Karbala Ta Karbala
Encyclopedia
Karbala Ta Karbala is a collection of Marsia
s, or more appropriately Marasi, by Waheed Akhtar
, a noted Urdu
poet and critic. He also wrote Ghazals and nazms and an epic, Shahr-e Hawas, which is considered his magnum opus
. Karbala Ta Karbala, which means 'Karbala to Karbala,' has eight collection of marasi or elegies
/dirges. They are written in traditional format of Marsia, that is Musaddas
, which became standard after great masters of Urdu poetry
, Anis
and Dabir. Each marsia in Karbala ta Karbala deals with the life, exemplary qualities and martyrdom of the hero of the marsia. Every marsia in the collection has more than 100 bunds which is a unit of marsia in the format of musaddas. The theme and heroes of his marasi are the people, who died in the battle of Karbala
on tenth of Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 AD) along with the grandson of Muhammad
, Husayn ibn Ali
, or who belonged to Muhammad's household-Ahl al-Bayt
.
Waheed Akhtar's marasi are different form other masters of Marasia in the treatment of the theme of marsia. His poetry writing attains its greatness in his marsias. It demonstrates his command of language, richness of ideas, his vast diction, his power of narration. It also reflects his aptness of writing poetic drama. His marsias deal with social, ethical, political and philosophical and many contemporary issues related to man and society. In general they are mirrors of his philosophy, ideas, and values he advocated and wrote throughout his life.
Karbala and Husayn, which is the central theme of these marsias, is also a leitmotif
or a recurring motif in Waheed Akhtar's other poetic genres. All his marsias show his yearning for human freedom, truthfulness, uprightness of character, and constant struggle against injustice, oppression, human exploitation, to attain freedom and peace. To demonstrate that he very deftly uses the personality of Husain and his associates and other Ahl al-Bayt
like Ali
and Fatima
. In his one marsia he praises speech and language as an important attribute of God, and denounces silence as a symbol of hypocrisy, opportunism, timidity and approval of injustice. The last Marsia in this book is different from others, in the sense that it is a call to those associates of Husain and probably to all of humanity who started their journey with the intention of joining Husain's cause, but could not reach Karbala on the day of Ashura
. This call is from Zainab, Husain's sister, who is calling them for help to carry on Husain's mission, and to uphold the cause whose inheritors are the women and children of Husain's family and his only surviving son, Ali ibn al-Husayn. In his marsias Husain is the symbol of peace, freedom and the epitome of sacrifice in the divine cause of upholding the values of humanity. The journey which started early in the author's life during ceremonies of Muharram, according to his own admission in his foreword to Karbala Ta Karbala, comes full circle with the message conveyed by the last marsia of the collection:
Karbala tak aake palto bhi to jaoge kahan, Jis taraf jaoge hoga karbala maujood waan
Karbala leta raha hai har qadam par imtehan, Hashr tak hoga hisab-e-dostan-o-dushmanan
)
1. Mariam se bhi siwa hai fazilat Batul ki: Chadar-e-Tatheer, Marsia on Hazrat Fatimah
, has 168 bunds.
Opening bund:
Mariam se bhi siwa hai fazilat Batul ki
Bizat Rasool ki hai riyazat Batul ki
Ajr e payambari hai muwaddat Batul ki
Iman ka juz hai iffat o ismat Batul ki
Ayaat e nutq e Rab mein hai talmeeh e Fatima
Takmeel hai namaz ki tasbeeh e Fatima
2. Qale tameer kiye daste havaskari ne: Qala Kusha, Marsia on Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib—135 bunds in total.
Opening bund:
