New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-04
THE AKHOOND OF SWAT.
AND VARIOUS OTHER SAINTS AND SAGES
OF THE AFGHAN HILLS.

While the Laureate has sung OF tnao no"
land which is the DID," it would be equally nt'lne
to tell Of the cid land which is tue new. Where-
ever the actual cradle of the human race may
have been, there is no doubt that Persia ana i'S
former dependencies. Afghanstan, Beluchstan
ard TurlSestan among the earnest III
habitcd countries Yet is there that about them
to-day, as fresh and vital, and as novel, too, as
ever when Rustem rode forth from Seisfan, Or
Firdusi fled before the treacherous wrath OIL
Mahmoud There, fer example, was the AKhoonu
of Swat For years he has been an lncalculaoly
great benefactor Of paragraph writer's ana joke
crackers all over the world. Who does not
remember the culver Of the universal mldr'h
that greeted the solemn announcement Oh MS
death The Akhoond Of Swat is dead" Ihat
was ALL Yet what wild, wild burst or merri-
ment It provoked Who could tell who he was OF
had been? No one True, there was nursery
rhyme in which the question had been asked oil
n numberIess generation of babies But it had
remained unanswered, and most people were in
clined b say. There amt no such pusson." YET
thenceforward he was the funny mans stan OF
life The iceman and the plumber ana the
mother-in-law might fail But the Akhoond OF
Swat. never. He was perennial welsprlng OF
jokes.
The Akhoond of Swat however was q real per-
sonage and an important one, too swan iCeeii
il n considerable province of Afghanistan, Dor
dering on India and just southwest of the Pamlrs'
The Akhoond was not, however, its civil ruler.
At any rate he was not nomnally The title
Akhoond merely means teacher" and he was,
primarily. a religious teacher and nothing more
lie lived in the town Of Saidu and he reached
manhood and began to teach the people more
than half century ago, when Dost Mohammed
was Amecr of Cabul. An intense fanatic and a
mystic. he exerted a marvellous sway over the
people of Swat, who, like all the Afghan tribes.
are nervous. imaginative and given to mysticism.
So he became not only their spiritual prophet, but
their military leader as well. He led the hosts
NJ Islam against the Sikhs, in the days when Dost
Mohammcd planned to conquer all India, ana
many are the stories told OF his prowess NOR
did he fight alone against the Indians. out IN
1863 he led the Afghans in their battle with the
British nj Umbeyla, and made himself the most
feared man In all the Afghan Empire
When not busy in the wars. Akhoond was
olwavs 10 be found at Saidu. From sunrise to
sunset he sat in his mosque, reprovng the erring'
comforting the mourners encouraging the falth-
ful and cursing the obstinate unbelievers us
nutes OF every sort were brought to him Tor SET
Element Troubles Of all kinds were brought TO
him TO be made right Hundreds OF miracles were
performed by him every day The SICK were
made well in instant. man would come
lamcnting that his horse was lost, and would ma
il the next moment at the door OF the mosque
A carpenter was bewailng that beam was three
foo, too short for the needed purpose. and in
,winkling it grew 10 exactly the length required.
4 visitor in the city wished 70 return speedily
10 his home in Constantnople thousands OF miles
away. He was babe to close his eyes, and the
"A in Ia
the people of Swat that these things were not so
would have been equivalent TO telling them that
lgbt was darkness No wonder, then. that the
AIxhoond was a power in the land, and that Ameer
after ,Ameer sought his assistance. Shere All
was the last When he began his last struggle
with the British he begged the AShoond to lead
his armies as Of old. But death stepped In, and
the Akhoond passed into history Yet still his
,,rtuc abides The mosque In which he taught
il the hottest place in all Swat, and miracles are
daily wrought there The Akhoonds son does no,
succeed him as "A teacher. But he inherits the
worldly possessions Of the Akhoond and these are
enough 10 make him the richest man In all
Swat
The successor Of the Al1hoond of Swat In
sniritual affairs Is the Mullah Of Mank. whose
title Is likewise picturesque and mirth-lnspT-
inc He was n disciple OF the Akhocnd, living
n Manki. on Rritish-Indian soil, AZ the foot OF
tho Khntak Hills. Among the people IN that
region there was custom OF praying oerorc
certain black stone in tho ManKl mosque ~
WAS a stone upon which some old-ume worthy
had sot and wos held sacred for that reason. But
II WAS a scandal in Islam that they should 90
this thing. instead Of worshpping the black stone
., Mecca. So the Mullah Of Manld determined
% s,on II lie went into the mosque one day
and bado the people behold him put the idol to
oorfusion Thoreupon he raised huge hammer
and smo,e the stone With supernatural strength
d,sbnr il TO atoms After that he was the
srirituol lord Of all that region, and on the death
=, tho Almond he became the CHIEF hvlng
prophet Of Swat r
Another noteworthy person was the SAINT OF
Roiour lie claimed TO he direct descendant OF
Ali and had power to work miracles lie came 10
Daiour from n distant place, ana was receiNo"
with the greatest delight. For the place hao long
boon without q holy man And it had no SHRINE
. ,,.hioh miracles could be wrought. When this
sairt arrived. all was well. and the people oil
Baionr held their heads up in conscious Pri"c'
WHY notp They had saint OF their own just
nc well as any other place. one day, however
ho s,irt started to leave, ana 10 go on 10 some
other town. They were stricken WIZ" co"s"'"
,ion II would never do 10 lose him. and to fall
hack into their old condition of saintc' sness' 10
,b.y hold n solemn conclavc, the result OF when
was that they decided 10 Kill him. II they couli
not keep a live saint, a dead one would be better
than none at all. and his tomb would form
holy shrine at which miracles would be wrought
So they killed him. And TO this day his TOMB
is one of the most hallowcd spots in all tho land
Ucrat. too has saint, and famous one
Khwajat Abdullah Anfari. lie lived many GER
turtles ago His ancestors were comrades OF the
Prophet Mahomet himself. lie came from Bag
dad. with n great reputation as scholar ana
holy man, and settled the hill of Gazarghaiah,
inst outside the walls of IIerat There he was