Pashtunwali
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Template:Wikify-date Pashtunwali is the indigenous pre-Islamic honor code and/or religion of the Pashtun people.
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Who is a Pashtun?
Whether one is a Pashtun or not depends on how one lives his or her life, more so than what they profess to be or even who their father is. This historically accurate precedent takes into account that even if born an ethnic Afghan, no one is Pashtun by default.
By the most ancient of orthodox Pashtunwali law - Code of Conduct, however, a person can be Pashtun only if their father was. This ancient law has assured the ethnic Afghans, synonymous with the ethnic Pashtuns, of being the world's largest patriarchal tribal group in existence. But then there is flip side of this argument.
Traditional theories of origin
Since pre-Islamic times, the Bani-Israel/Banni-Afghana, tribe had settled in and around Mecca as well as at Ghor, what is now Afghanistan. Khalid Bin Walid (one of Muhammad's companions & the first great Islamic conqueror; and belonging to the Bani-Israel/Afghana Tribe settled around Mecca) after accepting Islam he either proceeded in person or sent a letter to his kinsmen of the Bani Israel/Afghana, settled in Ghor, to bring them tiding of the new faith Islam and invitation to join. This is according to legend. Other anthropological theories include that the Afghans were defeated by the Arabs during the rise of Islam in the 7th century AD.
As a result a deputation of the Afghans of Ghor led by Qais Abdur Rashid met Muhammad at Medina and accepted the new faith. Qais later retured to Ghor to propagate the new faith. He died leaving three sons, Sarban, Baitan & Ghurghusht.
From the above mentioned three sons as well as Karlan (Being a foundling) we get all the Pathan tribes we know today. Below are some of the famous tribes under each of the three sons as well as Karlanr:
Sarban
Baitan
Ghurghusht
Karlan
The Pashtuns are those people who descended from the above mentioned brothers. What ever language they speak, where ever they live, they are Pashtuns. But on the other hand a Pashtun is also a person who can fluently speaks the Pashtu language (Sister language of Persian, it is the chief dialect of what is now known as Afghanistan). Customarily a person from any religion, sect, race can also call himself a Pashtun (in restricted sense) if he can fluently speak the language. Any individual living in Afghanistan today, speaking the language Pashtu will be a Pashtun, but it is settled that he/she will only be a pure Pashtun if he/she is from the above mentioned lineage.
Pashtunwali
Many of Pashtunwali's most basic precepts are rooted in Mosaic Law.
Are all ethnic Afghans also Pashtuns? Contemporaries may say yes, while the orthodox will often say no. For those who say no, the deciding factor is dependent on how one lives one's life. Many say that even if someone is born an ethnic Afghan, that person is not a Pashtun unless he lives according to Pashtunwali.
Being a Pashtun means an ancient religious, spiritual, and communal identity tied to a specific set of beliefs, codes, and a linear record of history spanning over 5000 years.
Intrinsically flexible and dynamic, containing modern and ancient principles in one coherent set of teachings, Pashtunwali has core tenets including self-respect, independence, justice, hospitality, love, forgiveness, and tolerance to all (especially to the strangers or guests). Besides the core tenets, Pashtunwali is unique to every Pashtun, and it is considered a personal responsibility to discover what Pashtunwali is.
The Code of Pashtunwali
Pashtunwali is the sum total of collective expectations of the group from its members to conform to the totality of norms and customs that ensure the group's survival as a distinct socio-cultural entity. There are no state institutions to ensure the implementation of this unwritten code of life but Pashtun members of the society internalize these social norms to such an extent that they directly become a matter of one’s conscience than an executive order of a discrete authority. Therefore, in certain respects, Pukhtunwali is no less than a religion as it relies on internal mechanisms of the members of this society to regulate his/her behavior.
The code of Pashtunwali is based on the collective wisdom of its people. It does not spring from the genius of one authority, temporal or divine, and is, therefore, open to debate and re-interpretation according to the needs of the society and the changing times. Although it is rigid in constitution because of historical reasons, in its basic social philosophy, Pashtunwali is cosmopolitan, egalitarian and democratic. Hence it has been able to absorb waves of outsiders in Pushtun society.
Pashtunwali embodies all the principles of a self-sufficient social group. Its two principles of Siali (Competition) and Mailmastia (Hospitality) embody two social principles that ensure a society’s progress through competition; and survival through co-operation. Thus the elements of conflict and co-operation are evenly balanced in the make-up of Pashtunwali. Concepts like Nang (honor), Siali (competition) and Badal (retribution) are open to interpretation as the social needs and the collective perception of the group change with regard to objective realities in the space-time continuum.
Teachings
- Faith - trust in God (known as the One, the Creator, or the Architect of the Universe). Note that while the default religion held by Pashtuns is Islam, the question of whether a non-Muslim can be a Pashtun is not unanimously resolved; an adherent of a monotheistic belief is accepted as a Pashtun by some if s/he follows Pashtunwali, but even a devout Muslim who doesn't will never be accepted as a Pashtun. The relevance of this issue lies mostly in the question whether the considerable number of Sikh adherents of Pashtunwali can consider themselves as true Pashtuns.
- Unity - above the languages we speak, above the bloods we keep, above the amount of money we make, Pashtunwali keeps us in due bounds with all fellow Pashtuns, humankind and God.
- Pashtunwali unites the Pashtun as one people across the world. Where there is true unity, every effort to disunite us will only serve to strengthen the unity we have. What happens to one - happens to all (One for all and all for one).
- Social justice - the belief that we are limited in knowledge (objective truth), and therefore should put human needs above anyone’s notion of deity and work for social justice.
