Ram Has Been Glorified In Urdu Literature: Urdu Poets Wrote Paeans To Ram
By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
10 February
2024
Islamic Scholars
Of India Have Advised Indian Muslims To Have A Cautious Approach Towards Rama For
This Reason. If Rama Was A Prophet, Disrespecting Him Would Be A Kufr As Per
The Quran Because The Quran Enjoins On Muslims To Respect All The Prophets.
Main
Points:
1. Allama Iqbal
wrote a poem on Ram.
2. Urdu poet
Chakbast wrote a poem on Ram's 14 year exile to the forest.
3. Ramayana was
translated into Urdu and Persian.
4. Translation
of Ramayana was done in Khilji and Tughlaq regimes.
5. Mughal
emperor Akbar ordered the translation of Hindu texts including Ramayana.
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Artists make religious paintings during the 7th Edition India
International Ramayana Mela 2024, at Purana Qila, in New Delhi on Saturday.
(ANI Photo/ Jitender Gupta)(Jitender Gupta )
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Khalid
Alvi's article studies the approach of Urdu poets and writers towards Rama and
finds that Urdu literature has kept Rama and Sita in high esteem. This is
because of the fact that Urdu has been the language of both Hindus and Muslims.
During the Mughal period, Hindus even learnt Persian. Great Urdu writers like
Tilok Chand Mahrum, Pandit Dattatreya Kaifi, Devendra Satyarthi, Pandit Brij
Narayan Chakbast, Pandit Daya Shankar Nasim, Josh Malsiyani, Gulzar Dehlavi, Dr
Jagan Nath Azad (who wrote Pakistan's national anthem) and hundreds of others
were Hindus. The Hindu and Muslim writers and poets together created a linguistic
community that glorified the multicultural ethos of India. Amir Khusrau,
Ghalib, Iqbal, Hali, Josh Mallihabadi, Chakbast, Mohsin Kakorvi and other poets
sang paeans to Indian culture and Hindu religious personalities including Ram.
Ram has
been considered a sage or a rishi even by some Islamic scholars. They believe
that he may be a prophet raised in India. The Quran says that God raised
prophets and messengers in every part of the world. So, prophets must have also
been raised in Indian sub-continent as well. Moreover, the Quran also says that
prophets were raised in every community speaking their language. This may also mean
that prophets were also raised in every linguistic community.
Since
Sanskrit was the mother language of a vast population of the Indian
subcontinent, prophets speaking Sanskrit must have also been raised in India.
Since Rama is considered a prominent religious figure in India since ancient
times, some Muslim scholars justifiably believe that Rama may be a prophet of
the Hindu community.
Islamic
scholars of India have advised Indian Muslims to have a cautious approach
towards Rama for this reason. If Rama was a prophet, disrespecting him would be
a kufr as per the Quran because the Quran enjoins on Muslims to respect all the
prophets. Allama Iqbal wrote a poem on Ram from the same point of view. Pandit
Brij Narayan wrote the poem 'Ramayan ka ek scene'. Ramayana and other religious
Hindu texts were translated not only into Urdu but also into Persian. A Sufi of
Delhi Abdur Rasheed Huma during the 1950s possessed a book that had the
genealogy of prophet Seeth a.s., the son of Hadhrat Adam a.s. In the genealogy,
Ram was shown as a descendant of Hadhrat Sheeth a.s. Ram is believed to have
been born in Ayodhya and the grave of Hadhrat Sheeth a.s. is also believed to
be situated in Ayodhya. This corroborates the genealogy of Hadhrat Sheeth a.s.
possessed by Sufi Abdur Rasheed Huma.
Therefore,
Indian Muslims pay respect to Rama and Sita and this respect reflects in their
literature.
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How
Ram, Ramayana Live in Muslim imagination
By
Khalid Alvi
Feb 03,
2024
There is
much evidence to suggest that the extraordinary sacrifices and inspiring
character of Lord Ram attracted many Muslim kings as well as ordinary Muslims.
It is not
certain when and who declared that Muslims in general do not respect Lord Ram.
Political disagreement with Hindutva politics is one thing but Muslims are
duty-bound to respect the prophets of every religion. The Quran states that God
has sent his messengers in every community and in every part of the world. Imam
Hanbal referred to a hadith which states that 1,24,000 messengers of God were
incarnated on the Earth. The Quran mentions some of them by name and even
Gautama Buddha has been mentioned as Zul Kafil (inhabitant of Kapilvastu).
Having said as much, there is much evidence to suggest that the extraordinary
sacrifices and the inspiring character of Lord Ram attracted many Muslim kings
as well as ordinary Muslims.
Kabir
alludes to Ram as a synonym of God and not as the king of Ayodhya. He states: “Kya
Kashi Kya Osar Maghar, Ram Hriday Base Mora” (Both Kashi and deserted
Maghar are the same to me because my God, Ram dwells in my heart).
