Ismail was born in the house of a renowned religious scholar, a Qazi, in the city of Qandahar. Raised speaking Pashto, he became a scholar of Arabic, Persian and his native language, as well as being an Islamic jurist who was able to assist his father in his profession as a Qazi. According to his biographer, Qazi Muhammad Yousaf, he never married He had an interest in Pashto and Persian poetry, writing his own poetry. Henry George Raverty mentioned his skill as both a poet and scholar
Migration to India
At the age of 32, Ismail left Afghanistan and traveled to India. Leaving Qandahar, he passed through Chaman, Pashin, Quetta, Sibi, Shikarpur and Sind. He stayed in these places and continued his intellectual pursuits. Qazi Muhammad Yousaf has recorded his discussion of Shia and Sunni differences with a scholar at Shikarpur. He ended his journey in Bombay, where he was appointed tutor in Pashto and Persian to Captain Henry George Raverty of the 3rd Bombay Native Infantry, accompanying him on military campaigns, and ending up in Peshawar in 1852.
Tutor to H G Raverty
makes clear reference to Ismail's contribution to his various works. In the introduction to Raverty's 'Dictionary of the Pashto Language' he writes: A similar comment about Ismail is found in Raverty's 'Preface' to the Grammar of the Afghan language, Pakhtu.
Educational Services
In 1852, Mirza Muhammad Ismail was appointed District Inspector of Schools in the Peshawar and Hazara districts to look after the newly established schooling system in this region. He served in this position until his retirement in 1884. He travelled widely in the region to inspect schools in the villages of the North West Frontier. Molvi Muhammad Ismail made a contribution to Pashto literature and to the learning of Pashto as a foreign language, publishing handbooks such as Pashto Tutor, Khazana-i-Afghani, Sawal-o-Jawa and Pushto Guide. Tariq Rahman writes: While in Peshawar, Ismail was requested by T.P. Hughes and Worthington Jukes to translate parts of the Bible into Pashto. This translation work assisted his understanding the works of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and his claims.
Religious experiences
In 1887, he had a vision, which he reported to Qazi Muhammad Yousaf. Ismail would always say he had taken his Bay'ah in that Vision in 1887. Yousaf named him as the first Ahmadi among the Pashtoons of the North West Frontier.
Ismail and Ahmadiyya
He was a subscriber to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. When the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Community published his claim to be the promised Messiah in his books Fatah Islam and Tauzi Muram in 1891, Ismail commented that "The writer speaks like the Messengers of Bani Israel"; his Bible translation work had made him acquainted with the Biblical prophets. He became a spiritual disciple of the Syed Amir of Kotah, and claimed to have had a vision of the Syed in which he had 'seen' the ushering in of the era of the Mahdi of the End time. In Tohfa e Golariya, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote:
Death
Muhammad Ismail lived in Peshawar from 1852 to 1912, dying on September 18, 1912.
