Magazine archive · Kabul, 1930 onward

حی علی الفلاحHayy ʿala al-Falah

A monthly magazine on religion, society and learning, edited by Muhammad Mir Ghulam Munshi (محمد میر غلام منشی), Wali Roashan’s great-great-grandfather. This is the family’s collection of it: 48 issues, 2,988 pages, kept as scanned and shown here by year and month. Where an issue is not in the collection, the page says so.

48 issuesYears 1–7, 1349–1355 AH36 issues not in the collection

About the magazine

Hayy ʿala al-Falah (“Come to success”) appeared in Kabul once a month. Its cover describes it as a monthly dealing with religious and social questions, and carries the Quranic verse قد أفلح من زكّاها وقد خاب من دسّاها (91:9–10) above a picture of Mecca. The masthead on the first page of each issue names Muhammad Mir Ghulam Munshi as chief editor (سرمحرر), gives the office as the Ministry of Justice, presents the magazine as the organ of the Presidency of the Society of Afghan Scholars, and says it is published on the first of every month. It gives 1349 AH, the month of Jawza, as the year of its founding.

Each year of the magazine has twelve issues, one for each month of the Islamic calendar, numbered from 1 each Muharram. The years are counted from the first: year 1 is 1349 AH (1930–31), year 5 is 1353 AH (1934–35). From year 7 (1355 AH, 1936) the magazine appears under the shorter title الفلاح, al-Falah.

