The following ancestral tree of AlaHadrat Imam Ahmad Rida Khan Alaihir raHmah is carefully constructed from the authentic Books of Genealogy and meticulously scrutinized with references to other books in this field. The ancestors were compared with dates and periods found in books written by Historians who were masters in this field. The following points were noted before compiling the Ancestral tree:

• Preference was given to books compiled by Historians of Afghan descent/origin as they knew their descendants better than others.
• Furthermore, amongst the Afghani Historians, preference was given to Historians that belonged to the Bar’hech tribe as AlaHadrat Imam Ahmad Rida Khan Alaihir raHmah belong to the Bar’hech tribe.
• There is not much dispute in the Chain of the Ancestral tree from Sayyiduna Nabi Adam to Sayyiduna Nabi Ishaq.
• The chain of the Family tree from Sayyiduna Nabi Ishaq to Hadrat Malikaloot was extracted according to the citation found in the books of authors who belonged to the Bar’hech tribe. This was so because people of a tribe will have more genuine information of their ancestors in relation to others of different tribes.
• There is a consensus in Books of Ancestral trees from Hadrat Malikaloot to Sayyiduna Qais Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid and so is the case from Sayyiduna ‘Abdur-Rashid to Bar’hech.
• From Bar’hech till Hadrat Shuja’at Jang Muhammad Sa’eedullah Khan the genealogy was extracted from Khulasat al-Ansab, Akhbar al-Sanadid and Bustan-e-Hikmat, whose authors are not only Afghanis, but belonged to the Bar’hech tribe.

This is how cautiously this Family tree from Sayyiduna Nabi Adam till AlaHadrat Imam Ahmad Rida Khan was constructed. The Ancestral tree is as follows:

AlaHadrat Imam Ahmad Rida s/o Ra’is al-Atqiya Imam Muhammad Naqi ‘Ali s/o ‘Arife-Billah Imam Rida ‘Ali s/o Mawlana Hafiz Kazim ‘Ali s/o Mawlana Shah Muhammad A’zam Khan s/o Mawlana Muhammad Sa’adat Yaar Khan s/o Shuja’at Jung Muhammad Sa’idullah Khan Bhadur Qandhari s/o ‘Abdur-Rahman Khan s/o Yusuf Khan Qandhari s/o Dawlat Khan s/o Badal Khan s/o Da’ūd Khan s/o Bar’hech Khan s/o Sharfud-Deen ‘Urf Shar’habūn s/o Ibra’him ‘Urf Sard’bun s/o Sayyiduna Qais Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid Sahabi Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu s/o ‘Ays s/o Salool s/o ‘Utba s/o Na’eem s/o Marra s/o Malik Jalandar s/o Malik Askandar s/o Zaman s/o ‘Unais s/o Bah’lool s/o Sa’lam s/o Salah s/o Qaroon s/o Nasr s/o Ashmu’ail s/o Na’eem s/o Akram s/o Ash’ath s/o Sharood s/o Makhal s/o Nusrat s/o Qalaj s/o Sher s/o ‘Atham s/o Faylool s/o Karam s/o ‘Amaal s/o Hudayfa s/o Mat’hal s/o Qabal s/o ‘Ilm or ‘Aleem s/o Ash’mool s/o Harūn s/o Qamar s/o Abi s/o Suheb s/o Talal s/o Lu’ee s/o ‘Ameel s/o Taraj s/o Arzand s/o Mandool s/o Saleem or Sa’lam s/o Afghana s/o Sarad al-Muqallab bi Malik Taloot s/o Qais s/o ‘Utbah s/o Talas s/o Ru’ail s/o Yahūdah s/o Sayyiduna Nabi Ya’qūb Alaihis Salam s/o Sayyiduna Nabi Ishaq Alaihis Salam s/o Khaleelullah Sayyiduna Nabi Ibra’him Alaihis Salam s/o Ta’rikh s/o Makhūd or Nahūr s/o Shurū’ or Ash’ragh s/o Sayyiduna Nabi Hūd Alaihis Salam s/o ‘Abir s/o Sha’lakh s/o Araf’khashad s/o Saam s/o Sayyiduna Nabi Nūh Alaihis Salam [age: 1400 years] s/o La’lak [age:780 years] s/o Malik Matla’shakh [age: 900 years] s/o Sayyiduna Nabi Idris Alaihis Salam s/o Bayarad s/o Mahla’heel s/o Qay’nan s/o Anūsh s/o Sayyiduna Nabi Sheeth Alaihis Salam [age: 912 years] s/o Sayyiduna Nabi Adam Alaihis Salam [age: 900 years]

