Jan-Fishan Khan history
Jan-Fishan Khan, born Sayyid Muhammed Shah, was a 19th century Afghan warlord[1][2]who participated in the First Anglo-Afghan War and the subsequent Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Jan-Fishan Khan was the son of an Afghan noble, Sayyid Qutubuddin Khan, of Paghman, the family's ancestral home in Afghanistan.[2] His family has historically claimed descent from Ali ar-Ridha, the eighth Imam.[3]
In the First Anglo-Afghan War, Sayyid Muhammed Shah, also known to the British as the "Laird of Pughman",[4] supported Shah Shuja and the British Army against other Afghan forces,[5]apparently in order to honour a family allegiance to Shah Shuja.[2] In 1840, he was awarded the title "Jan-Fishan Khan" by Shah Shuja for his support.[6][7] According to writer James Moore, the title means "The Zealot" (however this is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the Persian idiom which can mean "zealous" in the sense of ‘ready to sacrifice one's life’, as it is defined inSteingass).[8][9] One of Jan-Fishan Khan's descendants Saira Shah has correctly explained that this nom de guerre translates literally as "scatterer of souls".[10] Shah recounts that the appellation has a double meaning: first, that of a warlord scattering the souls of his enemies, and second, one based on a Sufi couplet describing the supplicant's devotion to God:Having accompanied Sir Robert Sale’s force on its march from Kabul to Jalalabad, Jan-Fishan Khan was honourably mentioned in despatches for his assistance.[7] In the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Jan-Fishan Khan again helped the British to quell the mutiny.[5][11]Lethbridge (1893) gives the following summary in The Golden Book of India, a genealogical and biographical source:
Exiled from Kabul ever since the British retreat from Afghanistan, Jan-Fishan Khan eventually came to settle in Sardhana, a town near Meerutin the North-Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and was given the hereditary title of nawab in recognition of his services.[5] He had lost several of his sons in the fighting.[2][4][7]
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The Sardhana estate
According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India (1908): On account of services rendered to Sir Alexander Burnes in his Kabul mission, and subsequently to the British in the retreat from Kabul, a pension of Rs. 1,000 a month was given to the family, which settled at Sardhana. As a reward for subsequent help to the British in the Indian mutiny, the title of Nawab Bahadur, and confiscated estates assessed at Rs. 10,000 per annum, were conferred on Jan Fishan Khan, with concessions as to the revenue assessed. The pension was also made permanent. During the lifetime of the first Nawab, and for some time after, the family added largely to the estate, but speculations in indigo and personal extravagance caused losses. The estate was taken under the Court of Wards in 1895, and in 1901 the debts, amounting to 10 lakhs (1 Lakh = 100,000 Roupees), were paid off by a loan from Government.[3]
Tradition has it that the town of Sardhana (population 12,059 in 1891, growing to 12,467 in 1901 and 47,970 by 2001) was founded by a Raja Sarkat, whose family ruled there until their expulsion by the Muslims. Sardhana was once famous as the residence of the Catholic rulerBegum Samru.[3]
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Sufi connection
According to his descendant Idries Shah's obituary, as well as being an Afghan warlord, Jan-Fishan Khan was also a Sufi sage.[1]
Statements attributed to Jan-Fishan Khan by Idries Shah in his books on Sufism include: "The candle is not there to illuminate itself", "You may follow one stream. Realize that it leads to the Ocean. Do not mistake the stream for the Ocean" and "The visible places of Sufi study are like lamps in the dark. The inner places are like the Sun in the sky. The lamp illuminates an area for a time. The sun abolishes the dark". Khan also features in several teaching stories and some didactic passages in these books.[12]
[edit]Descendants
After Jan-Fishan Khan's death in 1864, his three sons succeeded him as Nawab, the last being Saiyid Ahmad Shah,[13] who succeeded in 1882.[14]
Jan-Fishan Khan has a number of notable descendants, including his great-grandson, the author and diplomat the Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah who married the author and traveller Saira Elizabeth Luiza Shah; great-great-grandchildren: the authors and Sufi teachers Idries Shah and Omar Ali-Shah and the storyteller Amina Shah; and great-great-great-grandchildren: the author and film-maker Tahir Shah; the author, reporter and documentary film-maker Saira Shah, and Safia Nafisa Shah, Tahir's twin sister, who edited the book Afghan Caravan.[15] Omar Ali-Shah's son, Arif Ali-Shah is a film-maker and has lead Sufi study groups.
Other famous descendants in India and Pakistan include the former Indian Deputy Chief of Army Staff Zameerud-din Shah, acclaimed actorsNaseeruddin Shah and Syed Kamal, as well as the Pakistani-born English cricketer Owais Shah. The Canadian Realtor, Agha Sarwat Ali Shah is the son of the late Saadat Ali Shah and grandson of Sultan Mohammed Khan. He is married to Mobeen Zehra Shah and has two sons, Sifat Ali Shah and Samat Ali Shah.