The years, issue by issue

In the collection
Republished 1350–51 SH
Not in the collection

Year 1

1349 AH1309–1310 SH1930–1931

1 of 12 issues

No. 1

محرم الحرامMuharram

Jawza 1309 SH
c. May 1930

Not in the collection
No. 2

صفر المظفرSafar

Saratan 1309 SH
c. June 1930

Not in the collection
No. 3

ربیع الاولRabi‘ I

Asad 1309 SH
c. July 1930

Not in the collection
No. 4

ربیع الثانیRabi‘ II

Sonbola 1309 SH
c. August 1930

Not in the collection
No. 5

جمادی الاولJumada I

Mizan 1309 SH
c. September 1930

Not in the collection
No. 6

جمادی الثانیJumada II

Aqrab 1309 SH
c. October 1930

Not in the collection
No. 7

رجبRajab

Qaws 1309 SH
c. November 1930

Not in the collection
No. 8

شعبانSha‘ban

Jadi 1309 SH
c. December 1930

Not in the collection
No. 9

رمضانRamadan

Dalw 1309 SH
c. January 1931

Not in the collection
No. 10

شوالShawwal

Hut 1309 SH
c. February 1931

Not in the collection
No. 11

ذی القعدهDhu al-Qa‘da

Hut 1309 SH
c. March 1931

Not in the collection
No. 12

ذی الحجهDhu al-Hijja

1 Sawr 1310 SH
21 April 1931

Republished 1350

Year 2

1350 AH1310–1311 SH1931–1932

No issues in the collection

No. 1

محرم الحرامMuharram

Sawr 1310 SH
c. May 1931

Not in the collection
No. 2

صفر المظفرSafar

Jawza 1310 SH
c. June 1931

Not in the collection
No. 3

ربیع الاولRabi‘ I

Saratan 1310 SH
c. July 1931

Not in the collection
No. 4

ربیع الثانیRabi‘ II

Asad 1310 SH
c. August 1931

Not in the collection
No. 5

جمادی الاولJumada I

Sonbola 1310 SH
c. September 1931

Not in the collection
No. 6

جمادی الثانیJumada II

Mizan 1310 SH
c. October 1931

Not in the collection
No. 7

رجبRajab

Aqrab 1310 SH
c. November 1931

Not in the collection
No. 8

شعبانSha‘ban

Qaws 1310 SH
c. December 1931

Not in the collection
No. 9

رمضانRamadan

Jadi 1310 SH
c. January 1932

Not in the collection
No. 10

شوالShawwal

Dalw 1310 SH
c. February 1932

Not in the collection
No. 11

ذی القعدهDhu al-Qa‘da

Hut 1310 SH
c. March 1932

Not in the collection
No. 12

ذی الحجهDhu al-Hijja

Hamal 1311 SH
c. April 1932

Not in the collection

Year 3

1351 AH1311–1312 SH1932–1933

All 12 issues

No. 1

محرم الحرامMuharram

Sawr 1311 SH
c. May 1932

Republished 1350
No. 2

صفر المظفرSafar

Jawza 1311 SH
c. June 1932

Republished 1351
No. 3

ربیع الاولRabi‘ I

Saratan 1311 SH
c. July 1932

49 pages
No. 4

ربیع الثانیRabi‘ II

Asad 1311 SH
c. August 1932

49 pages
No. 5

جمادی الاولJumada I

Sonbola 1311 SH
c. September 1932

49 pages
No. 6

جمادی الثانیJumada II

Mizan 1311 SH
c. October 1932

47 pages
No. 7

رجبRajab

Aqrab 1311 SH
c. November 1932

49 pages
No. 8

شعبانSha‘ban

Qaws 1311 SH
c. November 1932

48 pages
No. 9

رمضانRamadan

Jadi 1311 SH
c. December 1932

49 pages
No. 10

شوالShawwal

Dalw 1311 SH
c. January 1933

50 pages
No. 11

ذی القعدهDhu al-Qa‘da

Hut 1311 SH
c. February 1933

49 pages
No. 12

ذی الحجهDhu al-Hijja

Hamal 1312 SH
c. March 1933

49 pages

Year 4

1352 AH1312 SH1933–1934

No issues in the collection

No. 1

محرم الحرامMuharram

Sawr 1312 SH
c. April 1933

Not in the collection
No. 2

صفر المظفرSafar

Jawza 1312 SH
c. May 1933

Not in the collection
No. 3

ربیع الاولRabi‘ I

Saratan 1312 SH
c. June 1933

Not in the collection
No. 4

ربیع الثانیRabi‘ II

Asad 1312 SH
c. July 1933

Not in the collection
No. 5

جمادی الاولJumada I

Sonbola 1312 SH
c. August 1933

Not in the collection
No. 6

جمادی الثانیJumada II

Sonbola 1312 SH
c. September 1933

Not in the collection
No. 7

رجبRajab

Mizan 1312 SH
c. October 1933

Not in the collection
No. 8

شعبانSha‘ban

Aqrab 1312 SH
c. November 1933

Not in the collection
No. 9

رمضانRamadan

Qaws 1312 SH
c. December 1933

Not in the collection
No. 10

شوالShawwal

Jadi 1312 SH
c. January 1934

Not in the collection
No. 11

ذی القعدهDhu al-Qa‘da

Dalw 1312 SH
c. February 1934

Not in the collection
No. 12

ذی الحجهDhu al-Hijja

Hut 1312 SH
c. March 1934

Not in the collection

Year 5

1353 AH1313 SH1934–1935

All 12 issues

No. 1

محرم الحرامMuharram

27 Hamal 1313 SH
16 April 1934

60 pages
No. 2

صفر المظفرSafar

Sawr 1313 SH
c. May 1934

60 pages
No. 3

ربیع الاولRabi‘ I

Jawza 1313 SH
c. June 1934

60 pages
No. 4

ربیع الثانیRabi‘ II

Saratan 1313 SH
c. July 1934

61 pages
No. 5

جمادی الاولJumada I

Asad 1313 SH
