Qais Abdur Rashid's Shrine On The Takht-e-Suliman, Dera Ismail Khan, 1908 (c).
Qais Abdur Rashid (575 - 661) (قيس عبد الراشد), also known as Imraul Qais, is a legendary ancestor of the Pashtun race, claimed to be the first ethnic Pashtun who travelled to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia during the early days of Islam. Qais Abdur Rashid is believed to be thirty-seventh in descent from King Saul or Malik Talut.
Qais Abdur Rashid was born in the Ghor region of modern-day Afghanistan. Upon hearing about the advent of Islam, he was sent by his tribe to Madina in Saudi Arabia. He met the Islamic prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) and embraced Islam there, and was given the name Abdur Rashid by Prophet Muhammed (Pbuh).
He then returned to the region of Afghanistan and introduced Islam to his tribe. It is also claimed that the famous warrior companion, Khalid ibn al-Walid, introduced Qais Abdur Rashid to the Prophet Muhammed (Pbuh).
According to a pre-1600 AD work written by a respectable author, Firishta, a famous 16th century Persian historian in South Asia, points out that some of the early Pashtuns (Afghans) may have been Copts before they became Muslims. Qais Abdur Rashid is said to be buried on top of the Qais Mountain (known locally as "Da Kase Ghar"), which is in the Sulaiman Mountains. Some people visit the place and make animal sacrifices, usually a sheep or a goat, at the tomb of Qais as to help feed the poors. Nearly all of the major Pashtun tribes are progeny from his sons or daughters.
Location:- Darazinda, Frontier Region, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan.
Source - Among The Wild Tribes Of The Afghan Frontier
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