Samma (tribe)


Sammā is a tribe that has origins in Sindh, Pakistan. The Samma are spread across Pakistan and North-West India. The Sandhai Muslims are Samma who converted to Islam. Offshoots of the main branch of Samma include the Jadejas and Chudasamas of India.

Origins

There are different versions about the origin of the Sammas. Some link up their ancestry with Akrama bin Abul Jehal. According to some other historians, Sammas came to Sindh with Muhammad bin Qasim. The Sammas are also said to be the descendants of Sam bin Umar bin Hashim bin Abi Lehab. Some derive their lineage from the Iranian King Jamshed. According to the genealogy in Tuhfatu-L Kiram, the Sammas originated from Rama, the son of Dashrath.
Samma's history, along with other tribes in the region, is intertwined with the Jats, either as a subdivision of it or a group at par. They faced restrictions similar to that of Jats. But Samma communities were confined to Brahmanabad and its neighbouring regions. According to historian Sarah Ansari, both Sammas and Sumras were local Rajput tribes whose chiefs converted to Islam and were followers of Suhrawardi Sufi saints with their base at Uch and Multan. Firishta mentions two groups of zamindars in Sindh, namely Sumra and Samma.
Jadeja and Chudasama clans which are the offshoot branches of the main Samma tribe are also mainly recognized as Rajputs.

History

mounted a number of campaigns in the region, battling the Sumra princes whose cycle of capitulation and rebellion could be charted exactly to the perceived military stress on the metropole. Yet, the Delhi Sultans and their governor rarely resorted to invading Sumra-held territories, relying instead on alliances with tribal elites and local power struggles. Against the Sumras, Khilji advanced the cause of the tribe of Samma. The conflict guaranteed a rolling supply of princes and tribal chiefs wanting alliances with the center. The tussle for dominance between the Sumras and the Samma lasted until the reign of Firuz Shah Tughluq, when the Jam emirs of Samma were finally able to end Sumra dominance, taking over lower Sindh. They established the Samma dynasty which ruled over Sindh from 1336 to 1524 and at its peak included parts of Punjab, Gujarat, and Balochistan regions along with the entire region of Sindh.