ^ Ahmed 2005, p. 3–4: Jinnah's family traced its descent from Iran and reflected Shia, Sunni and Ismaili influences; some of the family names -- Valji, Manbai and Nathoo -- were even 'akin to Hindu names'...Another source has a different explanation of Jinnah's origins. Mr Jinnah, according to a Pakistani author, said that his male ancestor was a Rajput from Sahiwal in the Punjab who had married into the Ismaili Khojas and settled in Kathiawar.
  6. ^ a b "Mohammed Ali Jinnah". britannica.com. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. ^ Ahmed 2005, p. 4.
  8. ^ Gujrats gifts to India and Pakistan
  9. ^ Pirbhai, M. Reza (2017). Fatima Jinnah. Cambridge University Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-107-19276-8.
  10. ^ Ahmed 2005, p. 4: Although born into a Khoja (from khwaja or 'noble') family who were disciples of the Ismaili Aga Khan, Jinnah moved towards the Sunni sect early in life. There is evidence later, given by his relatives and associates in court, to establish that he was firmly a Sunni Muslim by the end of his life.