Akhund of Swat
Encyclopedia
The Akhund of Swat Abdul Ghafur (1794–1877) was a Muslim
saint who exercised great influence and authority over Muslims over large parts of central Asia
.
His residence in the mountainous country of Swat
, now part of Pakistan
, was the destination for numerous pilgrimages to consult him on questions of every kind.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
saint who exercised great influence and authority over Muslims over large parts of central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
.
His residence in the mountainous country of Swat
Swat (Pakistan)
Swat is a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, located close to the Afghan-Pakistan border. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main town in the Swat valley is Mingora...
, now part of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, was the destination for numerous pilgrimages to consult him on questions of every kind.
Literary allusions
- Edward LearEdward LearEdward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he popularised.-Biography:...
's "The Akond of Swat" - George T. Lanigan (1846–1886) wrote "The Ahkoond of Swat" on hearing of the Akhund's death in 1878.