[edit]See also
[edit]References
- ^ a b Obituary of Idries Shah, The Independent (London) of November 26, 1996.
- ^ a b c d Shah, Saira (2003), The Storyteller's Daughter, New York, NY: Anchor Books, ISBN 1-4000-3147-8, pp. 19–26
- ^ a b c Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 22, p. 105, Oxford, 1908. Retrieved from here on 2008-11-14.
- ^ a b Sale, Florentia Wynch (1844). A Journal of the Disasters in Affghanistan, 1841-2. London: John Murray, pp. 45, 142, 373
- ^ a b c d Lethbridge, Sir Roper (1893), The Golden Book of India. A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled or Decorated, of the Indian Empire., London, UK/New York, NY: Macmillan and Co., p. 13; reprint by Elibron Classics (2001): ISBN 9781402193286
- ^ Moore, James (1986). "Neo-Sufism: The Case of Idries Shah". Religion Today 3 (3). Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- ^ a b c Text accompanying lithograph depicting Jan-Fishan Khan, Leicester Galleries Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ Steingass, Francis Joseph (2007). A comprehensive Persian-English dictionary. India: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 8120606701. First published 1892. New edition 2007.
- ^ See Steingass dictionary on-line search
- ^ a b Shah, Saira (2003), The Storyteller's Daughter, New York, NY: Anchor Books, ISBN 1-4000-3147-8, p. 19. Also see similar interpretations of the title in Sale (1844) Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
- ^ Letter from Col. R.J.H. Birch, Secretary to the Government of India in Indian Mutiny 1857 - 58 -- Vol.1 briefly mentions Khan's help for the British.
- ^ Idries Shah, The Way of the Sufi, pp 152, 186, 269-270, Octagon Press, 1980. It also contains a passage in the section 'Letters and Lectures' entitled 'Which do you seek -- appearance or reality', attributed to Jan-Fishan Khan.
- ^ Staff (1908). "Imperial Gazette of India, Vol. XXII, Samadhiala to Singiiana". Oxford. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- ^ Lethbridge, Sir Roper (1893). "The Golden Book of India; a genealogical and biograhical dictionary of the ruling princes, chiefs, nobles, and other personages, titled or decorated, of the Indian empire, with an appendix for Ceylon". Oxford. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- ^ Review of Afghan Caravan by Safia Shah Retrieved on 2008-11-14.
[edit]Further reading
- Sale, Florentia Wynch (1844). A Journal of the Disasters in Affghanistan, 1841-2. London: John Murray.
[edit]External links
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Jan-Fishan Khan
Biography SYED MOHAMMAD JAN FISHAN KHAN OF BAHADUR
 | |
| Born | Paghman, Afghanistan |
|---|---|
| Died | 1864 Sardhana, India |
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Occupation | Warlord and Nawab (noble) |
| Children | Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah |
| Parents | Sayed Qutubuddin Khan |
| Relatives | Shah family |
Paghman
Paghman is a town in the hills near Kabul, Afghanistan. See also Paghman Gardens. It is center of the Paghman District which has a total population of 120,000 people, and another 20,000 returnees are expected (2002 official UNHCR est.), of which 70% are Pashtuns and 30% Tajiks.[1]. Paghman District is situated in the western part of Kabul Province,Afghanistan. The population of Paghman is more than 52 000 people (2007 calculation).Paghman is the birth place of late King Amanulah khan and some other prominent former Loya Jirga's leaders and tribal chiefs and one president.
Hafizullah Amin, the last president of Afghanistan before the Soviet Invasion, was born here. Once it was called the capital garden of Afghanistan.
Hafizullah Amin, the last president of Afghanistan before the Soviet Invasion, was born here. Once it was called the capital garden of Afghanistan.
Paghman district borders Wardak and Parwan provinces to the west, Shakardara District to the north, Kabul to the east and Char Asiab District to the south-east. Its headquarter is the town of Paghman, which is situated in the northeastern part of the district.
The district seriously suffered from the wars in the region, 50% of the buildings were destroyed and any people fled from the district. Agriculture, labour work,animal husbandry and employment in Kabul City are the major sources of income. There are several villages including Adam Khel Kala, Hatam Kala, Seeno Kala, Mullah Khel Kala, Muhabbat Khan kala, Lachi Khel Kala , Pajakk Tappa , etc..
[edit]Tourism
Paghman has become an important place for Afghan Tourism. People go here because it's just outside of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. They also go here because it's a nice rural area and there are some tourism activities nearby. These include Paghman Gardens. People also go to Kabul from here. It's a well known summer resort across the Country and the World.
[edit]Sister Cities
Alice Springs, Australia- Alice Springs has been a Sister City since January 2005.
[edit]References
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