Peshawar Nights ( ''Shab-hā-ye Pishāwar'') is a written firsthand account by

Sultan al-Wa'izin Shirazi Seyed Mohammad Shirazi (12 May 1894 – 11 October 1971), commonly known as Sultan al-Wa'izin Shirazi ("Prince of Preachers from Shiraz"), was a prominent Shi'a scholar. He authored ''Peshawar Nights'', an account of a public debate between S ...

("Prince of Preachers from Shiraz"), recalling ten days of dialogues between two

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

scholars and a

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

author about major topics relating to

Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

, which took place in Peshawar (now in Pakistan, which, at the time, was part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

) beginning on 27 January 1927. The book was originally written in Persian and published in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

and has subsequently been translated into several languages, the first English edition was published in 1977 in Pakistan.

Background

It recounts a public debate between

Muslims and

Muslims, that took place in the city of

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

in the

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followi ...

(present-day

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

) for ten nights beginning on 27 January 1927. The two principal participants from the Sunni side were Hafiz Muhammad Rashid and Sheikh Abdus Salam from Kabul. The discussions were attended by approximately 200 people (Shia and Sunni Muslims) and were recorded by four reporters published following morning in the local newspapers. According to the preface:

English editions

The title of the book is a translation of the original Persian title, ''Shabhaye-Peshawar.'' Sinc e its first translation, printing & publishing in English, it been re-translated, re-printed & re-published across the world several times. A few of the major English publications available are: * A digest by Peermahomed Ebrahim Trust, Pakistan from the 1970s * A translation by Hamid Quinlan and Charles Ali Campbell, published by Ansariyan Publications, Iran, from the 1990s * From the UK in the 2000s * Multiple times in the 2010s: ** In 2013, two parts; Part 1 & Part 2 ** In February 2014 ** In September 2014, two parts; Part 1 & Part 2 ** In July 2015, two parts; Part 1 & Part 2 ** In November 2015, two parts; Part 1 & Part 2 ** In 2017, two parts; Part 1 & Part 2 ** In 2018

Translations in other languages

Apart from English, the book has been translated into several other languages from original Persian. It is available in: * Persian () *

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

() *

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

() *

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

()) *

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

() * Spanish () * Indonesian (, ). In Indonesian, it was initially translated as ''Mazhab Syia'' and was reprinted in 2009 under the title ''Mazhab Pecinta Keluarga Nabi: Kajian al-Quran dan Sunnah''.

Book's coverage

The book is notable, it has not only been reprinted several times in English by different publishers across the world but also has been translated to several languages and has not only been cited by books but is also used as teaching/reference material in academia and suggested as reading material by others.

Citations and mentions

The book has been cited or mentioned by later books, journal, etc. including, * as a reference in book 'The Twelver Shi'a as a Muslim Minority in India: Pulpit of Tears' * as reference in footnotes in book 'The Suffering of the Ahl ul Bayt and their Followers (Shia) throughout History' * as a reference in magazine 'The Light, Volumes 24-25' * in bibliography in book 'Discourses of Mobilization in Post-revolutionary Iran' * mentioned in text of book 'Shi'ism In South East Asia: Alid Piety and Sectarian Constructions'

Listings

* listed in "Accessions List, Pakistan, Volume 18, 1979" * listed in "Forthcoming Books, Volume 35, Issue 5" Peshawar Nights has been listed as one of the books ''"to understand Shia better"'', it is searchable and downloadable from internet free of charge.

Academia

The book has not only been catalogued by university libraries cited by books but also is used as teaching/reference material in academia and suggested as reading material, * it is catalogued in 'The Online Books Page' of the

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

. * it is mentioned as one of the 'contemporary material' suggested for use as teaching/reference material by

University at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is on ...

in its ''The Journal for Multi Media History''. * it is catalogued under 'The Shi'ite Tradition' in the 'Internet Islamic History Sourcebook' of the

Fordham University Fordham University () is a private Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its original campus is located, Fordham is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit un ...

References

{{reflist

External links

* Read 'Peshawar Nights' online in
EnglishPersianUrdu (part-1)Urdu (part-2)ArabicFrenchAzeriSpanish

Blog dedicated to Peshawar Nights
Shia literature Peshawar Shia theology books