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Labbaik: The story of my Hajj (Part 7)

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Mohsin Aziz

We stepped into the sacred Mataf, the open expanse encircling the revered Kaaba, where the heart of every pilgrim beats in unison with centuries of devotion. Surrounding this blessed courtyard, the majestic arches and covered galleries of Masjid al-Haram rise gracefully in every direction, embracing the pilgrims in a sanctuary of peace.

Our Tawaf began—a deeply spiritual journey of seven graceful circuits around the Kaaba. This divine rite must commence from a specific point: the corner that houses the Hajr al-Aswad, the sacred Black Stone. The Kaaba, a sublime cubic structure of time-worn granite, stands firm and solemn with its four distinguished corners. Of these, the corner bearing the Black Stone marks the beginning and end of each sacred round.

In the midst of the swirling sea of believers, it can be challenging to pinpoint this sacred starting point. But with gentle care for the ease of the pilgrims, a green light has been placed high above, directly aligned with the Hajr al-Aswad. It now shines as a guiding beacon—subtle yet clear—making it effortless to locate the place where each Tawaf must begin, a small yet thoughtful gesture to aid the hearts seeking closeness to the Divine.

Tawaf is the act of circumambulating the Kaaba in an anti-clockwise direction, starting from the corner where the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) is located. The open area surrounding the Kaaba is called the Mataf, and pilgrims prefer to perform Tawaf in this space. However, during times of heavy crowding, it may become necessary to move back and enter the main building of the Masjid al-Haram to continue the Tawaf. This building is multi-storeyed, providing ample space for worshippers. The covered areas of the building also offer wheelchair access for those with mobility issues, ensuring that everyone can perform the ritual comfortably.

We were lucky to find space in the mataf for our tawaf. To start, one has to point his hand with open palms towards Hajre Aswad and say ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great) and start the circumbulation. It is the belief that whatever prayer is said during tawaf is answered.

The four corners of the Kaba are named. Two are more important from the tawaf point of view. The starting point where is hajre aswad is kept. It is called Rukn e aswad (Blackstone corner) . The next one is called Rukn al Iraqi (the Iraqi corner). The next one is called Rukn e Shaami (the Syrian corner). The fourth one is called Rukn e Yamani (the Yemeni Corner). From this corner, i.e. Rukn e Yamani to the RukneAswad, one has to preferably recite the following prayer:

  Rabbana aatina fid dunya Hasanataw

(Our Lord give us good in this world)

wa fil akhirati Hasanataw

(And good in the hereafter)

wa qina azaab al naar

(And defend us from the torment of the Fire)

This sequence has to be repeated for all seven rounds. From corner one to three, one can say any prayer in any language.

There were people from all over the world in the mataf. From Turkey, Iran, Nigeria, Australia, New Zealand, Oman, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Tajikistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Niger, South Africa, Bosnia, U.K., U.S.A., Cote d Ivor, Gabon,  etc. These are the ones whom I could identify from their sling bags and flags that they were carrying.

It is a common tradition for group leaders to carry flags aloft—vivid emblems that flutter gently above the crowd, guiding their companions like lodestar through a sea of pilgrims. These banners serve not only as symbols of unity but as anchors, helping individuals find their way and gather together amid the vast and often overwhelming multitude.

Within this sacred space, hearts are stirred, and spirits awakened. All around, people are immersed in prayer—some whispering their supplications in quiet intimacy, others raising their voices in fervent appeal. Here, in the revered House of the Lord of the Universe, every soul stands equal before the Divine wearing the same white seamless cloth. No one is rich, and no one is poor. All have come with their petitions. All are beggars here in front of the ‘Al Wahhab’ (The Ever Giver) and ‘Al Mannan'(The giver of gifts and favours). One may ask for anything, in any language, for the language of the heart transcends all earthly tongues.

