Sonar (Muslim traditions) in India


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Introduction / History

The Muslim Sonar people have their roots in Hindu mythology. According to the legend, Sonars are the descendants of the youngest of five sons created by the Hindu god Vishnu's incarnation, Vishwakarama. The first Sonar was used by the goddess Devi to destroy a giant demon who was made of gold. This Sonar convinced this vain demon that he would look better if he were polished, a process which involved being melted down, and ultimately destroyed.

Most of the Sonar are Hindu, but they also have a sizable Muslim community, especially in Pakistan. There is also a Sikh Sonar community. In total they have 52 clans or gotras.


Where Are they Located?

Most Muslim Sonars are in Pakistan, though there are some in India. There are far more Hindu Sonars than Muslim ones.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Sonars are either goldsmiths, which makes them artisans, or gold merchants, which is even more lucrative. It is very common in South Asia for a bride to be given a large amount of gold jewelry as part of the dowry. This ensures a regular market for these goods. Yet every merchant, even those who sell goods that everyone wants, must be able to run a business well, or they can lose everything they invested. Though they are associated with the gold trade, the Sonars also deal with silver and diamonds. Others are money-lenders who are noted for lending to the poorer communities.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Muslim Sonar people are Sunni, the largest branch of Islam. They believe that the One, Supreme God, Allah, spoken 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.

In most of the Muslim world, peoples like the Sonar 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 we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. The often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.


What Are Their Needs?

The Sonar people, be they Hindu or Muslim, need to put their faith in Jesus Christ, the only one who can bless them with abundant life and eternal salvation from sin and death.


Prayer Points

Pray for workers to go to the Sonar Muslims, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their Savior.
Pray for networks of believing families and fellowships that will throw the doors open for others to follow Jesus.
Pray for the Lord to bless the families among the Sonar people with His presence and mercy.
Pray for believers among this people group to disciple others who will disciple still others.
Pray for Bible believing fellowships and churches among the Sonar people.


Scripture Prayers for the Sonar (Muslim traditions) in India.


References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunar
https://www.quora.com/Sunar-Goldsmith-is-backward-caste-in-India-is-it-true


Profile Source:   Keith Carey  

People Name General Sonar (Muslim traditions)
People Name in Country Sonar (Muslim traditions)
Pronunciation suh-NAR
Alternate Names Aksali; Ashraf; Ausala; Hemkar; Jangar; Jargar; Kamsala; Kapila; Karai; Khakhar; Khatri; Konkar; Korai; Maipotra; Mair; Niaria; Potdar; Sanur; Saraf; Sarat; Shakish; Sharif; Sheriff; Soni; Soni Hahajan; Sunar; Suni; Sunia; Suniar; Suniyara; Suvarnakar; Swarankar; Swarnakar; Tank; Verma; Zargur; सोनार (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स)
Population this Country 37,000
Population all Countries 409,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 17684
ROP3 Code 113129
ROP25 Code 307633
ROP25 Name Sonar
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 10
Largest States
Uttar Pradesh
15,000
Jammu and Kashmir
12,000
Haryana
4,500
Uttarakhand
3,000
Karnataka
1,400
Punjab
700
Gujarat
300
Himachal Pradesh
200
Rajasthan
100
Chandigarh
20
Districts Interactive map, listing and data download
Specialized Website South Asia Peoples
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 10
  Uttar Pradesh 15,000
  Jammu and Kashmir 12,000
  Haryana 4,500
  Uttarakhand 3,000
  Karnataka 1,400
  Punjab 700
  Gujarat 300
  Himachal Pradesh 200
  Rajasthan 100
  Chandigarh 20
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Urdu (21,000 speakers)
Language Code urd   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 10
Secondary Languages
Kashmiri
6,300
Punjabi, Eastern
1,700
Dogri
800
Garhwali
300
Gujari
300
Gujarati
300
Marwari
200
Haryanvi
80
Pahari
30
Primary Language Urdu (21,000 speakers)
Language Code urd   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 10
Secondary Languages
  Kashmiri 6,300
  Punjabi, Eastern 1,700
  Dogri 800
  Garhwali 300
  Gujari 300
  Gujarati 300
  Marwari 200
  Haryanvi 80
  Pahari 30
People Groups Speaking Urdu

Primary Language:  Urdu

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1747-1894)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1758-2000)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1843-2022)
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YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
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Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
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Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
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Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Love Story General / Other
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Urdu Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video My Last Day video, anime Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children Jesus Film Project
Film / Video The Hope Video Mars Hill Media
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General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Four Spiritual Laws Campus Crusade for Christ
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Copyrighted © 2024  Kalcutta - Shutterstock  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Keith Carey 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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