An Appraisal of Taban Abidi’s beautiful poetic insight
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| Taban Abidi |
Dr. Farhat Fatima
Visiting Faculty in Communication Skills
SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS UNIVERSITY
E-mail: Farhat_fatima5@yahoo.com
Abstract
Taban Abidi
was an Urdu versifier and mainly wrote poetry on Hussain Ibn Ali (the youngest
grandson of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him) in the Battle of Karbala. He has left his touch in poetry through
different styles like Salaams, Soz, Nohas, Marsias, Manqabat and Sehre. He also
penned down poetry on Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his wonderful family
also known as Ahl Al-Bayt. Some of his
contemporaries were Abbas Yar Jung, Murtuza Saleem
Moosavi, Sayeed Shaheedi, Captain Abbas Ali Abedi and Akhtar Zaidi. This paper explores some of the
affirmative aspects of Versifier Taban Abidi’s poetry.
Keywords
Battle
of Karbala, Sehre, Soz, Salaam, Marsia, Manqabat, Noha, Alaihis Salaam
(means ‘peace be upon him’ in Arabic)
Proem
Syed Ali
Murtuza Abidi Alias Taban Abidi (Taban means resplendent in Arabic) was born in
1915 and expired on 29th January 2001. His father’s name was Hakim Syed Ali Irteza
Abidi and mothers name was Syeda Sadar Unnisa Fatima Abidi. He received his B.A. degree and later M. A. degree
from Osmania University and L.L.B from Aligarh Muslim University. Taban Abidi was born in a modest, simple, down
to earth family. He was basically a
native of Bahera Sadat, Khaga, Zillah Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh. His father relocated
to Hyderabad in search of a job and better living. Taban Abidi’s basic education was done in
Hyderabad. He was married to Syeda Anees
Khatoon and after the demise of his first wife he remarried Syeda Sayeed Fatima.
He had one daughter and six sons and
their names are Syeda Khurshid Fatima, Syed Ali Mustafa Abidi, Syed Ali Mujhtaba
Abidi, Syed Ali Muqteda Abidi alias Gulzar Abidi, Syed Ali Iqteda Abidi, Syed
Ali Abbas Abidi and Syed Ali Zaheer Abidi.
He
retired as Assistant Registrar from the High Court of Andhra Pradesh.
Hyderabad. He was a dedicated and
hard-working person and held his prestigious position with dignity and never
misused his position. By nature, He was
a very simple, humble and down to earth person.
He had a jovial temperament.
Whenever anyone seeked His help, He went out of His way to help them but
He never unnecessarily interfered in other’s affairs.
Some of his contemporaries were Sayeed
Shaheedi, Murtuza Saleem Moosavi, Akhtar Zaidi, Abbas Yar Jung, and Captain
Abbas Ali Abedi. He often attended
Mushairas in Amaravati and Raipur. Some
of the contemporaries he had in those Mushairas were Saaqib, Majrooh
Sultanpuri, Shakeel Badayouni, Saad Lucknowi, Suleiman Khateeb and Janisar
Akhtar. He has written Salaams (A
Lyrical Salutation), Soz (poetic verses on Ahl Al Bait
that burn the heart due to its melancholy), Nohas (a lyrical dirge), Marsias
(an elegiac epic written to observe the martyrdom of Hussain Ibn Ali, the
younger grandson of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him), Manqabat (a Sufi
devotional poem, in praise of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and later
Son-in-Law of Prophet Mohammad or a Sufi Saint) and Sehre (a lyrical
wedding poem, usually a sonnet with praise and blessings of family members and
it has the rhyming pattern as ‘abab’, ‘bcbc’, ‘cdcd’ or ‘ee’
Poesy Analysis
It is an acknowledged fact that when power corrupts, poetry
cleanses, for art establishes the basic human element which must serve the criterion
of our judgement. Thus, whenever power
corruption occurs in society, the poetry written on Imam Hussain ibn Ali’s
sacrifice establishes the basic human truth of humility and sacrifice. It becomes a guiding light for us to identify
the truth from falsehood. It serves us
to understand not to bend down before oppression and always follow the path of morality
and piousness. The ‘Battle of Karbala” occurred as the power of Yazid’s rule
corrupted the religion and society, and Imam Hussain ibn Ali’s sacrifice
established the basic human truth of humility and sacrifice.
