JADA-I-RAHMAT

POET: SABIH REHMANI

TRANSLATED By

JUSTICE BY (R) DR. MUNIR AHMAD MUGHAL:

 Book Review By:

Shumaila  Munib  Shumail

Introduction of poet:

 Syed Sabihuddin Rehmani:

Syed Sabih Rehmani is born in Karachi to Syed Ishaquddin on June 27, 1965. Syed Sabihuddin Rehmani’s forefathers are from the Hyderabad Deccan Sadat family. In 1987 and 1998, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Urdu from the University of Karachi. Syed Sabih Rehmani is a Pakistani poet of naat , compiler and naat khawan, He founded the Naat Research Center, serves as its secretary general, and is also the editor of the Naat Rang journal. The Government of Pakistan granted him the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in appreciation of his efforts. In 1983, Sabih Rehmani began working as a telephone operator for Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. In 2001, he began working as the research director for the private TV network ARY. He wrote two books of poetry, Jada-i-Rahmat and Sarkar Kay Qadmun Mein. Both books have been translated into English. Jada e Rehmat translated by Justice Munir Ahmad Mughal and Sarkar kay Qadmun mein translated by Sarah Kazmi.

Here I present a review of Jada-i-Rahmat, translated by Justice Munir Ahmad Mughal.

Introduction of translator:

Justice (Rtd) Dr. Munir Ahmed Mughal:

Justice (Rtd) Dr. Munir Ahmed Mughal is a former judge of the Lahore High Court. He was born on July 7, 1939, in the house of Haji Muhammad Ramzan, and he died on April 14, 2024. Munir Ahmed Mughal wrote numerous books and was a judge and advisor in various courts in Pakistan. Even today, he is a respected personality in legal, academic, and social circles. There are legal advisors. Many articles, speeches, conference papers, research papers, etc., of Dr. Munir Ahmed Mughal have been published in national and international journals, magazines, newspapers, etc., and a large number of his books have been published. As a translator, he translated Hafeez Taib’s book Kuliyat-e-Hafeez Taib and Sabih Rahmani’s book Jada-i-Rahmat into English.

Articles have been written in this book by Ssyed Abu-Khayr Kashfi, Asi Karnali, Hafiz Taib, Tabish Dehlavi, Mahshar Badayuni, Hafiz Ludhanwi, Hanif A’adi, Dr. Riaz Majid, Sehr Ansari, Shabnam Rumani, Jazib Qurashi, and Syed Rafi Uddin Ashfaq. These are famous Urdu poets in Pakistan. Jada-i-Rahmat contains 272 pages and was published by the Naat Research Centre, Karachi.

 There are some things in life that appear to be unthinkable when we try to think of them. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) is also one of such things, or rather the only thing. He is the one which is a miracle in the creation by Allah. He surely and undoubtedly is the only faultless person in this world. He is the one to whom the whole world appears to be indebted. He is the one and the only one whose praise seems to be a never-ending thing. He is the one who has all the qualities of the world. He is the one whose praise has been carried out in a new way by all the people.

Jada-i-Rahmat:                        

The book “Jada-i-Rahmat” came to hand and I began to think of many things like that. The book appears to be a constellation of stars of different ideas. It is a bouquet of fresh and matchless flowers. It is a dress of beautiful colours in which many colours have been used together in a way they show of perfection of each other. It appears to be a garden full of flower-beds in which many flowers of different colours of the world. It is a garden which is full of attractive and sweet fruit. It is a dish which looks beautiful and tastes tastier. It is a beautiful and glowing moon and what not. It is a collection of novel ideas. It is a beautiful bride of wedding day. It is a rainbow of every colour. It is a beautifully decorated building which is beautiful from outside and more beautiful from inside. It is the most inspiring thought by a person. It is the endless series of splendid scenes. It is something desired of and longed for. It is a literary masterpiece of someone who is expert in his work.

