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Book/Printed Material Risālah-ʼi Puṣhto, It̤āʻat-i ūlʹa al-amr

About this Item

Title

  • Risālah-ʼi Puṣhto, It̤āʻat-i ūlʹa al-amr

Summary

  • Risālah-i Puṣhto It̤āʻat-i ūlā al-amr (On the obedience of the ruler in Pashto) is a tract meant to encourage obedience to the ruler of Afghanistan. The expression ūlā al-amr refers to one who is foremost in authority, and the title of the book references a Qur'anic verse (5:59), "Oh Believers! Obey the Lord and the Prophet and those who are foremost in authority amongst you," which is quoted at the beginning of the work. Numerous quotes from the hadith literature (primarily from the collection of al-Bukhari) follow. The Arabic text of each hadith is followed by an explanation in Pashto, several of which equate disobedience with jahāla (ignorance, i.e. of religious precepts) and contrast it with shahāda (bearing testimony or witness to Islam). The aim of the work is thus plainly the garnering of legitimacy and authority for the then-ruling Afghan emir, Habibullah Khan (reigned 1901-19). The Persian original of this work was composed by Maulawi ʻAbd al-Rabb Khan (1878 or 1879-1919), who, ironically, appears to have been jailed for his involvement in the constitutional movement in the early 1900s against the authoritarianism of Habibullah Khan. By the time he composed the It̤āʻat-i ūlā al-amr, ʻAbd al-Rabb Khan was serving Habibullah Khan in the role of mullā-i darbār (court theologian). Both ʻAbd al-Rabb Khan and the translator, Salih Muhammad, were teachers at the Habibiya School founded by Habibullah Khan. The Pashto translation of It̤āʻat-i ūlā al-amr was printed by the Dar al-Saltanah press in Kabul. The cover states that it is the first Pashto work printed in Afghanistan, and that it was meant to be distributed free of charge. World Digital Library.

Names

  • Khān, ʻAbd al-Rabb, active 1915

Created / Published

  • Kābul : Mat̤baʻ Sīnkī Māshīnkhānah Dār al-Salṭanah Kābul, 1334 [1915 or 1916]

Headings

  • -  Islam and state--Qurʼanic teaching
  • -  Kings and rulers--Religious aspects--Islam
  • -  Obedience--Religious aspects--Islam
  • -  Afghanistan

Notes

  • -  "Risālah-ʼi muʼallifah-ʼi Fārsī bi-zabān-i Afghānī tarjamah shudah va az ḥuz̤ūr-i ḥaz̤rat-i ʻālī-i mutaʻālī-i Muʻīn al-Salṭanah ṣāḥib-i afkham barā-yi riʻāyā-yi Afghānī zaban, Dawlat-i Khudādād-i Afghānistān muft va rāyigānʹdādah mīʹshavad"--T.p.
  • -  Includes original t.p. of the manuscript.
  • -  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
  • -  In Pushto; some in Persian.
  • -  Near East Cage.
  • -  Acquired for LC only.

Medium

  • 92 p. ; 21 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BP134.P6 K4916 1915

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2001310184

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Persian Language Manuscript Project are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Khān, ʻAbd Al-Rabb, Active 1915. Risālah-ʼi Puṣhto, It̤āʻat-i ūlʹa al-amr. [Kābul: Mat̤baʻ Sīnkī Māshīnkhānah Dār al-Salṭanah Kābul, 1915 or 1916, 1915] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2001310184/.

APA citation style:

Khān, ʻ. A. (1915) Risālah-ʼi Puṣhto, It̤āʻat-i ūlʹa al-amr. [Kābul: Mat̤baʻ Sīnkī Māshīnkhānah Dār al-Salṭanah Kābul, 1915 or 1916] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2001310184/.

MLA citation style:

Khān, ʻAbd Al-Rabb, Active 1915. Risālah-ʼi Puṣhto, It̤āʻat-i ūlʹa al-amr. [Kābul: Mat̤baʻ Sīnkī Māshīnkhānah Dār al-Salṭanah Kābul, 1915 or 1916, 1915] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2001310184/>.