Rabari (Muslim traditions) in India


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

The name "Rabari" translates to "outsider", and there is a good reason. Traditionally the Rabari people were nomadic, outsiders to any settle community. They are noted for herding camels, and sometimes associated with the gypsies. They might have their origins in Iran and other parts of Central Asia, but no one knows for sure.

Traditionally all of them were Hindu, though a minority converted to Islam. People usually assume they are Hindu since the Muslims are such a small number.


Where Are they Located?

Muslim Rabari people in India live in Gujarat, a state that borders Pakistan. Other Muslim Rabaris live in Pakistan.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Rabari women have been noted for their fine embroidery for centuries. Girls learn embroidery at a young age and collect either the cloth or the money by selling it for their dowry. Rabari women do not have inheritance rights to parental property. They are mostly engaged in household work and looking after milk cows, etc. while the men tend to the livestock. However, women are closely involved with important family decisions.

Like most peoples in India, daughters do not have rights of inheritance; that is reserved for their brothers. The Rabaris have 133 subgroups. They only marry within their people group. They practice both child and adult marriage.

Most Rabari people are settled on the outskirts of town. They live semi-nomadic or settled lives now, unlike their ancestors who were completely nomadic.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Muslim Rabari 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 Rabari 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 Rabari 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 the Holy Spirit to give Muslim Rabari people teachable and understanding hearts.
Pray that a strong movement of the Holy Spirit will bring entire Rabari families into a rich experience of God's blessing.
Pray for Rabari families to be drawn by the Holy Spirit to seek forgiveness, and to understand the adequacy of Christ's work on the cross.
Pray for teams of believers to do sustained, focused prayer for the Lord to open the hearts of Rabari family leaders to experience God's blessing through a movement of family-based discovery Bible studies.


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


References

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17666/IN
https://kashgar.com.au/blogs/tribal-culture/rabari-people-of-northwest-india
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17666/PK
https://www.atlasofhumanity.com/rabari
http://indiahistoryspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/07/rabaris-of-kutch.html


Profile Source:   Keith Carey  

People Name General Rabari (Muslim traditions)
People Name in Country Rabari (Muslim traditions)
Pronunciation rah-BAH-ree
Alternate Names Bhopa; Mogha; Rahbari; Raika; Vishotar; राबरी (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स)
Population this Country 1,200
Population all Countries 11,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 17666
ROP3 Code 113108
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)
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 1
  Gujarat 1,200
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 Gujarati (1,200 speakers)
Language Code guj   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Gujarati (1,200 speakers)
Language Code guj   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Gujarati

Primary Language:  Gujarati

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1809-1965)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1820-1985)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1823-2021)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
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Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Online Scripture / Bible General / Other
Audio Recordings Oral Bible stories Story Runners
Film / Video Following Jesus video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Gujarati Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
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General Bible in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
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General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
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General Four Spiritual Laws Cru
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General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
General Zume Resources Zume Project
General Zume Training Zume Project
Mobile App Android Bible app direct APK download SIL
Mobile App Android Bible app: Gujarati YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible App: Gujarati Bible (ગુજરાતી બાઇબલ) Indian Revised Version (IRV) Operation Agape
Mobile App Android Bible app: Gujarati Study Bible Grace Ministries and Dusty Sandals
Mobile App Android Bible Radio app: Gujarati Bible Radio Shalom Design S2dio
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Gujarati YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App iOS Bible Radio App: Gujarati Bible Radio iOS Revive India
Text / Printed Matter Children and youth resources One Hope
Text / Printed Matter Literacy primer for Gujarati Literacy & Evangelism International
Text / Printed Matter Love letter to you from scripture Father's Love Letter
Text / Printed Matter Tools for faith conversations Cru
Text / Printed Matter Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies World Missionary Press
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Copyrighted © 2024  Isudas  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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