Speakers of Urdu interested in Arabic literature were delighted when poet and literary scholar Dr Khurshid Rizvi, an expert in Arabic literature, published this year his book on Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali’s Arabic poetry and prose. Titled Hali ki Arabi Nazm-o-Nasr, the book offers commentary on a few Arabic poems that Hali published, along with some specimens of his Arabic prose, including letters and an incomplete essay on Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
In the preface, Dr Rizvi explains that in his later years, fearing that no one else would care to preserve or publish his poetry after his death, Hali undertook the compilation and publication of his Kulliyat (complete poetic works). However, he prioritised the publication of his Arabic and Persian work, which he fortunately accomplished before his death. This was to be added as an appendix to his Urdu Kulliyat. Hali, however, was unable to compile and publish his complete Urdu poetry himself, leaving the task to others.
Interestingly, Hali also included his Arabic prose in the appendix. In his book, Dr Rizvi has translated all of Hali’s Arabic works into Urdu and offered commentary on them. The scholar has also included commentary on two translations by Hali from Arabic into Urdu, one of which is the translation of an Arabic qasida, titled Qasida Arabia, penned by Hakim Muhammad Wahiduddin Aali at Hali’s own suggestion. The other translation by Hali mentioned by Dr Rizvi is of a book in Arabic on geology.
The following are excerpts from an interview with Dr Rizvi about his new book.
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The News on Sunday: You have dedicated Hali ki Arabi Nazm-o-Nasr to Dr Tahseen Firaqi and briefly mentioned that it was Dr Firaqi who proposed, around 30 years ago, that you should write a book on Hali’s Arabic works — a task you were able to accomplish in 2025. Can you share the context in which Dr Firaqi advised you to research Hali’s Arabic poetry and prose?
Khurshid Rizvi: As you may have read in this book, Maulana Hali, in the later years of his life, himself published his Arabic prose and poetry, which he wanted included as an appendix to his Urdu Kulliyat. Hali himself named the appendix Zameema-i-Urdu Kulliyat-i-Nazm-i-Hali. Dr Tahseen Firaqi made a copy of that zameema and presented it to me as a gift, along with the suggestion that I undertake research on Hali’s Arabic poetry.
As this happened around 30 years ago, I am unable to recall the exact conversation we had on the subject. At the time, I was busy working on my book Arabi Adab Qabl Az Islam, which took many years to complete, and I could not begin any research on Hali’s Arabic prose and poetry. Dr Firaqi, however, reminded me on multiple occasions about this project. Thankfully, I recently found time to undertake the work and was able to publish the book. Since it all began with Dr Tahseen Firaqi’s suggestion, I dedicated the book to him.
TNS: In the appendix (zameema) to his Kulliyat, Hali also included his Persian poetry along with his Arabic works. Has there been any research or critical assessment of Hali’s Persian poetry?
KR: To my knowledge, no critical assessment or research has so far been carried out on Hali’s Persian poetry. Recently, I asked Dr Tahseen Firaqi to consider reviewing Hali’s Persian poetry. I also made a similar suggestion to Moeen Nizami. I do not know whether they will be able to find the time to write a book on Hali’s Persian verses. However, I do believe that Hali’s Persian poetry deserves scholarly attention. There is more content in his Persian poetry compared to his Arabic poetry.
TNS: You have remarked that the overall standard of Hali’s poems in Arabic does not match the standard of his Persian poetry. What are the deficiencies in Hali’s Arabic verses that you do not see in his Persian work?
KR: I would like to clarify that these remarks should not be construed as negative comments implying any weaknesses in Maulana Hali’s Arabic poetry. Historically, Persian was more relevant in the subcontinent than Arabic, as it was the language of rulers and their courts as well as the language of commerce. Arabic did not achieve the same popularity in India. As a result, the subcontinent produced great Pesian poets, such as Ghalib and Iqbal, but no Arabic poet of similar stature emerged from this region.
Given this historical context, one should not expect to find in Hali’s Arabic poetry the richness that characterises his Persian work. Rather, the fact that Maulana Hali was able to compose poetry in Arabic with considerable skill is another feather in his cap.
TNS: In the very first sentence of your preface to the book, you pay tribute to various aspects of Hali’s personality, including his sharafat (polite and gentlemanly disposition). Don’t you think this character trait caused him harmed, as we see that several literary critics, including some very prominent ones, deemed him an easy target because of his sharafat and made a habit of using derogatory or mocking words for him? For instance, Muhammad Hasan Askari often referred to him as “Muffler Walay Maulana Hali,” a condescending phrase. Another critic, Saleem Ahmed, even blamed Hali for rapes committed during the Partition riots. Perhaps if Hali had not been so civil in his writings, his adversaries would not have stooped so low. What do you think?
KR: First of all, it should be clear that being extremely civil and gentlemanly does not mean someone cannot be intelligent or artistic. Maulana Hali’s humanity and gentlemanliness inspire us just as much as his all-encompassing literary output does.
