1S75.] H. G. Baverty — Who were the Pathdn Sultans of Dilili ? 33 



After stating Muhanimad-i-Suri to be the great great grandfather of 

 Sultan Mu'izz-ud-din of Indian renown, they again proceed to state that, 

 " on the authority of the Tarikh -i-Khurasan [some say, Tarikh-i-Khurasa- 

 ni], the Sultans of Ghiir are descended from Zuhak, the Tazi, in this wise. 

 Sultan Bahrain, son of Jalal-ud-din, son of Sultan Mu'izz-ud-din, son of 

 Sultan Bahrain, etc., etc." Here the former account seems reversed, and 

 the first Bahrain mentioned would seem to be intended for the so-called 

 father of the Sultans of Ghur. The writers of this tradition were probably 

 una ^ are also, that the early rulers of Ghur were styled Malik, never Sultan 

 and that the very first who is styled Sultan among the Muhammadan; 

 sovereigns is Mahmud of Ghazni who was a Turk. 



" Shah Mu'izz-ud-din, father of Shah Husain [Shah likewise is neither 

 a title, nor a name occurring among the Ghurian family], after the subjuga- 

 tion of his country, retired to Makkah, but his son Shah Husain, separat- 

 ing from his father during these troubles, also left his native country and 

 became an exile. He succeeded in reaching the tents of an Afghan family, 

 which happened to be encamped in the part he first reached, the tribe or 

 chief of which was Shaikh Batani, or Bah-Tani, or Tabrin, as he is also 

 styled." 



Before relating more of this tradition, I must mention that all the 

 Afghans, without any exception whatever, claim descent from 'Abd-ur-lia- 

 shid-i-Kais al-Laik, who was contemporary with Muhammad the Prophet of 

 Islam, who, they affirm, supported the Prophet's cause, and aided him 

 with his arms, and was styled by Muhammad ' Patan,' signifying the keel 

 of a vessel ; and all his descendants are, on this account, called Patans, so 

 the Afghan annalists say ; and he is said to have died in the 40th year of H, 

 aged 87 years. Shaikh Batani or Tabrin was his son — one of three, viz., 

 Sari, Ghari, and Tabrin, who are also respectively styled Sarraban, Ghar- 

 ghasht, and Batani or Tabrin. Such being the fact, as related by all Af- 

 ghan writers, the tribe could not have been considerable ; in fact, at the 

 time in question, it consisted of three families. 



" This noble-born youth", as Shah Husain is styled, " having reached 

 the tents of Shaikh Batani's tribe (family), was hospitably received and 

 entertained. He appeared exceedingly devout, and by degrees Batani, a 

 man of piety and austerity, hence styled Shaikh, took a great liking for 

 him, treated him as a son, made him accpaainted with all his affairs, and 

 withheld nothing from him. Batani's sons, Isma'il, Ishbun (or Ishpun, 

 as he is also called), and Kajin, treated him as a brother ; and, as in the hills 

 there is no concealment of females and no prohibition against seeing and 

 meeting them in their family circle, a secret attachment grew up on the 

 part of Shah Husain towards Matii, Batani's daughter ; and, at last, mat- 

 ters proceeded to such extremities, that Matii was found to be pregnant by 



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