Islam in Pakistan

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The overwhelming majority (95 to 97%) of Pakistan's 190 million people are Muslim while the remaining 3–5% are Christian, Hindu, and other minorities.[4][5][6] Sunnis form the majority at 80-85%, of which followers of Barelvi Islam make the vast majority,[7][8][9][10] while the Shias make up between 5-20%.[4][5][11][12][13] [14][15][16]


Arrival of Islam in modern Pakistan[edit]

Arab Muslim rule in Pakistan region





Umayyad invasion of Sindh[edit]




Khyber Pukhtunkhwa[edit]

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shamanism were the prominent religions in the region until Muslim Arabs and Turks conquered the area during the 7th century AD. Over the centuries migration took place by the population consisting majorly of Hindus and Buddhists.[17] While local Pashtuns brought in Islam, introducing some of the local traditions (albeit altered by Islam) such as Pashtunwali or the Pashtun code of honor.

Islam and the Pakistan Movement[edit]



Islam: Influence in politics[edit]


Main article: Political Islam
The conservative convention in Lahore, Pakistan, 2009.


Since the 1930s, the Muslim League had been lobbying and pushing its politics for a separate homeland for the Muslims of India, known as Pakistan. After Jinnah died in 1948, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan's constitutional policies were directed to work on constitution.[20] On 12 March 1949, Prime Minister Ali Khan had the State parliament passing and promulgating the Objectives Resolution, which ultimately declared Islam as state religion of the country.[20] The main objective of Resolution was the "declaration of State's submitting to the democratic faith of Islam and to the sovereignty of God".[20] Such resolution was met with great resistance in the state parliament when Law minister J.N. Mandal resigned from his ministry and gave great criticism to Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. Politicization of Islam in the country further tighten its support when ultra-conservative Clerics passed a "demand draft", called 'Twenty Two Points' which called for the preparation of constitution according to Objectives Resolution, in 1950.


Conservatism and right-wing politics[edit]

Political Islam or Islamic revivalism/activism in Pakistan was and is associated with right-wing politics, (unlike some countries such as Iran or Lebanon, where Islamist slogans often mention "revolution" and support for the mostazafin against the elite). Influential Islamist leader Abul A'la Maududi, leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, strongly opposed socialism and populism. During the 1970 general elections, the religious conservative and not-so-religious conservative parties participated in the election in direct competition with left-oriented PPP led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. When the PPP won and initiated a land reform and nationalization program, right wing opposition (PNA) united under the revivalist banner of Nizam-e-Mustafa[23] ("Rule of the prophet"), calling for the establishment of an Islamic state based on sharia law, that according to supporters of the movement would mean a return to the justice and success of the early days of Islam when the Islamic prophet Muhammad ruled the Muslims.[24] In an effort to stem the tide of street Islamisation, Bhutto had also called for Islamisation—banning the drinking and selling of wine by Muslims, nightclubs and horse racing.[24][25]





Conservative and right-wing sphere[edit]


Main article: Sufism in Pakistan

Sufism is a vast term and many Sufi orders exist within Pakistan. Sufism has a strong tradition in Pakistan. After the partition of the Indian subcontinent, it was the Muslim Sufi missionaries who played a pivotal role in converting the millions of native people to Islam. The Muslim Sufi orders already prevalent in the South Asia spread in other parts of Pakistan such as predominantly in the Punjab and to a relatively lesser extent in Sindh. The most notable Muslim Sufi orders in Pakistan are doubtlessly the Qadiriyya, Naqshbandiya, Chishtiya and Suhrawardiyya silsas (Muslim Orders) and they have a large amount of devotees in Pakistan. The tradition of visiting dargahs is still practiced today. Sufis whose shrines receive much national attention are Data Ganj Baksh (Ali Hajweri) in Lahore (ca. 11th century), Sultan Bahoo in Shorkot Jhang, Baha-ud-din Zakariya in Multan and Shahbaz Qalander in Sehwan (ca. 12th century) and Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Bhit, Sindh and Rehman Baba in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The Urs (death anniversary) of Sufi saints accounts for the largest gathering upon their shrines held annually by the devotees. Although, popular Sufi culture is centered on Thursday night gatherings at shrines and annual festivals which feature Sufi music and dance, certain tariqas such as Sarwari Qadri Order, refrain from such traditions and believe in paying visit to the shrines, making prayers or reciting manqabat. Moreover, contemporary Islamic fundamentalists also criticize the popular tradition of singing, dance and music, which in their view, does not accurately reflect the teachings and practice of the Prophet Mohammad and his companions. There have been terrorist attacks directed at Sufi shrines and festivals, 5 in 2010 that killed 64 people. Presently, the known tariqas in Pakistan have maintained their organisations usually known as tehreeks and have their khanqahs for the dhikr of Allah, as per the old age Sufi tradition.[28][29][30]

Muslim fiqhs in Pakistan[edit]

Growth in the number of religious madrassahs in Pakistan from 1988 to 2002.[31]



There are two schools among the Sunni Hanafis in Pakistan, the Barelvis and Deobandis, that formed in the late 19th century, The majority consist of Barelvis population as in a servey 78% are Barelvi and 22% are Deobandi in Hanfi school of thoughts.[citation needed] Both schools have their own Masjids seminaries. In the number of registered Madaris Deobandi school of thoughts is leading all. The Salafi school is represented by the Ahle Hadith movement in Pakistan.


