Syed Waheed Ashraf

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Syed Waheed Ashraf

Syed Waheed Ashraf
Title Allama, Shaikhe Tariqat
Born (1933-02-04) 4 February 1933
Nationality Indian
Era contemporary
Region India
Main interest(s) Sufism
Notable work(s) Sufism, Urdu and Persian Quatrains (Rubai) & Naat, Persian and Urdu Literary Criticism, Islamic studies

Syed Waheed Ashraf[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] is an Indian Sufi, scholar and poet of Persian and Urdu languages. He obtained his B.A., M.A. and PhD (1965) from Aligarh Muslim University. The topic of his PhD dissertation was 'A critical edition of Lataife Ashrafi'. After serving in many universities (Punjabi University at Patiala, M.S. University of Baroda, University of Madras) in India, he retired as Head, Department of Arabic, Persian and Urdu, University of Madras, India, in 1993. Conversant with over half a dozen languages (Pahlavi, Persian, Arabic, Urdu, English, Hindi, Gujarati), he writes in Urdu, Persian and English[citation needed] and has authored/edited/compiled over 35 books and numerous research articles. He is a recipient of several awards and honours from within India and abroad.[17][18][19][20][21][22] He has focused on upholding and propagating the principles and practices of Sufism.

Biography

Parentage

Syed Waheed Ashraf traces his lineage to a family of 'Syeds' of Kachhauchha Sharif, a small town in the district of Ambedkar Nagar, east Uttar Pradesh, North India. He was born on 4 February 1933 in kichaucha sharieff and was his parents's third child. His father, Hazrat Syed Habeeb Ashraf worked as a librarian in the village's library. He did not complete his formal education at Firangi Mahal, a madrasa in Lucknow, where he was enrolled, due to the early demise of his father – whereupon the responsibility of earning livelihood for his family fell upon him and he had to return home.

Syed Habeeb Ashraf was an expert of Ilmul Jafar and Ilmul Ramal (Islamic geomancy). He posted a letter to his eldest son, Syed Amin Ashraf, stationed at Aligarh, six months before his death, in which he asked his son to be at home on a particular date (3 February 1972) for his burial. Syed Habeeb Ashraf was a devotee of his ancestor Hazrat Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani.

Syed Habeeb Ashraf was married to Syeda Saeeda, who was the daughter of a Unani doctor of the same village. Before her marriage she used to assist her father in the preparation of drugs in his dispensary and acquired knowledge of Unani medicine, particularly of diseases related to women and children. Village women came to her home for prescriptions. She also used to teach the reading of the Quran to children soon after the Fajr prayers at her home.

Siblings

The couple had four sons and three daughters. The two elder sons were named Syed Amin Ashraf and Syed Hameed Ashraf. The youngest son and their fifth child was named Syed Ashraf. Their three daughters were named Syeda Mahmooda, Syeda Masooda and Syeda Raheen. Syed Amin Ashraf took his PhD in English literature from Aligarh Muslim University and later taught at the same department. Amin Ashraf is regarded as one of the accomplished poets of Urdu ghazals of present times in the Indian subcontinent. He has to his credit three poetic anthologies — Jadae Shab, Bahare Ijaad and Qafase Rang — and a collection of his critical papers in a book named Bargo Bar. He has received[citation needed] awards from Ghalib Academy, New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy, Lucknow. Several critical essays on his poetry have been published. The second son Syed Hameed Ashraf, who died in a road accident in 1993, was a graduate in Shariah from Deoband and studied at Aligarh Muslim University earning B.A., M.A. and M.Phil degrees in Arabic literature from the university. He taught at many Islamic madrasas in India. Syed Waheed Ashraf learned Islamic theology from his elder brother Syed Hameed Ashraf only.

Education

Syed Waheed Ashraf received his primary education from the village madrasa and middle school education in 1948 from a school in Baskhari, a small town 3 km from kichauchha sharieff. After that he studied at Mohd. Hasan Inter College in Jaunpur District to earn his high school certificate. After high school, he stopped his studies for seven years due to poor health. He then took and passed his intermediate exam, becoming a private candidate from the arts stream. Waheed Ashraf earned his undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral degrees (1965) from Aligarh Muslim University. His doctoral dissertation was titled 'A critical edition of Lataife Ashrafi'.