Qale tameer kiye daste havaskari ne
Sarhade aag ki khenchi hain sitamgari ne
Shahron ko bech diya tama ki nadari ne
Mulkon ko bata hai sarmaye ki ayyari ne
Khun pe bunyad rakhi aish ne darai ki
Zulm ne aansuon se anjuman aarai ki
3. Barsi nahi naghmon ki ghatayen kai din se: Shaheed-e-Atash, Marsia Hazrat Ali Asghar ibn al-Husain—107 bunds.
Opening bund:
Barsi nahi naghmon ki ghatayen kai din se
Sanki nahi madmati hawaen kai din se
Lab basta hain jeene ki duaen kai din se
Nakarda hain masoom khataen kai din se
Woh jas hai, awaaz ka dam toot raha hai
Har geet ka har saaz ka dam toot raha hai
4. Ai saqi e hayat o masiha e kainat: Alamdar-e-Amn, Marsia on Hazrat Abul Fazl al-Abbas, 134 bunds in total.
Opening bund:
Ai saqi e hayat o masiha e kainat
Ai mawara e kon o makan ruh e shish jehat
Ai khaliq e sifat o munazzah an assifat
Ai woh ke khud wajud bhi hai jis ka ain e zat
Har ramz o marifat ki hai ek sai e na tamaam
Hadde sana o hamd se bartar tera maqaam
5. Hai qafila e jara'at e raftar safar mein: Salaar-e-Qafila-e-Shauq, Saiyid al-Shohada Hazrat Imam Husain ibn Ali, 143 bunds.
Opening bund:
Hai qafila e jara'at e raftar safar mein
Manzil ka nishan bhi nahi is rah guzar mein
Ta hadde nazar reg e biyaban hai nazar mein
Saya hai na pani rah e purpech o khatar mein
Gardoon hai sharar bar, zameen aag ka darya
Phela hua hai door o qarin aag ka darya
6. Raat yeh haq ke chiraghon pe bahot bhari hai: Tegh-e-Zaban e Zainab, Marsia Hazrat Zainab bint Ali, 188 bunds in all.
Opening bund:
Raat yeh haq ke chiraghon pe bahot bhari hai
Sans lene mein bhi iman ko dushwari hai
Kashmakash marg o masihaee mein ab jari hai
Charagar aa bhi chuke, kooch ki tayyari hai
Nashe fatah mein batil hai ke ata hai Yazid
Masnad e adl pe haq apna jatata hai Yazid
7. Ya Rabmeri zuban ko qudrat bayan ki de: Shahadat-e-Nutq, marsia Ali Akbar ibn al-Husain, 192 bunds.
Opening bund:
Ya Rabmeri zuban ko qudrat bayan ki de
Lub maslehat ke bund hain, jara'at bayan ki de
Hakim hai kizb, mujh ko sadaqat bayan ki de
Har Lafz jag uthe, woh karamat bayan ki de
Sahab-e suqan ko yad-e-bayza bhi kar ata
Di hai zuban to lub-e-Isa bhi kar ata
8. Karbala! ai Karbala! Ai Karbala! ai Karbala!: Karbala ai Karbala, marsia matlooban-e-shahadat (Zuhayr ibne Qayn, Habeeb ibne Mazahir, Hur ibne Yazid Riyahee and Musayyab khuzayee), 191 bunds.
Karbala! ai Karbala! Ai Karbala! ai Karbala!
Muntaha e baisat e kul anbiya, ai Karbala
Manzil-e-sad karwan-e-irteqa, ai Karbala
Qatlgah-o-madfan-e-nur-e-Khuda, ai Karbala
Reg-e-sahra ban gayi rashk-e-jinan kaise bata?
Mauj teri ban gayi mauj-e-zaman kaise bata?
Marsia
Marsiya is an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valour of Hussain and his comrades of the Karbala...
s, or more appropriately Marasi, by Waheed Akhtar
Waheed Akhtar
Syed Waheed Akhtar was an Urdu poet, writer, critic, distinguished orator, and one of the leading Muslim scholars and philosophers of the 20th century.- Life :...
, a noted Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
poet and critic. He also wrote Ghazals and nazms and an epic, Shahr-e Hawas, which is considered his magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
. Karbala Ta Karbala, which means 'Karbala to Karbala,' has eight collection of marasi or elegies
Elegies
is the Hello! Project 2005 shuffle group consisting of Ai Takahashi and Reina Tanaka of Morning Musume, along with Melon Kinenbi's Ayumi Shibata and Country Musume's Mai Satoda. The name comes from the word elegy. They released the single "" on June 22, 2005....
/dirges. They are written in traditional format of Marsia, that is Musaddas
Musaddas
Musaddas is a genre of Urdu poetry in which each unit consists of 6 lines-sestain- . Famous early writers employing this form are Mir Anis and Dabeer. Maulana Altaf Husain Hali and Waheed Akhtar are other well known poets to find expression in this form of poetry. Particularly iconic is Hali's...