c. August 1934

60 pages
No. 6

جمادی الثانیJumada II

Sonbola 1313 SH
c. September 1934

58 pages
No. 7

رجبRajab

Mizan 1313 SH
c. October 1934

62 pages
No. 8

شعبانSha‘ban

Aqrab 1313 SH
c. November 1934

60 pages
No. 9

رمضانRamadan

Qaws 1313 SH
c. December 1934

60 pages
No. 10

شوالShawwal

Jadi 1313 SH
c. January 1935

60 pages
No. 11

ذی القعدهDhu al-Qa‘da

Dalw 1313 SH
c. February 1935

60 pages
No. 12

ذی الحجهDhu al-Hijja

Hut 1313 SH
c. March 1935

60 pages

Year 6

1354 AH1314 SH1935–1936

11 of 12 issues

No. 1

محرم الحرامMuharram

Hamal 1314 SH
c. April 1935

62 pages
No. 2

صفر المظفرSafar

Sawr 1314 SH
c. May 1935

60 pages
No. 3

ربیع الاولRabi‘ I

Jawza 1314 SH
c. June 1935

60 pages
No. 4

ربیع الثانیRabi‘ II

Saratan 1314 SH
c. July 1935

50 pages
No. 5

جمادی الاولJumada I

Asad 1314 SH
c. August 1935

50 pages
No. 6

جمادی الثانیJumada II

Sonbola 1314 SH
c. August 1935

52 pages
No. 7

رجبRajab

Mizan 1314 SH
c. September 1935

51 pages
No. 8

شعبانSha‘ban

Aqrab 1314 SH
c. October 1935

51 pages
No. 9

رمضانRamadan

Qaws 1314 SH
c. November 1935

51 pages
No. 10

شوالShawwal

Jadi 1314 SH
c. December 1935

51 pages
No. 11

ذی القعدهDhu al-Qa‘da

Dalw 1314 SH
c. January 1936

Not in the collection
No. 12

ذی الحجهDhu al-Hijja

Hut 1314 SH
c. February 1936

51 pages

Year 7

1355 AH1315 SH1936–1937

All 12 issues

No. 1

محرم الحرامMuharram

5 Hamal 1315 SH
25 March 1936

88 pages
No. 2

صفر المظفرSafar

Sawr 1315 SH
c. April 1936

84 pages
No. 3

ربیع الاولRabi‘ I

Jawza 1315 SH
c. May 1936

86 pages
No. 4

ربیع الثانیRabi‘ II

Saratan 1315 SH
c. June 1936

86 pages
No. 5

جمادی الاولJumada I

Saratan 1315 SH
c. July 1936

85 pages
No. 6

جمادی الثانیJumada II

Asad 1315 SH
c. August 1936

87 pages
No. 7

رجبRajab

Sonbola 1315 SH
c. September 1936

87 pages
No. 8

شعبانSha‘ban

Mizan 1315 SH
c. October 1936

86 pages
No. 9

رمضانRamadan

Aqrab 1315 SH
c. November 1936

84 pages
No. 10

شوالShawwal

Qaws 1315 SH
c. December 1936

85 pages
No. 11

ذی القعدهDhu al-Qa‘da

Jadi 1315 SH
c. January 1937

85 pages
No. 12

ذی الحجهDhu al-Hijja

Dalw 1315 SH
c. February 1937

86 pages

Years 8 onward (from 1356 AH) are not in the collection. If one turns up it can be added without changing anything else on this page.

The 1350 republication

The magazine was printed again in the Shamsi years 1350–1351 (1971–72). Three issues in the collection are of that printing, and their title pages say so: a plain title page with the magazine’s emblem, the printer’s line and the year of the new printing, and the number of copies. They are marked Republished above. Every other issue in the collection looks like the original printing of 1930–36.

Year 1, no. 12 (ذی الحجه) republished 1350 SH62 pages
Year 3, no. 1 (محرم الحرام) republished 1350 SH50 pages
Year 3, no. 2 (صفر المظفر) republished 1351 SH49 pages

If an original and its republication both turn up, they are kept side by side under the same month.

Al-Falah in 1342 SH

Two further issues are of a Pashto periodical called الفلاح (al-Falah), published by the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan in 1342 SH (1963–64). Its masthead gives 1309 as the year of founding. They are kept on their own shelf, apart from the years above, as a later periodical with the same title.

No. 11, 1342 SH

64 pages
No. 12, 1342 SH

65 pages

Notes and credits

The scans

The issues are shown as scanned, page by page, without retouching. The scans are from the collection of the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU) and are published here with permission. The library’s digital watermark and the round ink stamps of its library copy have been removed with its written agreement; where a stamp lay over a line of print, a few letters under it may be missing, and the original scans remain with ACKU. The magazine itself is held by the family.

The gaps

Of the 84 issues of years 1–7, 48 are in the collection and 36 are not: eleven of year 1, all of years 2 and 4, and number 11 of year 6. Nothing is estimated or filled in. If you hold a missing issue, or a better copy of one, please tell the family.

Reading

Each issue opens in a page-by-page reader. The pages are for reading on this site and are not offered for download.