Indische Palaographie von circa 350 a. Chr. – circa 1300 p. Chr. c48.s7.4

c48.s7.4

The Ṣēkh are much subdivided, though throughout the greater part of India the sections have little more significance than the main title. Originally, amongst the Arabs, the term denoted eldership or a position of authority only. It subsequently became the special designation of the Qurēṣ, the tribe to which the Prophet belonged, and of the descendants of his own family and of his relations. Thus, the Banū 'Abbās Ṣēkh are derived from his uncle, 'Abbās; the Hāṣimī, from his great grandfather; J'afarī, from his cousin. The Ṣiddīqī are so called from the first Khalīf, Abu Bakr, named Aṣ Ṣiddīq, or the Truthful One. The second Khalīf, Omar, was called Fārūq, the Distinguisher of Right from Wrong, and from him come the Fārūqī. The Anṣārī, or Helpers, were the inhabitants of Al Medinah, who sheltered the Prophet, and so on with several more of these subdivisions. In some Provinces the details of Ṣēkh have been tabulated, but for the most part the value of the return is vitiated by the preponderance of those who failed to have this information entered against their names. At best, except in the north, the return indicates in most cases no more than the personal preference of the householder. In the Gangetic region, so far as the information goes, the favourite section is decidedly the Ṣiddīqī, and after it, the Qurēṣī. In the Panjāb, too, and in Sindh the Qurēṣī have been separately given, but the return is only partial.