|
|
|
December 28, 2003
In brief
THE pangs of separation and the agony of repeated migrations have mellowed Aijazul Haque Aijaz a great deal and made him a poet of sensitivity. His prolonged association with the armed forces of Pakistan has not numbed the richness of his feelings.
After his parents left their ancestral home, he willingly chose former East Pakistan as his new homeland. The fragrance of the cultural life of Bengal had a softening effect on his thoughts.
Many poems included in his collection, Lehr Lehr Piyas were written in Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh. The poet’s longing for the lost years is reflected in various shades in his verses. His emotional link with the former East Pakistan persists to this day.
The most remarkable aspect of Aijazul Haque’s poetry is his unflinching faith in mankind. As an incorrigible optimist, he is not depressed by unfavourable circumstances or unpleasant developments. Though the fall of Dhaka left a lasting impact on him, morbidity has not touched his thinking process. The hope for a better future has a sustaining effect on him.
Aijazul Haque is essentially a romantic poet. Romanticism is perhaps his greatest asset. He exudes freshness, beauty and charm. These qualities are found in abundance in his poetry. He does not invent situations to express his profound desire for love. Romance comes to him naturally. Many of his love poems convey a feeling of utmost emotional stress. But he is not overwhelmed by any success or failure. He knows the difficult art of making a realistic appraisal of life. He accepts grim realities and does not mourn at the tomb of unfulfilled desires.
Unlike other poets of his generation, Aijaz does not subscribe to any political creed. That explains why his verses have the smoothness of a flowing stream without creating any ripples.
The book also contains six poems written in English. In a poem titled ‘Spring in Saigon’, he says: Spring now blossoms in Saigon/ Phnom Penh resounds with the cuckoo‘s song/ Victorious men with joy unfurl/ The flag of peace and liberty/ Atop the Ho Chi Minh City
Lehr Lehr Piyas is Aijazul Haque’s first collection of poems. It is amazing indeed that he writes both ghazal and nazm with equal ease and facility. In poems too he does not pursue the usual patterns. Making a lively departure from the cobweb of the traditional path, he ventures into the realm of new experiments with success. His attitude to life is admirably reflected in the following verse:
Lehr Lehr Piyas
By Aijazul Haque Aijaz
Available at House No 232,
Street No.3, Falcon Complex, Shaheed-i-Millat Road, Karachi 75350
244pp. Rs275
THE devotion and reverence instilled in Muslims for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH knows no bounds. His unique stature and his Sunnah as well as the Hadith are the main source of guidance after the holy Quran. Hence they call for a deep study of the Seerat from various dimensions. Muslim scholars and religious luminaries all over the world have made a valuable contribution in this respect.
Apart from the earliest works on Seerat from Arab chroniclers like Ibn-e-Hisham and Qazi Ayaz Maliki following many Egyptian writers, some outstanding books on the topic appeared in Urdu in undivided India. The most famous, comprehensive and erudite study was the Seerat-un-Nabi jointly written by Allama Shibli and Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, a monumental and memorable effort, a valuable treasure of information. Though many other scholarly works have been produced, countless publications in the market are only repetitive efforts and have been compiled to register the writers’ love for the Prophet.
The author of the book under review, is a disciple of Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi whose valuable work has been mentioned in the preface, and the need to study and present Seerat literature in the light of the Quran has also been emphasized. His observation about the dearth of books in this context is debatable. Apart from Khutbat-i-Madras by Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, another work, Seerat-i-Nabvi-Qurani by Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi fills this vacuum very authoritatively. Another book by an Egyptian author, Muhammad Izzat Daruzah, published in two volumes, quotes profusely from the Quran in highlighting several significant aspects of Seerat.
The need to conduct further research in this context has however been rightly emphasized by the writer of this book. A separate chapter could be added to emphasize this issue. Though concise, the book is a very well accomplished work both in style and presentation. — S.A.M.
Hayat-i-Rasool-i-Ummi (SAW)
By Khalid Masood
Dar-ut-Tazkeer, Rehman Market, Ghazni Street, Urdu Bazar, Lahore-54000. Tel: 042-7231119
Email: info@dar-ut-tazkeer.com Website:
www.dar-ut-tazkeer.com
597pp. Rs375
|
|
|
|
