Qais Abdur Rashid Khan (575 - 661) (), also known as
Kesh,
Qesh and
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.,
Afghanistan Country Study: Religion,
Illinois Institute of Technology (retrieved 18 January 2007).) Qais Abdur Rashid is believed to be thirty-seventh in descent from
King Saul or
Malik Talut.
Dawn, , by Alauddin Masood, April 4, 2004.
Qais Abdur Rashid Khan was born in
Zhob, a region of modern day in
Baluchistan,
Pakistan. Upon hearing about the advent of Islam, he was sent by his tribe to
Medina in Saudi Arabia. He met the
Islamic prophet Muhammad and embraced Islam there, and was given the name
Abdur Rashid by Muhammed. 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.
According to
Thomas Walker Arnold however, the account in which Afghans were introduced to Muhammad by Khalid ibn al-Walid is without any historical foundation.The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith By Thomas Walker...
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