The Nāṣirī Generations 182.2

182.2

At page 50, vol. i. Dow has: “In the following year, Mamood [Mahmud of Ghaznin is meant, but the translator ignores the letter h in his name] led his army towards Ghor. One native prince of that country, Mahommed of the Soar tribe of Afgans [sic], a principality in the mountains famous for giving birth to the Ghorian dynasty &c. Briggs, too, follows Dow closely, and often verbatim, in his version of Firishtah. This identical passage in his translation (vol. i. page 49) runs thus “In the following year Mahmood led an army into Ghoor. The native prince of that country, Mahomed of the Afghan tribe of Soor (the same race which gave birth to the dynasty that eventually succeeded in subverting the family of Subooktugeen) &c. There is not a word in Firishtah about “the Afghan tribe of Soor:” the whole of the passages in italics, in both translations, are not in Firishtah. From this particular passage it is, I suspect, that the monstrous error of making Patans or Afghans of all the rulers of Dihli, Turk, Khalj, Jat, or Sayyid, has arisen. Compilers of Indian History, no doubt, felt assured that this statement, from its being repeated by both translators, must be in Firishtah, and, being in Firishtah, that it must be true; but it is NOT in Firishtah, neither is such a statement correct, nor is such to be found in any Muhammadan history.