Category Archives: Books (incl.Biographies – w.e.f.01 jan 2018 )

She was the first woman builder in Mughal rule and gave Delhi Humayun’s Tomb

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022), Uniquely Indian Muslim HISTORICAL RECORDS - Sufi Shrines, Dargahs, Tombs, Mughal Mausoleums (wef. December 07th, 2024), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

DELHI :

Humayun’s Tomb introduced India to the Persian style of a domed mausoleum set in the centre of a landscaped char-bagh garden.

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi | Photo: Commons

Humayun’s first wife was a Persian from Khorasan and a daughter of Humayun’s maternal uncle. She was also called Haji Begum, probably because she had gone on the Haj to Mecca. During Humayun’s reign, she appears in history at the Battle of Chausa, where the harem was captured by Sher Khan. In all the chaos of battle, a boat carrying women capsized and her young daughter, Aqiqa Begum, was drowned. Bega Begum did not have any more children. Today she is remembered for the tomb of Humayun that she built in Delhi. After the death of her husband, when she decided to build the mausoleum, she was encouraged in her endeavour by her stepson Akbar, who was very fond of her.

Among all Humayun’s wives, Bega Begum lived a life of surprising independence. She went off to the Haj and came back with Arab craftsmen who worked at the tomb. This was much before Gulbadan Begum and Hamida Banu Begum went to Mecca during the reign of Akbar, their trip getting much more coverage in contemporary writing. Bega Begum did not join the harem in Agra but remained in Delhi, supervising the building work. An episode described by Gulbadan shows that she was a spirited woman who even spoke sharply to her husband when he did not visit her.

Among all Humayun’s wives, Bega Begum lived a life of surprising independence. She went off to the Haj and came back with Arab craftsmen who worked at the tomb. This was much before Gulbadan Begum and Hamida Banu Begum went to Mecca during the reign of Akbar, their trip getting much more coverage in contemporary writing. Bega Begum did not join the harem in Agra but remained in Delhi, supervising the building work. An episode described by Gulbadan shows that she was a spirited woman who even spoke sharply to her husband when he did not visit her.

Then Humayun replied, ‘It is a necessity laid on me to make them happy. Nevertheless, I am ashamed before them because I see them so rarely… I am an opium-eater. If there should be any delay in my comings and goings, do not be angry with me.’ However, Bega Begum was not reassured and said, ‘Your Majesty has carried matters to this point! What remedy have we? You are emperor. The excuse looked worse than the fault.’ Gulbadan ends her tale saying, ‘He made it up with her also.’

The contemporary historian Badauni writes that Akbar and Bega Begum were very close and he describes her as a ‘second mother to Akbar’. Once when the boy Akbar had a toothache, Bega Begum brought some medicine but Hamida was reluctant to give it to him. This was understandable since, in a harem that was often full of politics and jealousy, the mothers feared that their children could be poisoned. Abul Fazl quotes Akbar as saying, ‘As she knew what the state of feeling was, she [Bega Begum] in her love to me swallowed some of it without there being any order to that effect, and then rubbed the medicine on my teeth.’

Bega Begum would often travel to Agra to meet Akbar and she spent her allowance doing charity. The Jesuit Antoine de Monserrate wrote, with reluctant approval, of her good works, ‘Throughout her widowhood she devoted herself to prayer and to alms-giving. Indeed, she maintained five hundred poor people by her alms. Had she only been a Christian, hers would have been the life of a heroine.’

Bega Begum was the first of the Mughal women to become a builder, and many would follow to build mausoleums, mosques, madrasas, seminaries, bazaars and gardens. Humayun’s Tomb introduced India to the Persian style of a domed mausoleum set in the centre of a landscaped char-bagh garden, which would reach its peak with the Taj Mahal. Built near the dargah (mausoleum) of the Sufi saint Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya, the mausoleum complex became the graveyard for many members of the dynasty. Bega Begum is buried in the mausoleum near her husband, and somewhere nearby is the grave of one of the most unfortunate princes of the dynasty – Dara Shukoh.

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This excerpt from Mahal: Power and Pageantry in the Mughal Harem by Subhadra Sen Gupta has been published with permission from Hachette India. Hardback Rs 599.

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source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Page Turner> Book Excerpts / by Subhadra Sen Gupta / November 30th, 2019

Syed Ahmad Khan’s book on Delhi and its ruins would ‘numb’ other writers, said Mirza Ghalib

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, First War of Independence 1857 / Naval Mutiny 1946 / Others PreIndependece (wef. July 27th, 2022), Leaders, , , , , , , , ,

DELHI :

Asar-us-Sanadid was published in 1847. Yet, Syed Ahmad Khan distresses over the ‘recent’ increase in Delhi’s population.

Ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi | Commons

Delhi is introduced, interpreted, and celebrated all the time through walks, performances, talks and articles. But not many realise that the person who began telling the stories of Delhi was a young man in his 20s named Syed Ahmad Khan. Two centuries after he was born, his work Asar-us-Sanadid can now enjoy a wider readership because of its translation into English by Rana Safvi in 2018.

Syed Ahmad Khan was not the first writer to describe Delhi, but when he compiled his notes on the ‘remains of the great’ (asar-us-sanadid) into a book, he chose to write not in Farsi but in the accessible Urdu — making him a pioneer. Another first was that it appeared as a book rather than as a manuscript because his brother had just installed a new Urdu printing press in Delhi. Khan’s qualifications to write were not that of a narrow specialist. In those happy days, when education was not one fixed menu, he had studied science, mathematics, Farsi and Urdu. In his 20s, living in his family home in Shahjahanabad (present-day Old Delhi), Khan was a junior official in the East India Company, helping his brother publish an Urdu newspaper, and translating Farsi manuscripts.

Asar-us-Sanadid was published in 1847, and had a quality of eagerness explained by Khan learning the subject as he went along. Khan went to great lengths to transcribe inscriptions (‘He is climbing up with such enthusiasm/That people think he has some work in the sky’ was an affectionate comment about his swinging round the Qutub Minar in an improvised basket-and-poles contraption to read the inscriptions on the higher storeys). The artists’ drawings for the book were based on his own sketches.

There are very few extant copies of the original edition. The better-known second edition, published in 1854, bears the blue pencil marks of the Collector A.A. Roberts, who did a hatchet-job, reducing it by a half, adhering to chronology, giving British scientists a role in the Jantar Mantar project, removing all the poets and artists, and making it an altogether dull book.

Sights, sounds and silences

To Khan, historic architecture was not just patrons, materials, form and function. It was part of a continuous culture, nourished by new infusions. Political history, the overlapping cities and forts, the increasingly sophisticated elements in architecture – these became four-dimensional by reading mosques, dargahs and mazhars as sacred spaces, calm with the presence of mystics and scholars long departed. They were to be experienced in silence, reading the inscriptions, not listening to the patter of a guide. He delineates the complementarity of a vibrant urban culture —music, poetry, dance — and animated bazaars, the tranquil atmosphere of the countryside, fields and hills dotted with ruins. “The charm of the Delhi scene,” as historian Percival Spear would describe it a century later.

In a sentence that sounds startlingly contemporary, Syed Ahmad Khan is distressed by the “recent” increase in the city’s population, making it — and also the bracing hills of Mehrauli — unpleasantly congested. But he insists that “in spite of all these factors, the climate of Delhi is still a thousand times better than that of other cities.” The magnificent Mughal fort (remember that he was writing well before 1857) is described in the second chapter; Shahjahanabad in the third; the artists, poets and musicians in the fourth (the section captioned, charmingly, ‘The nightingale-like sweetly-singing people of Shahjahanabad on the outskirts of Paradise’).

Shining light on Delhi for other historians 

It was a challenging task. Delhi’s landscape was not easy to read in the complete absence of any older accounts or images. There was overlap, modification (particularly in the Qutub Minar area), vandalism (of poet Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana’s tomb by the ruler of Awadh). As a teenager, Syed Ahmad Khan was interested in astronomy, so his distress over the neglect of Jantar Mantar is understandable. He would have liked to spend more time studying it: “I will need a separate book to describe the workmanship, use and effectiveness of these instruments.”

Mirza Ghalib, in the ‘Foreword’, describes his friend’s book as one that would “numb the hands of other writers.” Khan’s meticulous account of buildings, even those in ruins, became the template for later books in English. “He who undertakes to write the archaeology of Delhi must constantly seek for light in the pages of Syed Ahmed Khan’s interesting work on that subject,” wrote Carr Stephen in The Archaeology and Monumental Remains of Delhi (1876).

More than 20 years lapsed between Asar-us-Sanadid’s second edition and Stephen’s book. A world separated the two publications. Khan, posted in Bijnor (in present-day Uttar Pradesh), was not caught in the trauma of 1857 (the Great Revolt). Some of the poets he had listed in Asar-us-Sanadid — like Ghalib — sought relief by writing laments to their ravaged city. His own reaction was different. With a sense of grief at seeing an efficient machine derailed, Khan would write Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind (The Causes of the Indian Rebellion) to understand what had gone wrong. His bond with Delhi was severed. He went on to become a distinguished public figure in north India, remembered today for the institution he founded, the Aligarh Muslim University.

