Prof Dr Haroon Ur Rashid Tabassum is a well-known writer, socio-literary activist, and media man. In the year 2023, he authored and published as many as six books in Urdu: three on Iqbal and the remaining three on miscellaneous literary topics plus reviews of books.
Dr. Tabassum writes in a lucid, racy, and allusive style. He brings all of his thought (that ‘never dies’, as espoused by famed diasporic writer Javed Amir in his book of that title), experience and observation to bear upon his creative work which eventually tends to enhance its reading clientele. Though he has a prolific pen, his writings do rarely suggest that he writes in hurry and is thus prone to override the niceties of expression or the requisites of syntax. It would be interesting to note that Dr. Tabassum has so far brought out 155 literary publications besides some 27 related to curricula.
Hilal-e-Iqbal: The book comprises some 21 essays on Iqbal, his person and art together with his achievements as a philosopher, poet, legal practitioner, teacher, and politician. Informative essays on Auntie Doris, German governess of Iqbal’s children, Ali Bakhsh, Iqbal’s life-long domestic aide, Allah Dad, a commoner and a devout admirer of Iqbal, and Prof. Muhammad Munawar Mirza, and Dr. Ayub Sabir, both Iqbal’s illustrious interpreters and experts on Iqbal studies. The introductory to the book by the author himself is a vibrant critical estimation of Allama Iqbal in the contemporary world of letters.
Insani aukarraN tay Iqbal: The medium of this book is Punjabi in which the author has highlighted Iqbal’s concern on the problems and issues pertinent to mankind in general and the Umma in particular, in 12 thought-provoking essays. Some of the topics relate to moral values, Iqbal’s concept of life, Islamic unity, conflict of civilizations, Iqbal’s economic philosophy, Iqbal’s views on feministic issues et al.
Khushbu-e-Iqbal: It is a compendium of critiques written on various dimensions of Iqbal’s person and art and also on those luminaries who have studied Iqbal from some specific angles. Distinguished names in this list are the author himself, Dr. Rafiuddin Hashmi, Waheed ur Rahman Khan, Zulfiqar Ahsan, Kh. Ejaz Ahmad Butt, Dr. Talib Hussain Sial, Tafakhar Mahmood, Mian Sajid Ali, Dr. Moinudddin Aqeel, Prof. Khayal Afaqi, Dr. Arooba Masroor Siddiqui, Dr. Saadat Saeed, Dr. Abdul Haq, Dr. Muhammad Tahir Faruqi, Tanvir Zahoor and some others.
Zeba’iye Khayal: It is a miscellany of essays on disparate topics like community rearing and character-building in the light of Iqbal’s views, economics and modern economic theorems, Iqbal’s literary-cum-critical awareness, Iqbal and the concept of a modern state, Bushra Rahman — a movement in herself, the white cane day and its significance, introduction of a uniform educational policy in the country, book culture in our universities, apathy to libraries, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Akbar Allahabadi as a critic of life, vision of a welfare state and Iqbal’s ideology, need to implement Iqbal’s ideology, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, and a few minor topics.
Rashhat-e-Aarzu: The book contains some 30 essays, both descriptive and reflective, on topics like tahaffuz Khatm-e-Nabuwwat and Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Seerat-e-Rasool and defence of Pakistan, Allama Muhammad Iqbal and aqeeda-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat, the ideological base of Pakistan, the role of writers in the Pakistan Movement, corruption as a social malady, national language, Indian role in the cession of ‘East Pakistan’, Pakistan Movement and Quaid-e-Azam’s charismatic leadership, religious harmony, Air Commodore M. M. Alam, Quaid-e-Azam’s awareness of Islam, from the passing of the Pakistan Resolution to the creation of Pakistan, a historical perspective of Indian brutalities in Occupied Kashmir, Allama Iqbal and his concept of homeland (‘watan’), Iqbal on servant labourer (‘banda-e-mazdoor’), esteem of the martyrs, some memories of the day of 14th August, 1947, and Azhar Javed and Sargodha.
Dastan-e-Kutub: It is an anthology of the author’s critical reviews of 21 divers books in Urdu and Punjabi authored by Shahida Muzaffar Khan, Dr. Hafeez Ahmad, Manzar Arfi, Sardar Muhammad Akram Buttar, Attiya Masooma, Khurram Sohail, Dr. Aziz Ahsan, Muhammad Yaqoob Firdowsi Ameer Badshah, Akram Kunjahi, Dr. Nisar Turabi, Ashraf Ali Ashraf, Kaleem Ihsan Butt, Dr. Muhammad Musharaf Hussain Anjum, and Sahibzada Hazeefa Ashraf Asimi.
The aforesaid books are sure to satisfy the craze of the bibliomaniacs who are keen to have a reasonable variety of good books on their personal shelves for whiling away their leisure gainfully. The author deserves kudos for doing this wonderful job of promoting book culture, without any practical motive.
