Qais Abdur Rashid
Encyclopedia
Qais Abdur Rashid Khan (575 - 661) , also known as Kesh
, Kish
, Qesh and Imraul Qais is a legend
ary ancestor
of the Pashtun race, claimed to be the first ethnic
Pashtun
who travelled to Mecca
and Medina
in Saudi Arabia
during the early days of Islam
.) He is believed to be the 37th descendent of King Saul (or Malik
Talut
).
He was born in Zhob
, a region of modern day in Baluchistan, Pakistan
. Upon hearing about the advent of Islam, he was sent by his tribe to Medina
in Saudi Arabia. He met the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
and embraced Islam there, and was given the name Abdur Rashid by Muhammed. He then returned to the region of Afghanistan and introduced Islam to his tribe. It is also claimed that the famous warrior companion, Khalid ibn al-Walid
, introduced Qais Abdur Rashid to the Prophet. According to Thomas Walker Arnold
, however, the account in which Afghans were introduced to Muhammad by Khalid ibn al-Walid is without any historical foundation.
Firishta
, a 16th century Persian historian, points out that some of the early Pashtuns (Afghans) may have been Copt
s before they became Muslim
s.
Qais Abdur Rashid is buried on top of the Qais Mountain (known locally as "Da Kase Ghar"), which is in the Zhob
. Some people visit the place and make animal sacrifice
s, usually a sheep
or a goat
, at the tomb of Qais as to help feed the poor. Nearly all major Pashtun tribes
are held to be the progeny
of his sons and daughters.
Muhammad Rehman khattak zhob balochistan pakistan
Kesh
Kesh may refer to:* Kesh , an ancient Sumerian city and religious center* Kesh, the former name of Shahrisabz, Uzbekistan* Keş, Azerbaijan* Kesh, County Fermanagh, a small village in Northern Ireland* Long Kesh, a prison in Northern Ireland...
, Kish
Kish
-Geography:*Kish Island, an Iranian island and a city in the Persian Gulf*Kish, Iran, a city on Kish Island*Kish District, an administrative subdivision of Iran*Kish Rural District, an administrative subdivision of Iran...
, Qesh and Imraul Qais is a legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
ary ancestor
Ancestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
of the Pashtun race, claimed to be the first ethnic
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
who travelled to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
during the early days of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.) He is believed to be the 37th descendent of King Saul (or Malik
Malik
Malik is an Arabic word meaning "king, chieftain".It has been adopted in various other, mainly Islamized or Arabized, Asian languages for their ruling princes and to render kings elsewhere. It is also sometimes used in derived meanings...
Talut
Talut
Talut is the Qur'anic name for Saul. Talut is mentioned in Sura 2 , verses 246-251, as a king appointed by God to rule over the Children of Israel...
).
He was born in Zhob
Zhob
-Roads:Zhob is 333 kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometers from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part fair nowadays track passing through water streams and almost complete road is metalloid....
, a region of modern day in Baluchistan, 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...
. Upon hearing about the advent of Islam, he was sent by his tribe to Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
in Saudi Arabia. He met the Islamic prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and embraced Islam there, and was given the name Abdur Rashid by Muhammed. He then returned to the region of Afghanistan and introduced Islam to his tribe. It is also claimed that the famous warrior companion, Khalid ibn al-Walid
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Khālid ibn al-Walīd also known as Sayf Allāh al-Maslūl , was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is noted for his military tactics and prowess, commanding the forces of Medina and those of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate; Abu Bakr and Umar...
, introduced Qais Abdur Rashid to the Prophet. According to Thomas Walker Arnold
Thomas Walker Arnold
Sir Thomas Walker Arnold was an eminent British orientalist and historian of Islamic art who taught at MAO College, Aligarh Muslim University, then Aligarh College, and Government College University, Lahore. He was a friend of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, and wrote his famous book "The preaching of Islam"...
, however, the account in which Afghans were introduced to Muhammad by Khalid ibn al-Walid is without any historical foundation.
Firishta
Firishta
Firishta or Ferishta, full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah , was born in 1560 and died in 1620 and he was a Persian historian. The name Firishta means angel or one who is sent in Persian.-Life:...
, a 16th century Persian historian, points out that some of the early Pashtuns (Afghans) may have been Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
s before they became Muslim
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...
s.
Qais Abdur Rashid is buried on top of the Qais Mountain (known locally as "Da Kase Ghar"), which is in the Zhob
Sulaiman Mountains
The Sulaiman Mountains are a major geological feature of southeastern Afghanistan and northern Balochistan province of Pakistan. In Pakistan, it forms the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau where the Indus River separates it from the Asian Subcontient...
. Some people visit the place and make animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing of an animal as part of a religion. It is practised by many religions as a means of appeasing a god or gods or changing the course of nature...
s, usually a sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
or a goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, at the tomb of Qais as to help feed the poor. Nearly all major Pashtun tribes
Pashtun tribes
The Pashtun people are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and the second largest in Pakistan. Pashtun, tribes are divided into four supertribal confederacies: the Arbanee , Betanee , Gharghasht, and Karlanee .Traditionally, according to folklore, all Pashtuns are said to have descended, at...
are held to be the progeny
Progeny
Progeny can refer to:*A genetic descendant or offspring*An academic progeny Other uses*Progeny Linux Systems*Progeny - an episode of the television series Stargate Atlantis...
of his sons and daughters.
See also
- Nimat Allah al-HarawiNimat Allah al-HarawiNi'mat Allah al-Harawi is the author of a Persian language epic history of the Afghans while serving as a chronicler at the court of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir...
author of Tarikh-i-Khan Jahani Makhzan-i-Afghani also known as The History of the Afghans - SaulSaul-People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...
- TalutTalutTalut is the Qur'anic name for Saul. Talut is mentioned in Sura 2 , verses 246-251, as a king appointed by God to rule over the Children of Israel...
- Amir Kror SuriAmir Kror SuriAmir Kror Suri , also known as Jahan Pahlawan, is a legendary character in Pashtun national history and is claimed to have become the governor of Mandesh in Ghor.- Description in Pashtun folklore :...
- List of non-Arab Sahaba
- Sunni view of the Sahaba
- TareenTareenThe Tareen are a prominent Sarbanri Pashtun tribe residing in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. They are one of the largest Pashtun tribes.-History:...
Muhammad Rehman khattak zhob balochistan pakistan