Khati (Muslim traditions) in India

Introduction / History

Muslims among the Khati community converted from Hinduism hundreds of years ago. They were carpenters and woodworkers.

Most live in Uttar Pradesh. They speak Hindu or Urdu, two closely related languages.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Today the Khatri remain carpenters, woodworkers and craftsmen. They make furniture and wooden decorations. Some are farmers, traders or small businessmen.

Music, dance and other art forms are a part of the Khati lifestyle.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Khati people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.

The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.

Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, common people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.

What Are Their Needs?

Khati Muslims face discrimination, partly because they don’t have high status, and partly because they are Muslims. Islam and Christianity are under fire in India since that country is under the influence of people who view these "Abrahamic religions" as a threat to their Hindu traditions and culture.

Muslim Khati have strived to improve their lives through education and by starting their own businesses.

Prayer Points

Pray for loving gospel workers to catch a vision for reaching the Khati people for Jesus and that in God's sovereign timing the hearts of these people would be open and ready to follow him.

Pray for Jesus movements to bless extended families so the gospel will spread rapidly.

Pray for the spiritual lives of the Khati people to become fruitful so others will be drawn to Jesus Christ.

Text Source:   Joshua Project