Afghan), and were on that account called ‘Afghan.’” See Sir J. Malcolm’s History of Persia, Vol. I. p. 101, where the same derivation of this word is mentioned….History of the Afghans translated from the Persian of Neamet Ullah, by Bernhard Dorn, Ph.D. FOR. M.R.A.S. M.T.C., Part 1 & 2 (J. Murray, London, 1829)
Part 1- page 23. ‘Davud treated the two afflicted widows with the utmost kindness; and Heaven blessed them each with an accomplished son, born at the same hour; of whom the one was called Berkhia; the other, Ermia……
Each of them was blessed with an accomplished son. Berkhia called his Asif: Ermia’s son was called Afghana.’
Page 24. ’God blessed Asif with eighteen, and Afghana with forty sons; whose posterity, but more particularly that of the latter, continued increasing in such a degree, that no tribe of the Israelites equalled them.’
Page 25. ‘….. God permitted Bokhtnasser to subjugate the territories of Sham, to rase Jerusalem, and vanquish the Israelites, so as to carry their families into captivity and slavery, and drive all those who had faith in the Tora into exile;…… He reduced the whole of Sham to his subjection; carrying away the Israelites, whom he settled in the mountainous districts of Ghor, Ghazneen, Kabul, Candahar, Koh Firozeh,….’
Page 37. ‘Mestoufi, the author of the Tareekh Kozeida, and the author of the Mujmul Ansab, furnish the following records. When the lustre of Mohammed’s charming countenance had arisen, and Khaled had been ennobled by embracing the Mohammedan faith, a large number of Arabs and various people repaired to Medina, and were induced, by the splendor of the Mohammedan light, to embrace Islamism. At this time, Khaled sent a letter to the Afghans who had been settled in the mountainous countries about Ghor ever since the time of the expulsion of the Israelites by Bokhtnasser, and informed them of the appearance of the last of the Prophets. On this letter reaching them, several of their chiefs departed for Medina; the mightiest of whom, and of the Afghan people, was Kais, whose pedigree ascends in a series of thirty-seven degrees to Talut of forty-five to Ibrahim, and of six hundred and three to Adam. The author of the Mujmul Ansab traces it as follows:- Pedigree of Abd Ulrasheed Kais, who is known by the surname Pathan: Kais ben Isa, ben Salool, ben Otba, ben Naeem, ben Morra, ben Gelundur, ben Iskunder, ben Reman, ben Ain, ben Mehlool, ben Salem, ben Selah, ben Farood, ben Ghan, ben Fahlool, ben Karam, ben Amal, ben Hadifa, ben Minhal, ben Kais, ben Ailem, ben Ismuel, ben Harun, ben Kumrood, ben Abi, ben Zaleeb, ben Tullal, ben Levi, ben Amel, ben Tarej, ben Arzund, ben Mundool, ben Saleem, ben Afghana, ben Irmia, ben Sarool, called Melik (King) Talut, ben Kais, ben Otba, …..’
Page 38. ‘The Prophet lavished all sorts of blessings upon them; and having ascertained the name of each individual, and remarked that Kais was an Hebrew name, whereas they themselves were Arabs, he gave Kais the name Abd Ulrasheed…….. their attachment to the Faith would, in strength, be like the wood upon which they lay the keel when constructing a ship, which wood the seamen call Pathan: on this account he conferred upon Abd Ulrasheed the title of Pathan also…..
The Prophet at length dismissed Abd Ulrasheed to return to Ghor and the adjacent Kohistan, there to propagate the new faith, and to direct the infidels to it.’
Part 2- page 63 (Under word ‘Suleimani’). ‘Muhabbat Khan tells us, that they are called so by the Arabs in consequence of their belonging to the adherents and followers of King Solomon.’
Pages 63-64. ‘Bani Afghanah, Bani Afghan; that is, Children of Asif, Israel, Afghanah, or Afghan. These names are mentioned by Fareed Uddeen Ahmad, in his Risalah Ansab Afaghinah, where we find the following passage: — “When, in the course of time, Bokhtnassr the magician, who subdued the Bani Israel and the territories of Syria, and sacked Jerusalem, led the Children of Israel into captivity and slavery, and carried off with him several tribes of this people who were attached to the Law of Moses, and ordered them to adore him for God, and to abandon the creed of their fathers, they did not consent to this: upon which, he put two thousand of the wisest and most skilful of them to death, and ordered the rest to quit Syria and his dominions. Part of them, who had a chief, were led by him out of Bokhtnassr’s dominions, and conducted to the Kohistan of Ghor, where their descendants settled. Their number increased daily; and people called them Bani Israel, Bani Asif, and Bani Afghanah.”
Page 64. ‘Fareed Uddeen Ahmed, in the beginning of his discourse, says on this point: “Concerning the denomination, ‘Afghan,’ some have written, that they, after their expulsion, ever bearing in mind their wonted abode, uttered bewailings and lamentations ( Afghan), and were on that account called ‘Afghan.’” See Sir J. Malcolm’s History of Persia, Vol. I. p. 101, where the same derivation of this word is mentioned….
Farid Uddeen Ahmed mentions, that in standard works, as in the Tareekh Afghani, Tareekh Ghori, and others, it is asserted that the Afghans were, for the greater part, Israelites, and some Copts. See also Abul Fazl, P. ii. p. 178: “Some Afghans consider themselves to be of Egyptian extraction; asserting, that when the Children of Israel returned from Jerusalem to Egypt, this tribe emigrated to Hindoostan.”
Page 65. ‘The Afghans, according to almost all the Oriental historians, believe themselves to be descended from the Jews; an opinion that was even adopted, or considered probable, by some modern writers…… The use of Jewish names, which the Afghans employ, is undoubtedly attributable to their being Mussulmans….. The only proof that might be adduced in favour of their pretended Jewish extraction, is the striking likeness of the Afghan features to the Jewish; which has been admitted, even by such as do not pay the least attention to their claim to a Jewish origin. Sir John Malcolm’s words on this subject are: “Although their right to this proud descent (from the Jews) is very doubtful, it is evident, from their personal appearance, and many of their usages, that they are a distinct race from the Persians, Tartars, and Indians; and this alone seems to give some credibility to a statement which is contradicted by many strong facts, and of which no direct proof has been produced. If an inference could be drawn from the features of a nation resembling those of another, the Cashmirians would certainly, by their Jewish features, prove a Jewish origin, which not only Bernier, but Forster, and perhaps others, have remarked.”
Pages 65-66. ‘Now, although Forster does not approve of the opinion of Bernier, tracing the descent of the Cashmirians to the exiled Jewish tribes, yet he confesses, that, when among the Cashmirians, he thought himself to be amongst a nation of Jews.’