It is believed that Lord Vishwakarma created two groups of people, and those who could work in wood were called the Badhi. This term is derived from the Hindi word barhai, meaning "carpenter." Though the Hindu community known as the Badhi claim a descent from Lord Vishwakarma, the divine architect, there is another group of Badhi. The community of Muslim carpenters, part of the Saifi in the Muslim caste-system, are also called Badhi. Though the Hindi tradition states descent from deity, the Muslim tradition claims descent from early Muslim settlers in northern India. More likely, they are Muslim converts from the Badhi caste.

Traditionally, the Badhi were a caste of carpenters and wood workers, making furniture and agricultural implements. Many present-day Badhi have moved into farming or agricultural labor. Though the settlements where they live may be populated by multiple castes or religions, the Muslim Badhi occupy their own quarters. Every settlement has its own panchayat, a caste council for settling disputes and maintaining order. There is very little interaction between the Badhi and other Muslim groups, despite close proximity. Even intermarriage with other groups is almost non-existent. The exception to this rule are those belonging to the Muslim Saifi caste, which encompasses carpenters and blacksmiths. Neighboring non-Muslim groups are even less tolerated, and the Badhi remain socially distant with them.

The Muslim Badhi worship Allah, the creator and only God, and revere the prophet Mohammed as his primary mouthpiece. Islamic and Judaic beliefs are very similar up through the life of Abraham. While Judaism traces decent from Isaac, the younger son, Islam maintains that Ishmael, as the elder, would have carried the blessing and the promise of God. They view Jewish traditions, and, by extent, their Christian derivatives, as fundamentally incorrect.

Tradition, teaching and culture have created misunderstandings of the gospel and of what it means to follow Christ. Compounded with life on rural agricultural settlements and an unwillingness to interact with non-Muslim neighbors, can lead to great difficulties in creating opportunities to share the love of God with the Badhi. These misunderstandings need to be overcome in order to effectively spread the good news of Christ.

* Scripture Prayers for the Badhi (Muslim traditions) in Pakistan.

Pray that the Badhi would be caught up in waves of dreams, visions, and encounters with Christ, and that they would be given clear understanding of the gospel. Pray for bold neighbors to relentlessly display the love of God and reach out to the Badhi regardless of rejection. Pray for waves of Badhi turning to Christ, and for Christ-ward movements to spring up as they search for more spiritual understanding.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Barhai https://peoplegroupsindia.com/tag/badhai/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Barhai