Hopefully, reading Asar-us-Sanadid now will return the young Syed Ahmad Khan to us. The past is in many ways a foreign country, and to walk with a guide through towns of the past is an invigorating exercise.

This article is the first of an eight-part series on Reading A City with Saha Sutra on www.sahapedia.org, an open online resource on the arts, cultures and heritage of India. Read the series here.

Dr Narayani Gupta writes on urban history, particularly that of Delhi. Views are personal.

source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Opinion> Sahapedia / by Narayani Gupta / December 01st, 2019

The Indian Contingent: The Forgotten Muslim Soldiers of Dunkirk

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Indian Muslims in World War I and II (wef. July 09th, 2022),

INDIA :

May 28, 1940: Major Akbar Khan of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps marches at the head of 299 soldiers along the beach at Dunkirk—the only Indians in the BEF in France and the only ones at Dunkirk.

These men of the Indian Army, carrying their disabled imam, find their way to the East Mole and embark for England in the dead of night. On reaching Dover, they borrowed brass trays and started playing Punjabi folk music, upon which even “many British spectators joined in the dance.”

Where had they come from and why were they in France?

And what happened to them after that?

Ghee Bowman reveals in full, for the first time, the story of these soldiers, from their arrival in France on December 26, 1939 to their return at war’s end to an India on the verge of partition.

It is one of the war’s hidden stories that casts fresh light on Britain and its empire.

source: http;//www.goodreads.com / GoodReads / by Ghee Bowman / 1st published May 21st, 2020

Tracing Persian link to Chennai’s past

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Karnataka (under research project), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Syeda Mirza pens the legacy of Aly Asker, the man who put the city on India’s horse racing map and built iconic colonial bungalows

Bengaluru : 

Once a quaint lane that housed colonial bungalows, Ali Asker Road (situated between Cunningham Road and Infantry Road) may now be a bustling street with commercial outlets, only retaining some of the old-world charm. But the street comes with a rich history, which Syeda Mirza (Aly Asker was her husband’s great-grandfather) is trying to re-tell through the story of Aly Asker in her first book, Agha Aly Asker. 

Having heard of stories – Aly Asker leaving his homeland, Shiraz, as a 16-year-old to come to India in 1824 to trade Persian and Arab horses, building 100 bungalows around High Grounds, Cantonment, and Richmond Town, at the behest of Sir Mark Cubbon – Mirza felt the need to highlight his contribution to Bengaluru and Mysuru, which she had heard from elders. “A great-uncle of my husband had compiled some history and anecdotes which also came handy,” says Mirza, who is in her 80s. She adds that his legacy lingers in the family to this day among her grandchildren, with her grandson, equestrian Fouaad Mirza, getting prepared for the Tokyo Olympics.   

Her book also mentions the key role that Aly Asker played in saving the then Mysuru state from being annexed by the British, with their policy at that time stating that if there was no direct heir, the state would be annexed.

“Here, Aly Asker played a crucial role in convincing Sir Cubbon and Krishna Raja Wadiyar-III about an adoption, but sadly it’s not remembered. Everyone in the family knows about it though,” says Mirza, who started work on the book 18 years ago, and completed it within 2-3 years. The manuscript, though, was in hibernation ever since.  

While information was aplenty, the challenge lay in authenticating it. “It was like a thread, one thing led to another. But then again, everything was a family legend,” she says.

With Aly Asker being a historical figure, making a mark in the history of the city, they were particular that the information was verified. This meant going through several archives and hours of research, which was done by historians. “We kept getting bits and pieces and had to keep changing it. My three children did a lot of leg work to look up the records,” says Mirza, who got some information from unexpected sources, including the Ooty Library.    

pix: ink-and-feathers.blogspot.com

Mirza, now keen to bring out a cookery book, decided to self- publish the book (printing 500 copies), to ensure that the story was told the way she wanted to. “I didn’t want anything changed. I’ve written it for my grandchildren,” says Mirza, who is currently working on translating the book into Urdu, and getting it translated into Kannada.

