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Saturday, May 14, 2011

Wasif Ali Wasif; a Famous Sufi Urdu Writer and Poet

Wasif Ali Wasif (15 January 1929 – 18 January 1993) was a teacher, writer, poet and sufi from Pakistan. He was famous for his unique literary style. He used to write short pieces of prose on topics like love, life, fortune, fear, hope, expectation, promise, prayer, happiness, sorrow and so on. He was the regular columnist of Pakistan Urdu Newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt. In his life most of his columns were combined to form books with his own selected title. He did poetry in Urdu and Punjabi languages. Probably no contemporary Urdu writer is more cited in quotations than he is. Later years he used to answer questions in specially arranged gatherings at Lahore attended by the notable community. Some of these sessions were recorded in audio and were later published as Guftgoo (talk) series. His mehfils never had a set subject nor did he lecture on chosen topics. His way was to ask people if they had questions and then he responded to these in his highly original style. He has left behind over 35 books to his credit and his thought was more on mysticism, spirituality and humanity.
Wasif Ali Wasif was born in 15 January, 1929 at District Khushab. His father Malik Muhammed Arif was a teacher. He received his religious education under the supervision of his father. He got primary education in a local school in Khushab. He passed Matriculation examination from Govt. High School Khushab in 1944. His maternal grandfather, a skilled educationist, was appointed as Headmaster at a Govt. school in Jang. Therefore, he was sent to his maternal. He did F.Sc from Govt. Inter college Jhang and graduation from Govt. Degree college Jhang. He was a hardworking student who passed every examination by obtaining first division. Then he moved to Lahore; here he obtained MSC in Mathematics from Government Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore and Masters in English from Government College, Lahore.
asif Ali Wasif died on January 18, 1993. Being famous for Sufism and respected by many people, he is usually referred to as Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif. His shrine is located in Lahore at 25 Bahawalpur Road, near Chawk Chuburjee. His Urs (Religious Festival) is celebrated every year from 22nd to 24th of the month of Rajab.

Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif did his master in mathematics. At first he taught in some private institutions for sometime, but then he founded Lahore College for English later 'Lahore English college' in 1958. In a short span of time his fame as a very able, benign, competent and dutiful teacher spread around. It was due to ever increasing number of students he started teaching students in two shifts.
Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif was so much given to silence. He spent most part of the day in this tranquillity, but when he spoke there was nothing that was not quotable. His written and spoken words are quotable for their content as well as their construction. Master of aphorism, he has almost a miraculous ability to capture a rainbow of meaning in a few dewdrops of well chosen words. Of this it were writings in newspaper that secured him a permanent place in the gallery of stylist prose writers. Though his main claim to fame is his writings, a select circle knows that he was an equally great a conversationalist. Ashfaq Ahmed, the conversationalist par excellence of our time has said, “The sentences we concoct are our piece of craft, Wasif’s lines came from somewhere else.” Hanif Ramay is of the view that “Wasif’s prose influences like the poetry of Iqbal.” Few original thinkers have expressed so lofty thoughts in so simple a style. He is as such a common man’s philosopher.
Hazrat Wasif Ali Wasif was indeed a dervesh and sufi and in the final part of his life acted as a murshid to many.He was a person in possession of great knowledge and wisdom. He considered himself as a continuation of the great Sufi tradition, imparting useful knowledge, strong faith, hope and love to the ailing hearts. Qudratullah Shahab, Ashfaq Ahmed and Hanif Ramay attended lectures of Wasif Ali Wasif. 

It was in the last writing of Qudratullah Shahab which appeared in the Urdu Newspaper Daily Jang describing that if a person reaches a crossroads of his life, he can find a right path through Wasif Ali Wasif.




8 comments:

  1. WASIF AND HIS WORK

    Wasif has written four books, namely, Kiran Kiran Suraj and Dil Darya Samundar and Qatra Qatra Qulzam and Harf Harf Haqiqat. In these books He has given writings in which may be found the remedies for the maladies of the present-day mankind as are given above. These marvelous works which Wasif has written with the blood of his heart and with supernatural skill are specially suited to the mankind of this modern age, and are effective, and may well be included in the list of the great books of Islamic mysticism written by great Islamic sages of the past ages. Wasif will gradually rise as a great benefactor of humanity.
    (Allama Muhammad Yousuf Gabriel)
    www.oqasa.org
    www.awans.com.pk

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  2. Great man of pakistani history the people belonging from any religion can get a lot of solution of their problems

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  3. Wasif Ali Wasif is A great Writer. I have collected so many Books Of Wasif Ali Wasif which include Dil Darya Samundar, Qatra Qatra Qulzam, Harf Harf Haqeeqat, Kiran Kiran Soraj. All of his books are great.

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  4. THIS UNBEARABLE LIFE

    By Allama Muhammad Yousauf Gabriel
    SIR

    This earth no doubt never was meant to be an abode of unmixed bliss, or complete joy, no matter what the system, what the civilization, what the religion. This earth is a house for man's trial, and is thus the house of sufferings and afflictions. But far grievous is the state of mankind in the Baconian age. People caught up in the universal economico-industrial set-up, and being broiled in the Baconian furnace, still the victims of misunderstandings, consider this age as a great age of great possibilities, not realizing the loss of both the worlds. Their misunderstandings, however, will sooner or later be cleared, for the temperatures of Baconian furnace are fast increasing and will ultimately become unbearable. The hazards of Atomic annihilation through the atomic bombs and the atomic radiations are the trumpets of the consequential unpopularity of this Baconian culture and this Baconian progress. If, however, this Baconian system continues for long, then surely, this human race which still shows some humanitarian characteristics will, due to the dwindling resources and intensifying appetite, assume cannibalistic characteristics falling on each other to appease hunger, and tearing into bits, will devour up flesh, bone and all. Stronger individuals devouring up the weaker ones. The stranger nations devouring up the frailer ones, without a scruple and justifying their acts on this Baconian pretext or that. This is going to be the unfailing effect and the inevitable result of that philosophy which has given out the pursuit of natural philosophy for material gain as man's actual business, and moral philosophy as an impious continuation of the first transgression of Adam that of tasting the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
    Allama Muhammad Yousuf Gabriel
    Adara Afqar e Gabriel QA St. Nawababad Wah Cantt Distt Rawalpindi Pakistan
    www.oqasa.org
    yousuf_gabriel@yahoo.com
    www.awans.com.pk
    www.allamayousfu.net

