What do you know about Zikri religion?

According to the 1981 census, the Muslims constitute an overwhelming majority of population in Gwadar while the remaining population include Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus, Parsis, and Sikhs. Zikri, a significant religious faith in Makran, is not mentioned in the 1981 census. The reason is that Zikris claim to be Muslims while the Sunni Muslims denounce their claim. The beliefs and rituals practised by Zikris are completely different from those of Islam. The Zikris believe in a new prophet and deny the performance of the most important rituals of Islam. The Zikris taking their name from the Arabic word zikr (remembering the Almighty) believe that only repeating the litany is a valid form of worship. The Zikris repudiate the performance of nimaz (Muslim prayer five times a day) and name other Muslims as Nimazi. The most important of the rituals is performed on the 27th day of Ramazan when the barefoot Zikris circumbulate the koh-i-murad and perform other rituals. This is called hajj (Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) of Zikris. In the past probably Zikris also named this ritual as hajj but now the Zikri call it simply a ziarat (visit to a shrine). According to an estimate, a majority of the population in Gwadar district are from the Zikri faith. They mainly reside in Kallag, Pasni, Gwadar, and Dasht valley.

The conflict between Muslims and Zikris is centuries old. Zikri religion is said to have originated about four centuries ago. It is believed to be introduced in Makran with the rise of the Buledais. When the Buledais converted from Zikri faith to Islam, the Zikri folk denied their rule and supported Gichkis who were Zikris by faith. Mir Nasir Khan of Kalat sent nine expeditions to make the Zikri faith in Makran obsolete. Many a times religious scholars from both sides of the Iran border called for jihad (sacred fight) against Zikris and organised efforts were made to eliminate Zikris or to convert them to Islam. The most recent conflict surfaced in 1987 when a Zikri mullah (religious leader) challenged the Muslims for a munazara (arguments and counter-arguments) on trueness of Zikris. Almost all the Islamic religious parties took it as a stimulus and demanded for a proclamation by the government to declare Zikris as non-Muslims. In Ramazan, they gathered in Turbat, where the Koh-i-murad is located, and tried to stop Zikris from performing their rituals. For the last two years this conflict has been cooled down as the Muslim scholars have decided to preach Zikris in a passive way and create awareness about the misleading beliefs of Zikris. It is said that a large scale conversion of Zikris to Islam has happened due to preaching. However, Zikri sources denounce this claim and say that the campaign initiated by the Muslim ulema (scholars) has strengthened the boundaries of their faith.

In Gwadar, sectarian violence is minimal. The proportion of the Zikris and of the people belonging to Sunni sect of Islam is almost equal. The Sunni Muslims believe in Hanfi interpretation of Shariah. Generally, these folks have religious attitudes and practice Islam according to its fundamental principles. Inheritance is divided according to the Islamic principles and daughters are given their property rights accordingly. All Islamic festive days are celebrated with zeal and fervour. The Zikri population practice their faith with independence and Muslim-Zikri clashes are very rare."