With several books having been written on Sir Mirza Ismail, the grandson of Aly Asker, and Diwan of Mysore, Mirza hopes this book on Aly Asker will highlight his history as well. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Bengaluru / by Vidya Iyengar / pix added: as above / January 14th, 2020

Galaxy of stars descend at launch of Kirmani’s autobiography ‘Stumped: Life Behind And Beyond The Twenty-Two Yards’

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Karnataka (under research project), Sports, , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Syed Kirmani, an ODI World Cup winner with India in 1983, speaks during the launch of his autobiography, in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: PTI

The cricket universe was represented by Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Anil Kumble, Brijesh Patel, E.A.S. Prasanna, B.S. Chandrasekhar and many of Kirmani’s State teammates.

A galaxy of stars descended at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday for the launch of ‘Stumped: Life Behind And Beyond The Twenty-Two Yards’ by Syed Kirmani, the autobiography of one of India’s finest wicketkeepers.

The cricket universe was represented by Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Anil Kumble, Brijesh Patel, E.A.S. Prasanna, B.S. Chandrasekhar and many of Kirmani’s State teammates.

Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar were also in attendance.

Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar during the launch of  ‘Stumped, Life Behind And Beyond The Twenty-Two Yards ‘ with Krimani (right). | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, badminton stalwart Prakash Padukone and actor Jackie Shroff sent their well wishes through video messages. The book is co-authored by Debashish Sengupta and Dakshesh Pathak.

Kirmani’s famous partnership with Kapil Dev against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, where the duo rescued India from a precarious 17 for five, was a favourite memory among speakers on the stage.

Kapil spoke about the first time he met Kirmani, who incidentally celebrated his 75th birthday on Sunday.

Kirmani’s famous partnership with Kapil Dev (right) against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, where the duo rescued India from a precarious 17 for five, was a favourite memory among speakers on the stage.  | Photo Credit: PTI

“I was in an under-19 camp when Syed Kirmani, Bishan Singh Bedi and others returned to India after being bloodied and bruised on a tour to the West Indies. I worked up the courage to approach Kirmani. The first autograph I ever received in my life was from the great ‘Kiri bhai’ and G.R. Viswanath,” Kapil said.

“I remember what Kirmani wrote when signing the autograph. He wrote ‘Hope to see tons of runs and tons of wickets from you’. That was most kind of him. I also spent a few hours with him, where he taught me so much about the sport and beyond,” Kapil said.

source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cricket / by Ashwin Achal / December 29th, 2024

Insha Waziri Wins 2024 Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-to-English Translation

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

New Delhi:

Insha Jalil Waziri has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Jawad Memorial Prize for her English translation of Ali Sardar Jafri’s Urdu poem Mera Safar, reports The Print.

Waziri, a journalist working with The Print, selected Jafri’s iconic work as it resonated deeply with this year’s theme of “resurgence”. The poem, which revolves around the recurring theme of “main phir aaunga, main phir bolunga” (I’ll come back, I’ll speak again), captures a spirit of eternal hope and renewal even in the face of death and endings.

“This poem is profoundly relevant in the dystopian times we live in. Its message of optimism and revival reminded me of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass,” Waziri shared.

Ali Sardar Jafri, celebrated as a poet, lyricist, and critic, crafted Mera Safar with themes of resilience and transformation, offering an enduring message of hope that continues to inspire. Waziri’s translation skilfully preserves the essence of his words, bringing their timeless relevance to a broader audience.

The Jawad Memorial Prize recognises outstanding contributions in Urdu-to-English translation, honouring works that bridge cultures and languages.

source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Awards> Latest News / by Radiance News Bureau / December 24th, 2024

Review of Mujibur Rehman’s Shikwa-e-Hind — The Political Future of Indian Muslims: Self-imposed isolation

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

Mujibur Rehman overlooks pivotal reasons jeopardising the political future of Muslims

At a protest against mob lynching, in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

Mujibur Rehman’s Shikwa-e-Hind: The Political Future of Indian Muslims takes its title from the poem Shikwa (The Complaint) composed in 1909 by the great philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938).

If Shikwa was an aggrieved remonstrance by faithful Muslims (shikwa-e-arbaab-e-wafa) against god for having forsaken them despite their fervent loyalty, Shikwa-e-Hind is a complaint against majoritarian India for plotting “to de-Islamise” the country through its “multipronged attack on everything associated with Muslims.”

But the book is marred by the huge amassment of superfluous information on the historical “why and how” of Muslim political exclusion. Had the author realised that the Muslim past — especially what they went through before, during, and immediately after Partition — is a fait accompli, his book would not have suffered from a lack of focus on what Muslims must do to ameliorate their present situation.

Simplistic approach

Members of Muslim organisations in Bengaluru call for government action against attack on Muslims in BJP-ruled States across India. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Muslims have been demonised, abused, suspected of various kinds of jihad, and even lynched in some parts of north India prompting the Supreme Court, in 2018, to suggest that Parliament must enact an anti-lynching law against cow vigilantism and lynch mobs.

