Din Mohammad Andar

Sardar [a] Musk of the Universe [b] Din Mohammad Andar
Native name	دين محمد اندړ
Born	1790 (1790) Andar, Durrani Empire
Died	1886 (aged 95–96) Ghazni, Emirate of Afghanistan
Cause of death	Died in captivity
Conflicts	Second Anglo-Afghan War  (POW)

Din Mohammad Andar, ^[c] famously known by his epithet as Mullah Mushk-i Alam, ^[1] was a military general during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, as well as the supervisor of Mohammad Musa Khan during the latter's reign. ^[2]

Early life

Belonging to the Lakankhel sub-tribe of the Andar tribe of the Pashtuns, Din Mohammad was born in 1790 in Andar District's Gandahir village.

Rise to power

Din received his education of Islamic jurisprudence and beliefs from Mullah Mohammad Wazir Kakar before studying in Laghman for two years, being a student of the famous scholar Mullah Abdul Hakim. He then travelled to Peshawar several times, and began memorizing the Quran, being taught by Abdul Malik Akhundzada. ^[3] After completing his religious education, he established a religious school in which members of the Taliban had attained their education, hailing from many nearby provinces. ^{[4] [5]}

The locals of Ghazni led by Din would continuously wage the holy war of Jihad against the British. Withdrawing support for Abdur Rahman Khan due to the latter's alliance with British interests, he joined forces with other commanders like Mir Bacha Khan, Mohammad Jan Khan, Ghulam Haidar Khan, and Mohammad Usman Khan, to which a national uprising was launched against the British invasion and Afzalid rule in Afghanistan. Known for his bravery throughout the war, as well as his qualities, Din earned the title "Musk of the Universe". ^[6]

Death

As he fought against Abdur Rahman Khan and his men, he was eventually captured and imprisoned, dying a few more years in captivity in 1886.

Notes

1. Persian: سردار, romanized: Sardār [säɾ.d̪ɑ́ːɾ]
2. Persian: مشک عالم, romanized: Mushk-i Ālam [mʊʃkʰ‿ɪʔɑː.lám]
3. • Pashto: دين محمد اندړ, romanized: Din Muhammad Andaṛ [d̪inmu.wa.mad̪ʔan.d̪aɻ,d̪inmu.ham.mad̪ʔan.d̪aɻ]
   • Persian: دین محمد اندر, romanized: Dīn Mohammad Andar [d̪iːnmʊ.wäm.mád̪ʔän.d̪áɾ,d̪iːnmo̞.ɦäm.mád̪ʔän.d̪áɾ]

References

1. Lee, Jonathan L. (2018). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. ISBN   9781789140101.
2. Stewart, Jules (2011). On Afghanistan's Plains. The Story of Britain's Afghan Wars. London. ISBN   978-1-84885-717-9.
3. Jami, Qazi Najibullah. ملا مشک عالم اندړ[Mullah Mushk-i Alam Andar] (in Pashto). Kabul, Afghanistan.
4. Bjelica, Jelena (2025-07-20). "Living a Mullah's Life (2): The evolution of Islamic knowledge among village clerics". Afghanistan Analysts Network - English (in Pashto). Retrieved 2025-12-21.
5. Nawid, Senzil K. (1999). Religious Response to Social Change in Afghanistan 1919-29: King Amanallah and the Afghan Ulema. California: Mazda Publishing. p. 10.
6. Hazārah, Fayż Muḥammad Kātib; McChesney, R. D.; Khorrami, Mohammad Mehdi (2013). The History of Afghanistan: Fayż Muḥammad Kātib Hazārah's Sirāj al-Tawārīkh. Brill. ISBN   9789004234925.