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Author: Ruhullah Islami
Source: Rudaba News
Regarding the origins of the Pashtuns, various legends and theories have existed for centuries. So much so that the renowned 19th-century Orientalist and researcher of the Pashto language, Henry Rawerty, noted: “No other people have as many disagreements regarding their origins as the Pashtuns.”
Some considered the Pashtuns, according to their own traditional accounts, descendants of Bani Israel (the Children of Israel), while others associated them with the Copts (the Pharaohs). Some mixed them with Mongols, others linked them to Armenians, Tatars, Hephthalites, and Scythians. Some even connected them with Rajputs, Brahmins, Greeks, Turks, Arabs, and other peoples.
However, the most widespread and ancient legend concerning Pashtun origins claims that they descend from Bani Israel. The earliest written source mentioning this version is “Ain-i Akbari” by Abu’l-Fazl, written in 1597–1598. He writes: “The Pashtuns consider themselves descendants of Bani Israel,” and adds: “The Pashtuns believe that their distant ancestor named Afghan had three sons: Sarben, Gargasht, and Battan.”
Another work, “Tazkirat al-Abrar wa-l-Ashrar” by Akhund Darwiza, written between 1603–1613, states: “The Pashtuns descend from the children of Mehtar Ya’qub, known as Israel. One of Israel’s leaders was Talut. Talut had two sons remaining: Asaf and Afghan. The Afghan tribe originates from the descendants of this Afghan.”
A third source, “Tarikh-i Khan Jahan wa Mahzan-i Afghani” by Nematullah Harawi, written in 1612–1613, summarizes as follows:
“King Talut was the ruler of Israel, but before his death, he entrusted the kingdom to Mehtar Dawud. After ruling for 47 years, he was killed in a war. King Talut had two wives, both of whom were pregnant at the time of his death. Later, each gave birth to a son. Mehtar Dawud, acting as their guardian, named one Bahriya and the other Armia. When Bahriya’s son grew up, he was named Asaf, and Armia’s son was named Afghan.”
After Mehtar Dawud, Mehtar Suleiman became king of Israel. He delegated governance to Asaf and Afghan. The descendants of both, especially those of Afghan living in Sham, multiplied greatly. After Mehtar Suleiman’s death, Israel’s situation worsened. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Sham, destroyed Bayt al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem), and captured two leaders among the descendants of Asaf and Afghan — Aziz and Daniel — along with their followers. Later, Nebuchadnezzar executed 12,000 prominent Israelites and exiled the rest to the regions of Ghor, Ghazni, Kabul, Firuzkoh, and the surroundings of Kandahar. Afghan’s descendants settled in these areas.
When Khalid ibn al-Walid embraced Islam, he sent a letter to these people inviting them to Islam. When the letter reached Afghan’s descendants, some of their elders traveled to Medina. One of them was Qais ibn Afghan, whose lineage traced back to King Talut and Ibrahim Khalilullah. Khalid brought them to the Prophet, who asked each of them their name. The head of Bani Afghan said his name was Qais. The Prophet said: “Qais is a Hebrew name. From now on, your name will be Arabic — Abd al-Rashid.”
Abd al-Rashid fought bravely alongside Khalid in several battles, and Khalid reported his valor to the Prophet. The Prophet gave Abd al-Rashid the title “Batan,” which later became “Pashtun,” meaning “one who relies on a boat.” The Prophet then prayed and sent Abd al-Rashid with some companions (Sahaba and Ansar) to Ghor to propagate Islam. Abd al-Rashid died in 40 AH at the age of 78, leaving three sons: Sarben, Battani, and Gargasht.
However, if one examines all authoritative Hadith collections — Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and others — there is no mention of such a claim. Similarly, reviewing reliable historical sources on Islam reveals no documentary evidence supporting this version. Therefore, it is purely speculative and legendary, lacking any scientific foundation.
Nevertheless, after Nematullah Harawi, many historians and even Pashtuns themselves — including Afzal Khan Khattak, Hafiz Rahmat Khan, Zardar Khan, and Qazi Ataullah Khan — considered Pashtuns as descendants of Bani Israel, though there is no scientific or historical evidence to support this.
Among Western scholars, Sir William Jones (1746–1794) was the first to pay serious attention to this traditional narrative, suggesting that Pashtuns might be of Jewish descent. In 1784, Henry Vansittart wrote to William Jones explaining Nematullah Harawi’s work, reinforcing this theory. Following him, many Western researchers, including Alexander Burns, William Moorcroft, Charles Mason, George Rose, and Walter Belyue, attempted to prove the Jewish origin of Afghans.
However, the English scholar John Malcolm rejected this theory, stating: “No inscriptions have been found proving that Pashtuns descend from Jews. Their vague tradition cannot be regarded as established truth.”
Ultimately, scientific research from the late 19th century to the present shows that Pashtuns are part of the larger Aryan and Indo-European group, and the Pashto language belongs to the Aryan branch.
The prominent German researcher Bernard Dorn (1805–1881) conducted extensive studies, published a translation of Nematullah Harawi’s work with scholarly commentary, and emphasized that the narratives claiming Jewish origins for Pashtuns have no scientific basis and are based solely on tradition and conjecture.
In the modern era, genetic and DNA studies have also shown that Pashtuns have no ancestral connection with the Bani Israel. British Professor Theodore Parfitt conducted genetic research on Pashtuns in 2008–2009 and found no link to the descendants of Bani Israel. Similar studies in India and the USA confirmed these findings.
The Pashto language is neither Semitic nor Hebrew, but belongs to the Aryan and Indo-European linguistic family. Historical and archaeological evidence also shows no ancient synagogues or Jewish structures in the regions of early Pashtun settlement. Islamic texts and Hadith literature contain no reference to a genealogical connection between Pashtuns and Bani Israel.
Pashto is a very ancient language, with strong ties to Sanskrit and the northern and southern Aryan languages. Some words that resemble Hebrew and Arabic, such as “ghar,” “ghor,” and “vishle,” also appear in Sanskrit and Avestan, so lexical similarity does not prove a connection to Hebrew.
Overall, historical, linguistic, and genetic studies indicate that Pashtuns are Aryans, originating from the indigenous territory of Ariana Wedge, not immigrants from Palestine, and not descendants of Bani Israel.
Claims that Pashtuns descend from Jews are based solely on conjecture, myth, and legend. No written sources, inscriptions, or scientific findings support such claims.
Thus, Pashtuns are an Aryan, indigenous people of the region, and their language is a branch of the Indo-European family. Any opposing narratives lack a scientific and historical foundation and are purely mythical and fictional.