Yet, many are drawn to the beauty and sanctity of Arabic, reciting time-honored invocations passed down through generations. Often, a group leader will raise his voice in duʿā (the supplication) flowing from their lips like a gentle stream, while group members echo each word with solemn devotion. This collective recitation creates a mesmerizing rhythm—an undulating chorus of longing and love. The air becomes charged with the vibrations of prayer, weaving a profound and almost otherworldly atmosphere that envelops every soul in its embrace.

In such moments, time seems to stand still. The world fades, and what remains is a sacred harmony—the collective heartbeat of those who have come, from every corner of the earth, seeking nearness to their Creator.

Muslims from around the world face Kaba for prayers. It is called Baytullah (the house of Allah). In the beginning of Islam, Muslim did not pray towards Kaba. They prayed towards Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem. There came a time when it became difficult for muslims to live in Macca, a group of Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, but the Prophet with a handful of Muslims stayed in Macca. When it became difficult to live in Macca, the Prophet Mohammad migrated to Madina. He was very fond of Kaba and Macca. While leaving Macca, he said:

‘By Allah, you are the best and most beloved land to Allah. Had I not been driven away from you, I would not have left you’ (Sunan al Timidhi, 3925).

Once in Medina, slowly but surely, the Prophet established his authority and established the first Islamic state. It was a welfare state that prioritised the weak, poor, orphaned, and widowed. In Madina, Muslims, under the leadership of the Prophet, continued to pray, facing Masjid Al-Aqsa. This is the reason why Al Aqsa is called Qibla Awwal (first qibla). This is the reason why it is so important to the Muslims. It is one of the three holiest mosques in the world.

One day, while the Prophet was leading obligatory prayers, verses were revealed mid prayers that directed him to change his direction from Jerusalem to Macca.

‘The fools (pagans, hypocrites, and Jews) among the people will say ‘What has turned them (Muslims) from their Qibla (prayer direction (towards Jerusalem)) to which they were used to face in prayer (O Mohammad SAW) ‘To Allah belongs both, east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path’. Thus We have made you [true Muslims – real believers of Islamic Monotheism, true followers of Prophet Muhammad SAW and his Sunnah (legal ways)], a Wasat (just) (and the best) nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) be a witness over you. And We made the Qiblah (prayer direction towards Jerusalem), which you used to face, only to test those who followed the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) from those who would turn on their heels (i.e. disobey the Messenger). Indeed, it was great (heavy) except for those whom Allah guided. And Allah would never make your faith (prayers) to be lost (i.e., your prayers offered towards Jerusalem). Truly, Allah is full of kindness, the Most Merciful towards mankind. Verily! We have seen the turning of your face (Mohammad s.a.w.) towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qibla (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al Masjid Al Haram (at  Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the scriptures (i.e. Jews and Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Kaba at the Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do’ (Al Quran, Surah Al Baqarah:142-144). 

From that day onwards, kaba is the Qibla for Muslims from Indonesia to Alaska. In turning towards towards the same centre while praying, Muslims practically show spiritual unity.

After finishing my tawaf, I tried to pray rakaat of required prayers behind the Maqam e Ibrahim. Maqam e Ibrahim (station of Ibrahim) is the place where a stone (on which Ibrahim stood while constructing Kaba) with Ibrahim’s foot mark. Presently, it is kept in a beautiful glass and golden brass enclosure. It is polished thrice a day and surroundings refreshed with oud and amber (Arab News, 2016).

‘And (remember) when we made the House (the Kaba at Makkah) aplace of resort for mankind and a place of safety. And take you (people) the Maqam  (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham) ( or the stone on which Ibrahim (Abraham) stood while he was building the Kaba) as a place of prayer (for some your prayers, e.g. two rakat after the tawaf of the Kaba at Makkah), and We commanded Ibrahim and Ismail that they should purify My Home for the circumambulators, and the coseccrators, and the ones often bowing down and prostrating themselves’ (Al Quran, Surah Al Baqarah:125).