Professional career

After doing his PhD he taught at Punjabi University at Patiala as a temporary lecturer for a year and again returned to Aligarh University as UGC seniour research fellow. In 1971 he got a permanent faculty position in the capacity of lecturer at M.S. University of Baroda, Gujarat. In 1977 he joined University of Madras as Reader in Persian. He became Professor in 1982 and retired as Head of the department of Arabic, Persian and Urdu, University of Madras in 1993.

Spiritual odyssey

Syed Waheed Ashraf had a passion for Sufi literature. After completing his formal education at Aligarh Muslim University, he took spiritual allegiance (baith) on the hands of Hazrat Syed Qadeer Ahmad Ashrafiul Jilani at kichaucha Sharif. The pir initiated him in the Ashrafiya order and made him his successor (khalifa), as before taking oath Waheed Ashraf had already attained great spiritual proficiency. Later in life he began delivering lectures on Masnavi Maulan Rum at his residence in Baroda for his interested disciples.

Works

  • I. Books

Sufism and Islamic Studies

1A. Books in Urdu

  • (1) 'HAYAT-E-SYED ASHRAF JAHANGIR SEMNANI' (Research work on the life of Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani) Book in URDU (1975).
  • (2) 'TASAUWWUF' (Sufism) Book in URDU (1988)
  • (3) 'TAFSĪR-E-ASHRAFI (Iradat)', Part I (Sufism in URDU)
  • (4) 'TAFSĪR-E-ASHRAFI ( Bayat)', Part II (Sufism in URDU)
  • (5) 'QĀAL-ALASHRAF' (Sufism-Book in URDU)
  • (6) 'QĀAL-USSUFIA' (Sufism-Book in URDU)
  • (7) 'ME’RĀJ SHARĪF' (Islamic Studies)Book in URDU (2003)
  • (8) 'ROZA' (Islamic Studies) Book in URDU (1996)
  • (9) 'MUMIN' (Islamic Studies-Rational Views on various aspects of Quran) Book in URDU (2003)
  • (10) 'HAJJE TAMATTU' (Islamic Studies) Book in URDU (2010)
  • (11) 'CHAND DUYAIN AUR MUKHTASAR AURADE ASHRAFIA' Book in URDU/ARABIC (2007)

1B. Books in Persian

  • (12) 'JAWAHIRUS-SULŪK', (Sufism- Translated and Illustrated) in PERSIAN
  • (13) 'LATĀIF-E-ASHRAFI & MAKTUBĀT-E-ASHRAFI AS SOURCES OF HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL INDIA'under the scheme of Indian Council of Historical Research (History)in PERSIAN
  • (14) 'MUQADDEMA-E- LATĀIF-E-ASHRAFI' (Sufism) Book in PERSIAN, Published by Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
  • (15) 'LATĀIF-E-ASHRAFI' PART I (EDITED & ANNOTATED-SUFISM) in PERSIAN (2010)
  • (16) 'LATĀIF-E-ASHRAFI' PART II (EDITED & ANNOTATED-SUFISM) in PERSIAN (2010)
  • (17) 'LATĀIF-E-ASHRAFI' PART III (EDITED & ANNOTATED-SUFISM) in PERSIAN (2010)

Lataife Ashrafi (Ashraf’s Subtle Insights): The complete name is Lataife Ashrafi Fi Bayane Tawaife Sufia, but popular by Lataife Ashrafi. This tome is a collection of discourses of Hazrat Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani recorded by his illustrious authorised disciple Hazrat Nizam Yemeni. This is an unparalleled most voluminous treatise on Sufism by Hazrat Syed Ashraf Jahangir or for that matter by any Indian Sufi. It is a compendious exposition on various issues from Islamic mysticism. The book also throws light on the political, cultural and literary history of India of that era. It has also been the source book of many books on Sufism. Nafhatul Uns, the famous book by Jami draws heavily from Lataife Ashrafi. The Lataife Ashrafi has been published twice; first in 1295H in one binding from Nasratul Matabih, Delhi and for second time in 1298H in two volumes from Nasratul Masabih, itself. Few translations in Urdu of the unedited book were also made here and there, which however cannot be relied upon in totality, as a fair translation demands a high level of proficiency in old Persian as well as expertise in doctrines of Sufism and Hermeneutics. A critical edition of this important text was long due. Finally, a Professor of Persian and a Sufi himself has critically edited, annotated and published the text in three volumes.