 From the very beginning, when the poet writes the hymn with repeatedly declaring “Allah is Great, Allah is Great,” there seems to be a magical effect of the poem, and one appears to be whirled away in the magical moments. Whether he has seen Ka’ba or not, he feels himself walking in Harem and talking about the splendor and prestige of the Creator of the world. It is a spiritual journey that takes a person to some unknown roads that lead a person to an unknown destination and every destination is a new journey toward a new and unimaginable height, and it does so to everyone, every time we listen or read it. For example, a man feels totally forgotten somewhere and oblivious of all other things in the world except the one being talked of when he says in this Hamd,

The splendor of Ka’bah, the scene of Ka’bah

Allah is Great, Allah is Great

If I see, I go one seeing

Allah is Great, Allah is Great.

Some time I see myself with wonder

And some time I see he sacred precinct

Where have I been brought by my destiny

Allah is Great, Allah is Great.(p.66-67)

For a lover the highest point of life is to be between the feet of his beloved. It is the level where one finds so much satisfaction and felicity that can be found neither in the seventh heaven, nor in Paradise. For a worldly person, it is the lowest point for a person, but for a lover, it is the zenith of his life. It is the thing that is the most desired of. It cannot be understood by a person who has never experienced love in life. It can only be comprehended by a person who is having worldly mindset. It can only be conceived by the one who is submerged in love and not the ordinary love, but the spiritual one that takes one close to Allah. It is the thing that can simply be called frenzy, foolishness and many things like that, but for the lover it is the thing that is highly paid before Allah. It is the thing that is surely a part of one’s faith. These are things which are abandoned by the people of the current age. It is the thing that is life giving. It can add all sorts of joys to life. These are the things that make a person successful in both the worlds. These are the things which take people away from the material world. These are the things that take you close to Allah. The poet has very artistically opened his heart to us, when he says:

On the horizon of the mind, the moon, spreading light over the world, is shining,

The cloud of generosity is showering on my soul;

Sabih, I am devoted for the praise of the Leader of the Faith (PBUH)

It is a matter of great pleasure that the pen is stepping on the path of mercy.(p.81)

The writer knows that he is the one who has a deep and pure association with someone. He is the only one in the world who is second to none. He is the one who doesn’t need anyone to help him in one way or the other. He is the one who can do everything in the world. The word “impossible” is meaningless for him, because He is the omnipotent. He is the one who can never be understood by anyone. He is the one who only orders, “Be” and the thing happens. He doesn’t need any sort of rest. He neither experiences any sort of snooze or sleep. He can turn everything in the world into something else. The poet knows that there is none to be worshipped except Allah, nor are there any other gods in the world.The poet has talked about him very dexterously, but even then his way of expressing the idea is so simple that it can be understood by anyone in the world. His selection of words is also worthy of being praised. It is his dealing with the idea that he makes it settle well in the heart of the reader or the listener. He is the quality of making his pieces of poetry so much appealing that the others cannot help praising him. He has praised Allah well and has expressed it so well that the reader feels more or less the same as has been done by the poet. It is the success of the poet that he makes his way direct to the hearts of the people and stays there well because of the expression he has made in his poetry. He has expressed his love for Allah and has also conveyed the same to others that they should also have love for Allah so that they may improve their lives in a far better way and spend them in a befitting manner. He has brought forward the ideas so nicely that he has won many hearts. He is the one who, I daresay, has the quality not to reach your heart but to your soul if he likes to do that. For instance, here are some lines from his book which bespeak themselves;

After to eternity;

Point to enternity;

All powers are available to Him;

All honour and esteem are for Him;

He, the One and Only Owner;

All things belong to Him,

It is He Who is the Lord. (p.84-85)