The Hindu Right has hinted that it doesn’t want the political empowerment of Muslims as it would lead to the establishment of the shariah. In April 2022, priest Yati Narsinghanand reportedly asked Hindus to have more children to prevent India from becoming an Islamic country. He warned that in 20 years 50% of Hindus “will convert” if a Muslim became India’s prime minister.

A gathering of Muslims at Thennur, Tiruchi district, wear masks of Gandhi, Ambedkar, Periyar and other freedom fighters, to oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. | Photo Credit: M. Moorthy

Shikwa-e-Hind says very little about how Muslims must respond to such unfounded accusations. The few remedies it prescribes are simplistic, platitudinous, and one-sided.

If, for instance, the future of South Indian Muslims “hinges on the ability of a new political class to preserve the rich legacy of Periyar”, for all other Muslims it depends on their ability to “explore a possibility with fellow secular citizens of other faiths” to establish “a secular polity with rights for minorities.”

The book ends with the banal peroration that India must restore its democratic habits because the political future of Muslims “directly depends on the future of Indian democracy.”

Besides, Shikwa-e-Hind contains this astonishing statement in the concluding chapter:

“For Indian Muslims, the options are very limited. As a religious minority, it no longer has a choice to ask for a separate nation — an option it has exhausted with catastrophic consequences with the creation of Pakistan and later Bangladesh.” (p.348)

Is the author suggesting that if the option had not been exhausted, Muslims would have had the choice to demand a separate nation?

Religion over politics

Although Shikwa-e-Hind blames Muslims’ excessive interest in religion (deen) on “Maulanas and various Jammats” it has no shikwa against clerics or religious bodies whose consuming passion for sectarian legalism unwittingly justifies the fears of the Hindu Right and thus, jeopardises the political future of Muslims.

Thousands of Muslim women on the premises of Lucknow’s Teele Wali Masjid to protest against the triple talaq bill, in 2018. | Photo Credit: Rajeev Bhatt

For instance, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) declared that the recent Supreme Court ruling on the maintenance of divorced Muslim women (under Section 125 of the CrPC) was “against the Islamic law (Shariah)”, and vowed to overturn it legally.

Yet, Shikwa-e-Hind would have us believe that “the Board has been committed to the role and rights of women.” The book laments that despite the AIMPLB “becoming more and more sensitive towards the role of women”, it is “still seen as a patriarchal body.”

In a video that negates this assessment, AIMPLB member Maulana Sajjad Nomani told the new Bangladeshi regime that Afghanistan (ruled by the anti-women Taliban) is “the latest example” of a “successful welfare state”, therefore, “please don’t hesitate to take the benefit of the experience of Afghanistan.”

In July this year, West Bengal Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that those not born in Islam were “unfortunate”, and therefore, “we have to bring them under the fold of Islam. Allah will be happy if we do so.”

In Muttahida Qawmiyyat aur Islam (1938), Hussain Ahmad Madani, who promoted “composite nationalism” against Jinnah’s two-nation theory, had already expressed the hope that the need for liberation from the miseries of the British would no longer remain if all Indians (tamaam baashindagaan-e-mulk) entered the sphere of Islam (halqa-e-Islam mein daakhil hojaayen).

Amid all this, several Muslim schools in India (mostly run by the financial elite) have been indirectly keeping out non-Muslims by making skullcaps and hijab a mandatory part of the uniform. Even Muslim students who come without wearing these identity markers are not allowed to enter their classrooms.

In the context of the hijab controversy, Shikwa-e-Hind cites several experts to rightly argue that if the choice for Muslim girls to wear hijab was curtailed then it would stand in the way of their education. However, the book does not hurl this argument against Muslim schools that deny students the choice to discard the hijab or skullcaps. It would appear that Muslims go to court only when hijab bans affect their education, not when the imposition of hijab affects it.

Children at a Muslim school. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/istock

Maulana Azad’s advice

Some of the foregoing events may have happened after the publication of Shikwa-e-Hind. But the religious supremacism that defines them is not new. Yet it merits no discussion in the book which, however, complains about Muslims’ lack of interest in politics without pointing out that most Muslim leaders including Maulana Azad advised the community against having its own political identity.

Maulana Azad (right) with Mahatma Gandhi | Photo Credit: The Hindu archives

In 1948 Azad said: “If in the Indian Union there is a single Muslim or group of Muslims who think that Muslims should have a separate political organisation it would be better for them to go to Pakistan.” Azad had earlier warned that after Partition Indian Muslims “will be left to the mercies to what would become an unadulterated Hindu raj.”

