Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy

25th March 2008: As Vice Chairman of National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), New Delhi, Janab Shamsur Rahman Farooqi arranged for holding an annual extension lecture (Allama Shibli extension lecture) in Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy. Janab Farooqi Saheb delivered this year’s extension lecture on “Shibli Ki Farsi Ghazal”.

After ‘Maghrib’ prayer the program started with recitation of holy Quran by Maulana Kaleem Sifat Islahi. Maulana Umair-us-Siddique Nadwi, who conducted the proceedings, introduced the topic by describing Shibli’s poetry as being one out of four pillars of Persian poetry of 20th century. He quoted someone “If Shibli had devoted full attention to Persian poetry then it would have outshone all other famous Persian poets”. He mentioned Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali, who were all praise for Shibli’s Persian poetry.

Dr. A. Abdullah, who incidentally was on a home trip from USA, introduced Janab Shamsur Rahman Farooqi Saheb. He mentioned Farooqi Saheb’s education in Allahabad, his association with Shibli National College as English teacher and his stint in Civil Service as Post Master General. Dr. Abdullah said that though Farooqi was actively engaged in civil service but he was always associated with literary pursuit. He praised Farooqi Saheb for his constructive criticism and remarked that after Khalilur Rahman Azmi, Farooqi Saheb lead the tradition of progressive writing.

Shamsur Rahman Farooqi started the lecture with his childhood reminiscence when he used to come to the Academy (popularly known at that time as “Shibli Manzil”). He laid emphasis on the fact that Shibli was the youngest among Sir Syed’s associates but in spite of young age and short life span Shibli’s literary achievement has hardly any parallel in the whole world. Lot of injustice has been done to Shibli. While Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri pointed out errors in “Sher-ul-Ajam”, it was not mentioned that Shibli was the first to write biography of Maulana Rum. Though differences between Sir Syed and Shibli are highlighted but it has not been pointed out that in spite of Sir Syed’s opposition to the writing of “Al-Farooq” (“Tahzeebul Ekhlaq”), Shibli never complained about it. He lamented that Shibli’s Persian poetry was never tested on its merit and was wrongly associated with his acquaintance with an enlightened intellectual lady of the time Madam Atiya Faizi. He refuted Shaikh Mohammad Ikram’s claim in this regard and subtly highlighted delicacy of Shibli’s thought moulded into his Persian poetry. He narrated an incident when after listening to Shibli’s recitation (“Qaseeda”) recently arrived Irani Poet Taqiuddin Sanjar Tehrani has quietly left Aligarh. Farooqi Saheb specifically mentioned Shibli’s error free Persian poetry and compared it with error prone Persian poetry of Ghalib and other famous poets of that time.

Dr. Abrar Azmi in his presidential remarks said that this valuable lecture by Shamsur Rahman Farooqi may initiate critical assessment of not only Persian but Urdu poetry of Allama Shibli. He exhorted for a critical appraisal of Shibli’s work.

Professor Ishtiaq Zilli proposed vote of thanks and said that in the light of Farooqi Saheb’s lecture one should understand poetry as poetry without associating it with the personality of the poet. He quoted Azad who said that Persian poetry didn’t end at Ghalib but at Shibli.