Due to rush, it was not possible. We moved inside the mosque and prayed two rakaat. The next step was drinking zamzam water. Zamzam is available in water cooler in every corner of the Masjid Al Haram. It is a huge logistical challenge to provide zamzam to millions of pilgrims continuously. It is not only used for drinking. Pilgrims wash their face with it and pour it over their head as well. The act of drinking zamzam and afterwards walking and running between two hill locks of safa and marwa are both deeply connected to the family of Ibrahim. It was when Ibrahim left his wife Hajra and nursing child Ismail at Makkah that the story started. When the water finished and the baby started crying, the mother started getting worried. In desperation, she ran atop nearby hill to look out for water. There was nothing in sight. She descended the hill and ran towards the baby. The baby was crying incessantly. She ran atop another hill on the other side to look out for water for her crying baby. She could not see any water. In her worry, she ran seven times between the two hills. The hills were Safa and Marwa. Suddenly, she saw water gushing from near her baby’s feet. To her utter disbelief, a spring of pure water had sprung near baby’s feet. She started making a circle of sand around the water to stop its flow and to collect it al the while saying zam zam, meaning stop, stop. The love and affection of a mother towards her child was so liked by Allah that drinking zamzam and walking between the same two hill locks was made part of Hajj and umrah pilgrimage for eternity. Today, millions of Muslims every year follow in the footsteps of Hajra. They retrace and connect to het legacy. This act of walking between the two hills is called Sai (to strive or to make an effort).

After drinking zamzam, my wife and I moved to the Sai area. Today, this area is covered, air-conditioned, and within the Masjid Al Haram complex. The sai has to start from Safa. Approaching safe, we recited the following verse from the Quran as recommended:

Verily! As-Safa and Al-Marwah (two mountains in Makkah) are of the symbols of Allah. So it is not a sin on him who perform Hajj or Umrah (pilgrimage) of the House (the Kaba at Maklah) to perform the going (Tawaf) between them (As-Safa and Al-Marwah).  And whoever does good voluntarily, then verily, Allah is All-Recogniser and All-knower (Al Quran, SurahAlBaqarah:158).

Once you reach the Safa area, you have to face Kaba and say takbir (Allahu Akbar) and pray any dua. After that, one has to move to the Marwah area. Once you reach the Marwah area, you are again supposed to face towards Kaba and make dua. This completes one round and is about 394 metres. Go back to safa again. It will complete the second round. In between both rounds, there is a space between safa and marwah where men are supposed to jog. Women keep walking normally. In total, 7 rounds are around 2.76 km. For me and my wife, it took about 7 minutes for each round, thus totalling 35 minutes. However, it takes more time as we stop drinking zamzam, which is avaion both sides. For those with mobility issues, electric carts are available at the upper level. There are also wheelchairs available at every level. Carts are a bit costly compared to wheelchairs. While we were in our 4th round maghrib, azaan started. Once the prayer starts, everyone stops whatever they are doing  (those doing tawaf stop and join prayers while those doing sai do the same) and join the prayers. Once the prayer was finished, we restarted from where we left. Hence the total time for our sai was 1 hour.

In doing sai, pilgrims do not follow any prophetic tradition. They retrace the footsteps  of a woman, a mother who ran between the two hills desperate to find water and provide solace to her crying baby. Allah liked this act of a mother so much that he honoured her struggle and made it an obligatory act of Hajj and Umrah. It is a powerful reminder to the believers that in the eyes of Allah, gender and status do not matter. What matters is the sincerity of effort and belief that Allah is with us and our efforts shall not go waste.

By the time we finished sai, we were tired. We decided to sit in a corner in the sai area and wait for isha Azaan, which was not very far. We prayed isha and came out of the Masjid Al Haram.

