University of Peshawar Scholars Underline Preserving Old Manuscripts of Pashto Quran Translation
They underlined that young research scholars could learn a lot from old religious texts.
“Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar, had over 2,000 rare manuscripts including a copy of first-ever Pashto translation and exegesis of the Holy Quran,” stated Prof Nasrullah Jan Wazir, director Pashto Academy.
He told Dawn that the first-ever exegesis of the Holy Quran in Pashto titled ‘Tafseer-i-Afzalia’ was written in 1794 by Maulvi Ruknuddin, resident of Hazarkhawani, Peshawar. He belonged to Dawezai Momand Pashtun tribe and lived in the reign of King Ahmad Shah Baba. He added that Pashto academy had published it in 1989 but its old manuscript was still on the academy’s racks and it required to be properly preserved.
Noted religious scholar Maulana Khanzeb told this scribe two copies of the first-ever Pashto exegesis were shelved in archives library of Rampur, India. He added quoting an Afghan scholar, Sadiqullah Reshteen, writing in his celebrated book ‘Da Pakhto Da Nasr Hindara’ that the exegesis and translation of the Holy Quran into Pashto was a great service to Islamic studies and Pashto literature.
Maulana Khanzeb added presently hundreds of translations and exegeses of the Quran in Pashto were available. “Scholarly works of religious contents have enriched Pashto language and literature. Pashtuns must benefit from it to grasp the meaning and purpose of the Holy book,” he stressed.
He stated that popular Pashto translations and exegeses done by Pashtun scholars included Tafseer-i-Badrul Muneer done by Maulvi Dost Mohammad Khattak in 1896, Tafseer-i-Yaseer by Maulvi Murad Ali in 1893, Zahirul Tafseer by Maulvi Abdul Wadood Sarhadi in 1943, Tafseer-i-Afghani by Maulvi Abdul Rauf Kakar, 1942, Tafseer-i-Tiyaseer by Maulvi Abdul Latif, and several others.
Prof Samiuddin Arman remarked that Jafar Hussain Shah Rekhtuni became the first to have had translated the Quran into Pashto poetic form spreading over 12,134 couplets which was published in 1968 in Peshawar.
Prof Nasrullah Jan Wazir told this scribe that Pashto Academy had treasured old manuscripts of several religious books including Tafseer-i-Afazalia but our stock has only two or three copies as published version were distributed to religious seminaries. “We want to redo work on the old manuscripts for our research purposes for which we need funds,” he said.
Source: Dawn.com
