History Famous Muslim writers
Literature captures time. Literature feeds the human mind. Muslim writers have nourished the mind of the reader for centuries with their literary knowledge. The light of knowledge and the joy of reading have made their literary creation timeless. Much of Muslim literature has discussed the impeccable appeal of the Creator’s love. In addition to the love of the creator, various aspects of human love have come up in these literary works. Apart from poetry, philosophy, science, history and travel were the subjects of their literature. History Today’s discussion of famous Muslim writers.
★1.Sheikh Saadi
Sheikh Saadi is said to be the leading poet of Iran. His full name is Abu Muhammad Muslih Al-Din bin Abdella Shirazi. His real name is Sharfuddin. Nickname is Muslih Uddin. And the title is Saadi. Not his real name, he is known to the people of the world with the title ‘Saadi’. Fans of his literature, readers are spread all over the world. He is not only a poet but also a humanist social thinker. Sheikh Saadi was born in Shiraz, Iran. Shiraz was a land of natural beauty. It was here that Sheikh Saadi multiplied the beautiful beauty by virtue of his poetic talent. His life begins to feel painful. When Sheikh Saadi’s father died, he was a child. Besides, there was a dire lack in the family. This lack could not consume him. The splendor of his innate knowledge was seen in his adolescence. He did not avoid the longing for education. The poet moved to Baghdad at a young age. Baghdad was then the pasture of literature and writers. It is like a pilgrimage of knowledge. He continued his studies at the famous Al-Nizamiya University in Baghdad. The period is from 1195 to 1226 AD. During this time he took higher education in Sharia, Alchemy, Government, History, Arabic Literature and Theology. The extent of his knowledge can be understood by looking at the wide range of subjects. In the meantime came the war. The mighty Mongols invaded the Central Asian city of Khowaizm and Persia. Sheikh Saadi could not return to his homeland. He left Baghdad. He traveled around the country for almost 30 years. At this time he composed his best work Bostan. It was completed in 1257. Gulistan finished another of his notable books the following year. Gulistan’s ‘Bani Adam’ summary still fascinates readers with its poetic features.
★2.Jalaluddin Rumi
Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi is one of the Muslim poets and writers in the history of world literature. Yet his literature is acclaimed worldwide. He has given Iranian literature worldwide respect. Poet Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi was born on September 29, 1205 AD in Balkh, Afghanistan. His real name is Muhammad. Jalaluddin was his title. Sultan Muhammad Bahauddin Walad was the father of Maulana Rumi. The first caliph of Islam, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was the ninth descendant of Maulana Rumi’s patriarch and the fourth caliph of Islam, Hazrat Ali (ra) was the descendant of the maternal clan. He was not only a poet, but also a devotee of modern spiritual thought. He is different from other mystic poets and philosophers. As a mystic he was a policy-teacher and reformer. A profound scholar of philosophy and world literature. Maulana Rumi studied literature in Persian. His natural inclination is to go beyond the level of longing to become one with God, and intense desire surrounds him. All of Rumi’s poems and music in various ways say only this. He wrote many enlightening educational books in Persian language. He has also written several articles on spiritual and instructive matters. ‘Fihi Ma Fihi’ is one of them. His most notable book is ‘Mosnabi’. Mosnavi is an invaluable resource not only in Persian literature but also in world literature. The number of two-line rhyming poems in this book is 25,000. Which is divided into six parts. In Mosnavi, the reader will be satisfied with the unraveling of the infinite mystery of the love of the beloved Creator. Mosnavi is known not only on theology, but also as an ideal text of general philosophy. Mosnavi is said to be a book of religious ethics.
★3.Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta was the best tourist in the world. He was born in 1304 AD in Tanzania, Morocco to a Muslim family. His father was a Qazi. Ibn Battuta has traveled from one place to another all his life. Starting from the age of 21, in the next 30 years of his life, he traveled about 120,000 miles. He was the only tourist who traveled the entire Muslim world during his time and met the sultans of those countries. After returning to Morocco after a tour of about 40 countries, Sultan Abu Inan Faris appointed a secretary to record his travelogue. The name of this travelogue is ‘Rihla’. It is considered to be one of the documents of the history of the Muslim Empire in East, Central and South Asia in the fourteenth century.
★4.Fariduddin Attar
Fariduddin Attar. Full name is Abu Hamid bin Abu Bakr Ibrahim. He used to write under the name of Fariduddin. His writing was so captivating that readers compared him to a perfumer. The word attar or perfume business is associated with his name. Became one of the leading Muslim poets of his time. Reading his poems, people’s minds were attracted towards the creator. Emotions that touch the heart are the main features of his poems. This Persian poet, however, kept the touch of Sufism in his poems. Not only that, the loving aspect of Sufism that came up behind the poem gained a lasting foundation in later times. Fariduddin Attar has written at least 30 books. One of his famous books is ‘Mantike Tayyar’ or ‘Bird Rally’. He wrote the knowledge he gained through research in the form of poems.
