Rahman Baba
Rahman Baba (c. 1650–1711) was a Pashto-language Sufi poet from Peshawar whose Dīwān — 343 poems, nearly all ghazals — is the most beloved work in the Pashto literary canon. Alongside Khushal Khan Khattak, he is one of the two most celebrated poets in the Pashto language.[1][2]
Life
Born Abdur Rahmān Momand around 1650 in Bahadur Killi, Hazar Khawani, near Peshawar, he was a member of the Mohmand tribe of the Sarban confederacy. His father was Abdus Sattar. He spent most of his life in the Peshawar Valley, composing poetry in Pashto with occasional verses in Persian.[1][3]
The exact dates of his birth and death remain uncertain. His Dīwān references events up to 1711, placing his death around that year. Over twenty-five original handwritten manuscripts survive worldwide, including collections at the Pashto Academy in Peshawar, the British Library, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.[2][3]
Poetry and Sufi thought
Rahman Baba's poetry centres on divine love (ishq-e-haqiqi), self-purification, and the inner spiritual journey. His verses prioritise mystical experience over outward religious formalism: "Rather than the unacceptable worship of the hypocrite, I prefer to be drunk on Saqi's wine."[3][4]
Scholars debate which Sufi order he belonged to — Chishti, Naqshbandi, or Qadiri. Internal evidence from the Dīwān suggests he may have been uwaysi — guided without a formal pir: "Those who have perfect intention of heart are guided without the guidance of a Pir."[3]
He reportedly came into conflict with village mullahs over his neglect of formal mosque worship and possibly faced a kufr fatwa (apostasy charge), later reconciled.[3]
Legacy
Rahman Baba's verses are proverbial in Pashto. Speeches and sermons are considered incomplete without quoting him. Many Pashtuns regard his Dīwān as "next only to the Quran" in reverence.[1][4]
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government built a shrine complex at his tomb in Hazar Khwani, including a marble mausoleum, mosque, library, and auditorium. An annual Urs celebration on 4 April features poetry recitations and mushaira gatherings. The shrine was attacked by militants in March 2009 and rebuilt in 2012.[1][4]
Notable verses
"There is no doubt in the sanctity of Mecca, but a donkey won't become a Hajj pilgrim by just going through the motions."
"Ever since I took up the work of love in my hands, I have withdrawn from any other work."
"I washed my hands of piety when the musician picked up the rebab."