Arghun in Pakistan

The Arghun have only been reported in Pakistan
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

The Argon (or Arghun) derive their name from the Persian term arghwani, meaning beautiful red color.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Women enjoy high status, being entitled to inheritance. A particular kind of skirt is the sign of a married girl. After a death, the dead body is given a bath, a funerary prayer is performed, and the dead body is laid to rest. A ritual (jib hoo) is performed on the fortieth day after a death when verses from the Quran are recited.


Because Allah is considered distant and unapproachable, they also believe in the spirits and seek to appease them.
What Are Their Beliefs?

They belong to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Thus, they believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.

The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.

Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.


What Are Their Needs?

The Arghun people need to accept the warm embrace of the only Savior so they can enjoy spiritually meaningful lives.


Prayer Points

It is quite unlikely there are any followers of Jesus today among the Arghun community, in either Pakistan or India. Pray for workers and pray for softened hearts.

Please pray the Arghun communities of Pakistan and India will be given a growing interest in Jesus the Messiah, or Isa, as he is known in the Koran.

Pray they will captivated by Jesus and that he will draw these people into a community-wide movement to himself.


Scripture Prayers for the Arghun in Pakistan.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Arghun
People Name in Country Arghun
Pronunciation ar-GOON
Alternate Names Argon; Balti; अर्घून
Population this Country 2,500
Population all Countries 2,500
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16235
ROP3 Code 111353
Country Pakistan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 7  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Country Pakistan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 7  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 1
  Gilgit-Baltistan 2,500
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest Pakistan census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Balti (2,300 speakers)
Language Code bft   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 2
Secondary Languages
Shina
100
Primary Language Balti (2,300 speakers)
Language Code bft   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 2
Secondary Languages
  Shina 100
People Groups Speaking Balti

Primary Language:  Balti

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1903-1997)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Balti Jesus Film Project
Film / Video The Hope Video Mars Hill Media
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible and Resources in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Joe Kirkendall 
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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