★5.Bulle Shah
Bulle Shah is a renowned Sufi poet. He was born in 1680 AD. The full name of this Punjabi poet, Sufi, philosopher is Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri. His father Shah Muhammad was a saint. His father was a teacher by profession. He also worked as a preacher in a mosque. The predecessors of Bulle Shah came from Bukhara. It is believed that his predecessors were descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (SM). He moved to Malakwal with his family when he was only six years old. It was here that he received his education from Maulana Moinuddin. His literary talent is widely acclaimed. His poems were recited orally. In terms of the type of poetry, Bulle Shah’s type was Kafi. It is a raga, Sindhi and Siraki poem of the Punjabi genre used not only by Sufis and Sindhis and Punjabis, but also by Sikh gurus.
★6.Nizami Ganjabi
Nizami Ganjabi is one of the best Persian poets and world writers. His real name is Jamal Al-Din Abu Muhammad Ilyas Ibn Yusuf Ibn Zakki. The verses of love of the creator in the poems of this Muslim poet touch the hearts of the readers. His poetic style has also garnered praise in its own right. He was born in present-day Azerbaijan. He is recognized as a guru in Mosnavi type poetry. His best work is ‘Khamsa’. It is basically a collection of five long poems. He spent a large part of his life behind this poem. These poems are called ‘Five Gems’ in world literature.
★7.Hafez-e Shirazi
Hafez-e Shirazi is an Iranian poet. Many know him as Bulbul-e-Shiraz. Shiraz was a pilgrimage site in Persia. This is where he was born. The people of this city were fascinated by his poetic talent and used to say, ‘Lisan-ul-Ghayb’, ‘Tarjaman-ul-Asrar’. Hafez did not collect poems during his lifetime. His friend Gul-Andamai was the first to collect all the poems of Hafez in the form of ‘Diwan’ after his death. Almost all of Hafez’s poems are sung in the hymns of an Iranian beauty called ‘Shakh-e-Nabat’. This is probably a pseudonym. Hafez has hidden the real name of that young woman.
★8.Ferdousi
Poet Ferdousi has become an integral part of the history of literature by writing Shahnameh. He was a famous poet of Persia. His Shahnameh is simultaneously the national epic of the Persian-speaking people of Iran and around the world. Shahnameh is a collection of poems about the history, culture and traditions of ancient Iran. It has 990 chapters and 62 stories. There are 60,000 endings in the whole epic. It is believed that Ferdousi wrote some poems even before the Shahnameh but they were not found. He narrated the story of different rulers and kings of Iran for 33 long years in Shahnameh.
★9.Ibn al-Arabi
Ibn al-Arabi was born in present-day Spain in 1165 AD. Then the golden age of Islam. In Sufism and spirituality, Ibn al-Arabi’s name was pronounced with respect at that time. This Sufi saint was able to stir the minds of the readers through his philosophical writings. He was praised for his impeccable contribution to Sufism. The main basis of his writing was spirituality. There are descriptive poetic descriptions of spiritual discussions and closeness to the Creator. His writings provide inspiration to Sufi saints. Many call him Damascus because he killed Damascus.
★10.Said Nursi
Many know Said Nursi as Badiuzzaman. This eminent author wrote a commentary on the Qur’an called Noor in Risala. Its size is more than six thousand pages. Considering modern science and logic as the way of the future, he was in favor of teaching religious knowledge in general schools and modern science in religious schools. That is why he is still remembered with reverence. His contribution is undeniable behind the current trend of higher education in Islam. Said Nursi was born in the Ottoman Empire in the Kurdish village of Nurs in the province of Beitlis in eastern Anatolia. He excelled in religious debate. After gaining proficiency in Islamic knowledge, he was given the name Badiuzzaman, which means ‘the unique and highest person of the time’.
★11.Waris Shah
Waris Shah gained worldwide fame for his special contribution to Punjabi literature. He was born in Jandiala Sher Khan (now Pakistan) in Punjab to a prominent Muslim Syed family and was a disciple of Syed Muhammad Al-Makki. His father’s name was Gulsher Shah. His parents died when he was young.
Waris Shah is mainly known as the author of the poem Hir Ranja, whose verses are considered as the hidden treasure of Punjabi literature. There are many verses written by him which are widely admired and used in Punjab. A Punjabi language film was made about Waris Shah’s biography. A Pakistani film called Waris Shah was made in 1964 AD. Another film based on his biography, Waris Shah: Ishq the Waris, was made in India in 2006 AD.
★12.Muhammad-i Walad
Muhammad-i Walad is best known as Sultan Walad. He was the eldest child of Jalal al-Din Rumi. Like his father, he made important contributions to Persian literature. His literary work is also widely acclaimed all over the world. His books of poetry, written in the style of Mosnavi, became very popular. The book ‘Ibdita-nama’ was the best of that genre. Due to his poetic touch, many people also call it ‘Walad-nama’. The passionate words of the creator love in this book will fascinate anyone. The book was written in 1291 AD. Apart from this, the book ‘Rabab-Nama’ is also unique in Persian literature. This masnavi was composed in just five months. Besides, there is ‘Intha-Nama’. This is also a pair of masnavi. There are eight thousand 300 lines. The poetic lines are loving. Another of his famous books is Diwan-e-Walad.