He is well aware of the fact that he can do nothing without Allah’s blessing. This is why, he is talking to Allah so that He may bless him with His guidance and he may be able to versify in a far better way. He knows that it is a gigantic task to say something in the praise of Allah or the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It is approximately impossible for a person to do it in a befitting way. The rank of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the highest in the world. We know that Allah has countless attributes and He can never be praised wholly and there is only a praise that may be called an unfulfilled attempt. This is why, the poet is afraid that he will not be able to do it in a good way. This is why, he prays to Allah to enable him to do it in a better way. It is the highest target in the world that is attempted by countless people in the world. There is no one in the world that can perform it in a perfect way. The poet himself admits it that he is attempting the most difficult task in the world and for the same he prays to Allah Almighty that He may enable him to meet the target in a better way. He is aware that because of the humility and humbleness he will be able to have an eye by Allah. It is the same because of which he will be able to have respect in the world for versifying for Allah. He knows that all the blessings can be obtained only by getting close to Allah. Whatever he has, it is because of the bounties from Allah and He must be praised so that one may get closer to Allah. He also knows that there is no one in the world who can keep his faith safe, except Allah Almighty. He knows that he feels exhaust and suffocation in the atmosphere where there is disbelief and heathenism. He wants to keep himself away from all such like things. He presents himself as a sinful person, who doesn’t have any good deed for which he may claim forgiveness. This is why, he brings forth an idea that he should write a poem in praise of Allah so that he may be forgiven and may be blessed with a close association with Allah. For the same he also prays to Him.

Give courage and shower blessing;

Thy praise is very difficult, make it easy. (p.86)

 It is impossible to breathe in the atmosphere polluted by infidelity

Once again bless with faith this gone astray soul (p.87)

O Sabih! From the canopy of night this voice is coming out:

Write praise of God and thereby make some provision for your forgiveness. (p.88)

He further says that he is not the only person in the world who is praising Allah. There are countless creatures in the world which do the same. Everything in the world is feeling blessed for doing the same. The world is having all this hustle and bustle just because of this. He is the life of this universe. Because of Him, the world is on its way. It is because of Him that the people consider themselves alive. It is because of Him that the people in the world have every blessing. He knows that he is also a humble person who is of no worth before Allah. He knows that his respect in the world is due to Allah. He is aware of the fact, that he cannot even take a step in his life without Him. He says that everything in the world is because of Allah. There is the conversion of day into night, seasons, weather, sky, earth due to the greatness and power of Allah. He is thankful to Allah that He has blessed him with the inner light because of which he is able to see beyond sight. It is the insight that he has been blessed with which helps him do everything in a nice manner. It is because of all this that he is able to present before others what he thinks and feels. The poet has very beautifully presented it before us in another poem in the praise of Almighty Allah. He knows that it is because of the closeness to Allah Almighty that he is kept away from sorrows and sufferings. It is because of His love that he is considered prestigious and worthy in the world. It is because of all this that he is something in relation to “Everything (Allah)”. Because of all this, he is not only living in the world, but is also living happily. He has presented it in hymn;

Only your praise is being sung by

The thinking earth and the speaking water;

O my Lord (Allah), You alone are the mirror of eternity

Am I the wonder of eternity (p.89)

By the songs of Thy praise is echoing,

The tomb of my soul is luminous (p.90)

Is longing for the grant of forgiveness from thee

Sabih Rehmani, Your humble servant (p.91)

Whenever a person remembers His Lord Who has blessed him with everything, he also remembers the one who is the loveliest and the closest to Allah. He is the most beautiful creature of Allah. He is the one for whom Allah Almighty has made the world. He is the one because of whom the world is blessed with countless things. It is a matter of great honour that we are also human beings and Allah has created the Holy Prophet (PBUH) among the human beings. It becomes a matter of great pleasure for us that we are having a relationship with him and even that remotest relationship increases our worth in this world. The whole world is having desire to see him or to see his doorstep at least or the place where he is sleeping eternally. It is because of this desire that thousands of angels alight from the high heaven and visit his beautiful and luminous grave and stay there for a long time and then go back to their homes in the sky. We are among those lucky persons in the world who are having a chance to go there many times in the world. Because the angels, who once go there, will never again get a chance to go there, so large there number is. The poet is also one of his lovers. He knows that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is a great lover of knowledge and learning. It is because of this that he declared, “No doubt, I have been sent to the world as a teacher.” It is because of this that the poet is also having an idea that he must also go there and address him as “the city of knowledge. He admits through his n’ats that he is a thirsty seeker of knowledge and humble beggar who is there to demand the alms of knowledge at the door of the Prophet (PBUH). The poet says,

O the City of Knowledge! I am present in your Court,

I have brought a longing altogether different from others,

Be kind enough to bless me with the grant of effectiveness,

For which I have brought a bowl made of word and voice.(p.94)

He has explained it in only four lines, and it is worthy of praise and mind-blowing. After reading, you can also feel the poet’s emotions associated.

