OURS is a society that does not understand the value of research. Scientific research may bear some fruit in our country, but when it comes to literature and languages, research is largely a thankless job. Still, Urdu research has come a long way. But without some pioneering efforts of some colossi and some latter-day researchers, Urdu research would not have been what it is today. Some of Urdu’s great research scholars are:

Moulvi Abdul Haq

One of the pioneers of Urdu research, Moulvi Abdul Haq (1871-1961) had to fight on many fronts. But from the research point of view Moulvi Sahib, as he is often reverently referred to, will also be remembered for his work on Dakani literature and his edited versions of Urdu’s classical texts (they are too many to be named here). Had it not been for him, many manuscripts would have disappeared forever without any trace — and with them many pieces of our literary and linguistic history.

Hafiz Mahmood Sherani

A pioneer of Urdu’s textual criticism, Hafiz Mahmood Sherani (1888-1946) had such an amazing grasp over rare texts and sources that few could dare challenge his conclusions. His stupendous, myth-busting research includes the undeniable proofs that established the fact that Qissa Chahar Dervish was not penned by Ameer Khusrau. He cast a shadow of doubt over attribution of ‘Khaliq Bari’ to Ameer Khusrau as well. With solid evidence, he tattered to pieces Muhammad Hussain Azad’s legendary Aab-i-Hayat and proved many of Azad’s ‘historical facts’ are nothing but concocted tales. His research on Persian literature is more copious than his works on Urdu. Though his hypothesis that Urdu was born in Punjab has been proved incorrect, Sherani is among the few best and most-appreciated researchers.

Masood Hasan Rizvi Adeeb

As a researcher who had discovered and edited some classical Urdu texts in pre-independence era, Masood Hasan Rizvi Adeeb (1893-1975) continued his research works and published even better research works after independence. His discovery and editing of rare works includes Mir Taqi Mir’s Faiz-i-Mir, Divan-i-Faaiz and some rare poetical and prose pieces by Ghalib.

Mohiuddin Qadri Zor

Ghulam Mohiuddin Qadri Zor (1905-1962) is often dubbed as ‘Baba’ or father of Dakani for his tremendous research on Deccan’s Urdu literature and language. Though his research on Urdu phonetics and historical linguistics is also commendable, he is more known for his work on Deccan’s literature that includes Urdu Sheh Paare, Kulliyat-i-Quli Qutb Shah and four books on history of Deccan’s Urdu literature.

Qazi Abdul Wadood

Qazi Abdul Wadood (1896-1984) was one of the most feared researchers of Urdu since he was as blunt and outspoken as he was erudite and thorough. He would not hesitate to point out inaccuracies in works of such giants as Ghalib and Moulvi Abdul Haq, let alone his contemporaries. His books and articles, quite large in number, are a testimony to his encyclopaedic knowledge.

Imtiaz Ali Khan Arshi

A researcher who drastically raised the standards of editing and compilation was Imtiaz Ali Khan Arshi Rampuri (1905-1981). His edited and annotated version of Ghalib’s Urdu divan is the most meticulous and most authentic. He discovered Dastoor-ul-Fasahat, a book on prosody and rhetoric, and edited it with a scholarly foreword, which is a piece of research unto itself.

Gian Chand Jain

Though intentionally forgotten after his controversial book Aik Bhasha Do Likhavat Do Adab, Gian Chand Jain (1923-2007) was a scholar whose tremendous contribution towards Urdu research can never be denied. His works on Ghalib, linguistics as well as critical evaluation of Urdu’s literary histories secure him a place beside great researchers of Urdu.

Rasheed Hasan Khan

Some of the best examples of editing and annotating the classical Urdu texts are the ones prepared by Rasheed Hasan Khan (1925-2006). His texts are based on rare manuscripts and/or earliest published editions, with a perfect eye for accuracy. Literary research was his forte, but another field that Rasheed Sahib is known for is orthography. His book Urdu Imla has become the most consulted work on the subject, though some scholars disagree with him on certain orthographical issues.

Jameel Jalibi

Jameel Jalibi (1929-2019), a great literary historian has become a part of literary history with his monumental work on Urdu literature’s history titled Tareekh-i-Adab-i-Urdu.

He devoted about 40 years to pen this 4,700-page history in four volumes that is the most comprehensive and most authentic of all literary histories of Urdu. But Jalibi Sahib will also be remembered for some other significant works, such as Masnavi Kadam Rao Padam Rao, a 600-year old manuscript known as the earliest literary work of Urdu.

It is regretted that for the want of space we could not mention here some other great researchers like Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Abdus Sattar Siddiqi, Syed Abdullah, Waheed Qureshi, Nazeer Ahmed, Malik Ram and Mushfiq Khwaja.

drraufparekh@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2020