Naat Rang

By Shumaila Munib Shumail:
I received Naat Rang Magazine No. 32 from Sabih Rehmani Shahib. The distinguished scholarly journal Naat Rang dedicates itself to the scholarly study and promotion of Naat.

Naat is a genre of Islamic poetry that specifically praises the Prophet. The journal is distinguished for its comprehensive research on various aspects of Naat, from its historical development to its linguistic and thematic scope, which has gained considerable popularity in literary circles.

The journal covers a variety of topics, including the evolution of Naat in different regions, its stylistic features, and Islamic devotional practices. Each magazine usually contains critical essays, literary analysis, and sometimes annotated texts of classical and contemporary poetry. The continuous publication of such journals on criticism of Naat is commendable.

Sabih Rehmani’s role as editor of Naat Rang is his most prominent contribution in the field of Naat’s literature. Under his editorial guidance, “Naat Rang” has become an important journal devoted to the study and appreciation of Urdu Naat in the subcontinent. Sabih’s editorial approach shows scholarly grip and a deep commitment to the Naat tradition.

In this magazine preface, Sabih Rehmani encouraged the researchers, critics, and scholars promoting Naat’s literature to play a responsible role in the formation of cultural, social, and contemporary consciousness.
He emphasized the point that, in relation to Naat’s poets, scholars and the writers should take good measures as a group and collectively. The fame gained from cheap fame does not have a lasting effect. He also raised some important questions in this regard.

“The questions are,

*Should Naat’s critics remain silent about promoting the above negative behavior? 

* Can encouragement in such cases mean overlooking this situation? 

* Should the fear of unpopularity be considered a barrier to free criticism and reform? 1.”

Social media is being used by people of all walks of life for their purposes, which has made it easy for them to share their inventions, reports, presentations, reviews, and articles. Undoubtedly, they have been very successful in attracting people from all around the world.

Naat circles are also using social media to promote the literature of Naat. Here, poets and critics who have a serious concern about group work on social media are trying to reform and publicize Naat. So far, the matter is correct, but when we describe something in the name of Naat without research and reform in this type of media, it creates confusion.

So, it is very important to maintain the tradition of Naat; unless the researcher-critic understands this, he cannot succeed. In this regard, Sabih Rahmani writes in the preface.

“A section of poets and critics still believes in profound knowledge, thought, and rigor, but is being forced to compromise on standards for the sake of harmony with the current environment.” 2

Moreover, he says that,

“Now, as far as the matter of prose is concerned, I understand that every intelligent reader will agree that the purpose of expansion in prose is not the addition of unnecessary elements. If the goal of art is simply to shock, the expectation of intellectual depth will be in vain.3”

All the articles in the magazine are academically and intellectually very important. Which shows how deeply the creators and critics of Naat literature have a deep look at the ideas, thoughts, and concepts of their time and to what extent they adhere to their traditions while studying and evaluating contemporary Naat in this context. Therefore, the hard work of researchers, critics, and the editor is seen in this magazine.

Sabih Rehmani’s editorial is important and thoughtful, but he avoided writing references at the end of obituaries of poets. Even he should be aware that references make writing stronger, and without this, such a piece of writing is considered to be devoid of knowledge. These references serve as a bridge for scholars working on Naat who use them in their thesis work or article writing.

Every part of this magazine is commendable. This magazine consists of the following sections:

*Editorial & obituaries

* Critical essays,

* Thoughtful literary analysis-based essays,

*Chapter of Tamjeed (Poetry of Hamd),

*Ewan -E- Madhat (Poetry of Naat),

*Study of Naat (essays)

*Naat Namey (letters to the editor)

I appreciate all the writers who wrote on untouchable subjects. I hope this magazine will be useful for scholars, critics, and researchers working on sacred literature.

References:
1-Syed Sabih Rehmani, Naat Rang, Page no 7, Published Naat Research Centre Karachi.
2- Syed Sabih Rehmani, Naat Rang, Page no 8, Published Naat Research Centre Karachi.
3- Syed Sabih Rehmani, Naat Rang, Page no 8, Published Naat Research Centre Karachi.

Shumaila Munib Shumail