Chishti (surname)
Chishti (Persian: چشتی) is a common family name in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The family name indicates ancestry from Sufi Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti of the Chishti order.
Chishti can also be spelt as "Chishty". in India, where the order began, it is usually spelt as "Chishty".
Chishti of Pakpattan
The Chishti family of Pakpattan traces its ancestry back to Fariduddin Ganjshakar, who was the khalif (in Sufism a nominated successor) of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, who himself was the khalif of Moinuddin Chishti, the founder of the Chishti Sufi order in South Asia. Farīd was descended from Umar ibn Khattab, the second khalif of Islam, and as such the Pakpattan Chishtis are Farooqi shaikhs. They now form a considerable population in Pakpattan District, occupying several villages. They were a largely pastoral tribe until the 19th Century, but were compelled to settle down, when the British began to the colonize the Neeli Bar.[1]
Prior to the partition of India, there were a good many settlements of the Chishti tribe in Firozpur and Sirsa districts in East Punjab.[2]
Famous persons
- Rehman Chishti, UK Member of Parliament