KARACHI, April 6: A collection of naats titled Aaena Sall-i-Ala by Azizuddin Khaki was launched at the Arts Council on Friday. The event was presided over by Prof Sahar Ansari.

Prof Ansari shed light on the finer points of the art of naat writing and recitation. He acknowledged the creative effort that the writer had put in the book.

Aziz Ahsan read out a paper on Khaki’s art and observed that people were writing more naats in Pakistan than anywhere else in the world.

He said Khaki was not only known to those who recited naats but was also an eminent figure among those who wrote naats. He said his naat writing contained the literary flair that’s required for such a pursuit as well as the quality which endeared it to the common people. He pointed out that Khaki’s writing met all the literary requirements. He said the basic purpose of naat was to fill the Ummah with the love of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He told the audience that Khaki chose simple diction (sahl-i-mumtana) to convey his message and did not use metaphors or similes. He said the writer had intelligently used the word aaena (mirror) and gave a few examples of the different ways in which the word had been used.

Arts Council’s education committee chairman Abdul Majeed Abdani said not everyone had the honour of doing such a noble job, and remarked that Azizuddin Khaki was one of the few lucky ones.

Shehzad Ahmed said though it was Khaki’s fifth collection of naats, he had also written a book of hamd. He said Khaki began his naat recitation in 1980.

M.Anwar Ibrahim brothers read a hamd while Moin Qadri read a naat in the beginning of the programme.