Day 7. Shaikh in Pakistan (SHAYK)

Pakistan has the second largest population of Muslims in the world, after Indonesia. The Shaikhs in Pakistan claim pre-islamic/Arab ancestry and they are sometimes called Punjabi Shaikh. The term Shaikh is an Arabic word meaning elder or judge, historically given to someone who studies the Qur’an. Converts to Islam were given this name too. Shaikhs are one of the largest ethnic groups in the world. The countries with the largest population of Shaikh are Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
The Shaikhs in Pakistan are mostly Sunni Muslims but some are Shi’a. These antagonistic branches of Islam separate the identities and community ties for the Shaikh. The two main occupations of the Shaikh historically have been landowning farmers and artisans, but today they have many different roles in Pakistan. Most of the Christians in Pakistan come from outcaste Hindu backgrounds making it hard for them to live in Shaikh communities. The New Testament is available in the Sindhi language that most Pakistani Shaikhs speak, and the whole bible in modern Pakistani Urdu (GEO).

Prayers for the families of the Shaikh in Pakistan:
Lord, send believers willing to lay down their lives to love the Shaikh of Pakistan, live among them, learn their ways and share the stories of Jesus . Lord, bring healing, forgiveness, and restoration for the Shaikh families.
Lord, bless Your Holy Scriptures (in Sindhi) to gain favor, spreading Your Good News in the Shaikh homes. Lord, multiply Your blessings over every Shaikh home.
Lord, raise up Shaikh families to follow Jesus and share Him with their whole community, and other peoples as well.  Give them dreams, visions, and the desire to lay down their lives for Jesus.

God’s Blessing upon His Children the Shaikh: No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. The LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end. (Is. 60:18-20)