The
given lines are in the genre of Salaam (A Lyrical Salutation). The Majalis or mourning gathering starts with
a note of respect and Salutation to the honourable souls of Karbala, the
martyrs and family members of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon them.
زندگی کا مدعا یاد غم شبؔیرً ہے
دل کی دھڑکن اک مسلسل متم شبؔیر ہے
کربلا کا معرکہ ہے اور اک شبّیر ہے
لافتٗی الّا علیً کی دوسری تصویر ہے
Zindagi ka mudduwa yaade ghame shabbir hai
Dil ki dhadkan ek mussalsil maatam e Shabbir hai
Karbala ka maaraka hai aur ek Shabbir hai
La fatah Illa Ali ki dusrii tasvir hai
The Aim of life is remembering the Tragedy of
Shabbir
Mourning of Shabbir is a continuous Heartbeat
Karbala is a fatal incident and in it Shabbir
(also known as Hussain Ibn Ali) is alone
There is none (bravest) like Ali and He
(Shabbir) is his second image (Translated by Fatima,
Farhat)
The versifier
Taban Abidi in the first two lines of the Salaam conveys that the aim of life
is to remember Shabbir (also known as Hussain Ibn Ali, the youngest grandson of
Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him) and every heartbeat recalls the grief and
mourning of Shabbir.
The word Karbala is a combination of two Arabic words ‘Karb’ means
the land which causes many agonies and ‘Bala’ means afflictions. The mandate given to Yazid Ibn Muawiya
(Umayyad Caliph) by his unscrupulous father to lead the Muslim Ummah, in truth
was to liquify the Islamic existence.
But the unwavering Islamic followers, headed by Hussain Ibn Ali (Alaihis
Salaam) came to comprehend to the point of certainty, the goal line of this
Un-Islamic character. Yazid Ibn Muawiya wrote to the Governor of Medina to take
pledge of Allegiance from Hussain Ibn Ali, Alaihis Salaam. Imam Hussain Ibn Ali rose against an
illegitimate ruler who was innovating faith and misguiding people of faith. He could not win the battle but he won the
revolution. Author Alamdar H. Razvi
describes the loneliness of Hussain Ibn Ali in his last moments at the battle
of Karbala and says “A great spiritual leader stood upon the blood-stained
sands of Kerbala, a towering giant exhausted and weary as a result of a massive
attack launched by an army consisting of thousands of merciless and barbaric
men” (Rizvi, 2) Thus, the versifier Taban Abidi says in the third line of the
Salaam that in the incident of Karbala, Shabbir stood alone against oppressors.
To understand the fourth line of the Salaam,
let us go back to the era of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), After his
Hijrath (Migration) from Mecca to Madina, Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him was
forced to defend himself and his followers against oppressive forces and was
thus forced to fight many battles. In
the second such defensive battle ‘Uhud’ by Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him)
against Meccans led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb in December 624 CE, Ali Ibn Abi
Talib, saved the life of the Holy Prophet.
Thus, ‘The Holy Prophet declared
that the Angel Gabriel was loud in the Praises of Ali and had said, ‘there is
no braver youth than Ali…’ (Jafery 29) which spells in Arabic as La Fata
Illa Ali. This virtue has been branded
by Angel Gabriel because of his (Ali Ibn Abi Talib) sacrifice and gallantry. Thus, the versifier
Taban Abidi in the fourth line of Salaam says that, Hussain Ibn Ali is the image
of his father, Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Cousin and later son-In-Law of Prophet
Mohammad, peace be upon him) as both of them in their capacity tried to save
the rules of Islam.
In the following lines of the Salam (a lyrical Salutation) each
couplet describes a heart rendering tale of the martyrs of the battle of
Karbala. Poet Taban Abidi uses simple,
lucid and clear language in the arrangement of words which appear lovely to
perceive and has lyrical goodness in them.