This shows that the political isolation of Indian Muslims is to a large extent self-imposed, and a result of their inability to challenge their politico-religious leadership. They appear to be more interested in their religious rights than secular politics. 

Their future, therefore, depends not only on the democratic defeat of Islamophobic forces, but also on the intellectual vanquishment of Muslim religious leaders who play politics, and Muslim politicians who dabble in religion, to maintain control over the community.

Shikwa-e-Hind blissfully disregards this simple truth as if to justify Iqbal’s response to his own Shikwa: “Even an unjust complainant must be conscious of his argumentative shortcomings (Shikwa bejaa bhi kare koi toh laazim hai shu’oor).”

Shikwa-e-Hind: The Political Future of Indian Muslims; Mujibur Rehman, Simon & Schuster, ₹999.

The reviewer is the Secretary General of the Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books> Review / by A Faizur Rahman / September 20th, 2024

Islamic Da‘wah in the Contemporary World

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues,

JAMMU & KASHMIR :

A Review of Dr. Nazir Ahmad Zargar’s Recent Book

Author: Dr. Nazir Ahmad Zargar, Title: Islamic Da‘wah Discourse and Method, Publication Details: Chahattisgarh: Evincepub Publishing, 2024., Edition: Third Revised Edition , Pages: 297+ i-xx. ISBN: 978-93-5673-906-2. Price: ₹500

Islam is a missionary religion, and Da‘wah (the call to Islam) is a divine commandment. In common terms, Da‘wah invites people to Islam. A person who invites people to Islam through a dialogue process is called Dā‘ī. In a broader sense, it connotes an invitation to the Imān (Islamic faith) to the prayer or Islamic way of life. The book under review attempts to elucidate the methodological aspect of Da‘wah in the contemporary era. 

The author maintains an academic tone throughout the book and presents Islamic Da‘wah as a means to eliminate misrepresentation, misinformation, and misconceptions regarding Islam and its worldview. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to make its readers understand that Da‘wah is an attitude that presents the actual teachings of Islam and the real image of Islam, free from division and prejudice. The methodological aspect of this work highlights the role of a Dā‘ī in contemporary times. In this context, the book offers a comprehensive approach to Da‘wah. The author deals with the communication part of Da‘wah methodology, including using social media and modern technologies to propagate the message of Islam. 

The revised third edition has been improved to a greater extent than early editions; some sections have been edited with great detail. A few portions have been added afresh. The foreword of the revised third edition is written by Prof. S. M. Yunus Gilani, Malaysia. He says, “This work is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand the essence of Islam, its profound teachings, and the wisdom behind its principles. It provides a roadmap for those who are called to the noble task of conveying the message of Islam with wisdom, compassion, and integrity (pp. vi-vii).”  This book is spread over five chapters, excluding a vast introduction, conclusion, appendix, and an epilogue to the protocols. In his detailed introduction, the author draws an outline of the fundamental concepts and basic principles of Da‘wah. He introduces Islam as a peaceful religion and argues that it provides a solution to the problems of mankind.

Furthermore, it discusses the relation of Da‘wah with communal harmony and mutual co-existence. Similarly, it also analyzes conceptions such as the essences of Wahy (revelation) and Risālah (prophethood), the dichotomy between rational and revealed knowledge, and characteristics of a Dā‘ī. This section also highlights the historical perspectives of Da‘wah during the al-Khilafah al-Rashidah (Caliphate period) and Da‘wah in contemporary times from a global context. 

Chapter first, Da‘wah and its significance, delves into the meaning and definition of Da‘wah. The author here focuses on the different dimensions of Da‘wah, such as ways and means, objectives, importance, causes of decadence, language and media of Da‘wah, and role of Da‘wah organization. Dr. Zargar is of the view that “the primary aim of a Da‘wah organization is to unite the disarranged Ummah into a unified whole once again (pp. 25-26). The author emphasizes Da‘wah, both individual and collective Da‘wah programmes, keeping a view of a particular place’s circumstances and social order. He argues that the prophet Muḥammad (SAW) preached the message of Islam both individually and in public. However, he asserts that there must be an organized group of individuals who can understand their responsibilities and perform Da‘wah, and he substantiates his argument with the āyat (verses) of the Qur’ān and ahadith. Dr. Zargar points out that the role of an organized group is not merely to perform the activities of Da‘wah but to play his role in “construction and deconstruction simultaneously” (p. 125).