Shia Ithna 'ashariyah are estimated 5-20%.[4][5][11][12][14] [15][16][33] Pakistan has the world's second largest Shia population after Iran, numbering between 16.5 million to as high as 30 million according to Vali Nasr.





Muslims who reject the authority of hadith, known as Quranist, Quraniyoon, or Ahle Quran, are also present in Pakistan.[34] In South Asia during the 19th century, the Ahle Quran movement formed partially in reaction to the Ahle Hadith movement whom they considered to be placing too much emphasis on hadith. Many Ahle Quran adherents were formerly adherents of Ahle Hadith but found themselves incapable of accepting certain hadiths.[35] Notable Quranists of Pakistani descent include Ghulam Ahmed Pervez (founder of Tolu-e-Islam), Asarulislam Syed (founder of the Jannat Pakistan Party), and Shabbir Ahmed.


Roughly twelve per cent of Pakistani Muslims self-describe or have beliefs overlapping with nondenominational Muslims. These Muslims have beliefs that by and large overlap with those of the majority of Muslims and the difference in their prayers are usually non-existent or negligible. Nonetheless, in censuses asking for a clarification on which strand or rite of Muslim faith they most closely align, they usually answer "just a Muslim".[36]


Main article: Ahmadiyya in Pakistan

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community, a minority Muslim group is also present. In 1974, the government of Pakistan amended the Constitution of Pakistan to define a Muslim "as a person who believes in finality of Prophet Muhammad" and technically Ahmadis are declared non-Muslims.[37] Ahmadis believe in Muhammad as the best and the last law bearing prophet and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Christ of Muslims. Consequently, they were declared non-Muslims by a parliamentary tribunal. There are approximately 4 million Ahmadi Muslims in the country. This equates to 2.2% of the population.[38]

Conversions to Islam[edit]

There has been conversion to Islam from the religious minorities of Pakistan. Deen Mohammad Shaikh is a Muslim missionary from Matli in Badin District in Sindh province and has converted over 110,000 Hindus to Islam.[39]

Laws and customs[edit]


Media and pilgrimages[edit]


Islamic education[edit]


Islamic Charity in Pakistan[edit]

Islamic institutions like the mosque play an active role in philanthropy. In the times of disasters, Islamic religious institutions play a significant role in relief efforts.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]


  2. ^ see: Islam by country
  4. ^ a b c "Religions: Islam 95%, other (includes Christian and Hindu, 2% Ahmadiyyah ) 5%". The World Factbook. CIA. 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-28.  Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "CIA" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "CIA" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d "Pakistan, Islam in". Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Retrieved 2010-08-29.  Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Oxford" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Oxford" defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Muslim Population—Statistics About the Muslim Population of the World". Retrieved 27 July 2009. 
  7. ^ Curtis, Lisa; Mullick, Haider (4 May 2009). "Reviving Pakistan's Pluralist Traditions to Fight Extremism". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2011-07-31. 
  8. ^ "Pakistan plays Sufi card against jihadis | World War 4 Report". Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  9. ^ Rania Abouzeid, Taliban Targets, Pakistan's Sufi Muslims Fight Back. Time, Wednesday, 10 Nov. 2010.
  10. ^ Karin Brulliard, In Pakistan, even anti-violence Islamic sect lauds assassination of liberal governor. The Washington Post, Saturday, 29 January 2011; 9:55 PM.
  11. ^ a b Miller, Tracy, ed. (October 2009). Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2015-10-07. 
  12. ^ a b "Pakistan - International Religious Freedom Report 2008". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2010-08-28. The majority of Muslims in the country are Sunni, with a Shi'a minority ranging between 10 to 20 percent. 
  15. ^ a b "Early Warning Signs of Shia Genocide in Pakistan". 
  16. ^ a b Hussain, Javed; Ahmad, Jibran (July 26, 2013). "Suicide bombs kill 39 near Shi'ite mosques in Pakistan". Reuters. 
  18. ^ Iqbal's letter to Jinnah
  30. ^ Hazrat Sakhi Sultan, Mohammad Najib ur Rehman. Visiting Shrines of Sufi Saints. Sultan ul Faqr Publications Regd. ISBN 9789699795183. 
  36. ^ Pewforum Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation retrieved, retrieved 11 March 2015

External links[edit]