Aḥmadzai (, "descendants of Aḥmad"; also spelled Ahmedzai) is a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

tribe found in

South Waziristan South Mahsud Waziristan District () was a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Dera Ismail Khan Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, before splitting into the Lower South Waziristan District and the Upper South Waziristan D ...

and

Bannu District Bannu District (, ) is a district in the Bannu Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Its status as a district was formally recorded in 1861 during the British Raj. This district constitutes one of the 26 districts that coll ...

in the

Federally Administered Tribal Areas The Federally Administered Tribal Areas, commonly known as FATA, was a semi-autonomous tribal region in north-western Pakistan that existed from 1947 until being merged with the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018 through the ...

of Pakistan. They are a clan of the larger Wazir tribe.

Origins

The Ahmedzai, whose name is translated as "descendants of Ahmad", are a distinct tribe from the similarly named community of Afghanistan. They form one of the two major branches of the Wazir tribe, with the other being the Utmanzai of North Waziristan Agency,

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The common ancestor of the Ahmadzai and Utmanzai is Wazir, who is also ancestor to the Mehsuds who have since taken a distinct and divergent path. Through Wazir, the tribes trace their origins to Karlanri and thence to the founder of the Pashtun lineage,

Qais Abdur Rashid Qais Abdur Rashīd or Qais Abdul Rasheed () is said to be, in post-Islamic lore, the legendary founding father of the Pashtuns. It is believed that the conception of such a figure was promoted to bring harmony between religious and ethnic identit ...

. Ahmad was a son of Wazir. The tribe are

s of the

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

sect, although not particularly strict in observance of their religious beliefs. It is possible that some have come under the influence of the

Deobandi The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...

sect, followers of which have in recent years become active in areas where the tribe lives.

Location

The Ahmadzai were originally settled in the Birmal Valley area of modern-day Afghanistan. Today, they inhabit Pakistan and are primarily a pastoral community that earn a living from the rearing of sheep. Many Ahmadzai migrate between areas according to the seasons. The majority are found in Bannu District and around one-third live in the South Waziristan Agency, a Federally Administered Tribal Area of Pakistan. The North and South Waziristan agencies together form this region, which derives its name from the Wazir supra-tribe. Unlike the Utmanzai, the Ahmadzai generally co-exist peacefully with their Mehsud cousins. Many head men from the two tribes are connected by marriage.

Notable people

Muhammad Iqbal Wazir Muhammad Iqbal Wazir is a Pakistani politician who was a member of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from August 2019 to January 2023. Political career Wazir contested the 2019 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial election on 20 July 2019 ...

Ayesha Gulalai Wazir Ayesha Gulalai Wazir () is a Pakistani politician who was a former Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2013 to May 2018. Early life and education Ayesha Gulalai was born in FR Bannu Domel wazir and received her M.Phil degree in Isla ...

Maria Toorpakai Wazir Maria Toorpakai Wazir (; ; born November 22, 1990, in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) is a professional Pakistani squash player. She dressed like a boy for the first 16 years of her life in order to participate in competitive sports as a Muslim girl, ...

* Durmirjan wazir *

Aneela Iqbal Wazir Toy-Box is a Danish bubblegum pop band, best known for their hit singles " Tarzan & Jane", " Best Friend", "E.T.", "Superstar", and " The Sailor Song". The group's members are vocalists Amir El-Falaki and Anila Mirza. History Toy-Box was fo ...

Javed Iqbal Wazir Jawed (); ''Javed'', ''Javid'' (); ''Jawed'', ''Javed'' (), Javed, Zaved ( Bengali: জাভেদ) a masculine given name of Persian origin meaning of "eternal, immortal" and is also the word for "eternity". The name is from Modern Persian ...

Farzana Iqbal Wazir Farzaneh (, ''Farzāneh'', meaning wise, intelligent, or highly knowledgeable), also transliterated as Farzana, Farzona or Farzane, is a Persian given name for girls common in Iran, South Asia, and Central Asia. The masculine equivalent is Farzan F ...

Rabia Iqbal Wazir Rabia or Rabiah is the transliteration of two Arabic names written differently in Arabic text however they may be written similarly in the Latin script: * An Arabic, usually female name ) meaning "Spring" * An Arabic, female name (' ) or Rabeya me ...

peshawer khan Wazir Peshawar is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district population of over 4.7 million in the 2023 census. It is situated in the north-west o ...

References

{{Authority control Pakistani Sunni Muslims Karlani Pashtun tribes