We got a taxi from outside and reached our hotel. Now, only one last step was left to complete our Umrah:Clipping of hair. For women a out an inch of hair is clipped. For men doing only Umrah, they can either clip a portion of hair or get shaved. Since I had to do hajj, I only clipped my hair and left the shaving for my Hajj. Now we were out of the state of Ihraam. We took a shower and changed to regular clothes. We were very hungry. It was time for dinner. We were so busy that we had no time to check our mobile phones for hours. I saw a flurry of messages on my whattsapp in our hajj group. I realised thar it was almost 10 p.m. and the bus carrying the rest of the group from Madina had still not reached Makkah. At that time, the bus was at the outskirts of Makkah. The bus had left Madina at 11 a.m. and finally reached the hotel at 11.15 p.m. It was a long and hectic journey for the group. Now, they had to go to Masjid Al Haram for Umrah. I thanked Allah that I was done. I thanked my wife for her suggestion of taking the train. The train journey took only 2 hours, and we were saved almost 9 hours of exhaustive travelling. Most of our group members finished Umrah and reached the hotel by 2.30 a.m. May Allah reward them all abundantly for their efforts, Ameen.

(To be continued in Part 8)

References:

Arab News (2016, September 25) Maqam e Ibrahim shines… like visitor’s faith. Available at: https://www.arabnews.com/node/989361/saudiarabia.

Sunan al Timidhi, 3925.

Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum (9 July 1858- 12 May 1930)

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(Residential halls of Aligarh Muslim University: Person behind the name series/ blog 4)

Begum Sultan Jahan Hall

Begum Sultan Jahan Hall is tribute of Aligarh Muslim University to its first female Chancellor and one of its biggest supporters since its infancy. The Hall was established on September 2008 as a hall of residence for female students of the University. At present the Hall has four hostels named Block A, Block B, Block C and Block D.

Birth and Early Education

Born on 9 July 1888 in Bhopal (Hamid, R., 2011) was the eldest and only surviving child of Nawab Begum Sultan Shah Jahan and H.H. Nawab Baqi Muhammad Khan Bahadur. Her early education was under the care of Nawab Sikandar Begum. She was taught Urdu, Arabic, Persian. Upon completion of her education, certificate was given by W.E.Frere. At a later stage English lessons were given by the political agent of Gwalior, A.W.Hutchinson (Fareed, Sadaf, 2020).

She became the ruler of Bhopal through a letter dated 28 June 1901, from Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India (Jahan, S., 1913). She was the last in the chain of successive four Muslim women rulers. The previous three being: Nawab Qudsiya Begum, Nawab Sikandar Begum and Nawab Shahjahan Begum. This is unique not only in the Islamic world but it is difficult to find such an example anywhere in world history.

Sultan Jahan and Girls Education

She was always concerned about promoting education. Her contributions towards education and particularly women education are exemplary. When Lord Edwin Montague, the British Secretary of State for India, met Begum Sultan Jahan in 1917, he noted in his diary that she was “frightfully keen on education, and jabbered about nothing else” (Naik, P., 2019). Her keenness towards education can be gauged by her complaint to Shibli Naumani. She said “My heart weeps over the educational condition of the nation. Our people are not getting any intelligence, rather they make different excuses” (Fareed, S., 2020).

Quite early during her reign as ruler of Bhopal, she established school for girls education named Madarsa Sultania. The school was affiliated to Allahabad School Board. Besides the prescribed syllabus, there was provision of teaching Quran along with its translation. The school not only had ambulance and first aid facility but it later started a separate section for teaching first aid to its students. A teachers training school was also started at the Madarsa Sultania.

During the same period she also upgraded two existing schools in Bhopal, namely Madarsa Bilqisia and Madarsa Victoria. English, Home Science, Arithmetic etc were added to the syllabus. In Madarsa Bilqisia, students were taught gardening also.

Sultan Jahan Begum opened school for Hindu girls as well by the name of Barjeesiya Kanya Pathshala. The school offered Hindi, Arithmetic and English as major subjects. She also fixed scholarship for the underprivileged students of ‘Jain Shwetambar Pathshala’.

