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
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