Kalal (Muslim traditions) in Pakistan

Introduction / History

The Muslim Kalal people in Pakistan are an artisan and craftsman caste. Most live in Pakistan’s Punjab region, but others live in India.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Kalal caste once was associated with distilling and selling alcohol. This is rare among Kalal Muslims, who face religious reasons not to be in this trade. They are more likely to be traders or craftsmen. Many work in the service industry or as farmers.

Though Pakistan is a Muslim country, discrimination based on caste is real. The Kalal Muslims face this both in Pakistan and India.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Kalal people are Sunni Muslims who 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 Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, common 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 they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.

What Are Their Needs?

They need the Holy Spirit to open their eyes so they can see Jesus as he is.

Prayer Points

Pray for many from this unreached people group to understand both God’s judgment and his majestic glory.

Pray for loving workers to go to the Kalal people, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their savior.

Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that result in thousands of new disciples who share their faith with others.

Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.

Text Source:   Joshua Project