Chapter second, a brief historical survey of the development of Da‘wah methodology, is through examination and analysis of Da‘wah from historical perspectives and early methods. The author divides Islamic Da‘wah into three major historical phases; the initial phase discusses the early Islamic Da‘wah that started from the mount of Ṣafa and was carried out during the whole time of the prophet Muḥammad (SAW). Dr Zargar believes that Da’wah’s scope, significance, and relevance grew gradually and substantiates his claim from the different āyat of the Qur’ān (p. 132-34). The second phase discusses Da‘wah in the period of al-Khilāfah al-Rāshidah as a state responsibility. This phase emphasizes the status of Da‘wah as an obligatory duty for the rulers and examines scholarly opinions. The third phase elucidates the decline of activities of Da‘wah at the governmental level and becomes more concerned at individual and collective or group level. However, Da‘wah continues to remain the duty of a Muslim. The author notes that the most crucial part of this phase is that throughout the first century of Muslims, the activities of Da‘wah remained peaceful, and no force was used to convert people to Islam (p. 140). The author has quoted many historical events that support the fact that Da’wah activities were peaceful. For instance, he evidently discusses how Berke Khan and other Mongols accepted Islam despite terrorizing Muslim lands. Therefore, the events in which Tartars became Muslim have been explicitly considered turning points in Muslim history. The concluding part of this chapter discusses the spread of Islam in India and the major factors responsible for the emergence of Islam. However, this section has been discussed briefly and needs further elaborations to substantiate the claims pertaining to major factors responsible for the spread of Islam in India.

Chapter third, ‘the contemporary Da‘wah movements’, discusses four major Da‘wah organizations in the contemporary era, such as al-Ikhwān al-Muslimūn, Tablīghī Jamā‘at, Jamā‘at-i-Islāmī and Ahl-i-Ḥadīth movement of India. The chapter’s main subject remains in discussing historical settings in which Da‘wah movements emerged, their ideologies, objectives, approaches, basic principles, contributions, activities, methodologies, and achievements and weaknesses to Da‘wah activities. For instance, the author states that the founders of al-Ikhwān al-Muslimūn have realized that Westernisation is a threat to Islam, which can be countered by returning to the basics of Islam (p. 153). Similarly, the author argues that the purpose of Jamā‘at-i-Islāmī was to establish a “theo-democratic state” yet to be found (p. 166). Regarding Tablīghī Jamā‘at the author has made a comprehensive analysis and focused on its major activities and hallmarks, purpose, and methods of Da‘wah. Dr. Zargar is of the opinion that while other Da‘wah movements focused on producing literature alongside their activities in the field Da‘wah, the Tablīghī Jamā‘at did not consider writing books any of the means of Da‘wah. However, they are very concerned about working in practical fields. Subsequently, a lucid analysis of the Ahl-i-Ḥadīth movement of India and other movements has been conducted. Dr. Zargar made mention of Ahl-i-Ḥadīth movement in Kashmir and highlighted its role in the reformation as well.

Chapter four is dedicated to the communicational perspectives of Da‘wah and highlights the basic qualities of a Dā‘ī and Mud‘ī, such as language, attitude, knowledge, organizational qualities, discipline, and righteousness. Similarly, the fifth chapter of the book focuses on Da‘wah in the contemporary global society. The author discusses here globalization from the Islamic perspective, post-modern materialistic society, concepts such as the definition of man in Islam, problems of materialism, individualism, and the decline of the West. Dr. Zargar has also highlighted the problems, concerned with Dā‘ī’s, the importance of Ijtihād in Da‘wah and education system, Da‘wah and women, following the law of land, nationalism, and Muslim politics as well. It is pertinent to mention that this work presents a thorough analysis of the contemporary position, aims, and objectives of the Zionist movement, formation of UNO, the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, and economic institutions and multinational companies to support the causes of Israel are debatable issues discussed in Da‘wah and the Contemporary Global Society.

In sum, Dr Zargar argues that Islam is indeed the religion of Da‘wah. He asserts that Da‘wah is the real force behind the success of Islam and Muslims. Therefore, he offers some ways to continue Da‘wah in the contemporary era, such as inter-religious dialogue, debates, freedom of choice, and essay competitions. The book’s appendix is another valuable contribution because it discusses the Jewish protocols, which consist of 24 documents containing the most comprehensive programmes for world subjugation published in 1905. The author’s lucid explanations and examination of the protocols expose the aims, purposes, and approaches of Jews to the rest of the people of the world whom they called Gentiles. An epilogue to the protocols traces the need and significance of Islamic Da‘wah and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. In sum, the book is a comprehensive guide and a valuable edition in the related field for students and researchers. 