, which became standard after great masters of Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry
Urdu poetry is a rich tradition of poetry and has many different types and forms. Borrowing much from the Persian language, it is today an important part of Pakistani and North Indian culture....
, Anis
Anis
-Given name:* Anis Ayari, Tunisian footballer* Anis Boussaidi, Tunisian footballer* Anis Mohamed Youssef Ferchichi, a German rapper known as Bushido* Anis Kachohi, French country singer* Anis Mojgani, American spoken word poet* Anis Nagi, Pakistani poet...
and Dabir. Each marsia in Karbala ta Karbala deals with the life, exemplary qualities and martyrdom of the hero of the marsia. Every marsia in the collection has more than 100 bunds which is a unit of marsia in the format of musaddas. The theme and heroes of his marasi are the people, who died in the battle of Karbala
Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala took place on Muharram 10, in the year 61 of the Islamic calendar in Karbala, in present day Iraq. On one side of the highly uneven battle were a small group of supporters and relatives of Muhammad's grandson Husain ibn Ali, and on the other was a large military detachment...
on tenth of Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 AD) along with the grandson of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, Husayn ibn Ali
Husayn ibn Ali
Hussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
, or who belonged to Muhammad's household-Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
.
Waheed Akhtar's marasi are different form other masters of Marasia in the treatment of the theme of marsia. His poetry writing attains its greatness in his marsias. It demonstrates his command of language, richness of ideas, his vast diction, his power of narration. It also reflects his aptness of writing poetic drama. His marsias deal with social, ethical, political and philosophical and many contemporary issues related to man and society. In general they are mirrors of his philosophy, ideas, and values he advocated and wrote throughout his life.
Karbala and Husayn, which is the central theme of these marsias, is also a leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
or a recurring motif in Waheed Akhtar's other poetic genres. All his marsias show his yearning for human freedom, truthfulness, uprightness of character, and constant struggle against injustice, oppression, human exploitation, to attain freedom and peace. To demonstrate that he very deftly uses the personality of Husain and his associates and other Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
like Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
and Fatima
Fatimah
Fatimah was a daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from his first wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. She is regarded by Muslims as an exemplar for men and women. She remained at her father's side through the difficulties suffered by him at the hands of the Quraysh of Mecca...
. In his one marsia he praises speech and language as an important attribute of God, and denounces silence as a symbol of hypocrisy, opportunism, timidity and approval of injustice. The last Marsia in this book is different from others, in the sense that it is a call to those associates of Husain and probably to all of humanity who started their journey with the intention of joining Husain's cause, but could not reach Karbala on the day of Ashura
Day of Ashura
The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10...
. This call is from Zainab, Husain's sister, who is calling them for help to carry on Husain's mission, and to uphold the cause whose inheritors are the women and children of Husain's family and his only surviving son, Ali ibn al-Husayn. In his marsias Husain is the symbol of peace, freedom and the epitome of sacrifice in the divine cause of upholding the values of humanity. The journey which started early in the author's life during ceremonies of Muharram, according to his own admission in his foreword to Karbala Ta Karbala, comes full circle with the message conveyed by the last marsia of the collection:
Karbala tak aake palto bhi to jaoge kahan, Jis taraf jaoge hoga karbala maujood waan
Karbala leta raha hai har qadam par imtehan, Hashr tak hoga hisab-e-dostan-o-dushmanan
Excerpts from Karbala Ta Karbala
Karbala Ta Karbala (collection of Elegies on martyrs of Karbala– Urdu) –1991- consists of eight marasi (plural of marsiaMarsia
Marsiya is an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valour of Hussain and his comrades of the Karbala...
)
1. Mariam se bhi siwa hai fazilat Batul ki: Chadar-e-Tatheer, Marsia on Hazrat Fatimah
Fatimah
Fatimah was a daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from his first wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. She is regarded by Muslims as an exemplar for men and women. She remained at her father's side through the difficulties suffered by him at the hands of the Quraysh of Mecca...
, has 168 bunds.
