Sayed Jamaludin Afghani

( 1839 - 1947 )

Sayed Jamaludin Afghan was a great author who wrote books that are well known all around the world,
books like Afghan History and Muqalat; he was a great poet with a taste and had great interest in stars
and the universe. Life of Sayed Jamaludin Afghan's was filled with adventurous repeated and long
travels. It was for this reason that during his life he was nicknamed "The Prodigy of the East". He traveled
to England, France, Germany, USA, Egypt, Turkey, India and Russia. He was a very moderate person for
his times. He is considered one of the most important and effective pioneers of the awakening in the east.
He is remembered as fighter for the Islamic unity and against colonialism by the western powers of the
last century. Sayed Jamaludin had no fear of the power or influence of any government. Nevertheless, he
did not think any government was more dangerous than the colonizing British government for the Muslim
nations of the east, and he believed that with unity and alliance, the Muslims could smash the great power
of British colonization. Consequently, no government feared the views and struggles of Sayed Jamaludin
as much as the British government. Many books, pamphlets, articles and reports have been written and
published concerning his life and political ideas. The number of such written books and pamphlets which
are in Farsi, Arabic, Turkish and English and other European languages is more than hundreds, and if we
include the short and long articles printed in newspapers and journals, the number goes beyond several
thousands.
Sayed Jamal-u-Din Afghan is one of the greatest scholars that Afghanistan has produced. But there has
been confusion surrounding the citizenship of Afghani, which originates from misguided sources. This
misunderstanding roots back from the British reporters and agents who suspected the entry and
departure of Afghans and foreigners into and from Afghanistan during the late 18th century and 19th
century. This is due to the "Great Game" going on at that time between the Czarist Russian Empire and
British Empire for the control of the Indian Subcontinent. Iran is disputing the origin of Jamal-u-din Afghan,
Iran is claiming that Sayed Jamal-u-din was born in the city of Asad Abad, Iran. This confuses some
people because the provincial capital of Kunar in Afghanistan is also called Asadabad. But Jamal-u-din
himself claimed in his own writing to be a true proud Afghan. One of the reasons that these rumors was
spread about his nationality was because he was a prominent figure in the anti-colonialism compaign
against the British Empire in Afghanistan and its neighbours. Western powers used these rumor to
destroy his image and start a dispute between the two neighbours. He was also a great promoter of
Islamic Unity in India, Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle East. The Western powers also opposed this kind
of unity in central Asia and looked at it as a treat to the British and Russian Empire, mostly in Central
Asian Republics for Czarist Russia and India and Pakistan for the British Empire.To conclude, there is no
doubt that Sayed Jamal-u-din Afghan is an Afghan. Afghanistan honours this great scholar and has built a
monument for his great achievements in the capital, Kabul. This monument is located in the garden of
one of the great universities in Asia, University of Kabul.

Sayed Jamaludin Afghani

1839 Born in Shair Garh, Kunar, Afghanistan

1844 Left Kunar for Kabul

1855 Left for India and Mecca

1860 The first return to Kabul, during the reign of Dost Mohammad Khan

1862 Left Afghanistan

1866 The second return to Afghanistan

1866 Met Prince Azain Khan in Kandahar

1867 Arrived in Kabul with Emir Azam Khan

1869 Left Kabul for Calcutta (India), Cairo (Egypt) and Istanbul (Turkey)

1871 Lived in Egypt and wrote Afghan History

1872 Left for India, wrote Maqalat.

1882 Left for USA, Paris and England. Published Al-Urwat Al-Watuqa

1886 Left London via Paris to Iran

1887 Left Iran for Czarist Russia

1889 Left St. Petersburg, Russia for Germany

1889 Returned to Iran

1890 Banished from Iran

1891 Arrived in London

1892 Left London for Istanbul

1897 Death of Sayed Jamaludin on the 8th day of March

1944 Remains of Jamaludin was returned to Afghanistan.