Day 9 - Awan of Pakistan

The Awan people live primarily in Pakistan' Punjab region, and speak mostly Panjabi. Only about 15,000 of the more than 4.8 million Awans live in northwestern India. there are different accounts about their origin, but most accounts agree at least that they are descended from Qutb Shah, a successful general in the army of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (around 1000 AD). Qutb Shah conquered a large empire and himself was a descendant of Mohammed's son-in-law, Ali (but from a wife other than Mohammed's daughter, Fatima). 


Nearly 100 percent of the Awans are Muslims, and they are renowned for their bravery and sense of military strategy. They placed prominent roles under different dynasties. Even under the British rule of India, they were recognized for their fighting skills, courage, loyalty, physical strength, reliance and tenacity, an important part of the British military during the First and Second World Wars. The members o the Awan tribe enjoy a respected status in pakistani society, and continue to constitute a substantial number even in today's Pakistani military, where they also occupy many senior positions.


Prayer Ideas:

• Proclaim that Jesus is the Lord of Hosts (armies) over the Awan, and that they should obey Him (Psalm 103:19-22)
• Pray for liberation from the chains of the enemy.
• Ask God to reveal Himself to the Awan through dreams, visions and other manifestations (Psalm 103:2-3).
• Pray for labourers to proclaim the Messiah among the Awans.

-- All text from 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World