Love is the purest feeling in the world. It is the most pacifying passion for a person. It is a two-way traffic road. It is pleasing for both the persons. It is a thing that makes you forget yours sorrows and sufferings. It is something that can make the whole world like a paradise. It is love because of a person may discard many bad things. It is because of love that a person feels light in his inner self or in his heart that makes many things in the world clear to him. It is because of love that a person considers himself the lowly and harmless. It is love that makes you understand many complexities of the world. For a lover the most beautiful thing in the world is his beloved. This passion becomes more beautiful when it comes to the love of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Love of Prophet (PBUH) is completes our faith. It is the thing without which a person cannot be considered a true believer of Islam. It is light that makes him luminous. It is the thing because of which he is able to see many things clearer than before. The poet feels his inner self brighter with the light of love and devotion to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Being a lover of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) he proclaims that there is no one in the world who is more beautiful than his beloved Holy Prophet (PBUH). He without any fear or doubt declares that there is not a single person in the world who can even be said like him. It can be taken in another sense. It is not only beauty in which his beloved Prophet (PBUH) cannot be compared to anyone else in the world. It is also moral, character, positive traits, love, respect, trust, truthfulness and what not in which he is matchless in the world. It is not an exaggeration that Allah created none like him. He is the only one who is the love of all the loves. He is the life of the whole life. He is the best of all the best ones. He is superior to the whole creation. It is because of him that man has become the crown of creation. It is because of him that man is on a high rank in the world. It is because of him that we are having many things which make our lives easy. It is because of him that the world is worthy to live in. He is the person who is without not comparable to any other great person in the world, because he is the greatest. He is a practical example of all the good deeds and traits. Other famous people in the world have one or two traits in them, but all the great things to be seen in one great or rather the greatest person, you have to look at the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He is the person of whom even the Creator is proud as a painter is proud of his painting or his masterpiece. The poet has so beautifully discussed this topic in his naat that it seems as if the whole article will assume the absorbed in it. He says,

The like of the Chosen one, the messenger of Allah,

Never was there, nor is there, and nor will be there.

Such rank for any one beside him

Never was there, nor is there, and nor will be there.

After creating him became much pleased

The hand of power itself

Any masterpiece like this

Never was there, nor is there, and nor will be there.

There was a call made by a conjecture;

Is there anyone like him?

Then the certitude raised voice

Never was there, nor is there, and nor will be there. (p.96)

On the day of Resurrection, of his mercy

I am a seeker

Any claim on the basis of any (of my good) action

Never was there, nor is there, and nor will be there. (p.98)

There is nothing in the world that remains on the same position all the time. It always goes on increasing or decreasing. Even it is the same with the faith of a person. It doesn’t remains at the same level every time. Same is the case with feelings associated with love. When a person hears someone talking about his beloved person, he gets excited and emotional. In such a condition sometimes the lover’s face is burning with the passion of love. Sometimes, his eyes become wet and he starts crying. Sometimes he is so emotional that he starts dancing out of the ecstasy or the felicity that is the most important and the most precious thing in the world. Same is the case with the poet. He tells his experience when he visited the city of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He tells that it was something elevating for him regarding spiritualism. It is something that made his soul lit with the light of faith and love. It is something that made him cry silently or slightly. It is the position where he could not control his tears at all. It is a time where he forgot every other thing in the world, but remembered only one thing in the world and that is his beloved Holy Prophet (PBUH). Moreover he tells that the poet himself is not the one who has benefited from the greatest person in the world. There are countless people in the world who did not know how to speak well, but when they came in contact with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) they learnt it well and made a lot of progress in the world on the basis of the morals they learnt from him. There were many brutal tribes who did not even know the meanings of love. He went to them and told them how to love themselves, others and all the things in the world and with the passage of time they forgot all types of age old animosities and enmities and became friends or rather brothers of one another. It is the only charismatic personality in the world that could do this and that is our Holy Prophet (PBUH). The poet is really very nicely written all this:

From the heart the worry of the provision of journey vanished slowly and slowly

I proceeded in my thought towards the Sacred Town, slowly and slowly

In Madina Munawwara respect does not allow the tongue to move to utter any word

However the eyes filled with tears [speak of the inner state of affairs of deep love of  an Ummati with the messenger of Allah (PBUH) (in the forms of shedding drops of tears)] slowly and slowly

He sent down the rainbow of emanations to the town of the soul

 As there is dawn, at the break of night, slowly and slowly

It is he, the Messenger of Allah, who taught manners to the wild tribes

The effect of centuries old revenge vanished slowly and slowly

O Sabih! the praise of him [i.e. the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)] by you is like a boat of snow

Proceeding on journey towards the sun, slowly and slowly (p.102-103)

The poet knows that he is not praising an ordinary person in the world. So, it is not an ordinary task. It is not an ordinary task. Some Persian poet said in a couple of naat to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that even if he washes his mouth a thousand times with the sacred water and with rose water, even uttering the name of the Holy Prophet is a great disrespect, so high, great, elevated, raised, respected and revered is the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Same are the feelings of the poet. He also imagines that there should be a pen of beautiful scent and with that pen I should write the luminous words of naat on my heart. If there is the mentioning of the greatest personalities in the world, the things in use to do the same should also be the most beautiful and worthy to be used for that task. If the name is the most precious, the things to write it should also be of greatest value. When he feels helpless in it, he requests Allah to make him able to write something that is worthy to be associated to the one who was so good, so great, so nice, so helping, so caring, so beautiful, so respected, so sweet, so loveable, so blessed, so reverend that even his enemies bore witness to all this. The poet thinks that he is the only one who has so high rank that others cannot even get close to it. He is the one who is the richest and the most bounteous person in the world. He is also seeking help from Allah to be able to write down each and every moment of his life so that the people in the world may be able to know how great the personality was that every moment of his life is precious enough and worth mentioning to others that a poet tried to bring it to the people in the world. The experience one does during all this cannot be even described in words; rather it can be done or felt by a person while he himself is going through these beautiful and appealing lines:

          (Let it be so that my) Pen be of fragrance, and

          With it I may write light on (my) heart

          O my Lord! Grant me divine help

          So that I may (be able) to write the praise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)

          I may mould into dress of letters

          I may mould into a dress of letters his excellent conduct.

According to the poet,

Should I write him the most trustworthy personality in the universe and should I write him the place of all security for all persons in the universe

Should I write him the most affluent personality in the universe and should I write him the most generous of all persons in the universe

To the thoughtful moments of Hira

Having written as for live hours

To the conversation of Mount Safa [where the people of Quraish were called by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and he asked them

Should I describe as a fall of awareness

It is my deep sincere urge that it be

The great name of your Excellency

The last word that which I speak

The last word that I should write. (p.107-108)

Sometimes a person feels like a child. He thinks of describing everything to others. There are many desires in his heart that he wants to share with others. When he doesn’t find anyone ready to listen to his foolish (in the eyes of others) things, he begins to share them with Allah, or he imagines someone closer to him and considering the person there, begins to talk to him, to open his heart to him. Same is the case with the poet. First of all he talks to the prophet and expresses his fear to him that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is so elevated person that he may not be able to versify in his praise as is according to his rank. In this case he feels that he is doing a sort of disrespect attempting the thing that he cannot perform well in. He admits that he is quite unable to do it in a befitting manner. He is requesting the Prophet (PBUH) that he should be blessed with the light that would convert his night into day. It should be a light that keep the darkness of problems and tensions away from him. He should be allowed the flight of imagination with which he can see beyond sight. He should be totally changed. He should be converted in such a way that he may be recognized as a true lover and slave of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He should be kept on the way of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).He also requests that he doesn’t request everything for himself. He also sees that there is hatred, bloodshed, quarrels and many things like that in his country. So, the country should also be converted into a peaceful place. There should also be the people who are his lover so that such like things should be taken out of the country. There should be only love and especially love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It is the deepest desire of a lover that he should also be called or recognized by the name of his beloved. On seeing him, the people should praise the one he loves. For the same, the people struggle. It is because of all this that the poet has got motivation to write:

O my Prophet (PBUH)! What is my worth to write your sacred praise?

