حلقه گرد من زنید اے پیکر ان آب و گل
آتشی در سینه دارم از نیاگان شما
“In circles we dance, oh figures of grace. Water and flowers, our steps embrace. A fire within, it holds its place, Lit by the spark of your radiant face.”
I sit at my study table late into the night. The warmth of the heater has been pushed out of the room by the lair conditioner, but the fire in my chest still rages, its embers glowing for ages. I’ve often wished to sprinkle some cooling grains upon those smoldering ashes, perhaps finding solace, but would that diminish the intensity of the flame?
غزلے زدم که شاید بنوا قرارم آید
تپ شعله کم نه گرددز هستین شراره
“I composed verses, hoping my plight to mend, Mayhap from chaos, my heart shall ascend. Yet the flame, undimmed, refuses to bend, Sparks still flying, my soul it does tend.”.
Yet tonight, these sparks themselves are restless to reveal the source of this fire to others:
می کشد شعله سری از دل صد پاره
ما جوش آتش بود امروز به فواره ما
“The flame rises high from our hearts’ profound, Today, its fervor in full, all around.”
1857 is the year in our history when the sun of our glory set in the western horizon, but another sun rose upon the horizon of the Muslim world in that year. It is the year of birth of Maulana Shibli. According to Syed Sulaiman Nadwi, he emerged in the turmoil of the East and departed from the world in the turmoil of the West in 1914. It was the era in which our first acquaintance with Western civilization happened, and as a result, this nation was divided into two groups. One group believed that neither is it necessary to prioritize the principles and fundamentals of our school of thought and the opinions of our elders above religion, nor is it appropriate for Western civilization and its sciences to impose themselves on the views of the people of religion from any aspect. Prominent figures in this group include Qasim Nanotvi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Mahmood al-Hasan Deobandi, Anwar Shah Kashmiri, Husain Ahmad Madani, Ashraf Ali Thanvi, and Shabbir Ahmad Usmani. The other group consisted of those whose standard of right and wrong was this civilization and its sciences. Their leader was the same old man of whom Shibli himself said:
پیری سے کمر میں اک ذراخم
توقیر کی صورت مجسم
“A little bent in humility. A sculpture of respect in form.”
Shibli emerged as the founder of a third group in contrast to these two. The fundamental principles of this group were twofold: firstly, that progress for us lies in continually advancing, to the extent that we reach the era when the Quran was revealed and when God’s last Prophet himself addressed humanity. And secondly, that it is necessary for us to remain familiar with the modern just as we are with the ancient, just as our knowledge is of the ancient. Syed Sulaiman Nadwi, Allama Iqbal, Abul Ala Maududi, Hamiduddin Farahi, Amin Ahsan Islahi, all these are the elders of this group. I call it “Dabistan-e-Shibli.” Iqbal also remained mostly associated with this school. His voice was the most beautiful voice of that era. His poetry attained the status of literary excellence. However, due to his interest in philosophy and mysticism, his situation remained the same as we have previously seen in our history, for example, with Al-Ghazali. He became captivated by a deer for which he kept an arrow in his bow. But when he shot the arrow, he found the arrow tearing apart someone else’s chest, as if
خدنگ جعبه توفیق امشب در کمانم بود
غز الم در نظر بسیار خوب آمد خطا کردم
“Tonight, the face of fortune’s favor was in my bow’s embrace. The deer of my desire appeared so fair, I made a mistake in chase.”
Though Syed Sulaiman Nadwi was considered as Shibli’s successor, the truth is that he was associated with the first group. Consequently, he practically proved this fact by pledging allegiance to Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi. It is also presumed that Abdul Majid Daryabadi was a member of this same group, but the story of his life tells us that he emerged from the institution of atheism and ended up in the Sufi lodge of Thana Bhoon Abul Kalam was a genius of this era: his writing and oratory influenced an entire generation. When he appeared, it seemed as if the vastness of deserts had contracted and the force of rivers had shattered before him, but the luster of his knowledge and action itself got lost in its own dust. Abu Al-Ala Al-Maududi was also there, and he had a style of writing as well. His good nature was evident in his demeanor. After him, he followed this path with such dignity that everyone thought he would not stop before reaching his destination. No doubt he went far ahead, but still, how far he lagged behind, one can understand if someone looks at Farahi’s research and interpretation of the verse “Then your hearts became hardened.” I saw him closely in his final years. His respect in my heart kept me silent. Otherwise, I wished many times to tell him that:
بال بکشا و صغیر از شجر طوبی زن
حیف باشد چو تو مرنے کہ اسیر قفسی
“From the tree of Tuba, the breeze and the flute sound, It’s a pity, like birds, that you are captive in a cage.”
