Novel expression of feminine emotions in Na’at writing

Jhonka koi choo aayay ga jo gunbaday Khizra

Behla kay meray sehn talak os ko saba laa

Shahida Latif’s Na’at embraces a feminist element to her diction and style and establishes an authentic female voice -- a voice of new expression of feminine emotions:

Meri aankhoun ki dou jo putlian hain

Midinay kay chaman ki titlian hain

Her Na’at collection titled ‘Nigahay Mustafa’ has the unique distinction of having an individual style in Na’at writing. Her frequent stay and visits to Madina and Makkah have given her Na’ats an individual flavor as she creates an atmosphere through her poetic skills which seems enlivening, new and adoring:

Aay waqaray subhay nau aay nooray eemaan aayeeyay

Zindgi hai muntazir aay mahay tabaan aayeeyay

Baadshahoun nein bhi dunya mein na paya sub kutch

Aap kay daamanay rahmat ka hai sayaa hai sub kutch

Aap kay zouq kay sadkay mera fun jaagta hai

Naat kehti hoon tu mayyaaray sukhan jaagta hai

In this Na’at collection different forms and genre of poetry are observed. Most of her na’ats are in the genre of ghazal, some in rhymed and in free verse form. Her Na’at collection heightens the new aspects of love of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through well-crafted lyric:

Tarrap kar os tasawwar ki main az khud ho gayee qaidi

Sonehri jaalioun ka jaal tha hard um jidhar dekha

Anwaaro tajalli ka samaan Ghaaray Hira mein

Hai aur hee khushboo ka jahan Ghaaray Hira mein

Shahida Latif’s reverent tone, intuitive imagery, and surprising figurative language keeps the reader engaged throughout, where emotion is crafted through lyric and narrative tenderness:

Meray agha meri matti ko darkhshan rakhna

Arzay bayrang ko mumrangay gulistan rakhna

Chaand sooraj kehkashayain musta’aar

Aap se leen hain shuyayain musta’aar

Weaving tradition and personal experience, she poignantly captures the atmosphere of Makkah and Madina. Her Na’at undergoes a transition in the point of view she adopts in her poems:

Hawa kay mookalam se bun rahay thay naqsh kia kia

Ajab ek dilkashi dekhee madinay kay ufaq par

Thay jitney abr paaray Janay pehchanay makaan thay

Madinay ki gali dekhi madinay kay ufaq par

During Na’at writing she doesn’t forget homeland and compatriots as they become part and parcel of her prayers:

Ek khair faqat chhoon gee main Pak watan ki

Jab poochain gay who masala batlao tumhara

Maangoon na aur es kay sewa main duayay khair

Qaim ho meray Pak watan mein fazayay khair

Shahida Latif avoids walking blindly in the footsteps of other Na’at writers. Her Na’at poetry gives the feeling that her style and tone to are to some extent different from the general trend. He seems trying painstakingly to tread her own way. Her Na’ats depict her inner feelings of love and respect he has for the last prophet Hazrat Mohammed (Peace be upon him):

Os khulday baykaraan kay bhi qabil houn kaash hum

Mongay phool hain jahan neelam ki ghaas hai

Qadam qadam pe sitaray houn teri rehmat kay

Jahan bhi guzrain meray subho sham teray houn

Jo main ehday Nabi ki aankh hoti

Masalsal yaad mein namnaak hoti

There exists a great politesse around Shahida Latif’s poetry. The reader is hypnotized by the humbleness of her direct address. Unlike the archetypically female Na’at writers, her na’at radiates its own light:

Kutch lafz joon hee na’at mein aayay chamak uthay

Taza hawa mein jaisay parinday chehak uthay

Wafooray shouq mein ashkoun nein jab likha Agha

Sitarayay sehri sa chamak utha Agha