In my eyes, Maulana Hali commands great respect. Of course, there is no crime in criticising Hali and his ideas, but using ridiculing words for him cannot be condoned. With all due respect to Muhammad Hasan Askari, seeing a genuine scholar such as him adopt such a tone towards Hali is a source of grief and disappointment. In my opinion, Maulana Hali’s stature remains unaffected by such slurs; however, our impression of the critics who use such language against him is certainly diminished.
TNS: You have cited a few quotes from Hali about the Arabic language. One of them says that it is not correct to assume that one automatically gains command of Urdu and Persian after learning Arabic. Do you agree with this observation?
KR: I agree with Hali’s observation. Although knowing Arabic can help one write better in Urdu and Persian, it is not, on its own, sufficient to gain mastery of these two languages. Urdu and Persian have their own individuality, and one cannot master them simply by knowing Arabic.
TNS: In the essay written by Hali in Arabic on Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, which has been included in the book, Hali refers to a work by Sir Syed written in defence of the Wahhabi or Ahl-i-Hadith group. However, Hali does not name that book. Can you share its name?
KR: Maulana Hali provides some details about this work in his biography of Sir Syed, Hayat-i-Javaid. According to the biography, a British writer, Dr Hunter, authored a book titled The Indian Musalman, in which he sought to create the impression that the Muslims of India, because of their religious beliefs, would never accept the British as rulers and would inevitably rebel against British rule.
After reading this book, Sir Syed wrote a review of it, which was probably published in booklet form. This review reached the UK and helped dispel such negative impressions about the Muslims of the subcontinent, particularly the Ahl-i-Hadith. However, Hali did not mention the name of this booklet in Hayat-i-Javaid either.
TNS: With the exception of one poem in Bahr-i-Khafeef, the bahoor (poetic metres) that Hali employed in his Arabic verses – such as wafir, taveel and baseet – are not used in Urdu poetry. Could this have been a deliberate effort by Hali to compose Arabic poetry in metres that he did not enjoy in Urdu?
KR: The poetic metres of wafir, baseet and taveel are widely used in Arabic poetry. I feel that Hali did not consciously attempt to write Arabic poetry in these metres; rather, he used them unconsciously, as he had developed a deep affinity with Arabic literature.
TNS: Is Hali’s qasida of Shah Abdul Ghani, which prompted the poet to preserve and publish his Arabic poetry, in your opinion of high quality? If Shah Abdul Ghani praised it, could it have been because the qasida honoured him rather than because it truly merited praise on artistic grounds? What is your view?
KR: This qasida is quite good and reflects Hali’s poetic skill. If Shah Abdul Ghani praised it, we cannot conclude that it was merely out of courtesy. However, if we deliberate on the literary merits of this qasida, it does lack some of the characteristics of Arabic style and feels somewhat alien to pure Arabic expression.
TNS: In his famous Muqaddama-i-Shair-o-Shairi, Hali described three essential characteristics of good poetry, saadgi, asliat and josh (simplicity, genuineness and vigour). Do you think Hali’s Arabic poetry possesses these qualities?
KR: Hali himself explained that in his zameema he included his Arabic works written at various stages of his life, including his early years. This small corpus also contains pieces that can be regarded as the practice of a novice. He also stated that he would not even have bothered to preserve his Arabic work had he not received commendation for the qasida he wrote in praise of Shah Abdul Ghani.
The Arabic works by Hali in the book show his interest in the language and the way his writing in Arabic evolved over time. Hali never intended to present these Arabic works as exemplary pieces to be judged by the standards he himself had set for high-quality literature. I don’t think it is appropriate, therefore, to assess whether Hali’s Arabic poetry conforms to those standards.
TNS: One would expect a poet like Hali to have translated Qasida Arabia into Urdu in verse rather than in the prosaic style that he actually used. Doesn’t this give the impression that Hali translated it half-heartedly, simply to oblige his friend?
KR: You or I might wish that Hali had translated Qasida Arabia into Urdu in verse form – but that did not happen. Hali himself explained that he had gone to Hyderabad Deccan for some celebrations and was extremely busy at the time. During this visit, he met Muhammad Wahiduddin Aali, and knowing Aali’s prowess in Arabic, he suggested that Aali compose a qasida in Arabic reflecting the unfortunate state of the Muslims of their era. The idea was similar to the famous qasida by the Andalusian writer Rundi, in which he lamented the plight of the Muslims of the Iberian Peninsula.
Wahiduddin Aali acted on Hali’s suggestion and, within a week, wrote a qasida of more than 100 couplets. However, he set a condition: he would publish his qasida only if Hali translated it into Urdu. Hali later wrote that he was far too busy at the time but could not refuse the request, so he completed the translation hurriedly. I should also mention here that Wahiduddin Aali was an excellent Arabic poet. It is extremely unfortunate that his works were never compiled and published.
The interviewer may be reached at bilal89ahmedgmail.com