Qureshi

Qureyshi (also known as Qureshi, Quraishi, Qurayshi, Qureshy, Quraishy, Qoraishi, Qoreshi, Koraishi, Kureshi, Kureshy, Kureishi, Coreish) is a Muslim family name, originating in the Indian Sub-continent speculated to have belonged to the same tribe as the prophet Muhammad.

Most bearers of the name, by far, are in Pakistan (82%: 1,210,000, out of 1,470,000 worldwide), where it is the ninth commonest surname. India has the second most (11%: 162,000), followed by Saudi Arabia (2.5%: 36,300) and England (0.65%: 9,580).^[2]

History

There is not much known about the history of the name. It can be speculated that it may be an Indian sub-caste descending from the Kasbi caste in northern India however, there is no significant study proving this. Many stories in regards to the origin of the Qureshi come from older generations saying that they are descendants of Abu Bakr and that they have an Arab origin.

According to the dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford University Pres) it indicates that the Qureshis are descendants of the Quraish, the leading tribe in Mecca at the time of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (ad 570); the Prophet’s mother was a member of it. The Quraish at first opposed Muhammad’s teachings and persecuted him and his followers, but by the time of his death they had begun to accept the new faith and played an important role in bringing Arabia under the banner of Islam.^[3]

In Pakistan the Qureshis claim descent from the tribe but not from the Hashemites afaik. There would be more Qureshis in Sindh because the Arabs settled down and married local women. The first form of contact between the Arab people and modern-day Pakistan originally came in 711 to Sindh.^[4]

Qureshi Qasab originate from Delhi and Haryana. They are an Urdu-speaking community found mainly in the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad. In Bihar, the Qassab are a class of Muslim butchers, and are generally known as Qureshis. They are found throughout Bihar, and are one of the few Bihari Muslim communities who speak Urdu. The Qassab consist of two sub-groups, the Bara Karbar, who were involved in the slaughtering of cows, and Chota Karbar, who slaughtered goats. Closely related to the Qassab are the Chik, a caste also associated with the slaughtering of goats. The Anjuman Quresh has a Bihar branch, which acts as a welfare association. They are entirely Sunni Muslims, and are fairly orthodox. They were one of the earliest groups to shift towards the Deobandi sect.^[5]

Notable people called Qureshi or Kureshi

• Dhurgham Ismail : Iraqi professional footballer 
• Nabeel Qureshi
• Fazal Qureshi
• Shah Mehmood Qureshi
• Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
• Faisal Qureshi (disambiguation)
• Mustafa Qureshi
• Subhan Qureshi
• Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi
• Huma Qureshi (disambiguation)
• Ahsaan Qureshi
• Hanif Kureishi
• Kamran Qureshi

References