Jesus In India — Page 109
J e s u s i n I n d i a 109 known as Hazara today, part of the region being called Ghor. In Tabaqaat-i-Naasri, there is an account of the conquest of Afghanistan by Genghis Khan. It is stated that in the times of the Shabnisi dynasty there lived a tribe known as Beni Israel, some of whom were big businessmen and good traders. In 622 A. D. , which is the year of the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s sa Call, these people were to be found in the eastern part of Herat. A Quraish chief Khalid bin Walid brought to them the tidings of the Prophet’s Coming with a view to bringing them under the banner of the Divine Messenger sa. Five or six chiefs were elected to accompany him, of whom the principal chief was Qais, whose other name was Kish. After accepting Islam, these people fought bravely for the cause of Islam and made many conquests. The Holy Prophet sa gave them many presents on their return journey, blessed them, and prophesied that they would attain great power and ascendancy. The Holy Prophet sa also prophesied that the chiefs of this tribe would always be known as Maliks. He gave Qais the name of Abdul Rashid and conferred upon him the title Pahtaan. Afghan writers say that this is a Syriac word which means a rudder. As the newly converted Qais was, like the rudder of a ship, a guide to his tribe, he was awarded the title Pahtaan. It is not known at what point of time the Afghans of Ghor advanced farther and came to settle in the territory around Kandhar, which is their home today. This happened probably in the first century of the Islamic calendar. The Afghans maintain that Qais married the daughter of Khalid bin Walid, by whom he had three sons whose names were Saraban, Patan, and Gurgasht. Saraban had two sons, called