Abdul Rahman Mohmand

Early life

Qareeb ur Rahman claims was of the Sarban tribe, who are recognized as the ‘true Afghans’ because they can trace their ancestry back to the eldest son of the putative Pashtun ancestor Qais Abdur Rashid. The Sarban tribe migrated into the Peshawar valley in modern North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century.

Rahman was a Mohmand, of the Ghoriah Khel (tribe), who lived in a small pocket of Mohmand settlers on the outskirts of Peshawar. From 1550 CE the Yusufzai tribe had come to dominate the area, following the defeat of the Ghoriah Khel in the battle of Sheikh Tapur. Rahman apparently lived peacefully in the area, and never mentions his involvement in these inter-tribal conflicts.

Opinion is divided about Rahman’s family background. Several commentators are convinced that his family were village Maliks (chieftains).However Rahman Baba did not perceive himself to be of a powerful family.

Published work

Rahman Baba's only work is his famed Diwan. The Diwan of Rahman Baba is now considered one of the most defining bits of Pashtun literature ever published. Despite its fame amongst Pashtuns it has only recently been fully translated into the English language.