Mirza Muhammad Ismail facts for kids

Mirza Muhammad Ismail (born around 1813, died 1912) was an important religious scholar from Afghanistan. He was the first person from the Pashtun community in the North West Frontier Province of India to join the Ahmadiyya faith.

Mirza Muhammad Ismail was born in Qandahar, Afghanistan. His family was originally Turk. His father was a Qazi, which is like a judge, in Qandahar. He also served as a minister for Shah Shujah Durrani, who was the King of Afghanistan.

Mirza Muhammad Ismail was very smart. He knew Arabic, Persian, and Pashto languages well. He was also a talented poet and a skilled calligrapher, someone who writes beautifully.

He taught Pashto and Persian to Captain Henry George Raverty, a British officer. Mirza Muhammad Ismail helped Captain Raverty with many of his books about the Pashto language. In 1887, he became a Muslim of the Ahmadiyya faith after having a special vision. He passed away in Peshawar on September 18, 1912.

Early Life and Learning

Mirza Muhammad Ismail grew up in the city of Qandahar. His father was a well-known religious scholar and a Qazi.

He learned to speak Pashto from a young age. He became an expert in Arabic, Persian, and his native Pashto. He was also an Islamic jurist, meaning he understood Islamic law very well. This allowed him to help his father with his work as a Qazi. According to his biographer, Qazi Muhammad Yousaf, Mirza Muhammad Ismail never married.

He loved Pashto and Persian poetry and wrote his own poems. Henry George Raverty mentioned how skilled Mirza Muhammad Ismail was as both a poet and a scholar.

Moving to India

When he was 32 years old, Mirza Muhammad Ismail left Afghanistan and traveled to India. He started his journey from Qandahar.

He passed through several places like Chaman, Pashin, Quetta, Sibi, Shikarpur, and Sind. He stayed in these places and continued his studies. Qazi Muhammad Yousaf wrote about a discussion he had in Shikarpur about differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

His journey ended in Bombay. There, he became a tutor for Captain Henry George Raverty. Captain Raverty was part of the 3rd Bombay Native Infantry. Mirza Muhammad Ismail traveled with him on military trips. They eventually settled in Peshawar in 1852.

Helping Captain Raverty

Henry George Raverty clearly stated how much Mirza Muhammad Ismail helped him with his books. In the introduction to Raverty's book, 'Dictionary of the Pashto Language', he wrote:

"I had great help from a Molawi (a religious teacher) from the Ghalzi tribe. He lived in central Afghanistan near Khelat-iGhalzi. His father was a Qazi in Kandahar, and the Molawi helped him. This Molawi knew Pashto better than anyone I had ever met. He had deep knowledge of Arabic, which is key to all Muslim languages. He was also a good poet. All these skills made him perfect for this work, where many books had to be checked and compared."

Captain Raverty also made a similar comment about Mirza Muhammad Ismail in the introduction to his book, Grammar of the Afghan language, Pakhtu.

Working in Education

In 1852, Mirza Muhammad Ismail became the District Inspector of Schools. He worked in the Peshawar and Hazara areas. His job was to oversee the new school system that was being set up there. He worked in this role until he retired in 1884. He traveled a lot to visit schools in villages across the North West Frontier region.

Mirza Muhammad Ismail also helped Pashto literature and made it easier for people to learn Pashto. He published helpful books like Pashto Tutor, Khazana-i-Afghani, Sawal-o-Jawa, and Pushto Guide. Tariq Rahman, a writer, noted:

"One of the first books like this was Tutor to Pushto. It was published in 1896 by Moulvi Ismail Khan. It was called 'a perfect help to the lower and higher standard Pashto examination'."

While in Peshawar, Mirza Muhammad Ismail was asked by T.P. Hughes and Worthington Jukes to translate parts of the Bible into Pashto. This translation work helped him understand the writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and his claims.

Religious Experiences

In 1887, Mirza Muhammad Ismail had a special vision. He told Qazi Muhammad Yousaf about it:

"I was sitting on my prayer mat after my midnight prayers (Nimaz e Tahajjud). Suddenly, I saw that the roof on the eastern side had lifted up. A strong light filled the room. Then, a saintly person entered the bright room. I stood up and shook his hand. Then I sat humbly in front of him. After a while, the vision disappeared. Years later, when I saw a photograph of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, I knew he was the person I had seen in my vision."

Mirza Muhammad Ismail always said that he had given his pledge of loyalty (called Bay'ah) in that vision in 1887. Qazi Muhammad Yousaf said that Mirza Muhammad Ismail was the first Ahmadi among the Pashtoons of the North West Frontier.

Mirza Muhammad Ismail and Ahmadiyya

Mirza Muhammad Ismail was a supporter of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's book, Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya.

In 1891, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, announced that he was the promised Messiah. He wrote about this in his books Fatah Islam and Tauzi Muram. Mirza Muhammad Ismail said, "The writer speaks like the messengers of Bani Israel." His work translating the Bible had made him familiar with the prophets mentioned in the Bible.

He also became a spiritual student of Syed Amir of Kotah (Swabi). Mirza Muhammad Ismail said he had a vision of Syed Amir. In this vision, he saw the beginning of the time of the Mahdi of the End time.

In his book Tohfa e Golariya, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote about Mirza Muhammad Ismail:

"One of those who tell these stories is Mirza Muhammad Ismail. He lives in Gul Badsha Ji street in Peshawar City. He retired as District Inspector of Schools. He is an honorable and good person. He has not formally pledged loyalty (Bay’ah) to me. He spent a long time with Syed Amir Sahib of Kotha. He gave his written statement to Syed Sarwar Shah sahib, saying, 'I heard from the Syed of Kotha that he [Syed Amir] said, "the Mahdi of the End-time is already born, but has not yet appeared." When asked his name, he said he would not tell the name, but only that his tongue is Punjabi.'"

Later Life and Passing

Mirza Muhammad Ismail lived in Peshawar from 1852 until his death. He passed away on September 18, 1912.