Later on she was instrumental in the opening of Madarsa Islamia Hamidiya. The foundation of the school was laid on 5th February 1925. Similarly when her son Sahibzada Hamidullah Khan proposed to start a college in Bhopal for girls by the name of Sultan Jahan College, she enthusiastically supported the move.

Upliftment of Women

Sultan Jahan Begum was always interested in the upliftment of women as was always thinking of ways to do so. For the same purpose she established ‘Ladies Club’ in Bhopal. The idea was to encourage women to do something positive for the society. She organised event for the same purpose under the aegis of All India Women Association and presented her acclaimed address entitled ‘Issues of Women’. At the event she announced the establishment of Sultan Jahan Endowment Trust with a contribution of three lakh rupees to support meritorious and needy students.

Later she started ‘Girls Guide School‘ to motivate girls to engage in creative activities. She also started a nursing school by the name of ‘Lady Minto Nursing School‘.

Support to Madaris

Besides secular education, she was always ready to support religious education. She supported Madarsa Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow, from its inception. She approved an annual grant of twelve thousand rupees for the same. Another major contribution was her support to Madarsa in Makkah.

Sultan Jahan Begum and Aligarh

Sultan Jahan always had connection with the Aligarh Movement. When Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College was established at Aligarh she immediately supported the cause. She sent her younger son Nawab Hamidullah Khan to Aligarh where he studied for six years like any ordinary student of the day.

She was always involved in the affairs of All India Educational Conference. In the conference meeting in 1910 in Allahabad she was told about the need to start a movement to upgrade the college to University by Prince Agha Khan and Nawab Waqar ul Mulk she immediately sanctioned one lakh rupees and also promised to talk to Nizam of Hyderabad to contribute to the cause.

Similarly late when convinced of the need for a building for All India Educational Conference, she sanctioned fifty thousand rupees. On 27th February 1914 the foundation of the building was laid by her at Aligarh and on 5th February 1916, the building was inaugurated. Presently the building is known as Sultan Jahan Manzil which runs a coaching also.

In 1920 she became the first Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University till her death in 1930. After her death her son Nawab Hamidullah Khan was appointed the Chancellor of the University. She was the first female Chancellor of any India University and so far is the only female to have held the post of Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University in its more than hundred years of existence. She attended the first convocation of the University in 1922 where she gave speech at Stretchy Hall.

Sultan Jahan Begum and Seeratun Nabi

Begum sahiba was always ahead of others when it came to contribute for any religious cause. When she was appraised of the plan of Allama Shibli Nomani to write a book on the Seerat of the Prophet, she enthusiatically supported the idea and fixes a monthly stipend for Shibli so that he can focus on his research and be relieved from worries about household expenses. Shibli acknowledged the same by writing the following lines:

Masarif ki taraf se mut’ma’in hun main bahar surat

Ke abr faiz e Sultan Jahan Begum zar afshan hai

Rahi taaleef ki tanqeed e rawayat e hai tareekhi to

Us ke wastey mera dil hai meri jaan hai

Gharz do hath hain is kaam ke anjaam main shamil

ke jis main ek faqeer be nawa hai ek Sultan hai (Shibli Nomani)

When complete Seerat un Nabi was published after the death of Allama Shibli Nomani, she further sanctioned three thousand rupees to Dar-ul-Musannifeen (Azamgarh) for the purchase of new printing press.