- Freedom and independence - the belief that freedom in physical, mental, religious, spiritual, political and economic realms is for all to pursue, man and woman, so long as it is done without bringing harm to others. The free have nothing to gain of freedom without discipline. A free Pashtun who does not have discipline will certainly spin his own web of destruction.
- Proselytizing - Pashtunwali teaches that no one has the right to place demand upon others who are not their children regarding what to believe. Furthermore, no government or person has the right to put religion before God.
- Hospitality - being hospitable to all, especially guests and strangers, and, at times, even the most hostile of enemies is a key teaching. The exception that makes the rule is when one has come to take advantage of Pashtunwali for their own corrupt ends, bringing harm to you in the pursuit of their aims.
- As an example, if one comes to your home purporting to seek refuge or comes offering aid, but then his actions reveal he is there to use your name, your hospitality, and Pashtunwali for his own agenda instead of actually seeking humble refuge or participation, he has lied to you. In fact, he has not come for what he said.
- Justice and forgiveness - Pashtunwali also teaches us if one intentionally wrongs you, you have the right, though not the obligation, to avenge this injustice in equal proportion. As long as you do not overzealously avenge the injustice done to you, whomever has wronged you may not avenge your justified reaction. If one has intentionally wronged you, and you did not seek justice nor his/her forgiveness, a debt, however understood, is owed to you by him/her. However if (s)he continues to wrong you, or tyrannically wrong others, you are required to avenge the wrong doings until the person stops his activities. It should always be remembered, violence begets violence, long-standing cycles of violence cannot be broken until one or both parties stands morally superior to lead both out.
- Non-cooperation with evil - this teaches that non-cooperation with evil is a Pashtun moral duty just as cooperation with good is. Love is the ultimate weapon against evil that leaves you calm, organized, and ready to build when your oppressor has been defeated. There is no government or human derived system on earth that can stand up to non-cooperation.
- Yours is the true non-violence, it is the non-violence of the strong, not the non-violence of the weak and starving.
- -– Mahatma Gandhi speaking directly to the Pashtuns
- Yours is the true non-violence, it is the non-violence of the strong, not the non-violence of the weak and starving.
- Good thoughts, good words, good deeds - it is necessary to work with good intentions, think good, say good, and do good. What one thinks will affect what one says and does. Thinking positively will result in positive action.
- Love - the belief that love is the greatest gift God ever gave, more than the mind or freedom. It is humanity's greatest merit, greatest ideal, and greatest evil when forgotten. Use it in all things.
- Brotherhood, sisterhood, friendship, and trust - the belief that fellow Pashtun brothers and sisters should be trusted and assisted to the greatest extent possible without bringing harm to oneself.
- Honor - the belief that Pashtuns should maintain their independent human dignity.
- Self-respect - the belief that individuals must respect themselves, and respect others in order to be able to do so, especially those they do not know and do not share common beliefs with. Respect begins in the home, with wives, mothers, and children.
- Sacredness of life - the belief that life is sacred and not to be wasted. To upset the balance of living on petty grounds is unwise.
- Compassion, understanding, and cooperation - the poor, the weak, and the challenged must be supported. Inclusion must be preferred to exclusion. To defend against tyranny, fascism and overzealous groups and to work smart first and then hard.
- Family - the belief that the family unit must be glorified under a sacred conviction of responsibility and duty with respect for wives, daughters, elders, parents, sons, and husbands. Also, recognizing that new wisdom is without the barrier of age or gender, encouraging good ideas through the support of elders creates the most enlightened community of all.
- We are one family - the belief that fellow Pashtun must be cared for. There may be hundreds of tribes, but they have one destiny in union with each other.
- Knowledge - Pashtuns seek objective knowledge in life, art, science, and culture, which are considered fruits granted by God.
- Pashtun history - great value is placed in Pashtun history, with all its depth and pluralism, tragedies and victories, spanning over 5000 years. It teaches Pashtuns "to keep the mind open, to continue the search for the truth, much of which has vanished under history itself".
Primary concepts in Pashtunwali
Some useful words that signify individual or collective Pashtun tribal functions are given below in Afghan. These Afghan words are common to ethnic Afghan and Pashtun society and language. The first four form the major components of Pashtunwali.
- Melmastia (hospitality) - to show hospitality to all visitors, regardless of whom they are, their ethnic, religious, or national background, without hope of remuneration or favor.
- Badal (justice/revenge) - to seek justice over time or over space to avenge a wrong. This applies to injustices committed yesterday or 1000 years ago if the wrongdoer still exists.
- Nanawatay (settlement) - derived from the verb meaning to go in, this is used when the vanquished party is prepared to go in to the house or hujra of the victors and ask for their forgiveness.
- Nang (honour) - the various points below that a tribesman must observe to ensure his honour, and that of his family, is upheld.
Secondary concepts
- Lashkar - the tribal army. It implements the decisions of the jirga.
- Jirga - an assembly of tribal elders called for various purposes whether waging war or composing peace, tribal or inter-tribal.
- Chalweshti - derived from the word for forty, this refers to the tribal force that would implement the decision of a jirga. Every fortieth man of the tribe would be a member. A shalgoon is a force derived from the number twenty.
- Badragga - a tribal escort composed of members of that tribe through which the travelers are passing. If a badragga is violated a tribal feud will follow.
- Hamsaya - a non-Pashtun dependent group who attaches themselves to a Pashtun group, usually for protection. The Pashtun protector group is called a naik. Any attack on a hamsaya is considered an attack on the protector.
- malatar - literally, tying the back. This refers to those members of the tribe who will actually fight on behalf of their leaders.
- Nagha - a tribal fine decided by the council of elders and imposed upon the wrongdoer.
- Rogha - settlement of a dispute between warring factions.
- Hujra - a common sitting or sleeping place for males in the village. Visitors and unmarried young men sleep in the hujra.