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  5. About Allama Muhammad Yousuf Gabriel and his books The Miracles of the Quran printed by Amoeba international entitled Gabriel’s Extinguishing the Atomic Hell Series.
    At a time unparalleled in history, humanity faces a threat of universal nuclear doomsday with an end result of total annihilation of life on earth. Being an enthusiast for global peace, with an extensive research background, Yousuf Gabriel explores the root cause of the nuclear problem. Probing deep into the realms of theology, philosophy, atomism, nuclear science, literature, and history, amid a mist of mystification regarding universal nuclear dilemma, Gabriel has tried to resolve the issue in the light of the Scriptures. He is a philanthropist who warns humanity about nuclear hell and wants to shun the two-edged sword of nuclear energy, either for war or so-called peaceful purpose.
    Gabriel’s Extinguishing the Atomic Hell Series serves as the key to the future destiny of this now-doomed humankind. It is a case of dwindled religion and diminished faith versus science. It is based on a miraculous prophecy, rather a warning about nuclear hell given by the Quran more than fourteen centuries ago. The prophecy has described the characteristics of the age in which atomism was supposed to appear, as well as of the people who would become the victims of nuclear fire. It has also given the remedial measures and solutions to avoid this nuclear doomsday. The whole nuclear phenomena, with all its characteristic scientific features, is described in its entirety by this prophecy of the Holy Quran. The major focus of criticism is the philosophy of Francis Bacon, who preferred “natural philosophy” over “moral philosophy” for “man’s right of dominion over nature for the material utility.” Educate yourself about the dreadful outcome of adopting nuclear energy, whether for war or peaceful purposes. Learn how, after a prolonged use of nuclear energy, human and animal species may be converted to abhorrent monsters and chimeras. Enlighten yourself in the light of Scriptures how humanity can avoid this shameful and dreadful end.
    ________________________________________

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  6. About the Author
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND HIS MISSION
    Who knew other than the Providence that born in Awan tribe, in a small remote village Khabakki, Valley Soan Sakeser, Khushab (a tract which now forms part of Pakistan) on 17th February, 1917 by a strange coincidence with the day and the month of Noah’s deluge, and the year of Lenin’s Revolution, and the years of the world war-I; the author was destined to fight someday with the present-day fiery deluge of nuclear fire and prepare another Noah’s ark in human history to save humanity from deluge of atomic fire. 17th February, according to the Bible is the date of the eruption of Noah’s deluge though of water, against this present one of nuclear fire. Having Master of Arts (Islamic Studies) from Punjab University, Pakistan, he was a research scholar, philosopher, philanthropist, a linguist, a theologian, a mystic, an Orator, and Urdu poet.
    Throughout his life, the author saw certain visions of great authenticity in line with his mission that of saving this humankind from grievous nuclear doomsday. In the year 1942 in which Enrico Fermi succeeded in opening the gate of atomic fire on this humankind by his successful realization of Uranium fission-chain-reaction in Chicago, America; the author, in Mussayyib near Baghdad (Iraq), in a vision was recommended by the Green-turbaned saint ‘Al-Khidr’1 to Abraham for the Abrahamic Mission that of warning this world about the atomic hell, and exposing the actual reality of the nuclear problem, and teaching this world the methods of escaping the grievous atomic doom. He was in that vision shown extraordinary great signs of God. In the same era and in the same place he was shown the Crucifix in another vision.
    From 1942 to 1982, like a man prepossessed, author took to study and engaged himself in intellectual pursuit day in day out. He learned histories, languages and literatures, English, Arabic, Persian and Urdu; Philosophies, ancient and modern; Mathematics, its every branch, Arithmetic, Geometry and Algebra; Sciences to the nuclear science; Scriptures, the Quran and the Bible, the Old and the New Testament; year after year, indeed without a school and without a teacher, in circumstances which no Bunyan could have a heart to describe, and achieving that which no Freud could have a method to analyze. Till in 1961, he stumbled upon the discovery of the prophetic warning of the Quran about the atomic hell, and thereby he realized his theme, and set to the research in the subjects involved therein. In 1963, in a debate with renowned German scholar Annemarie Schimmel, his theme got the approval and had the stamp of genuineness and authenticity.
    In 1972, he set himself to writing till in 1982 he brought his work to its finish. Literature in English and Urdu ranging over six thousand pages he has produced. Other than books in Urdu prose and poetry, and one book “Gabriel’s Islamic Bomb” (English), hundreds of articles of the author have been published in newspapers in Pakistan in Urdu and English. “GABRIEL’S EXTINGUISHING THE ATOMIC HELL SERIES” comprises of the interpretation of the prophecy of the Quran about the atomic hell; a work regarding which author’s conceit was that not even Bacon, Darwin, and Einstein combined could easily have produced. However, remember that this work is based not on any claim or pretension of the author himself nor even it is based on the divine authority of the Quran; his work is based on science and logic which has to be the criterion.
    Author departed on January 05, 2006 without seeing the publication of his life-long ordeal to save this humanity from nuclear hell.
    KHALID MALIK
    www.oqasa.org

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