An engaging miscellany of books
By Syed Afsar Sajid
- ‘Safar Shanas’ by Zubair Nabi (A travelogue)
- ‘Tajziyey aur Tabsiray’ by Syed Ruhul Amin (Columns/Essays)
- ‘The Versatile Islamians’ by Syed Altaf Hussain Shah (An anthology)
‘Safar Shanas’
It is a well-written travelogue by Zubair Nabi, a veteran jurist, politician, and writer from Faisalabad settled in the Canadian town of Calgary. The work is divided into three broad chapters, each related to an individual travel to a particular country. As a globe trotter, the author has travelled widely. His insightful observations and narratorial skills tend to lend an aura of imaginative fecundity to his travel experience recounted faithfully in the trilogy covering his journeys to Hijaz-e-Muqaddas, Turkiye, and Canada.
The opening chapter of ‘Safar Shanas’ concerns the author’s visit to the holy land (Madinah, Makkah, and Jeddah). The narrative here encloses his performance of ‘Umra’, appearance at Masjid-e-Nabvi and watching the relics around Makkah and Madinah.
In the second chapter, the author narrates his experience of living in Calgary (Canada) as an immigrant. Because of the presence of a sizeable number of Pakistanis settled in the town, he calls it ‘Mini Pakistan’. In an impressionistic swing, as it were, the writer reverts to his hometown Faisalabad (in Pakistan) describing the locales of his family’s habitation here coupled with a colourful nostalgia of his past experiences both as a child and an adult.
He alludes to his professional pursuits as a jurist (judge and lawyer), his political engagements, his recollection of some important persons like Malik Abdul Ghafoor, his Clerk in the district courts, Mian Nasim Sadiq, an eminent bureaucrat known for his administrative proficiency and altruistic temperament, and Ch. Ghulam Abbas Niswana Advocate, his valued professional comrade in arms. The narrator’s style here, is anecdotal that compels the reader to share and relish his travel experiences.
‘Tajziyey aur Tabsiray’
Syed Ruhul Amin is an ardent lover and advocate of the Urdu language. He writes columns for the daily Nawa-i-Waqt that are mostly focussed on the importance, practicality, and paramountcy of Urdu as a national language.
The book in view contains a selection of his newspaper columns and some essays and reviews highlighting his interest in Urdu and the need to implement it as a national language, in letter and spirit besides reviews of some recent publications on diverse topics like ‘Irshad Nama’, ‘Tazkiray aur Tajziyey’, ‘Kitab Nama’, ‘Aala Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi ki Na’at Goi’ et al.
The book bears eulogistic flaps by Dr. Moinuddin Aqeel, Dr. Shabbir Ahmad Qadri, and Syed Afsar Sajid aside from introductory notes from Dr. Zeeshan Tabassum, Dr. Irfan Toheed wattoo, and the author himself.
‘The Versatile Islamians’
This book is purported to be ‘an anthology of works in English, Urdu and Pashto’. It is authored by Syed Altaf Hussain Shah (a retired DG of Pakistan Post), an old Islamian (a student of Islamia College, Peshawar latterly Islamia College University, Peshawar), and an ex-President of Khyber Union.
Islamia College, Peshawar of yore, and now Islamia College University, Peshawar, is a prestigious educational institution with a rich academic history. Noted ex-bureaucrat and poet of English Ejaz Rahim, calls this book ‘a wonderful tribute to Islamia College’.
Dr. Gul Majid Khan, Vice Chancellor, Islamia College University, Peshawar has contributed the introduction to the book. According to him ‘The manuscript is a terrific read that drives you along to unlock the treasure of the alumni capital of our Great Alma Mater’, and he further hopes that ‘it will be a valuable reference for college graduates seeking to understand how to leverage their alumni identity towards personality development and career growth’.
The book is also a quasi-directory of men of eminence who have had a long but close association with Islamia College/University as their endearing alma mater. The list among others, includes Abdur Rauf, Amir Usman, Muhammad Ayaz Wazir, Roedad Khan, Imiaz Ahmad Sahibzada, Dr. Sayed Amjad Hussain, Mohibul Haq Sahibzada, Muhammad Hasham Babar, Abdur Rauf Khalid, Aziz Ali Najam, Dr. M. Qasim Jan, Justice Fida Muhammad Khan, Imtiaz Ali Qazilbash, Ali Muhammd Jan Aurakzai, Dil Jan Khan, Khanzada Abdul Halim Khan, Dr. Syed Chiragh Hussain Shah, Syed Altaf Hussain Ahah (the author himself), Puran Chand Sethi (an Indian ex-serviceman), and Brig. ® Sad-ul-Hadi. Pieces of prose, poetry, and translation attributed to some of these personages have also been added to their respective profiles in the book providing first-hand evidence as to the versatility of such celebrities.
