Muhammad Mujahid Syed

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Khurshid Rizvi is a Pakistani scholar, poet, linguist and historian of Arabic language and literature.



Rizvi was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the government of Pakistan in 2008. He is a distinguished professor at the department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Government College University (GCU), Lahore, Pakistan.



Rizvi, during his research, was much impressed by the R.A. Nicholson’s book “A Literary History of the Arabs.” But seeing the importance of the topic Rizvi felt that the book was so abridged. Rizvi in his own monumental book on the pre-Islamic poetry and literature not only provided necessary details, but tried to correct most of the mistakes of the Orientalists and has highlighted Jahiliyyah literature’s history in a correct perspective.



The details regarding Jahiliyyah poets’ biographies, topography, and climate of Arabian Peninsula and literary traditions of Arabic literature before Islam are provided in such a systematic way that this book rivals great works of the Western Orientalists and is now a valuable addition to Urdu literature treasure trove.



Recently he has published his fifth collection of Urdu poetry “Deriyab” which will soon be released here. Regarding his research on the pre-Islamic Arabic literature, he discovered that Nicholson’s book comprised only a single volume and has covered the literary side of the subject more than the historical aspect —  due to Nicholson’s inclination toward literature.



Rizvi said that like Brown’s “A Literary History of Persia,” Nicholson should have covered this topic at least in four volumes.



Nicholson’s brevity needed some more elucidations especially for non-Arab readers.



His first volume of “Arabi Adab Qabl Az Islam (The Arabic Literature Before Islam)” comprises 700 pages, and he has penned five chapters of his second volume.



 “My book ‘Arabi Adab Qabl Az Islam’ covers the history and the place of Arabs and Arabic language among the Semitic races and languages. Arabic language and literature have influenced many dialects and languages before and after Islam. The Arabic literature and the Holy Qur’an later on too influenced many languages, literature and branches of science. Especially the Urdu language and literature have accepted the direct influence of it on its vocabulary and different literary traditions,” he said.



Savera, a prominent literary magazine, had earlier published all the chapters of his first book, and has now published three chapters of his second volume too.



“I am a student of Arabic literature. The Arabic literature that is found now dates back to 150 years before Islam. The early material has lost due to the lack of the tradition of writing. The early poetry before Islam that is now found is in the form of “Sab’a Muallaqat (The Seven Golden Odes).”

 

According to the tradition, the great Jahiliyyah poets used to participate in the recitation of the poems in the famous Okaz Fair near Makkah. The most eloquent and charming poem that was selected on this occasion was hanged on the wall of the Holy Ka’aba. Such type of the Seven Golden Odes, available now, shows the zenith of Arabic poetry. These Muallaqat are the best proof that till that time the Arabic poetry had evolved much and had become able to communicate every type of human feeling and was able to show nature’s different striking aspects,” he said.



Commenting on the latest poetic preference and trend in Pakistani Urdu poetry, he said: “Most of the Pakistani poets are writing Urdu Ghazal and Nazm (simple traditional verse and blank verse) both. But if the vigor of the verse is concerned, the poets that lead in this field are Majeed Amjad and Wazir Agha. But generally the Ghazal is most popular. Earlier the internal vigor of the Ghazal was declined by the critics but Ghazal is still fresh and amazing and there are more Ghazal poets than any other genre of poetry. In fact the Ghazal has surpassed other genres.”



A ardent fan of Ghalib, Rizvi said: “ If Ghazal maestros Mir and Ghalib are to be compared, then Ghalib’s style in the prose and poetry both impresses much the modern poets and writers.



Ghalib’s couplets and excerpts from his prose are more in daily use of the Urdu literary community and the common people alike than any other writer or poet.”



He still sees the influence of great reformers Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali on the modern Urdu prose and poetry.



Talking about Allama Iqbal’s poetry, ideology, personality and his contributions being targeted, he said: “It should be seen in the perspective of a general decadence not as the assassination of the Iqbal’s personality and ideology. The modern generation is experiencing the decadence of Persian language and literature in Pakistan; this has weakened its relation with this language. The general linguistic and literary decadence is also there. The mental attitude has become the victim of a moral anarchy. The lack of interest in the language and literature and the lack of ability have also made the understanding of Iqbal’s poetry and ideology difficult.”



According to him the philosophical trend in the Pakistani Urdu poetry should be seen as a healthy development.



He gave example of the difference between Delhi and the Lucknow Schools of poetry in this regard.



Making a comparative study he said that the Delhi School is famous for its depth but the Lucknow was famous for its style, exactness of words and embellishment of Urdu poetry.



The poets of both the cultural centers did service to the Urdu poetry. “The customary, conventional language and idiomatic exactness in the poetry and the language depends on the majority of the population in a particular area. The place where a particular community with a particular language lives could be famous for the purity of the language. Iqbal’s poetry was criticized by many people due to minor linguistic strangeness but this does not affect Iqbal’s place in Urdu poetry,” he said.



Summing up what went on in the realm of Ghazal during the past four decades he said: “The poets have lost mastery over the Ghazal on the ground of feelings. They have lost touch with Persian and Arabic style.



“Earlier, the poets took care of polishing modulation and correcting words. Today some new poets, despite shortcomings, have creative power and poetic feelings that make them attractive. A little practice and labor in polishing can do wonders in this regard. During these four decades the most important things, the embellishment and correction of the words and verse have been overlooked but as I have said the newcomers in the field of poetry, due to the freshness of their feelings have made a difference too. “Most often, the Ghazal maestro’s beauty (craftsmanship) in reality becomes his shortcoming. The maestros polish their verse so much that it loses freshness of the feelings,” he said.



Among contemporary poets Rizvi likes Muhammad Izharul Haq, Akhtar Usman, Idris Babar and Sarwat Hussain.



Praising famous Ghazal poet Ahmad Mushtaq he said: “Ahmad Mushtaq after Nasir Kazimi is the standard bearer of Ghazal’s traditions. Though there is some slackness in the embellishment of poetry yet his poetic and creative genius has attracted and appealed me.”



Rizvi advised the younger generation not to depend on the excerpts of the Orientalists and the historians, but keep their eyes open and go through complete works on the topic to understand it better.



Rizvi was born in India on May 1942. He received his primary and secondary education in Western Punjab’s Montgomery city Pakistan. He is has a masters in Arabic (gold medalist), and obtained a Ph.D. from Punjab University in 1981 in Arabic literature.