Khushal Khattak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Khushal Khan Khattak خوشال خان خټک
Born	May/June 1613 (1613) Akora Khattak Mughal Empire (in present-day Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
Died	19 February 1689 (1689-02-20) (aged 75) Dambara, Tirah, Mughal Empire (in present-day Khyber District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
Resting place	Akora Khattak, Nowshera District (in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
Known for	Pashto poetry, Pashtun nationalism
Notable work	Bāznāma, Swātnāma, Fazlnāma, Tibbnāma, Firāqnāma
Title	National poet of Afghanistan
Parent(s)	Shahbaz Khan Khattak

Khushal Khan Khattak (1613 – 1689), also known as Khushal Baba, was a famous Pashtun poet, leader, and warrior. He is often called the "father of Pashto literature" and is the national poet of Afghanistan.

For most of his life, Khushal Khan worked for the Mughal Empire. He helped protect them from other Pashtun groups. However, things changed when the Mughals removed him from his leadership role and gave it to his son. After this, Khushal Khan turned against the Mughals. He started to encourage all Pashtuns to unite and fight for their freedom from the Mughal Empire. He used his poetry to spread these ideas, promoting Pashtun nationalism in his later years. Khushal wrote many poems and books in Pashto and some in Persian.

Khushal's life was a mix of serving the Mughal emperor and later fighting against them. The Mughals had a changing relationship with the Pashtun people in what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. To get his leadership position back, Khushal challenged the powerful Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He even defeated Mughal troops in several battles. He was known as a "Pashtun warrior-poet" because he was both a skilled fighter and a great writer. His strong stand and ideas helped shape the thinking of Afghans. Besides poetry, Khushal also translated works from Persian and Arabic into Pashto.

Early Life and Family

Khushal Khan was born around 1613 into the Khattak tribe of the Pashtun people. His father was Malik Shahbaz Khan Khattak, from Akora Khattak in the Mughal Empire. This area is now part of Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Khushal's grandfather, Malik Akoray, was a well-known Khattak leader during the time of Mughal emperor Akbar. Akoray founded and built the town of Sarai Akora. He worked with the Mughals to keep trade routes safe and was rewarded for his help. The Akor Khels, a group named after Akoray, are still important in the Khattak tribe today. The Khattak tribe now lives in areas like Karak, Kohat, Nowshera, and Peshawar.

Khushal's life had two main parts. As a young man, he mostly served the Mughal king. In his older years, he focused on uniting the Pashtun people.

He was a smart and brave person from a young age. He first joined a war when he was only 13 years old. Besides being a scholar and a deep thinker, he was also a prince and a leader of his tribe. His family had served the Mughal Empire since the 16th century.

Becoming a Chief

After his father, Shahbaz Khan Khattak, passed away, Emperor Shah Jehan made Khushal the tribal chief in 1641. Khushal was 28 years old at the time. King Shah Jahan respected his leadership. However, after Shah Jahan's death, Khushal's relationship with the new emperor, Aurangzeb, became difficult.

In 1658, Aurangzeb imprisoned Khushal in the Gwalior Fort. He was held there for some time. After his release, he slowly began to distance himself from the Mughal Empire. He started to organize resistance, connecting with other Pashtun tribes to fight against the Mughals.

Spiritual Guidance

Khushal followed a Sufi Saint named Sayyid Kastir Gul, also known as Sheikh Rahamkar or Kaka Sahib. He learned about Islamic sciences from him.

Before Sheikh Rahamkar passed away, he said that Khushal Khan was very pious and wanted Khushal to perform his final rituals.

Khushal believed that the Pashtuns were lucky to have the shrine of "The Kaka" (Sayyid Kastir) in their land. He felt that Sheikh Rahamkar's teachings should be followed by all Pashtuns. In honor of his teacher, Khushal held meetings (Jirgas) at Sayyid Kastir's shrine to plan his revolution. Sayyid Kastir's family, the Kaka Khel, gained a lot of influence. Khushal's daughter even married Sayyid Ziauddin Shaheed, who was Sheikh Rahamkar's son.