 O my Prophet (PBUH)! Neither I possess any awareness the temperament of letter nor I am a sweet speaker,

O my Holy Prophet (PBUH)! Dye me in your colour and bless my heart with your urge, grant me such a taste of burning soul which is unending.

O my Holy Prophet (PBUH)! At places there are hatreds, at places there are grievances and at places there rains of dust and blood. There has arisen a flame of strange colour in my period. (p.112-113)

The poet is expresses his thought further that, no doubt, there are many other prophets (A.S) sent by Allah to the world, but there hasn’t been anyone among them whose rank is as high as is that of our Holy Prophet (PBUH) from the beginning of series of Nabuwat to its end. There hasn’t been anyone among who has been elevated so high. He is not only the highest personality in the world among human beings, but also the most elevated one among the prophets. He is the only for whom Allah has so much love that the people of his Ummah have been bestowed on countless blessings by Allah Almighty. Next the poet has raised such a sensitive point so beautifully that it gives food for thought to many a people in the world. He says that whatever problem we are facing in the world, it does have its solution. The solution is neither so difficult, nor far away from us. It is quite at hand and so easy. We only have to follow the life of our Holy Prophet (PBUH). We only have to study it well, and we shall get the way out of all our tensions, worries, problems, difficulties etc. Prophet (PBUH) has given us the way to get the greatest treasure of the world and that is the treasure of pleasure. We can lead such a happy and pleasurable life that the people would surely quote its examples, but we are racing somewhere else. We are moving on a path that leads us away from all this. The path quite wrong, we all know, but even then we are assuming it and walking at it with false hopes that we shall reach our destination one day. He himself has further described the same thing that he has followed the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and now there is only one season in his life and that is the season of pleasure and happiness, so beautifully the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has totally transformed the atmosphere of the world. We only have to claim his love and try to assume his life to the maximum possible level and we shall be having nothing other than love, happiness, peace, pleasure, satisfaction, contentment and gratefulness of Allah. See how beautifully he has expressed all his thoughts:

All the prophets and messengers of Allah (May peace and blessings of Allah be on all of them) were high ranking

From the first to the Last

But there was none like that of the Chief (PBUH)

From the first to the Last

Solutions of all problems will come out

Deeply think over the sacred life of the Chosen one, the Messenger of Allah

From the first to the Last

 (It was he whose arrival in the world) caused the descending

Of all the seasons of happiness

(And) changed the (whole) atmosphere of the city of (this) life (from the worst to the most conducive for high morals and human values)

From the first to the Last

My art has been given

(A drop of) charity from Taybah (The sacred city of the messenger of Allah (PBUH))

My poetical compositions collection is all his grant

From the first to the Last (p.119)

As the poet is advancing in writing n’at of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), he seems to be advancing in his concept and thought. He himself is bringing something positive and better every time. He is bringing forth new ideas every time. He is thinking of presenting something new and improved every time, and for this he is trying hard so that there may be everything right and correct and there may not be any involvement of any false or self-forged thing. He is aware of the fact that Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the only person who was raised so high that Allah took him alive to the height of the heavens. He showed him many parts of the world, skies, Heaven, Hell. Allah even blessed him with Allah’s own sight that is the greatest thing bestowed on him. Even there was a time when the distance between them lessened so much that they were at a distance of two ends of a bow. This is the thing that even on thinking of it a person feels so pleased and emotional that it cannot be described in words. Moreover, so much was blessed to him in mere a night. He is so high, great, blessed and mounted that all this was kept for him by Allah Almighty for millions of years and perhaps he himself had waited for such a large stretch of time when he himself would create his beloved or send him to the world and then would call him to the zenith of the world and of his life as well. The poet further tells that he has even seen Paradise through his inner sight. It is a very pleasing scene and even there he saw the light of the sacred shrine of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It is his insight and imagination that he is using to present something innovative every time and seems very pleased to do that. Let’s see how he has conveyed his idea to us:

          In the destination of nearness to Allah

          Uptil where he (PBUH) reached

          Where distances reduced

          To the extent of two bows only (p.120)

          Light of the Green Tomb was found in Paradise

          O the sacred city (Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah)

          How far did reach your lights (122)

          Everyone is aware of the fact that a lover considers closeness to his beloved his life. When he is away from his love, he is unable to have peace and calmness anywhere in the world. He wants to get there where his beloved is, or where he is in eternal sleep. He considers that place the most sacred and the holiest in the world. All the cures to his ailments are found there. Same is the case with the poet. He seems to be having a hope to get a chance to reach the shrine of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). This is why, he is feeling so much happy that he is telling everyone that in short period of time he will be having the holiest and the most wanted spectacle in the world. He is going to visit the place which is a center of lights. He can have the peace of heart, mind and soul there. He is the person who disclosed many secrets of insights to the people of the world. He told many things of which the people had only heard before him. He is the person who, having witnessed Allah himself, could tell the people about him. He was the eye-witness of what was happening in the skies, Heaven and Hell. He unveiled many things which were not even in front of him. He unearthed many things about which the people were so confused and so perplexed. He is the only one who was not apparently an educated person, but all the educated persons of the world bowed their heads before him as Allah had blessed him with the spiritual knowledge and learning. The disclosing of age-old secret is something special to the Rasool of Allah (PBUH). The poet has very beautifully presented the idea to us in his naat;

          The period of wandering from door to door is about to come to an end

          Soon, I will see the season of the City of the Holy Prophet

          He disclosed to us the state of the Throne on the Earth

          On his arrival the season of lack of knowledge disappeared

          You came and told the hidden indications of insight

          From you all got the season of good vision

          By the grace of the link with him the tree of prayers became green

Otherwise the situation had reached to the extent that the fruitless season was not taking a turn (p.126)

          The poet is further telling that he is in so much love with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that he cannot help praising him in his poetry. He wants to bring his name in his poetry in one way or the other. He wants to write all the pieces of his poetry with his name. He says that he is such a mirror who offers the sight of the Creator. He may mean that he is so perfectly created that the people spontaneously remember his creator every time they see him. He is the one on whose sight the people cannot help praising the hand that created him. He is the one who made the people believe that there is someone who has created this world and He is managing this world with utmost mastery and skill. He is the greatest sign and sight of the Creator of the world. He is so great a personality that even his rivals cannot help praising him. He is a living example of all the good in the world in one person. He is the personification of good deeds. He is the one for whom Allah himself has declared that the one who doesn’t love, has no relation with me. I have nothing to do with him. It is clear that Allah has no mercy for the person who doesn’t have love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It is so sensitive a thing that we can clearly see that the faith of a person is useless without love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It is the most crucial level of faith of a person where he has to abandon everything for him. Without it he cannot claim that he has some association with the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It can be clearly declared the soul or the core of the faith. The poet has very skillfully presented these topics before us:

          To write the attribute of the most luminous Excellency

          It is the requirement of my inner self

          He (PBUH) is such a mirror of beauty

          In which there is the reflection of the mirror Maker

          Anyone who is not yours is not Our

           This is the declaration of the Great Lord

          There has reached even upon the tongues of the enemies

          The mention of his most pure moral

          Where grant is given before asking for it

          I am a beggar at the gate of generosity

          O Sabih! Who is the like of him?

          To imagine of an equal is impossible.( p.128-129)

The poet is further describing in the praise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that the earth was like a desert before the Holy Prophet (PBUH) came to it. It was a barren land and nothing else. It appeared to be a place that had never had the season of spring. It could be thought of as a place where there was eternal autumn. With the advent of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) the earth and the world appeared to be having the look of an oasis or a garden where spring is in full swing. The poet knows that Allah has made him the treasure of light for insight. He is the one to whom the people turn when they want light for their insight. Same is the case with the poet. He tells that whenever he is in dire need of the inner light he has been blessed by Allah from that treasure which is the greatest blessing of Allah. He is so great a personality that there was a time when a big disbeliever Abu Jehl came to him and demanded his truthfulness. He had something in his hand. He asked him to tell what was there in his hand to testify his truthfulness. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) asked him whether he should tell what was there in his hand or the thing in his fist should testify who he (PBUH) was. At this, Allah made the pebbles speak and they testify the truthfulness of our beloved Prophet (PBUH). You can read about this situation in this stanza of naat.