بے زبان کا مسکرا دینا جواب تیر ہے
اس تبسم میں ادایے نعرہّ تکبیر ہے
جوان بیثے کی میّت کتنے ارمانوں کی میّت ہے
ادھر شبّیر روتے ہیں ادھر تقدیر روتی ہے
کس قدر بھائ بہن ميں ہیں مصاہب مشترک
بے کفن بھائ اگرر ہے بے ردا ہمشیر ہے
نحیف و نزار عابد اور ہیں جکڑے سلاسل میں
ٹپکتا ہے لہو یاں پاؤں کی زنجیر روتی ہے
Be zaban ka muskuradena jawaab e teer hai
Iss tabassum mein adaye naraye takbir hai
Jawan Bete ki mayyat kitne armano ki
mayyat hai
Udhar Shabbir rotein hai idhar taqdeer
roti hai
Kis qadar bhai
behen mein hain masayab mushtarak
Be kafan Bhai
agar hai berida hum sheer hai
Naheef wa Nizar Abid aur hain Jakde
salasal mein
Tapakta hai lahu yaan pao ki zanjeer roti
hai
The smile of the infant is the answer
for the arrow
In this smile is the magnification of
God
The corpse of a young son, how many longings are attached to it
Over there Shabbir cries and here destiny cries
How much afflictions are common in the brother
and sister?
If the brother is without shroud then the
sister is without veil.
Ailing
Abid is gripped in chains
Blood
is dripping here and the chains of the feet are crying (Translated by Fatima,
Farhat)
In the first
couplet of the Salaam, the poet had sketched a picture of the Battle of
Karbala, when all his friends, relatives and family members left to a
destination of no return, by sacrificing their lives in the cause of saving
Islam, Hussain Ibn Ali (the youngest grandson of Prophet Mohammad, peace be
upon him) was left alone. He rode
towards the battlefield all alone and raised his voice and called out ‘Halmin
Nasirin Yansurana’ Is there anyone to help me? No one from tyrant Yazid’s army
replied to Hussain Ibne Ali’s call for help.
But he heard the sound of crying coming from his camp. He returned back to his camp and told his sister
Zainab; I am still alive why are you crying?
She replied brother on your call for help your infant son Ali Asghar has
thrown himself from his cradle and is inconsolable. Hussain Ibne Ali told his wife Rubab bint
Imra’ Al-Qays, the mother of Ali Asghar (also called Abdallah) to get him ready
so that he could take the infant to the battlefield and try to get some water
for him.
Hussain Ibne Ali carried the infant Abdallah
and went near the forces of Yazid’s army, ‘Abdallah was crying
from severe thirst. Hussain (Alaihis Salaam)
lifted him up in his hand and said, “O people, if you have no mercy on me,
atleast have mercy on the infant.” (Abu Mikhnaf, 138) O soldiers of Yazid, if according to
you I have wronged you what has this infant done to you, give him some water he
is dying of thirst’ There was a revolt in Yazid’s army when they saw an infant
dying of thirst thus Umar Ibn Saad (the Commander of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziad’s
Army) told his best archer Hurmula ibn Kahl Al Asadi Al Koofi to strike the
infant with an arrow. Thus, the tyrant
Hurmula aimed a three headed arrow at the neck of the infant which brought him quick
death. When the arrow struck Ali Asghar,
it brought a smile on his face and the poet says in his poetry line that the
smile on the face of infant Ali Asghar is his reply to the arrow shot at him
and the second line of Salaam portrays that in his smile is the retaliation of
the little soldier to Yazid’s soldiers.
His smile was so innocent that it hit the hearts of Yazid’s soldiers and
they started to cry and became restless with anguish and guilt.