1C. Books in English

  • (18) 'THE EXOTERIC AND ESOTERIC ASPECTS OF ISLAMIC PRAYERS' (Islamic Studies) in ENGLISH (2005)[17]

Poetry

2A. Books in Urdu

  • (19) 'TAJALLIYĀT' (Poetry- Creative work) Book in URDU (1996)
  • (20) 'MUNĀJĀT' (Poetry- Creative work) Book in URDU (March 2002)
  • (21)'‘ĀYĀT' (Poetry-350 URDU Quatrains- Creative work)
  • (22)'SAUGHĀT' (Poetry 90 URDU Quatrains- Creative work)(2005)
  • (23) 'LAMAHĀT' (Poetry- Creative work) Book in URDU

2B. Books in Persian

  • (24) 'RUBA’I- Part I' (Poetry −96 PERSIAN Quatrains-Creative work) (2010)
  • (25) 'RUBA’I- Part II' (Poetry-90 PERSIAN Quatrains-Creative work)
  • (26) 'DARYĀ BI QATRAH' (Poetry- Creative work) in PERSIAN (2009)

Criticism

3A. Books in Urdu

  • (27) 'FIDA' (Pupil of Mirza Ghalib) (Life and Work-Edited with critical study) Book in URDU
  • (28) Afsar Maudoodi (Life and Work-Edited with critical study Co Authored with Malik Ram) Book in URDU (1983)
  • (29) 'MUTALAE AFSAR MAUDOODI' (Compilation of Articles read in a seminar on Afsar Maudoodi) Book in Urdu (2012)
  • (30) 'MUQADDEMA-E-RUBAI' (Literary Criticism) Book in URDU (2001)
  • (31) 'URDU ZABAN MEIN NA’AT GŪ’Ī KA FAN' (Literary Criticism) Book in URDU
  • (32) 'RŪH-E-MAHMOOD' (Poetry of Nawab Mahmood Madrasi-Edited) Book in URDU
  • (33) 'TAUZEEHĀT' (Critical studies in Urdu Literature) Book in URDU

3B. Books in Persian

  • (34) 'TAFHEEMĀT' (Critical studies in Persian Literature) Book in URDU
  • (35) 'QASĀID-E-ZAUQI VELLORI' (Persian poetry-Deciphered, Translated, Illustrated and Edited) in PERSIAN

Miscellaneous books

  • (36) 'IRTIBĀT-O-INEKAAS' (Letters to the author from many renowned scholars of India and abroad) Book in URDU & ENGLISH

Books under preparation

  • 1. 'KULLIYATE AFSAR MAUDOODI' (In Press)
  • 2. TRANSLATION OF THE LATAIF-E-ASHRAFI

(This is a voluminous book on Sufism) in URDU.

Other works

Several reviews were written on the books of a number of scholars and poets which were published in their works.

  • II. Brief list of published articles

Published hundreds of research articles in reputed journals like Islamic Culture, Journal of Oriental Research Institute, Madras University, Danish, Qande Farsi, Indo Iranica, Ma'arif, Burhaan, Naq do Nazar, Ziyae Wajeeh etc.

  • Syed Waheed Ashraf (2003), Indo-Iranica, The Quarterly Organ of the Iran Society, Volume 56, March, June, Sept. & Dec. 2003, Numbers 1 to 4, 'THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC THOUGHTS OF HADRAT SAIYED ASHRAF JAHANGIR', IRAN SOCIETY, 12 DR. M. ISHAQUE ROAD, KOLKATA-700,016
  • Syed Waheed Ashraf (1982), Annals of Oriental Research, University of Madras, Volume 31, 'NATIONALISM IN URDU POETRY', Page 391
  • Syed Waheed Ashraf (1980), Annals of Oriental Research, University of Madras, Volume 30i, 'AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PERSIAN POETRY OF IQBAL', pp14

Awards and honours

  • Certificate of Honour from the President of India in recognition as an eminent scholar of Persian in 1995.
  • Gujarat Gaurav Puraskar from Urdu Sahitya Academy of Gujarat in 2005.
  • Cited in 'DATA OF EXPERTS IN ISLAMIC STUDIES' published by The Islamic Research Institute, Rabat, Morocco.
  • Cited first among the selected nineteen poets of the world by the Literary Organization,’ Poetry Letter of Argentina’in1991.
  • Cited in 'International Who is Who of Poets' published by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, 1992.
  • Cited in 'International Who is Who of Intellectuals', published by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge in 1993.
  • A PhD awarded on the research work done on his Urdu Quatrains (Rubaiyaat) by Bihar University, Muzaffarpur. The PhD thesis titled 'Dr. Syed Waheed Ashraf Ki Rubai Nigari' by Dr. Azhar Alam under the guidance of Prof. F. A. Siddiqui, has been published with the financial assistance from the Fakhruddin Ali Memorial Committee, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh in 2002. The book contains 137 pages in Demi size.