Sultan Jahan Begum as an Author

Sultan Jahan Begum was a prolific writer. She wrote numerous books on various subjects. Books written by her are: Tuzk-e-Sultani, Gauhar-e-Iqbal, Khiayaat-e-Sultani, Khutbat-e-Sultani, Akhtar Iqbal, Hayat-e-Shahjahaani, Tazkirah Baaqi, Hayat-al-Zaujain, Tandrustri, Hifzan-e-Sehat, Maeeshat-e-Khandani, Sweater Bunne ka Pehla Risala, Hayat-e-Qudsi, Sabeel-ul-Jinaan, Rauzatul Riyaheen, Effatul Muslimaat, Silk Shahwaar, Maqsad Asdwaaj, Seerat-e-Mustafa, Bacchon ki Parwarish, Faraez-un-Nisa, Rehbar-e-Niswan Hissa Awwal, Islamiyaat, Hidayat Baghbani, Ekhlaq ki Pehli Kitaab, Ekhlaq ki Doosri Kitaab, Ekhlaq ki Teesri wa Chauthi Kitaab, Hayaat-e-Sikandari, Falsaf-e-Ekhlaq, Tawawwo’aat wo Awamir, Hidayaat Teemardari, Bagh-e-Ajeeb (three parts), Sayahat Sultani, Azal-ur-Rahman, Muhazzab Sindagi, Madarij-al-Qur’an, Aaina-e-Sikandari, Tehzeeb-e-Niswan, Purdah.

Honours

Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum was recipient of several honours. They are:

Abdicatioin of throne and Death

in 1926, after ruling Riyasat-e-Bhopal for 25 years she abdicated her throne in favour of her youngest child, Nawab Hamidullah Khan. Thus ended the longest rule of female nawabs that the country had seen. She left for her final abode on 12 May 1930.

Legacy

The many institutions started and supported by Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum are still benefitting the society in various fields. Her legacy lives on. May Allah raise her status. Ameen.

For references and more details, please see:

Fareed, Saadaf (2020) Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum: A quintessence of educational movements in Aligarh. Sir Syed Academy, Aligarh Muslim University: Aligarh.

Hamid, Razia (2011) Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum. Bhopal: Babul Ilm Publication

Jahan, Sultan (1913) Gauhar e Iqbal. Sultan Publishers

Naik, Priya (2019) The remarkable Begums who defied patriarchal norms to rule Bhopal for more than a century. 21 May, Scroll. Available at: https://scroll.in/magazine/917529/the-remarkable-begums-who-defied-patriarchal-norms-to-rule-bhopal-for-more-than-a-century. Accessed on 11 November 2020.

https://archive.org/stream/AnIndianDiary/An%20Indian%20Diary_djvu.txt

Maulana Hali’s Musaddas-e Madd-o Jazr-e Islam

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Mohsin Aziz

Hui pahloye amna se huwaida

Dua e Khalil aur naveed e masiha

Wo Nabion main rahmat laqab paney wala

muraden gharibon ki bar laney wala

musibat main ghairon ke kaam aney wala

wo apney praye ka gham khaney wala

faqiron ka malja gharibon ka mawa

yatimon ka wali ghulamon ka mola

(Hali)

Who has not heard these immortal lines from Musaddas e Hali. Maulana Altaf Husaain Hali’s Musaddas-e-Madd-o-Jazr-e-Islam commonly known as Musaddas-e-Hali (Musaddas on the ebb and flow of Islam) is perhaps one of the most read and recognizable urdu poems. It was first published in 1879 in Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq as well as in book form. The poem recalls Islams glorious past and mourned its decline in India. A poem which Hali called “dry, insipid, plain and simple poem” (Shackle & Majeed, 1997 ) took the Urdu speaking public with a storm (Sadiq, 1995).

The poem was written at the request of Sir Syed who felt that there is a need for a poem which laments the demise of Islam in India just as there was qasidah lamenting the demise of Muslims in Al Andalus (modern day Spain).