Interestingly, Ram is a word which is common in Persian as well. In Persian, “Ram
Kardan” denotes conquering. Not only in India but in several Muslim
countries, Ram is an ideal of humanity and sacrifice. In Bali, western Papua,
Sumatra and Sulawesi (all regions of Indonesia) Ram Leela is celebrated with
great enthusiasm and energy. Some of the Indonesian Muslims fast during the 30
days.
Recently,
Tehran University commissioned Persian translations of the Ramayana.
Translating Valmiki Ramayana started during the Khilji and Tughlaq regimes. But
these translations have been lost, their references survive in history books.
Akbar had established a translation department and ordered translations of
Hindu texts including the Ramayana. Abdul Qadir Badayuni, a historian and a
contemporary of Akbar mentions several of these translations in his
Muntakhab-ul-Tawarikh. Mulla Saad-ullah Masih Keranvi translated the Ramayan on
his own during the reign of Jahangir. This translation consists of 5,407
stanzas. Though a politically ineffectual king, the Mughal ruler Farrukh Sayyar
was a patron of the arts and commissioned the translation of Valmiki’s Ramayana
into Persian in 1715 AD.
Mirza
Mazhar Jaan-e-Jaa, an 18th-century saint, writes that there is no harm if we
call the almighty Parmeshwar or Ram, instead of God. The last Mughal king,
Bahadur Shah Zafar, used to distribute presents on the eve of Ram Leela every
year and used to watch the Ram Leela. The greatest poet of Urdu, Ghalib once
visited Banaras and wrote: “In this charming city every boy is Lakshman and Ram
and if I were not afraid of being made fun of by my enemies, I would have worn
a Janeu, put Tilak on my forehead and sit on the bank of the
Ganga.”
Altaf
Hussain Hali, a close associate and biographer of Ghalib has described Ram
endearingly as “Hubb-e-Watan”. “Paaon Uthta Thha Us Ka Ban Ki Taraf Aur
Khinchta Tha Dil Watan Ki Taraf. Guzrey Ghurbat Mien Is Qadar Mh-O-Saal Par Na
Bhoola Aayodhya Ka Khayal. Teer Ik Dil Mien Aa Key Lagta Tha Aati Thi Jab Ayodhya
Ki Hawa.” (Though he was heading into the woods, his heart was torn towards
his homeland. He spent many years in alien lands but couldn’t forget Ayodhya. Whenever
he sensed the wind coming from Ayodhya, it pierced his heart.)
Allama
Iqbal, the Islamic poet also called the philosopher of the East, saw Ram in the
light of Islamic teachings. “Hai Ram Ke Wajood Pe Hindosta(N) Ko Naaz Ahl-e-Nazar
Samajhtey Hain Us Ko Imam-E-Hind. Aijaz Us Charagh-e-Hidayat Ka Hai Ye Hi
Roshan Tar Az Sehar Hai Zamaney Mien Sham-E-Hind. Talwar Ka Dhani Tha Shuja-At
Mien Fard Tha Pakeezgi Mien Josh-e-Mohabbat Mien Fard Tha” (India is proud
of the existence of Ram, those who have real discernment and insight consider
him to be the prophet of India. It is the miracle of his teachings that the
twilight of India is brighter than the aurora. He was not only a skilled
warrior and an accomplished swordsman but also unique in his purity and his
spirit of love).
Qurratulain
Hyder, the great Urdu novelist, refers to Ayodhya several times in her Aag Ka
Darya. Beneath layers of philosophy lies Hyder’s thesis that religion is
influenced by its milieu. She cites a piece of poetry that evokes Sita as the
ideal woman. An important character of her novel, Champa, who appears
throughout the novel in different forms, mentions Ram and Sita as the ideal
couple and Ayodhya as a paradise on earth. Another of Hyder’s novellas, Sita
Haran, compares the agony of Indian women with Sita’s story and predicament.
Similarly, Kaifi Azmi’s poem Doosra Banbas conveys his message of love and is
severely critical of those who politicise religion.
There are
innumerable references to Ram in Persian, Arabic and Urdu literature composed
by Muslim scholars. There are at least 300 Urdu translations of Valmiki Ramayan
as well as Ramcharita Manas. Some of the translators are Saghar Nizami, Nafees
Khaleeli, Mehdi Nazmi, Safdar Aah, Talib Allahabadi, Imtiaz Khan, Molvi
Abdussattar, Noorul Hasan Naqvi, Zafar Ali Khan, Zamin Ali Khan, and Tahira
Banu Rind Rehmani. The reason for their love can be expressed in the words of
Saghar Nizami: “Hinduon Ke Dil Mein Baki Hai Mohabbat Ram Ki Mit Nhi Sakti
Qayamat Tak Hukumat Ram Ki” (The supremacy of Ram can never be vanquished
because we Indians love Ram).
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Khalid
Alvi is an Urdu critic and literary historian. The views expressed are personal
Source:
How
Ram, Ramayana Live in Muslim imagination
URl: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/ram-urdu-literature-poets-paeans/d/131689
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