Fighting the Mughal Empire

Khushal's father, Malik Shahbaz Khan Khattak, died in a battle against the Yusufzai tribe in 1641. After this, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan appointed Khushal as the tribal chief. But when Aurangzeb became emperor, he imprisoned his own father, Shah Jahan. Aurangzeb also arrested Khushal in 1658 and held him in the Gwalior Fort. Khushal was released in 1668.

When Khushal returned to the Pashtun areas, he was deeply upset by how the Mughal authorities and Emperor Aurangzeb had treated him. He felt insulted and wanted revenge, but he kept quiet for a while. However, the Mughals did not like his distant attitude. Khushal decided to become an enemy of the Mughals. He joined forces with other brave Pashtun leaders like Darya Khan Afridi and Aimal Khan Mohmand to fight against them.

He slowly broke away from the Mughal Empire and began his resistance. He encouraged different Afghan tribes to rebel against Emperor Aurangzeb. He contacted other Pashtun tribes, and with their support, he started a planned resistance. Khushal joined a rebellion of the Khattak, Momand, Safi, and Afridi tribes against the Mughals.

The Pashtun Revolt

The Pashtun tribesmen were very important to the Mughal Army. They were like a strong wall protecting the empire's northwest borders and were key fighters against groups like the Sikhs and Marathas.

The Pashtun revolt began in 1672, led by Khushal Khan Khattak. The rebellion started when Mughal soldiers, under Governor Amir Khan, reportedly disrespected a woman from the Safi tribe in modern-day Kunar. The Safi tribe fought back and killed the Mughal soldiers. This led to more attacks and a widespread revolt by most Pashtun tribes.

Emperor Aurangzeb ordered the Safi elders to hand over the men responsible. But the Safi, Afridi, Mohmand, Shinwari, and Khattak tribes united to protect the Safi men. Amir Khan, following Aurangzeb's orders, led a large Mughal Army to the Khyber Pass. There, the Pashtun tribes surrounded and defeated the Mughal army. Some Afghan sources say Aurangzeb suffered a huge loss, with many Mughal soldiers killed.

Khushal greatly praised the bravery of Darya Khan Afridi and Aimal Khan Mohmand, who helped destroy the Mughal army in Khyber in 1672. He wrote about them:

After this, the revolt spread, and the Mughals lost much of their control in the Pashtun areas. The important trade route from Attock to Kabul along the Grand Trunk road was closed, which was a big problem for the empire. By 1674, the situation was so bad that Aurangzeb himself went to Attock to take charge. He used a mix of diplomacy, bribery, and force to divide the rebellion. While the Mughals never fully regained strong control outside the main trade route, the revolt was partly put down. However, this long period of trouble on the Mughal border made it easier for Nader Shah's forces to march towards Delhi about 50 years later.

Death and Legacy

Khushal continued to fight the Mughals. Sadly, one of his sons, Behram Khan Khattak, turned against him. Behram wanted to become the chief and joined the Mughals to try and capture or kill his own father. Khushal Khan's poetry shows his sadness and anger towards Behram Khan. These wars, according to historians, weakened the Mughal Empire.

Khushal traveled to distant areas, meeting with Pashtun tribal chiefs, especially the Yousafzais. He tried to unite them against the Mughals, but he was not successful and returned heartbroken. After failing to unite the tribes, Khushal stopped fighting and focused on writing. He wrote many patriotic poems about his people, his tribe, and their victories.

When he retired, his 57 sons began fighting for leadership. Meanwhile, the Mughals had bribed his son Behram Khan to arrest Khushal. Before Behram could capture him, Khushal Khan fled into Afridi territory in Tirah, helped by his two sons, Nusrat Khan and Gohar Khan.

Khushal died at the age of 76 on February 20, 1689, in Dambara. People found his body several days later with his sword and his horse, named "Silai" (meaning Wind in Pashto).

He had wished to be buried in a place where "the dust of Mughal horses’ hoofs may not fall on his grave." His friend carried out his wishes, and he was buried in ‘Chashmai’ village in the Khattak hills near Akora Khattak. Many Pashtuns still visit his tomb to pay their respects. His grave has an inscription that says: "Da Afghan Pa nang mai watarala toora, nangyalai da zamanai Khushal Khattak Yam" (which means: "I have taken up the sword to defend the pride of the Afghan, I am Khushal Khattak, the honorable man of the age.").

