History of the Pashtun people
Tahmasp I (1514 – 1576) was an influential Shah of Iran of the Safavid dynasty. After getting defeated by Sher Shah Sur, Humayun sought refuge with Shah Tahmasp. Zakhirat-ul-Khawanin (Eng.trans, Vol-I, pp-103-104) records an interesting conversation that took place between Humayun and Shah Tahmasp: Shah Tahmasp: “Among Indian which class commands the obedience of big … Read more
Barmazid Sur alias Kur (Kur means one eyed) was an early companion of Sher Shah Sur. Since he was known for violence and ruthlessness, Badoani calls him Dajjal (antichrist who is said to be one-eyed according to Muslim traditions) and Hajjaj (ruthless governor of Iraq during the times of Caliph Abdul Malik and his successor). … Read more
Malik Muhammad Jaisi was contemporary of Sher Shah Suri and began writing the epic poem ‘Padmavat’ in Awadhi language in 947 Hijri year, that is, about 1540 A.D when Sher Shah was ruling at Delhi. This epic poem deals with folklore about Alauddin Khilji and Rani Padmini but some pages of the work are dedicated … Read more
Rizqullah Mushtaqi, the author of Waqiat-i-Mushtaqui, who was in born 1496 A.D and who saw the reign of Lodi and Sur Sultans, informs us that Sher Shah aimed at aimed at eradicating poverty from his empire. He fixed a good amount of money equivalent to 500 tolas of gold to be distributed among the needy … Read more
Sher Shah not only gave an impartial justice to all the people but also organized the whole system of justice on efficient lines. Sher Shah oftentimes remarked, ” Justice is the most excellent of religious virtues, and it has been acclaimed alike by the Islamic and infidel kings. None of the devotions and prayers can … Read more
Dattu Sarwani was a soldier in the service of Masnad-i-Ali Isa Khan Sarwani during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi. When the latter was defeated by Babur at the battlefield of Panipat in 1526, Dattu Sarwani accompanied his fellow clansmen to Bihar. In 1528 Dattu was part of the army led by Mahmud Khan Lodi … Read more
Waqiat-i-Mushtaqi (completed in 1572) records ; “He (Sher Shah) built serais (rest-houses) at every kroh (along the highways) from Gaur to the frontiers of his empire in all the four directions. Earthen jars were placed separately for the Muslims and Hindus at the gate of each Serai. At every serai he got a mosque , … Read more
Sher Shah Sur had a very short rule in the medieval period of India, yet he had several innovations in the cannon technology. Sher Shah possessed 4,000 light cannons, each of which weighed 4 mans within the range of 60-74 kg. The muzzles of Sher Shah’s cannons are shaped to look like the face of a tiger. … Read more
The first Pashtun poet, the historicity of whose person and work, we cannot reasonably doubt, is Shaikh Isa Mashwani, though the quantity of his poetic effusion vouchsafed to the potency is very small. He was contemporary of the great Pashtun monarch, Sher Shah Sur, whose short reign (1540-45) is one of the golden periods of the … Read more
Sher Shah’s father name was Hasan and they belonged to the Shera Khel sept of the Sur tribe [1] which was located in the present-day Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Sher Shah’s grandfather Ibrahim Khan was a horse-dealer in his native country. He migrated to India along with his son … Read more