Kazi (Bengali:কাজী , romanized: Kaji) is an aristocratic Bengali Muslim surname found in the Bengal region of the Subcontinent.
Etymology and History[edit | edit source]
The surname of Kazi is found amongst the Bengali Muslims, it derives from the Arabic word Qadhi (Arabic: قاضي, romanized: Qāḍī), meaning Judge or Magistrate.[1] In the era of Muslim rule in the Indian subcontinent by empires such as the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire, the rulers often had invited people from the Middle Eastern and Western Asia regions, who were educated in Sharia, and languages, particularly Persian, the court language of these Muslim empires, so they could serve as judges in their populations.[2][3] The Muslim rulers who were of foreign descent had often emphasised on placing a non-native of Bengal as a Kazi, hence avoiding rebellion from the general native Bengali population. These judges had often come from places in Western Asia, particularly Iran and Central Asia, some were from the Middle East such as from Yemen, Iraq or the Hejaz, some were even from Indian regions such as Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir, or Bihar.[3][4] However, the Muslim rulers had avoided placing a native of Bengal as a judge. The descendants of these Judges or 'Qadhis' had made the title their surname after arriving to Bengal, as common with the Ashraf of Bengal who had also made their ancestors' titles their surnames.[5][3][2]
Notables with the Surname[edit | edit source]
- Kazi Family of Churulia
- Kazi Zafar Ahmed, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Nawab Kazi Musharraf Hossain, Bengali Lawyer, Philanthropist, and Nawab
- Nawab Kazi Abdul Lateef, Bengali Aristocrat and Educator
- Kazi A.K. Fazlul Haq, Prime Minister of Bengal during British Raj, Sher-e-Bangla
- Kazi Abu Muhammad Abdul Ghafur, British Indian officer and writer
- Kazi Family of Bhirich Khan
- Kazi Mamunul Haque, Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic Scholar
- Kazi Azizul Haque, First Translator of Sahih Bukhari into Bengali
- Kazi Mahfuzul Haque, Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic Scholar
- Kazi Muhammad Junaid, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar
- Kazi Family of Churulia
- Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bengali Poet and Musician
- Sabyasachi Kazi, Bengali elocutionist
- Khilkhil Kazi, Bengali singer
- Kazi Family of Bagmara
- Kazi Motahar Hossain, Bangladeshi Writer and Scientist
- Kazi Anwar Hussain, Bangladeshi Writer
- Kazi Sanjida Khatun, Bangladesh Musicologist
- Kazi Fahmida Khatun, Bangladeshi Singer
- Kazi Anowar Hossain, Bangladeshi painter
See Also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Role of the qadi | Under the microscope: Customary justice systems in northern Mali". www.clingendael.org. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mannan, Manzurul (2002). Bangsha: Islam, History and the Structure of Bengali Muslim Descent (PDF). Jahangirnagar University.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rahim, Muhammad Abdur (1963). Social and Cultural History of Bengal. Pakistan Historical Society.
- ↑ Khan, Muhammad Abu Tayyab (2018-12-01). "Poet Qazi Nazrul Islam and Lalon Shah Contribution of Mysticism & Sufism in Bengali Literature". The Islamic Culture (22). ISSN 1813-775X.
- ↑ Khan, Zillur R. (1985). "Islam and Bengali Nationalism". Asian Survey. 25 (8): 834–851. doi:10.2307/2644113. ISSN 0004-4687.