The famous poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal called Khushal the "Hakeem" (philosopher) and "Tabeeb" (physician) of the Afghan nation. Iqbal wished he knew Pashto so he could translate Khushal's poetry into Urdu or Persian.

Khushal was a very practical person. He lived by the qualities he wanted to see in others. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan, said about Khushal:

In another poem, Iqbal praised Khushal:

Struggle for Peace and Unity

Khushal's fight for peace slowly turned into a struggle for national unity. He hoped his efforts would bring peace to the region and freedom for his own Pashtun people from the Mughal emperors. To achieve this, he tried to unite Pashtuns, traveling from the mountains of Tirah to Swat. He was somewhat successful in raising the profile of the Pashtuns. He wrote: "If I have girded up my sword against the Mughals I have revealed all the Pashtuns to the world." He also said that because of his efforts, his tribe gained recognition: "Of what worth, of what value were the Khattaks (but) I have made them to be counted among the tribes."

These poems show that Khushal's wars were not for personal gain or anger. He fought to defend his homeland and the rights of his people, which he saw as a noble cause for peace. He fought until the end of his life for the rights of the oppressed and the freedom of his land. All his struggles were aimed at establishing peace.

Published Works

Khushal's poetry includes more than 45,000 poems. Some historians believe he wrote as many as 260 books. His most famous books are:

• Bāz-nāma: A guide on how to train falcons.
• Swāt-nāma: A description of his journey to the beautiful Swat Valley.
• Fazl-nāma: A guide on religious and social duties.
• Tibb-nāma: A book of homemade medicinal recipes.
• Farrukh-nāma: A conversation between a pen and a sword.
• Firāq-nāma: A sad poem about being separated from his homeland while imprisoned.

Khushal also wrote many ghazals (a type of poem) in Persian using the pen-name Rūhī. He also wrote a Persian qasida (another type of poem) about how temporary things in the world are.

Many people have translated Khushal's works into English. H. G. Raverty was the first, with Selections from the Poetry of Afghans in 1862. Later, others like Evelyn Howell, Olaf Caroe, and Dr. N. Mackenzie also translated his poems.

Dost Mohammad Khan Kamil was the first Pashtun scholar to study Khushal's work scientifically. He wrote two important books: On a Foreign Approach to Khushhal (in English) and Khushhal Khan Khattak (in Urdu), published in 1952.

More recently, in 2002, a book called Khushal Khan, The Afghan Warrior Poet and Philosopher was published. It was written by Ghani Khan Khattak, who is known for promoting Pashto literature. This was the first book about Khushal in English, as most writings about him were in Pashto, Persian, or Urdu. Ghani Khan Khattak has written several other books about Khushal Khan as well.

Poetry Collections

• Diwan: A large collection of nearly 16,000 poems.
• Sahat u Badan: A long poem about the human body and its health.
• Tib Nama: A book on medicine.
• Fazal Nama: Deals with religious ideas.
• Swat Nama: Describes his visit to the Swat Valley.
• Farrukh Nama: A conversation between a pen and a sword.
• Faraq Nama: Tells the story of his time in Mughal prison and exile.

Prose Works

• Baz Nama: A detailed guide on raising and training hawks.
• Tarjuma Hadia: Explains different parts of Islamic law (Fiqha Hanafia).
• Aaina: A Pashto translation of an Arabic book on Islamic law.
• Baiaz: His life memories.
• Zanziri: Deals with the rules of shorthand writing.
• Dastar Nama: About how a good leader should act.

Famous Sayings

• "The very name Pashtun spells honor and glory; Lacking that honor, what is the Afghan story? In the sword alone lies our deliverance."
• "I despise the man who does not guide his life by honour. The very word “honour” drives me mad."

Lasting Impact

A university in Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is named after Khushal Khan Khattak. There is also a train service called the Khushhal Khan Khattak Express. Allama Iqbal dedicated a poem titled 'Khushhal Khan ki Wasiyat' (Khushal Khan's Will) to him.

See also

In Spanish: Jushal Jan Jattak para niños

• Nazo Tokhi
• Rahman Baba
• Ahmad Shah Durrani
• Nowshera district