- Rahman Baba
Abdul Rahman Mohmand (Pashto: عبدالرحمان مومند ) popularly known as (Pashto: رحمان بابا ) was called the "Nightingale" of
Pakhtoonkhwa , the Pashto speaking region ofAfghanistan andPakistan . Rahman Baba is a legendary PashtoSufi poet. His poetry places him alongsideKhushal Khan Khattak for his contribution to Pashto poetry and literature.Early life
(
1653 -1711 AD)Qareeb ur Rahman claims was of the
Sarban tribe, who are recognized as the ‘true Afghans’ because they can trace their ancestry back to the eldest son of the putative Pashtun ancestorQais Abdur Rashid . The Sarban tribe migrated into thePeshawar valley in modernNorth-West Frontier Province ,Pakistan from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century.Rahman was a
Mohmand , of theGhoriah Khel (tribe), who lived in a small pocket of Mohmand settlers on the outskirts ofPeshawar . From1550 A.D. theYusufzai tribe had come to dominate the area, following the defeat of the Ghoriah Khel in the battle of Sheikh Tapur. Rahman apparently lived peacefully in the area, and never mentions his involvement in these inter-tribal conflicts.Opinion is divided about Rahman’s family background. Several commentators are convinced that his family were village
Malik s (chieftains). However Rahman Baba did not perceive himself to be of a powerful family.( the above background information is courtesy of [http://www.rahmanbaba-poetry.com/index.htm Robert Sampson and Momin Khan] )
Religious Background
Rahman Baba was an ascetic but various unfounded theories have been made about who Rahman’s guide may have been, and to which order he was attached. Sabir suggests that Rahman had a
Naqshbandi Sufi tariqa initiation inKohat , as well as training from the sons of Pir Baba. Schimmel and Saad Ahmed Baghi casually assign Rahman to the Chishti order. Aqab, himself of theQadiriyyah order, claims Rahman was a Qadiri.Published work
Rahman Baba's only work is his famed Diwan. The
Diwan of Rahman Baba is now considered one of the most defining bits of Pashtun literature ever published. Despite its fame amongst Pashtuns it has only recently been fully translated into the English language.----
Recommended reading
* Robert Sampson and Momin Khan, "The Poetry of Rahman Baba"
* Jens Enevoldsen, "The Nightingale of Peshawar: Selections from Rahman Baba"
*H. G. Raverty , "The Gulistan-i-Roh: Afghan Poetry and Prose"
* H. G. Raverty, "Selections from the Poetry of the Afghans, from the 16th to the 19th Century"See also
*
Khushal Khan Khattak
*Abdul Ghani Khan
*Ameer Hamza Shinwari
*Ajmal Khattak
*Kabir Stori External links
* [http://www.rahmanbaba-poetry.com/rahmanbaba.htm/ The Life of Rahman Baba]
* [http://www.virtualafghans.com/culture/poetry/rahman_baba/ Biography and Information]
* [http://www.afghanan.net/poets/abdurahman.htm/ Abdur Rahman Baba]
* [http://www.rahmanbaba-poetry.com/index.htm Rahman Baba in English]
* [http://www.interlitfoundation.org/ Interlit Foundation]
* [http://www.geocities.com/dastaaan/ Pashto Poets by Dr Tanvir Orakzai]
* http://www.rahmanbabadiwan.com/index.htm
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