دا هنر نه دی چي خاورې څوک زر کا
چې زر خاورې کړې رحمانه هنر دا دی

Rahman Baba - The Fatherly Poet of Pashtuns

At the dawn of seventeenth century, at the age of invasions from the West by Persians and East by Moghols, at the time when Afghans were in the mist of war in every corner of the nation, at the time when education was the last thing in peoples' mind, a legend was born.

In the high hills of the Afghan nation, in the provincial area of Mohmand, a child was born, by the name of Abdul Rahman. Abdul Rahman would become one of the greatest poet in the history of the Pashto literature. Abdul Rahman was a man of character and great charisma. As a child, he loved to study and always occupied himself in getting a good education, no matter what it took. He spent much time and effort trying to teach himself.

At a young age, he started studying and reading poetry and became fond of it. He had a gift, poetry, which he would not realize, until later in his life. As he grew older, he started having doubts upon what he was doing, which was studying and writing poetry. He felt lost and not sure about what he was writing, why he was writing and to whom he was writing. Because of this, he entirely abandoned material needs of this world and gave himself to the mercy of God.

                                     چي هزار هزار فنا شي په يو دم کي
                                                 بيا پيدا  شي په يو دم  کي  هزاران

People admired his work, from Afghanistan to Central Asia to the Indian Subcontinent. Religious scholars found the real meaning of life in his poems. National and political leaders used his poetry for independent uprisings. Musicians used his poetry in their songs. Soon everyone wanted his books, be it for political, religious or other interests and desires. Due to his popularity, Afghans gave him an honorable name "Baba" (Grand father of the nation).

One of the great religious scholar of Suwat (A city in current Pakistan), Suwat Saheeb, said:

"If any other then, the book of God, was permissible for prayer, I would have defiantly chosen Rahman's book."

Rahman Baba published two books from his collections of poetry, which were distributed all over the Afghan nation. Soon his work became a model for new poets, and as a result, many people started learning his way and his direction. A school of poetry was built in his honor and many people came to study in this schools. The Founding Father of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Baba, was one of the students of his school of poetry.

Shakespeare has mentioned that philosophers, poets and insane people are of one nature. A person cannot become one of these just by trying, but they are born that way and they have no choice other then to live by the nature of their life.

A reader might wonder how a book written more then four hundred years ago would have their feeling and thoughts of today. It seem as if Rahman Baba's books were written for today's need of literature and one can be sure, that is the case.

                                                        چي په مينه کي د مجنون غوندي صادق وې
                                                             رحمان  وائې  په  هغو  باندې  سلام

Louis Dupree, in his book "Afghanistan", pointed out to Rahman Baba's teaching: "Rahman Baba was a mystic then warrior. But his mysticism, born of Sufism, also touches the Pashtun cultural essence. Not so proud and fiercely militant as Khushal Khan Khatak1, Rahman Baba continually warned the ambitious and proud of their base earthly origin."

Rahman Baba himself explain here:

Live not with thy head showing in the clouds,
Thou art by birth the offspring of this earth,
The stream that passed the sluice cannot again flow back,
Nor can again return the misspent time that sped,
Consider well the deeds of the good and bad,
Whether in this thy profit lieth or in that.

Rahman Baba loved music and dancing. He specially loved to play the Rabab (an Afghan musical instrument similar to a guitar).

Rahman Baba's poetry is still a great value to Pashto literature and still there are numerous student of his structure today. His fans and students of his school come to his grave side in Peshawar ( N.W.F.P) to remember him on his birth date each year. Poets from all over come to honor him in this special occasion by reciting poems and speeches on his honor, and this will continue for ages.

                                              حمزه څومره خوش بختي د پښتنو ده
                                                            چي په لاس يي د رحمان بابا ديوان دی



Researched By: Kabir Mohmand
Courtesy: WPF Forum


Read about Rahman Baba In Pashto


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See Also:

Khushal Khan Khattak | Khatir Afridi | Malang Jan | Gul Pacha Ulfat | Ghani Khan | Hamza Shinwari