Qutb Shah
Encyclopedia
Qutb Shah was the ruler of Herat and a general in the army of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi
. Qutub Shah was a Hashemite
descendant of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah
, son of Hazart Ali
, and Imam
of the Kaysanites Shia
, who was the son of Ali
, who in turn was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad
.
Historical sources attest that Herat
was under the rule of King Nuh III of Samanids the seventh of the Samanid
line—at the time of Sebük Tigin
and his older son, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi
.
The governor of Herāt was a noble by the name of Faik, who governed on behalf of King Nuh III. Faik was a powerful, but insubordinate governor of Nuh III; and had been punished by Nuh III. Faik made overtures to Bogra Khan
and Ughar Khan of Khorasan
. Bogra Khan answered Faik's call, came to Herāt and became its master.
In 994, Nuh III invited Alp Tigin to come to his aid. Alp Tigin, along with Mahmud of Ghazni
, defeated Faik and annexed Herāt, Nishapur
and Tous
.
, Pakistan
and Northern India, who, according to tribal traditions, settled primarily in the Salt Range
.
from Hinduism
. Qutb Shah’s sons are said to have settled in different regions of the Punjab and to a lesser extent, what now constitutes parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Gauhar Shah or Gorrara, settled near Sakesar
, Kalan Shah or Kalgan, settled in Kalabagh
, Chauhan colonized the hills close to the Jehlum, Mohammad Shah, settled by the Kahar
, and Tori and Jhajh settled in Padhrar
. All these regions collectively less Kalabagh and Sakesar are referred to as "Wanhar" today. Their descendants not only came to heavily populate these regions.
However, most of these claims can be traced to the works of H. A. Rose in the book 'Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province' and confirms his findings to H M Eliot and Dowson's book The History of India, as told by its own Historians.
H. A. Rose then, in the same book, goes on to accept the Awan to be of Arab origin.
Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,...
. Qutub Shah was a Hashemite
Hashemite
Hashemite is the Latinate version of the , transliteration: Hāšimī, and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim, or "clan of Hashim", a clan within the larger Quraish tribe...
descendant of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah
Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah
Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah surnamed Abu'l-Qasim was an early Muslim leader. He was a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shi'ite Imam and the fourth Sunni Caliph.-Biography:...
, son of Hazart Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
, and Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of the Kaysanites Shia
Kaysanites Shia
The Kaysanites were a once dominant Shi'a Ghulat sect that formed from the followers of Al-Mukhtar. They believed in the Imamate of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah. Following the death of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah the sect split up into numerous sub-sects, each with their own Imam and unique beliefs...
, who was the son of Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
, who in turn was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet 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...
.
Historical sources attest that Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
was under the rule of King Nuh III of Samanids the seventh of the Samanid
Samanid
The Samani dynasty , also known as the Samanid Empire, or simply Samanids was a Persian state and empire in Central Asia and Greater Iran, named after its founder Saman Khuda, who converted to Sunni Islam despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility...
line—at the time of Sebük Tigin
Sebük Tigin
Abu Mansur Sabuktigin , also spelled as Sabuktagin, Sabuktakin, Sebüktegin and Sebük Tigin, is generally regarded by historians as the founder of the Ghaznavid Empire...
and his older son, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi
Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,...
.
The governor of Herāt was a noble by the name of Faik, who governed on behalf of King Nuh III. Faik was a powerful, but insubordinate governor of Nuh III; and had been punished by Nuh III. Faik made overtures to Bogra Khan
Bogra Khan
Bogra Khan Ilak was an ethnic Turkish sovereign who reigned in the latter part of the 10th century over Kashgar, Khotan and other countries inter-weaning between Transoxiana and the Chinese frontier...
and Ughar Khan of Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
. Bogra Khan answered Faik's call, came to Herāt and became its master.
In 994, Nuh III invited Alp Tigin to come to his aid. Alp Tigin, along with Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,...
, defeated Faik and annexed Herāt, Nishapur
Nishapur
Nishapur or Nishabur , is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad...
and Tous
Tous
Tous may refer to:* Trotskyist Organization of the United States an American Trotskyite group* Berd, Armenia* Tous, Iran* Tous, Valencia, Spain* Tous Designer House Spanish Designer Jewelry...
.
Biography
Qutb Shah and nine of his sons accompanied and assisted Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi in his early eleventh century conquests of what today forms parts of AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, 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...
and Northern India, who, according to tribal traditions, settled primarily in the Salt Range
Salt Range
The Salt Range is a hill system in the Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends from the Jhelum River to the Indus, across the northern portion of the Punjab province. The Salt Range contains the great mines of Mayo, Khewra, Warcha...
.
Legacy
Tribal history holds that Qutb Shah and his sons married local women who converted to IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
from Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. Qutb Shah’s sons are said to have settled in different regions of the Punjab and to a lesser extent, what now constitutes parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Gauhar Shah or Gorrara, settled near Sakesar
Sakesar
Sakesar is a mountain peak which lies on the outer fringes of the Soon Valley in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. It has an height of 1522 m and used to be the summer headquarters for the deputy commissioners of three districts - Campbellpur , Mianwali and Sargodha...
, Kalan Shah or Kalgan, settled in Kalabagh
Kalabagh
Kalabagh a town and union council of Mianwali District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located on the western bank of Indus River. It is the site of the proposed Kalabagh Dam. It is also famous for its red hills of the salt range and scenic view of the Indus River traversing through the...
, Chauhan colonized the hills close to the Jehlum, Mohammad Shah, settled by the Kahar
Kahar
Kahar is an ancient community of India. They are divided in to Hindu ,Muslim and Sikhs respectively. The muslim kahar chiefly found in Punjab,Haryana and western belt of Uttar Pradesh...
, and Tori and Jhajh settled in Padhrar
Padhrar
Padhrar is a village and union council of Khushab District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is part of Khushab tehsil, the village of Padhrar is located at the beginning of the Soon Valley which leads to the mountain peak of Sakesar.- Geography :The village is located at equal distance of...
. All these regions collectively less Kalabagh and Sakesar are referred to as "Wanhar" today. Their descendants not only came to heavily populate these regions.
However, most of these claims can be traced to the works of H. A. Rose in the book 'Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province' and confirms his findings to H M Eliot and Dowson's book The History of India, as told by its own Historians.
H. A. Rose then, in the same book, goes on to accept the Awan to be of Arab origin.