References

  1. ↑ QUALIFIED MANPOWER IN ISLAMIC STUDIES' published by the Islamic Research Institute, Rabat, Morocco, in 1993.
  2. ↑ INTERNATIONAL WHO IS WHO OF POETS' Edition III, published by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, in 1992.
  3. ↑ 'INTERNATIONAL WHO IS WHO OF INTELLECTUALS' Edition IX, published by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, in 1993.
  4. ↑ SELECTED VERSES OF 19 POETS OF THE WORLD', published by International Poetry Letter Argentina, in 1991
  5. ↑ 'INTERNATIONAL WHO'S WHO IN POETRY 2005, Europa Publications Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, Page No.67
  6. ↑ 'PERSIAN CLASSICAL AND MODERN POETRY, Compiled by Ramin Khanbagi, International Society for Iranian Culture, ISBN 1592670385, Page No 10,Published by Global Scholarly Publications, NewYork, 2004.
  7. ↑ DR. SYED WAHEED ASHRAF KI RUBAI NIGARI’ by Dr. Azhar Alam, published with the financial assistance from the Fakhruddin Ali Memorial Committee, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh in 2002
  8. ↑ 'JAHANE URDU RUBAI’ by Aleem Saba Navedi, Tamil Nadu Urdu Publication, Chennai, in 2011.
  9. ↑ ‘URDU NAZM KE SILSELEY' by Aleem Saba Navedi,PAGES 213 & 497 Tamil Nadu Urdu Publication, Chennai, in 2008.
  10. ↑ ‘RAUSHAN QALAM (TANQEEDI MAZAMEIN)’ by Aleem Saba Navedi, Educational publishing house, Delhi, Pages 26–27, in 2011.
  11. ↑ ‘JAHANE NOORE MOHAMMADI (NAATIYA SHAIRI KE MAZMOOM PER MAZAMEEM' by Aleem Saba Navedi, Pages 69–70 Tamil Nadu Urdu Publication, Chennai, in 2011.
  12. ↑ ‘TAMIL NADU MEIN URDU’ by Aleem Saba Navedi, Tamil Nadu Urdu Publication, Chennai, in 1998.
  13. ↑ ‘TAQAREEZ’ by Talha Rizvi Barq,(Pages 81–86), Publisher Allama Qateel Oriental Library, Markaze Tahqeeq, Danapur Cantt, Patna, 2011.
  14. ↑ ‘NAAT AUR ADABE NAAT' by Kokab Noorani Aukharvi, (Pages 252–260), Publisher Mehr Muneer Academy (International), Karachi, 2004.
  15. ↑ ‘AN OVERVIEW OF SUFI LITERATURE IN THE SULTANATE PERIOD’ by Dr. Bruce B Lawrence, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna.
  16. ↑ ‘EAST-WEST VOICES (Anthology), Edited by Dr. V.S. Scanda Prasad,Chetana Books, 2 August 650, Kavoor Road, Kapikad, Bijai, Mangalore, India – 575,004
  17. ↑ Certificate of Honour from the President of India in recognition as an eminent scholar of Persian in 1995
  18. ↑ Gujarat Gaurav Puraskar from Urdu Sahitya Academy of Gujarat in 2005
  19. ↑ Cited in 'DATA OF EXPERTS IN ISLAMIC STUDIES' published by The Islamic Research Institute, Rabat, Morocco
  20. ↑ Cited first among the selected nineteen poets of the world by the Literary Organization,’ Poetry Letter of Argentina’in1991
  21. ↑ Cited in 'International Who is Who of Poets' published by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, 1992
  22. ↑ Cited in 'International Who is Who of Intellectuals', published by the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge in 1993

External links

Nizamuddin Gharib Yemeni Edited by Syed Waheed Ashraf (2010), Lataife Ashrafi Vol. II, Baroda, Gujarat, India: Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Academy 

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