  • The author is a Doctoral Candidate, Comparative Religion, Department of Religious Studies, Central University of Kashmir

source: http://www.kashmirobserver.com / Kashmir Observer / Home> In-Depth Review / by Guest Author / April 20th, 2024

Writer Mirja Basheer’s book chosen for award

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Karnataka (under research project), , ,

Challakere (Chitradurga District) / Tumakaru, KARNATAKA :

Abrakadabra, a collection of stories by writer Mirja Basheer. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Karnataka Muslim Lekhakara Sangha, Mangaluru, has chosen Abrakadabra, a collection of stories by writer Mirja Basheer, for the Muslim Sahitya Prashasthi for 2023.

The award presented in memory of the late U.T. Fareed, former MLA of the erstwhile Ullal Assembly constituency, comprises ₹10,000 purse and a citation. It will be presented to the author at a function in Tumakuru in December, according to president of the sangha U.H. Umar.

In all, 32 applications had been received for the award. A three-member committee chose ‘Abrakadabra’, he said in a release.

Dr. Basheer, retired veterinary doctor, hails from Challakere in Chitradurga district.

Presently, he lives in Tumakuru. He worked in the Veterinary Department for 34 years.

Some of the other literary works of Dr. Basheer are Batteyellada Oorinalli, Jinni and Haruva Hakki mattu Iruve and Gange Baare Gowri Baare. His stories were included as lessons in some college text books in Karnataka and in the class IX Kannada textbook in Kerala. Some of the stories have been translated into Telugu

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home / by The Hindu Bureau, Mangaluru / November 29th, 2024

AMU Alumnus Wins Prestigious Crossword Book Award

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Uncategorized,

Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH :

Zeyad Masroor Khan

Aligarh:

The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) alumnus Zeyad Masroor Khan has won the prestigious Crossword Book Award-2024 in the nonfiction category for his gripping and coming of age memoir City on Fire: A Boyhood in Aligarh.

The awards ceremony took place at Mumbai on Sunday. The Crossword Book Award, established in 1998, honours and promotes Indian writing in English. Honours were bestowed in six diverse categories – fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, business and management, mind, body and spirit, and translations.

The winning authors received a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each.

The short list in non-fiction category included some of the best writings such as Sudha Bharadwaj’s From Phansi Yard, Sohini Chattopadhyay’s The Day I Became a Runner, Zeyad Masroor Khan’s City on Fire: A Boyhood in Aligarh, Yamini Narayanan’s Mother Cow Mother India, and Arati Kumar-Rao’s Marginlands.

In his review of the book, Prof Mohammad Asim Siddiqui, wrote: “Though Aligarh has found a worthy mention in many recent memoirs penned by writers having some association with Aligarh, like Naseeruddin Shah, an alumnus of AMU, wrote a chapter on ‘Aligarh University Absurdists’ in his excellently-written memoir And Then One Day (2014), his brother Zameer Uddin Shah, vice chancellor of AMU from 2012 to 2017, talked about his efforts to make AMU a top-ranked university and his spats with some political leaders during his tenure in his memoir The Sarkari Mussalman (2018), and Muzaffar Ali credits AMU’s poetic culture and its celebrated Urdu poets for influencing his visualisation of subjects in his films in his autobiography Zikr: In the Light and Shade of Time (2023), Aligarh city is missing in these memoirs.”

Prof Sidddiqui noted that “Zeyad Masroor Khan’s City on Fire fills this gap. It vividly describes life in Aligarh city, particularly Muslim localities such as Uper Coat, Bhujipura, Nuner Gate, Babri Mandi, Mian Ki Sarai, Thakurwali Gali, Haddi Godam, Sarai Sultani and Shah Jamal inside out to debunk many myths about them”.

Sahitya Akademi award winning author Professor Shafey Kidwai congratulated Mr. Zeyad Masroor Khan on winning this prestigious award.  “Zeyad Masroor Khan’s spectacular success should inspire other young writers, particularly those coming from Aligarh Muslim University,” he added.

Prof Shaheena Tarannum, Chairperson, Department of English, congratulated Mr. Khan on winning the prestigious award.

Notably, Zeyad Masroor Khan studied BA English at AMU, and now works as a journalist, writer and documentary film-maker.

Each category of the award was judged by a separate jury, and the non-fiction jury consisted of TCA Raghavan, Anuradha Sengupta, and Kaveree Bamzai.

source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Pride of the Nation> Awards> Latest News / by Radiance News Bureau / December 10th, 2024