Opening bund:
Mariam se bhi siwa hai fazilat Batul ki
Bizat Rasool ki hai riyazat Batul ki
Ajr e payambari hai muwaddat Batul ki
Iman ka juz hai iffat o ismat Batul ki
Ayaat e nutq e Rab mein hai talmeeh e Fatima
Takmeel hai namaz ki tasbeeh e Fatima
2. Qale tameer kiye daste havaskari ne: Qala Kusha, Marsia on Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib—135 bunds in total.
Opening bund:
Qale tameer kiye daste havaskari ne
Sarhade aag ki khenchi hain sitamgari ne
Shahron ko bech diya tama ki nadari ne
Mulkon ko bata hai sarmaye ki ayyari ne
Khun pe bunyad rakhi aish ne darai ki
Zulm ne aansuon se anjuman aarai ki
3. Barsi nahi naghmon ki ghatayen kai din se: Shaheed-e-Atash, Marsia Hazrat Ali Asghar ibn al-Husain—107 bunds.
Opening bund:
Barsi nahi naghmon ki ghatayen kai din se
Sanki nahi madmati hawaen kai din se
Lab basta hain jeene ki duaen kai din se
Nakarda hain masoom khataen kai din se
Woh jas hai, awaaz ka dam toot raha hai
Har geet ka har saaz ka dam toot raha hai
4. Ai saqi e hayat o masiha e kainat: Alamdar-e-Amn, Marsia on Hazrat Abul Fazl al-Abbas, 134 bunds in total.
Opening bund:
Ai saqi e hayat o masiha e kainat
Ai mawara e kon o makan ruh e shish jehat
Ai khaliq e sifat o munazzah an assifat
Ai woh ke khud wajud bhi hai jis ka ain e zat
Har ramz o marifat ki hai ek sai e na tamaam
Hadde sana o hamd se bartar tera maqaam
5. Hai qafila e jara'at e raftar safar mein: Salaar-e-Qafila-e-Shauq, Saiyid al-Shohada Hazrat Imam Husain ibn Ali, 143 bunds.
Opening bund:
Hai qafila e jara'at e raftar safar mein
Manzil ka nishan bhi nahi is rah guzar mein
Ta hadde nazar reg e biyaban hai nazar mein
Saya hai na pani rah e purpech o khatar mein
Gardoon hai sharar bar, zameen aag ka darya
Phela hua hai door o qarin aag ka darya
6. Raat yeh haq ke chiraghon pe bahot bhari hai: Tegh-e-Zaban e Zainab, Marsia Hazrat Zainab bint Ali, 188 bunds in all.
Opening bund:
Raat yeh haq ke chiraghon pe bahot bhari hai
Sans lene mein bhi iman ko dushwari hai
Kashmakash marg o masihaee mein ab jari hai
Charagar aa bhi chuke, kooch ki tayyari hai
Nashe fatah mein batil hai ke ata hai Yazid
Masnad e adl pe haq apna jatata hai Yazid
7. Ya Rabmeri zuban ko qudrat bayan ki de: Shahadat-e-Nutq, marsia Ali Akbar ibn al-Husain, 192 bunds.
Opening bund:
Ya Rabmeri zuban ko qudrat bayan ki de
Lub maslehat ke bund hain, jara'at bayan ki de
Hakim hai kizb, mujh ko sadaqat bayan ki de
Har Lafz jag uthe, woh karamat bayan ki de
Sahab-e suqan ko yad-e-bayza bhi kar ata
Di hai zuban to lub-e-Isa bhi kar ata
8. Karbala! ai Karbala! Ai Karbala! ai Karbala!: Karbala ai Karbala, marsia matlooban-e-shahadat (Zuhayr ibne Qayn, Habeeb ibne Mazahir, Hur ibne Yazid Riyahee and Musayyab khuzayee), 191 bunds.
Karbala! ai Karbala! Ai Karbala! ai Karbala!
Muntaha e baisat e kul anbiya, ai Karbala
Manzil-e-sad karwan-e-irteqa, ai Karbala
Qatlgah-o-madfan-e-nur-e-Khuda, ai Karbala
Reg-e-sahra ban gayi rashk-e-jinan kaise bata?
Mauj teri ban gayi mauj-e-zaman kaise bata?