The third and fourth lines of the
Salaam portray the grief of a father, Hussain Ibne Ali in the battle of Karbala
when his eighteen years son Ali Ibn Al-Hussain (also known as Ali Akber) is
martyred with a spear by Murrah Ibn Munqad a tyrant of Yazid ibn Muawiya
(Umayyad caliph)’s army. The poet
portrays that for a father to see the corpse of a young son with whom he has so
many wishes (to see him grow and cherish) is heart-breaking. He further portrays that Shabbir (also known
as Hussain Ibn Ali) cries ‘there’ near the corpse of his son and ‘here’ destiny
cries on his woes.
In the subsequent lines of the Salaam poet portrays
that Hussain Ibne Ali and his sister Zainab’s inflictions were of similar
nature. When Hussain Ibne Ali, Alaihis
Salaam was martyred his head was severed from his body, soldiers looted his
belongings and trampled his body under horse hoofs and he was lying on the hot
sands of Karbala shroudless. In similar
way, his sister Zainab had to face the inflictions of the army, her camp was
burnt and she was unveiled by the disgusting soldiers. If Hussain Ibn Ali was without shroud then his
sister was without veil.
In the last
couplet of Salaam, the poet sketches a picture of what happened after the
martyrdom of Hussain Ibn Ali in the Battle of Karbala on 10th
October 680 CE. Yazid’s cruel forces took Hussain ibn Ali’s
elder son Ali Zayn Al-Abidin, women and children as prisoners. Ali Zayn Al-Abidin could not take part in
the Battle of Karbala because of his illness.
He was forcibly thrown from his bed and shackled in heavy chain
fritters. Then he was made to walk for
miles to Kufa forcibly, thus the poet in forlorn words portrays the condition
of Zayn Al-Abidin he says, the weak and ailing worshipper of God was shackled
in chains and the blood was oozing from his feet and seeing his plight even the
chains of his feet were crying. On his return back to Medina after his
captivity Ali Zayn Al-Abedin was heard to say, “Had the Prophet positively
commanded them to kill us, even he had charged them by his last will and
testament to be kind to us, they could not have injured us more than they did
at Karbala.” (Mohani 5)
The next genre of
poetry written by Taban Abidi is in Manqabat style which is a devotional poem in
praise of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and later Son-in-Law of Prophet Mohammad.
علئ کو دیکھکر سویا ہوا احمًد کے بستر پر
درِِ رحمت پہ مرضئ خدا ٹہری ہوئ ہوگی
Transliteration
Ali ko dekhkar soya
huwa Ahmed ke Bistar par
Dare Rahmath pe
marziye Khuda tehri huwii hogi
Seeing at Ali
sleeping on the bed of Ahmed
On the threshold
of mercy (i.e., Prophet Mohammad) the will of God was abounding (translated by
Fatima, Farhat)
The
Poet here refers to the service of Ali Ibn Abi Talib towards Islam and Holy
Prophet, on this occasion Prophet Mohammad was forced to leave Mecca, making
somebody stay in his place in such a way that his enemies would believe that he
was still in the house and thus he might safely go away in the darkness of the
night. Because of their hatred towards
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), forty men of different clans of Quraish formed
a strong conspiracy and surrounded the Holy Prophet’s house to kill him. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) apprised
Ali, of the impending danger and his intention to leave the house at once for
good. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon
him) informed Ali in detail of the whole plan and of the positive danger of lying
down in his place and covering himself with his (the Prophet’s) well known
green mantle, saying that he might be killed or tortured by his enemies. ‘Ali asked “If I take your place and leave
you alone to go through the gathered enemies will your life be safe?” “Yes”
replied the Holy Prophet. “God has promised me a safe passage through them.”
(Jafery, 27)
He
(Ali Ibn Abi Talib) lay down on the bed of Holy Prophet and covered himself
with the Prophet’s coverlet. “The task
Muhammad entrusted to Ali was a major one, and no small an understanding for a
youth of hardly twenty-three years; but the way in which he carried it out,
showed Ali’s astonishing capacity.” (Lalljee, 15) Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) was able
to leave Mecca for Madina. “Thus, Ali
Ibn Abi Talib (Alaihis Salaam) sold his life to seek ‘Marzatillah’ the Raza or
pleasure of Allah” (Askari, 160). This departure to Madina is called Hijrath
and the Muslim era is named after this event.
