Shahida Hassan praised for translating Persian masnavi dealing with Karbala theme

A Persian masnavi, Isharat al-Husayniyah, has been published in its first poetic Urdu translation for Urdu readers. The spiritual poem by Jalaluddin Ali Mir Abu’l-Fazl Angha deals with the Day of Ashura in Karbala.

Poet Shahida Hassan has rendered the Persian masnavi into a flowing Urdu translation, while Nargis Murtaza, associated with MTO Shah Maghsoudi, Karachi (Irfan-e-Islami), undertook the compilation, editing and publication of the work.

The translation was recently launched at the Josh Malihabadi Library of the Arts Council of Pakistan. The programme was presided over by Prof Sahar Ansari. Nargis spoke on the significance of such mystical publications in the modern era. She also presented an excerpt from the translated work.

The event was moderated by the Sindhi poet Nasir Mirza, who had specially traveled from Hyderabad for it. He discussed the themes of humanism, mutual love, and tolerance present in the poetry of Sindh’s great Sufi poets such as Shah Latif and Sachal Sarmast. He praised Shahida’s Urdu translation and read selections from the work.

Dr Faiza Zahra Mirza of the University of Karachi’s Persian department provided an analytical review of various schools of Iranian Sufi traditions. She acknowledged the uniqueness of Abu’l-Fazl Anqa’s book and congratulated Shahida on her beautiful Urdu translation of this significant poetic work.

Poet Dr Fatima Hasan, who also oversees the Josh Malihabadi Library, spoke about her longstanding literary connection with Shahida. She noted that such serious and significant literary work could only be accomplished by a poet of Shahida’s caliber.

Writer Noorul Huda Shah highlighted rich cultural and spiritual traditions of Sindh. She recited verses from Shah Bhitai and Sachal Sain, which offer solace and enlightenment to every soul. She particularly praised Shahida for using the phrase “Shah-e-Ashiqan” (King of Lovers) for Imam Hussain (AS) in the Urdu translation of Isharat al-Husayniyah.

The translator expressed her deep satisfaction and joy over the scholarly recognition of her work. She shared that this project took nearly 12 years to complete. She initially found the task almost impossible due to her limited capabilities, but she believed that when divine will entrusted someone with a task, it also enhanced their abilities.

The preface to the book has been written by scholar Syed Mohsin Naqvi, and the foreword penned by Dr Moeen Nizami, a former professor of the Punjab University and distinguished Persian literature expert.

Shahida described the masnavi as a unique narrative of Karbala’s painful saga and mystical journey, portraying Imam Hussain (A.S.) as Shah-e-Ashiqan embodying various stages and states of divine love throughout the battle.

Researcher Dr Aqeel Abbas Jafri elaborated on the Tariqat-e-Owaisi Shah Maqsoodi school of thought. The concluding address was delivered by the event’s president, Prof Sahar Ansari who discussed the rich traditions of Sufism and praised the efforts of Nargis for her dedication and perseverance. He mentioned his own involvement in translating various books of that school of thought, offering assistance and guidance in their publication.

Prof Ansari commended the Urdu translation of the Persian masnavi as a remarkable effort that had made the valuable work accessible to the Urdu-speaking audience. He emphasised that while a vast treasury of elegiac literature (Marsiya) on Karbala existed in multiple languages, particularly in Urdu, the book stood out because it revealed the mystical message of Karbala and the eternal nature of Hussaini characters, rooted in the power of divine love.