          The earth was blessed with greatness and the essence of the sun brightened

          How he arrived that the fortune of the life became apparent

          Whenever I called him apprehending darkness

          There woke up an ocean of light inside my body and soul

          Whenever his truthfulness demanded testimony

          Each pebble spoke within the close palm of Abu Jehl. (p.131-132)

 The fact is that every attempt to the praise of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is surely incomplete. He is the noblest, the greatest, the highest, the most beautiful, the most loveable and the most loved person in the world. Allah has created him with so much mastery that we cannot praise him fully. We do not even understand his personality. We do not recognize him fully. We only have that much understanding of his personality as our mental level and our wisdom allows us to do. We cannot go further and that much may not suffice us to understand him. It is his love that enables and ennobles us in the world. The poet has tried his level best to describe the personality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It has been a great attempt. He has been successful to a great extent. He has tried to tell the people the greatness and the mastery associated to the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He has experienced the elevation of his inner self. He has admitted that with writing n’ats of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) he has got a sea of light in his inner self. He has been blessed with a lot due to it. He has got an insight and a better understanding of the things around him in a far better way. He has become a better person every time. He has not only made progress in himself but also in his art. It is clear that Allah himself is also very touchy regarding this matter. He knows that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is not an ordinary person. The praise to him should also not be ordinary. This is why, He Himself blesses the praising persons the light, insight, understanding, ideas and way to deal with them so that they are able to do it in a far better and befitting manner and may be able to describe the personality of His love in a different, nice and better way. This is why, we are having very good people who write n’ats for my beloved Holy Prophet (PBUH) or rather the most blessed and the Holiest Prophet (PBUH) in the world or in the universe. Looking for someone, who is equal to him in rank, position and greatness, is quite useless. Such attempt is a wild goose chase. When the Creator himself has told that He hasn’t created any other person in the world who is like him, who we are to do so. Any attempt of doing anything like this is a long way out and waste of labour. He was, he is and he will be the greatest personality in the world. There can never be anyone who is like him (PBUH).The poets will keep on praising him till the Doomsday. This is the greatness of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). In human beings, considering someone equal to him, I daresay, is the greatest sin at least for a believer of him, and for everyone, if he is just.

Conclusion:

“Jada-e-Rahmat” has been translated with the excellent contribution of Justice Munir Ahmed Mughal. He has done the translation very well and easily. This work, while retaining the beauty and essence of the original Urdu text, brings the spiritual depth and lyrical devotion of the naat to a wider audience. Justice Mughal’s translation shows not only his deep devotion to the subject but also his mastery of the language. Therefore, Justice Munir Ahmad Mughal rendered Jada e Rehmat into accessible English for universal comprehension.

The book “Jada Rahmat” acts as a bridge between the two languages and promotes a deeper understanding of Islamic spirituality. It is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to explore the new topics naat and express their deep devotion to the Prophet Muhammad. Justice Munir Ahmed Mughal’s work will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the hearts of his readers. The book “Jada Rahmat” acts as a bridge between the two languages and promotes a deeper understanding of Islamic spirituality. It is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to explore the topic of naat and express their deep devotion to the Prophet Muhammad. Justice Munir Ahmed Mughal’s work will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the hearts of his readers. The translation of such a type of book is a rare gift for both Urdu and English language readers.

Finally, I pray that Allah, the Almighty, may have mercy on Justice Munir Ahamd Mughal and grant him high rank in juannah. Ameen.

Reference :

Sabih Rehmani,(2009), Jada-i-Rahmat ,(Justice ® Dr. Munir Ahmad Mughal.Tans.),Naat Research Centre,Karachi.