In this school, the only person who should be called the Imam of the Era is Hamiduddin Farahi alone. He was one of God’s signs on this earth. Syed Sulaiman Nadwi writes about his demise:
“The prayer for the interpreter of the Quran (the commentator of the Quran’s funeral prayer), is the voice that was raised more than six hundred years ago, from Egypt and Syria to the walls of China, for the funeral prayer of Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him. The truth is that this voice should rise again today and spread from India to Egypt and Syria at least, so that on this day, for the Ibn Taymiyyah of the current era, who departed from this world on November 11, 1930 (19 Jamadi al-Akhir 1349 AH), whose excellence and perfection, considering the contemporary Islamic world, seems beyond expectation in the near future. He was a miracle of the Eastern and Western universality of the era. An expert in Arabic and a graduate in English, an image of asceticism and piety, a statue of virtue and perfection, the nightingale of Shiraz in Persian, the market of Okazin Arabic, a unique personality but a world of knowledge. He was a
world of knowledge and recognition, a secluded individual equipped with multitude of perfection, an unmatched sovereign of art, a specialist of literary works, a treasure of Arabian sciences, a critic of rational sciences, an expert of religious teachings, a knower of secrets of Quranic teachings, indifferent to the rejection and praise of people, dedicated to the knowledge’s threshold, and the king of his own world. He was a person who for thirty years remained immersed in studying, learning, teaching, and researching the Quran, completely unaware of everything else, paying no attention to any form of entertainment. It is regrettable that his knowledge could not be transferred from his heart to the paper. He left a plethora of his writings, but alas, where is the mind to publish and organize them? The few journals that have been published are in Arabic, which are neither understood by the public nor recognized by the scholars. His life was a source of confidence for us and his existence was a support for Darul Musannifeen. It is regrettable that this confidence and support kept dwindling, and only the confidence and support of God remained, which is the last resort. More regrettable is that he came and went, but the world could not recognize his worth and remained unfamiliar with his excellence and perfection:
تو نظیری ز فلک آمده بودی چو مسیح
باز پس رفتی و کس قدر تو نشناخت دریغ
“You came like a Messiah to this world. You departed again, and how little you were known, alas!”
Only Farahi could earn this honor because when he started his journey, he never looked back. Therefore, among the travelers of this path, only he found the destination. Amin Ahsan Islahi is the successor of this unique era. If he did not surpass his teacher, he also did not lag behind. His entire life passed in elucidating its mysteries and secrets of the position Hamiduddin reached. His Tadabbure-e-Quran (commentary on the Quran) is an unparalleled treasure trove of knowledge and research. His pen recounted the stories of fifty years of struggle. In the words of Arfi:
رمح او گوید اگر جنگ و گر صلح که من
به کشاد گره جبهه خاقال رفتم
“The spear may say, ‘Whether in war or peace, When I went to the high forehead of the king.”
Only a few among the people with whom he spent his entire life recognized his excellence and perfection. I have witnessed disentangling of centuries old knots in moments in his gatherings and have confessed many times that:
طے می شود این ره بدرخشیدن برقے
ما بے خبراں منتظر شمع و چرا هیم
“The path of shining brightening may be cleared, We, ignorant, await the light and illumination.”
Now see, the era of the first group has come to an end. Its example now is like that dilapidated building which will remain deserted since the time of reconstruction. The second group, although now holding onto the reins of honor and power, but the decision of history is that like the instances of old transgressions, this transgression too will be restricted to its pages after some time. The leadership for the coming era is destined for “Dabistan-i-Shibli”. Now, preparations for its emergence are being made on the canvas of history.
عالم نو ہے ابھی پردہ تقدیر میں
میری نگاہوں میں ہے اُس کی سحر بے حجاب
“In the curtain of fate, he is a new world. His magic is unveiled in my eyes.”
But in what state is it at the moment? Abu al-Hasan Ali is the successor of Syed Sulaiman Nadwi.But, like Sulaiman Nadvi, he is more inclined toward Deoband than Nadvah. Abu al-Kalam has departed from this world alone. As for Abul Ala, the people he left behind include those who claim to be his successors as well as those who claimto take allegiance from people in his successorship. Many things from Abu al-Ala’s legacy are available to both of them, but nothing of his knowledge, literature, and good nature could not regrettably be conferred upon them. Therefore, for these helpless people, the only option is to repeatedly extend their hands at the door of the first group and be rebuked, to the extent that they compensate for every “mistake” of “Dabistan-i-Shibli”. In this group, undoubtedly there are some people other than them who someone can say have some education, but the reality is that their status is no more than being the commentators of Abu al-Ala’s text. Arfi perhaps said for them centuries ago:
قدم بروں منہ از جہل یا فلاطوں شو
که در میانه گزینی سراب و تشنه لبی است
“Step forward with shame or gracelessness, That in the midst, we are in suspense, like candle and lantern.”
The last sign of “Dabistan-i-Shibli” is now only Amin Ahsan. How many of his disciples and companions are aware of this fact? I see that for the past ten years, this fire of awareness has been burning within me. Its remnants are buried in its own ashes, but they do not extinguish:
کہ آتشے کہ نہ میر د همیشه در دل ماست
“That the fire, if it does not die, is always in our hearts.”
Sometimes I wish to say to Amin Ahsan’s successors:
دست ہر نا اہل بیمارت کند
سوئے مادر آلہ تیارت کند
“Every incapable hand creates illness, Except for the mother, who creates healing.”
Sometimes I wish to say this to the addressees of Amin Ahsan:
آن نیست که من هم نفسان را بگذارم
با آبله پایان چه کنم قافله تیز است
“That is not it, that I should leave my own self unattended. With bare feet, how should I hurry up the journey?”
See, the ink of the pen has dried. This incident has not happened to me for the first time. Whenever I started telling this story, it ended here. Sometimes I fell short of words, sometimes the relationship of meaning got entangled, sometimes the listeners fell asleep, and today-the pen has broken down. Perhaps, for me, this is a reminder of this fact:
سخن از تاب و تب شعله به خس نتواں گفت
“The speech cried out of pain and fever. [1987 AD]”
TRANSLATED BY:
GCIL TRANSLATION TEAM