The Origin of the largest segmentary lineage group in the world is still a mystery to many. There are many conflicting theories, some contemporary, some ancient, about the origins of the Pashtun people, both among historians and the Pashtun themselves. But the one suggesting Pashtuns as descendants of the ten lost tribes of Jews has the most compelling case.
The Theory of Pashtun descent from Israelites is traced to Maghzan-e-Afghani who compiled a history for Khan-e-Jehan Lodhi in the reign of Mughal Emperor Jehangir in the 16th century AD. This reference is in line with the commonly held view by Pashtuns that when the twelve tribes of Israel were dispersed (Israel and Judah, Lost Ten Tribes), the tribe of Joseph among other Hebrew tribes settled in the region. However, Some sources state that the Maghzan-e-Afghani, from an oral tradition, may be a myth which grew out of a political and cultural struggle between Pashtuns and the Mughals.
There are an estimated 40 million Pashtuns around the world including more than 14 million in Afghanistan and 28 million in Pakistan, mainly in the North West Frontier Province and Tribal areas but also with a strong presence in Karachi. Many have grown up with stories of their people being "Children of Israel". According to legend, they are descended from the Ephraim tribe which was driven out of Israel by the Assyrian invasion in around 700BC. Evidence of ancient Jewish settlement has been found in Herat, close to Afghanistan's border with Iran, where a graveyard contains tombs inscribed in Hebrew. The Afghan capital Kabul also has a centuries-old synagogue which has long been abandoned
Their tribal groupings have similar names, including Yusufzai, which means sons of Joseph; and Afridi, thought by some to come from Ephraim. Some customs and practices are said to be similar to Jewish traditions: lighting candles on the sabbath, refraining from eating certain foods, using a canopy during a wedding ceremony and some similarities in garments
Proponents of this theory believe that Pashtuns of Afghanistan and Pakistan converted to Islam in 7th AD, when their leader Qais Abdul Rasheed met Prophet (PBUH) in Saudi Arabia. Abaseen Yousafzai, the head of Pashtu department of Islamia College Peshawar said that, “The Prophet Mohammed addressed Qais and his tribesmen and said that you belong to Malik Talut’s race. Thereafter he called him Malik (King),". He further added that Qais was born in the Ghor province of modern-day Afghanistan. Upon hearing of the advent of Islam, his tribe sent him to Medina in Saudi Arabia, where he became a Muslim
Now a genetic study to investigate a connection between the lost tribes of Israel and the Pashtuns of Afghanistan and northern Pakistan will be funded by Israel, according to a report in The Observer.An Indian researcher based at the National Institute of Immuno-haemotology in Mumbai will now spend time at a leading Israeli institute, Technion to study the findings of her research. Shahnaz Ali collected the blood-samples from members of the Pashtun Afridi tribe living near Lucknow, India. Previous research in a similar area failed to determine a link either way.
Still the origins of Pashtuns is not clear and this theory has been a matter of curiosity since long ago, but its hoped that a scientific analysis will provide us with some answers about the Israelite origin of Pashtuns.
The Theory of Pashtun descent from Israelites is traced to Maghzan-e-Afghani who compiled a history for Khan-e-Jehan Lodhi in the reign of Mughal Emperor Jehangir in the 16th century AD. This reference is in line with the commonly held view by Pashtuns that when the twelve tribes of Israel were dispersed (Israel and Judah, Lost Ten Tribes), the tribe of Joseph among other Hebrew tribes settled in the region. However, Some sources state that the Maghzan-e-Afghani, from an oral tradition, may be a myth which grew out of a political and cultural struggle between Pashtuns and the Mughals.
There are an estimated 40 million Pashtuns around the world including more than 14 million in Afghanistan and 28 million in Pakistan, mainly in the North West Frontier Province and Tribal areas but also with a strong presence in Karachi. Many have grown up with stories of their people being "Children of Israel". According to legend, they are descended from the Ephraim tribe which was driven out of Israel by the Assyrian invasion in around 700BC. Evidence of ancient Jewish settlement has been found in Herat, close to Afghanistan's border with Iran, where a graveyard contains tombs inscribed in Hebrew. The Afghan capital Kabul also has a centuries-old synagogue which has long been abandoned
Their tribal groupings have similar names, including Yusufzai, which means sons of Joseph; and Afridi, thought by some to come from Ephraim. Some customs and practices are said to be similar to Jewish traditions: lighting candles on the sabbath, refraining from eating certain foods, using a canopy during a wedding ceremony and some similarities in garments
Proponents of this theory believe that Pashtuns of Afghanistan and Pakistan converted to Islam in 7th AD, when their leader Qais Abdul Rasheed met Prophet (PBUH) in Saudi Arabia. Abaseen Yousafzai, the head of Pashtu department of Islamia College Peshawar said that, “The Prophet Mohammed addressed Qais and his tribesmen and said that you belong to Malik Talut’s race. Thereafter he called him Malik (King),". He further added that Qais was born in the Ghor province of modern-day Afghanistan. Upon hearing of the advent of Islam, his tribe sent him to Medina in Saudi Arabia, where he became a Muslim
Now a genetic study to investigate a connection between the lost tribes of Israel and the Pashtuns of Afghanistan and northern Pakistan will be funded by Israel, according to a report in The Observer.An Indian researcher based at the National Institute of Immuno-haemotology in Mumbai will now spend time at a leading Israeli institute, Technion to study the findings of her research. Shahnaz Ali collected the blood-samples from members of the Pashtun Afridi tribe living near Lucknow, India. Previous research in a similar area failed to determine a link either way.
Still the origins of Pashtuns is not clear and this theory has been a matter of curiosity since long ago, but its hoped that a scientific analysis will provide us with some answers about the Israelite origin of Pashtuns.
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