A Comparative Analysis of the Pashto and Persian Texts of "Tuhfat al-Lahu"

Abstract

The present study focuses on a comparative analysis of the Pashto and Persian texts of Tuhfat al-Lahu, a unique and complex work authored in the 12th century Hijri by Abdul Qadir Khan Khattak. This newly discovered Pashto manuscript is written using a rare symbolic technique. Interestingly, a Persian manuscript bearing the same title and employing a similar technique is attributed to Khwaja Buzur Jamhar and predates the Pashto version, having been composed in the 11th century Hijri. Copies of the Persian text are preserved in India and at the Data Ganj Bakhsh Library in Pakistan. The researcher has obtained both Persian manuscripts and undertaken a detailed comparative analysis with the Pashto version. Pashto manuscript is also preserved at the Data Ganj Bakhsh Library in Pakistan.

The primary aim of this study is to identify the technical and stylistic parallels and divergences between the Pashto and Persian versions. Given the intricate structure and cryptic nature of Tuhfat al-Lahu, this comparative study provides critical insights that may aid future researchers in decoding and contextualizing these texts. Moreover, the research highlights the cross-cultural and interlingual literary traditions that span different historical periods, offering a foundational framework for future comparative literary studies in Pashto.