Other theories have been adduced by the Awans regarding their origins, but most of these hypotheses also point to the tribe being descended from Qutb Shah, who entered the Indian Subcontinent as part of a military campaign (and traced his bloodline to Ali).

However, there are those who dispute that the Awans are of Arab origin; these include Alexander Cunningham, Harikishan Kaul and Arthur Brandreth. Cunningham and Kaul looked upon the Awans as a Rajput clan, Kaul pointing to the fact that in Sanskrit, the term Awan means "defender" or "protector" and asserting that this title was awarded by surrounding tribes due to the Awans successfully defending their strongholds against aggression. Brandreth believed the Awans to be remnants of Bactrian Greeks. Conversely, there are also those who support the Awan claim to Arab ancestry. Amongst such names are those of H.A Rose, Malik Fazal Dad Khan and Sabiha Shaheen.

According to Rose not only are the Awans of Arabian origin, he also accepted that they are indeed the descendants of Qutb Shah. Tracing their lineage to Ali, in Rose's view, the Awans assisted Sabuktageen in his Indian adventure, for which he bestowed the title of Awan on them, meaning "assistant". Malik Fazal Dad Khan has supported this theory but with some modifications. He also considers the Awans to be of Arabian origin and traces their lineage to Ali, but according to him, Abdullah Rasul Mirza was the remote ancestor of the Awans; in the eighth century, he was made a commander of the army of Ghaur by Caliph Haroon-ur-Rasheed, the title of Awan being conferred upon him, and his descendants consequently being called Awans. Sabiha Shaheen (who addressed this issue as part of her MA Thesis) deems this theory tenable.

Furthermore, she states that Qutb Shah fled to the Subcontinent along with a small group of people due to Mongol attacks and joined the court of Iltutmish. The majority of his descendants came to refer to themselves as Qutb Shahi Awans (most Awans are able to trace their family trees to Qutb Shah). The findings of the geneticist, S. Dorning, suggest that the Awans are ethnically distinct from Jats and Rajputs.