The Islamic History of Pashtuns

 The Islamic History of Pashtuns

Pashtuns are called Afghans because Afghan was the name of one of the sons of Prophet Solomon (PBUH). Afghan became fond of the language of the Jinns, so he requested his father, Prophet Solomon (PBUH), to ask the Jinns to teach him their language. Solomon (PBUH) accepted his son's request and ordered the Jinns to teach Afghans their language. This language later became known as Pashto.

As for the origins and ethnicity of the Pashtuns, the evidence suggests that Pashtuns are descendants of Prophet Abraham (PBUH) through his son, Prophet Isaac (PBUH), and their ethnicity is Israeli. English historians write that the Pashtun people lived in a part of Armenia, and the people of Armenia claim that Afghans or Pashtuns are among them. Albanians, known as Afghans later on, migrated from Armenia to India.

Other historians write that after facing many hardships and difficulties, the Israeli tribes settled in Afghanistan. When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) began preaching Islam and people started converting to Islam in large numbers, the leader of the Pashtun tribe, named Qais Abdul Rashid, presented himself and his entire family to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and converted to Islam by taking an oath of allegiance at his hands. Hence, wherever there are Pashtuns in the world, they will be Muslims. Pashtuns are the only nation in the world where there is no other religion except Islam. If you ask a Pashtun whether he is a Muslim first or a Pashtun first, the answer will be, "I have been a Pashtun for five thousand years and a Muslim for fourteen hundred years."

Why are the Afghan people called Pashtuns?

When the infidels took over Mecca, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ordered Hazrat Khalid bin Walid (RA) to call upon his Afghans for jihad. Khalid bin Walid (RA) went to Afghanistan and conveyed the message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to the Afghan leader, Qais Abdul Rashid. Under the leadership of Qais Abdul Rashid, the Afghan army marched towards Mecca.

In the evening, the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) brought the good news to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that the Afghan army had started a massacre of the infidels as soon as they arrived and had eradicated all the infidels. The Afghans had conquered Mecca (not the entire Mecca, but a part of it that was under the control of another tribe). At that moment, the blessed words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were "Butan." This title was given to the Afghan people by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The word "Butan" is an Arabic term meaning the hardest wood used in shipbuilding that even seawater cannot weaken. When this word reached the Indian subcontinent, "Butan" became "Pashtun," similar to how "Gauri" and "Ghori" evolved.

Additionally, when the Black Stone of Heaven (Hajar al-Aswad) was stolen, it was the Afghan tribes who, after great difficulties and battles, brought it back from Yemen. Furthermore, the Hadith that mentions the final war in India and prophesies that an army with black flags will rise from Khorasan to conquer India refers to the ancient region of Khorasan, which is present-day Afghanistan.