It took place during the month of September, 662 A. D. thirteen years
after the Holy Prophet started Preaching Islam. (Jafery, 26) Thus, the poet portrays
in the above verse that, when Ali Ibn Abi Talib was sleeping on the bed of
Mercy or Rahmat, (Prophet Mohammad is also called as Rahmat) on the door; the
will of God was standing. That it was
the intention of Allah.
Conclusion
مرنے کی تمنّا دلمیں ہے جینے کا ارادہ کون کرے
سُنتے ہیں کے تربت میی تابآں مولاُ کی زیارت ہوتی ہے
Marne ki
tamanna dil mein hain Jeene ka irada kaun kare
Sunte hai ke
turbath mein Taban Maula ki ziyarath hoti hai
The Desire to die
is in the heart, who intends to live?
Heard that in
grave Taban, Masters visitation occurs (Translated by Fatima, Farhat)
Taban Abidi
says in the above verses of poetry that, he had an ardent desire to die
therefore, why will he think to live?
The reason behind this desire is spiritual; as he has heard from his
elders and it is a Shia Muslims’ belief that Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Cousin and
Later Son in Law of Prophet Mohammad, Peace be upon him) comes in the grave of
a deceased person to meet him. This
humble and bright luminary left this mortal world on 29th January
2001. He is buried in a graveyard of
Hyderabad known as Daire Mir Momin. He
left behind him, his seven children among whom one son was a poet and was
recognised by the name of Gulzar Abidi.
Versifier Taban Abidi’s poetry is a wonderful reminder to us to follow
always the path of righteousness and be human, brave and never to bend down
before oppression. His poetry will always be present among the anthologies of
Ahl Al-Bayt (family of Prophet Mohammad, Peace be upon him).
References
Razvi,
Syed Alamdar Hussain The Instituition of Azadari, Delivering the Universal
Message of Kerbala to the Modern World, Maula Ali Printing Works,
Chaderghat, Hyderabad 2 Print
Trans.
Jafery, Askari Peak of Eloquence Nahjul Balagha Sixth Edition (1979)
Islamic Seminary for World Shia Muslim Organisation, U.S.A. 29 Print
Abu
Mikhnaf Kitab Maqtal al-Husayn (2009) Jafari Propagation Centre, Mumbai
138 Print
Mohani,
Syed Ahmad Ali The Sahifat=ul=Kamilah “The Psalms of the Children of
Muhammad” (re-printed by Syed Wasi Mustafa Hasan in 2011) Digital Press,
Hyderabad 5 Print
Trans. Jafery, Askari Peak of Eloquence Nahjul Balagha Sixth Edition (1979) Islamic Seminary for World Shia Muslim Organisation, U.S.A. 27 Print
Comp. N.
Lallijee, Yousuf Ali the Magnificent (1978) Haji Gulamhusein Haji
Bachooali Foundation, Printed by P.H. Hamid Bombay 15 Print
Askari,
Sakina Hasan AZA E MASOOMEEN A Collection of Salams, Marsias, Hadees &
Nohas (2001), Liverpool, U.K 160 Print
Trans.
Jafery, Askari Peak of Eloquence Nahjul Balagha Sixth Edition (1979)
Islamic Seminary for World Shia Muslim Organisation, U.S.A. 26 Print
English Translation and Transliteration is done by Dr. Farhat Fatima, Visiting Faculty in Communication Skills, School of Planning and Architecture, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture And Fine Arts University, Mahaveer Marg, Masab Tank, Hyderabad-028
This paper has been published in Literary Endeavour (A Scholarly Referred & Peer-reviewed Quarterly Journal. It Publishes articles and notes on English Literature, Criticism and the English Language.) UGC Approved under Arts and Humanities Journal No 44728 by Chief Editor: Dr. Ramesh Chougule (ISSN 0976-299X): Vol. XII Issue: 1 January, 2021 Pg. 64-68
'when power corrupts, poetry cleanses': hence the solace of elegies. Very well written Aapa.
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