Hali first met Sir Syed at a scientific society meeting at Aligarh in 1867. It was Shaifta who brought Hali along with him to the meeting. The second meeting of Hali with Sir Syed was at Lahore. In 1888 Hali travelled to Aligarh at the invitation of Sir Syed and stayed in Aligarh for few months (Khursheed, Ata, 2015). Before meeting Sir Syed, Hali had some reservations about him. But after meeting Sir Syed, Hali was convinced of Sir Syed good intentions and became his supporter. Hali support for the cause of Sir Syed flourished with time and continued even after the death of Sir Syed. Sir Syed requested Hali to write a marsiya on the death of a community after 1857. Hali obliged and wrote Musaddas e Hali and as they say, the rest is history.

It was most probably the reading of Al Rundi’s famous Rithā’ al-Andalus, lament for the fall of seville (TIGNOL, E. 2016) that prompted Sir Syed to request Maulana Hali to write on the sad decline of Muslim community in India. Sir Syed told Hali that “there used to be mourners for Andalus but that our times are such that no one until now has mourned the condition of our community”. Sir Syed told Hali “God, my master, gave you a tongue but you do not speak; God gave you the marvelous ability to narrate but you do not use this miracle ; God fills our eyes with tears through rain bearing clouds but you do not let them flow one!” (Aligarh Institute Gazette, Aligarh, 26 Jan. 1878, p. 105.)

Sir Syed was mighty pleased with the musaddas and opined that “with this Musaddas begins the modern age of Urdu poetry (Ross Masud, 1931) and famously said in a letter to Hali that “When, on the Day of Judgemtn, Allah will ask me, “What deeds have you brought”? I will say “I only made Hali write musaddas and nothing else’ (Letter from Syed Ahmad Khan to Hali, Shimla, Park Hotel, 10 June 1879, In M. A. Mannan (2007). This shows that Sir Syed thought that Musaddas is good enough to get salvation for him on the day of judgement. There can not be a better appreciation of a book.

The affect of musaddas was electrifying to say the least. Even stage shows were made on it and the impact was such that people would burst into tears by the end of the drama. A series of poems imitating the style of the musaddas as well as parodies based on it are testimony to both its popularity and impact. Hali was

Ram Babu Saksena (1927) in his survey of urdu literature writes that “It was a revelation, a landmark in the literary history of Urdu language. A new star swam into the ken of Urdu poets. It gave a lead to the national and patriotic poems of India. The poem was printed and distributed and sung in assemblies, pulpits, mosques, and conferences”. In fact Hali is forerunner to Allama Iqbal and Shikwa and jawab e shikwa are without doubt culmination of musaddas hali.

Musaddas had 296 stanzas containing 6 lines each. Hali traces the journey of Islam since its birth in Arabia. It tells how Muslims made tremendous progress in all walks of life and their contribution to the world. It then moves to the fall of Muslims in India from position of power to penury and powerlessness.

It is worth mentioning that Hali gave the copyright of the Musaddas to the college so that the money collected could be used by the college fund. Sir Syed never let go of any opportunity to collect funds for the college. However this was different. It is to the credit of Sir Syed that he refused and told Hali that the Musaddas belonged to the community and the college would have no copyright over it. It is to the credit of Hali that despite paucity of money, he did did not keep copyrights and did not earn any royalty from its sale. Hali dedicated the Musaddas to the nation and to the community and gave open permission for it to be published and distributed by anybody (Hussain, S.A., 1986). For those who do not know urdu, several english translations of the musaddas are available.

References:

C. Shackle and J. Majeed, Hali’s (1997) Musaddas: the flow and ebb of Islam. Delhi: Oxford University Press

M. Sadiq, A History of Urdu Literature (Delhi, 1995), p. 347.

Ross Masud (1931) Khutut e Sir Syed, Ed. Ross Masud: Badayun  

M. A. Mannan (ed), Selected Letters of Sir Syed Ahmad, Aligarh, 2007

TIGNOL, E. (2016). A Note on the Origins of Hali’s -e Madd-o Jazr-e Islām. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 26(4), 585-589. doi:10.1017/S1356186316000080

Ram Babu Saksena (1940) A History of Urdu Literature, pp. 215-216, Allahabad.