AlaHadrat Alaihir raHmah belong to the Afghani Bar’hech tribe which was of Royal Descent. He was indeed a very respectable and noble tribe in Afghanistan. Great ‘Ulama and Masha’ikh hailed from his dignified tribe whose Mazars are still a centre of solace and spiritual enlightenment for the people both in Afghanistan and Hindustan. A separate detailed book can be written about these great dignitaries. However, an important point to note is that in the ancestry of AlaHadarat, there are Eight (8) Noble Prophets and One Exalted Sahabi. The Prophets Alaihim as-Salam are:

1) Sayyiduna Nabi Ya’qoob
2) Sayyiduna Nabi Ishaq
3) Khalilullah Sayyiduna Nabi Ibra’him
4) Sayyiduna Nabi Hood
5) Sayyiduna Nabi Nooh
6) Sayyiduna Nabi Idris
7) Sayyiduna Nabi Sheeth
8) Sayyiduna Nabi Adam (Alaihim as-Salam)

The one Sahabi is Sayyiduna Qais Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid Sahabi Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu. He is the 43rd descendant of Afghana and 45th descendant of Hadrat Malikaloot. Qais bin ‘Ays lived in the mountain of Ghour. In one of the Expeditions of Sayyiduna Khalid ibn Walid, he became interested in Islam. So he took some of the leaders of Afghanistan and went to Madinah al-Munawwara. They met the beloved Prophet of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam and immediately accepted Islam on his sacred hands. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah then said to him:

“Qais is a Hebrew word and I am an Arab”.

The Prophet of Allah gave him the Islamic name ‘Abdur-Rashid. The blessed Habib SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam further said:

“You are the Awlad of Malik Taloot whom Allah blessed with the title of Malik (King). in the future you too will be remembered with the title of Malik”.

This is how he got the title of Malik from the office of Prophethood.

It was in the Madinan period that the Beloved Nabi was planning for the conquest of Makkah Mukarrama and appointed Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid and the other Afghani Sahabi as the lead of the secret service scouts of the army led by Sayyiduna Khalid ibn Walid Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu. The Afghani Mujahids displayed their astonishing bravery in the battle of Makkah. Sayyiduna Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid himself killed 70 Kuffar in this battle (Refer to Akhbar al-Sanadid for details). His role and bravery in this war brought great joy to the heart of the Beloved Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam who predicted that a great family will emerge from the off-springs of this Sahabi. They will be steadfast on religion and will strengthen the Din of Islam like Bataan (conqueror with great bravery or Military Advisor). It was the effects of this Du’a of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam that great ‘Ulama and Masha’ikh were born in the lineage of Sayyiduna Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu.

To name a few, some other stars in the firmament of excellence are: The great Mujaddid, AlaHadrat Imam Ahmad Rida al-Qadiri, His sons, Hujjat al-Islam Imam Hamid Rida al-Qadiri, Ghawth al-Zaman Mufti A’zam Imam Mustafa Rida al-Qadiri Noori and Taaj al-Shari’ah Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Rida al-Qadiri. Their services to the Deen is known to the Muslim World and precisely the manifestations of the Du’as of the Beloved Prophet of Allah SallAllaho Alaihi wa Sallam.

Since the Beloved Nabi’s Du’a for the Awlad of Sayyiduna Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid was that they will strengthen the Deen and their strength will be like Bataan, from that day on he became famous by the title of “Bataan”. This word Bataan in later days changed to the present day name “Pathaan”. Eventually, the Awlad of Sayyiduna Malik ‘Abdur-Rashidhen became synonymous by the word Pathaan. This is how the word Pathaan can into existence. Sayyiduna Malik ‘Abdur-Rashid Radi Allahi Ta’ala Anhu married Mutahira, the daughter of Sayyiduna Khalid ibn Walid Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu, and he passed away at the age of 87 years.