Jesus In India — Page 163
APPENDIX of Ghor, where they were called by the neighbouring peoples "Bani Afghan” and “Bani Israíl," or children of Afghan, and children of Israel. In corroboration of this we have the testimony of the prophet Esdras to the effect that the ten tribes of Israel, who were carried into captiv- ity, subsequently escaped and found refuge in the country of Arsareth, which is supposed to be identical with the Hazarah country of the present day, and of which Ghor forms a part. It is also stated in the Tabacati Nasiri—a historical work which contains, among other informa- tion, a detailed account of the conquest of this country by Changhiz Khan— that in the time of the native Shansabi dynasty there was a people called Bani Israíl living in that country, and that some of them were extensively engaged in trade with the countries around. This people was settled in the Ghor country, to the east of Herat, at the time that Muhammad announced his mission as the Prophet of God— about 622 A. D. And it was there that Khalid-bin-Walíd, a chief of the Curesh tribe of Arabs, came to them with the tidings of the new faith, and an invitation to join the Prophet's standard. Page 16. . . . the mission of Khalid was not without success, for he returned to the Prophet, accompanied by a depu- tation of six or seven representative men of the Afghan people and their followers amounting in all to seventy-six persons. The chief or leader of this party was named Kais or Kish. The traditions of the people go on to the effect that 153