AND ITS FOUNDER. Sg^T 



-of alluding to his contest with Ba'yezid AnsVri, and always mentions his 

 own success, with the utmost self-complacency. " A certain person," says 

 he " who arrogated to himself the name of PiR-4i-RosHAN* (the father of 

 light) but to whom I gave the more appropriate name of Pir-i-Ta Vic 

 { the father of darkness ) lately circulated among the Tusefzei and other 

 Afghan tribes, certain poems in the Afghan language, pregnant with 

 wicked and impious doftrines, savouring of the heretical tenets of the 

 Mdtazalah and Rdfzi se6ls, and perverting the meaning of many sacred 

 texts. In opposition to this infidel, I also composed a variety of poems, 

 in the Afghan language, exhibiting the true and orthodox explanations 

 of the passages which the heretic had perverted ; and Ifinally s^ucceeded in 

 turning away many from his pernicious do6lrines. In short, had it not 

 been for my exertions, not a Moslem had, at this day, remained among 

 the Tusefzei." — Among the Afghan tribes, Akhu'n Derwe'zeh Ba'ba'j, as 

 he is generally denominated, is commonly reckoned the father of Pashtd 

 composition, and the first author who employed in his works the Afghan 

 language ; yet, from this and other notices, it appears clearly that he was 

 preceded in this department by Ba yezid Ans'a ri, the elegance and 

 beauty of whose style he praises, while he condemns his erroneous opin- 

 ions, Ba'yezid Ans'a'ri may therefore be regarded as the first author 

 who composed in the Pashtd or Afghan language. The following is the 

 detail of his history : — 



In the distri6l of Cdnigur(m-, on the borders of Kandahar, there lived, 

 among the Afghans of the tribe of Vurmud\ a. person named Aaou'LLAH, 

 .who was a learned and religious man, sprung of learned and religious 



* Pir, is used technically, to denote a spiritual father, the master or superior of a religious 

 o^der. The prior o( a. Cat/iolic monastery would receive this appeliatiou.ia P6/Jia«. 



