‘Hindko literature replete with love for God’
An online Hindko Hamdiya and Naatiya mushaira was organised by the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL). It was presided over by Muhammad Zia-ud-Din while Imtiaz-ul-Haq Imtiaz was the chief guest. Dr Yousuf Khushk, Chairman, PAL, gave the introductory speech with Dr Amir Sohail being the moderator of the proceedings. Poets from all over the country recited Hamd and Naat in Hindko.
Chairman PAL Dr Yousuf Khushk in his introductory remarks said every Muslim poet considers it his religious duty to recite Hamdo Naat. Thus, like other Pakistani languages, Hindko has a deep tradition of Hamd and Naat.
In the early period of Hindko poetry, most poets’ attention was focused on Hamdo Naat and Manqabat. While in the second period, these two genres of poetry came to the fore in the form of four verses and letters. Most of the titles of this genre are Haqqani in nature including Naat. A study of the works of Sheikh Isa Anbala, Wajid, Sahib Haq, Ustad Namur, Ustad Nazir Ahmad Rawa, Mirza Abdul Ghani, Faqir Jilani, Muhammad Din Mahiwa and Saien Ahmad Ali among the early poets of Hindko shows that there is real love in these poets, and unity of existence and love of the Prophet is the main theme.
He said in the 19th century, the Hamd and Naat poetry of Akhunzada Qabil Khan, Hakim Sheikh Imam Din, Maulvi Abdullah Waiz and Syed Shah Hussain gained immense fame.
In this regard, the four verses of the Hamd and Naat of Saien Ghulam Din Hazarawi needs to be studied separately. The main theme of which is the unity and love of the Prophet. His book, ‘Saudagar Aisay Bazar Da’ is a testament to this. He said that Saien Ahmad Ali has written extensively regarding Hamd and Naat. There is passion and devotion in these works.
Dr Khushk added that along with the classical, neoclassical era of Hindko, modern Hindko poets have also made Hamdo Naat their special theme. In modern Hindko poetry, Abdul Ghafoor Malik has published a Hindko translation of the Qur'an, along with a Hindko Naatiya collection called “Nain Katore”.
In addition to Hazara Hindko, Haider Zaman, Prof Yahya Khalid, Asif Saqib, Prof Farid, Sultan Sukoon, Prof Sufi Rashid and Bashir Ahmad Sooz, Farag Bukhari, Raza Hamdani, Khater Ghaznavi, Mukhtar Ali Nayyar, Nazir Tabassum Nasir Ali Syed and Saeed Gilani have expressed their devotion to Allah and His Messenger in Peshawar Hindko. It is clear from this that the subject of true love of Allah and the Prophet is a dominant subject in Hindko literature as well as in other Pakistani languages.
In the end, Dr Khushk thanked all poets for accepting the PAL invitation and participating. The participants included Akhatar Zaman (Balakot), Sohail Ahmad Samim (Abbottabad), Qazi Nasir Bakht Yar (Nawan Shehr), Shakeel Awan (Abbottabad), Shujaat Ali Shah Ji (Shankiari), Abdul Waheed Bismal (Abbottabad), Hassam Hur (Peshawar), Bushra Farrukh (Peshawar), Ahmad Nadeem Awan (Peshawar), Syed Majid Shah, Ali Owais Khayal, Sikandar Hayat and others.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2021.