Читать книгу Universal Anthems - Aadil Farook - Страница 1

Malaysia, 29th February, 2018

The tradition of writing poetry has been a significant part of Islamic culture and heritage. Since the time of Saidina Ali, the fourth caliph, to Hassan al Basri and Rabiah until the recent time with the appearance of Sir Muhammad Iqbal in Pakistan, Amir Hamzah in the Malay World and Yunus Emre in Turkey, this tradition continues to survive and flow like the rivers of faith flowing into the sea of tawhid (oneness of God), the destination of Muslims’ inquiries of what constitutes reality? In any case, in the contemporary Muslim world, the number of poets and thinkers are not as many as they used to be. There are new issues of thought and fields of inquiries that are becoming dominant which involve the world of sciences and modern technologies. These in a way have acted as many challenges to religious doctrines and the intellectual traditions of Islam itself. Regarding this, the poems of Aadil Farook should be welcomed. His poetic expressions deal with the many intellectual aspects and issues that challenge the modern contemporary Muslim mind especially those who were exposed to the Western ways of understanding nature, God, mankind, human capacity and capability of knowing themselves. Even though Muslims in general and Muslim youth in particular are involved with various challenges which are facing the contemporary world and society, the inner yearning for truth and reality will always pose as the major challenge of life. They have to know who they are and who they should be, being men of religion as well as modern and post- modern men. Aadil Farook has shown the great talent as a poet. He reminds me of the great Pakistani poet Muhammad Iqbal who posted the various challenges to the modern minds of fellow Muslims of his time. Aadil travels from God to creation, to the questions of facing the world today and the final salvation of the human souls in the Spirit of Muhammad (Ruhul Muhammad) which has been discussed by poets throughout the Muslim world in the past and remain to be popular until recently. Contemporary writers like Hossein Nasr, Annmarie Schimmel, Naquib al-Attas and many more have made lengthy discussions on this cosmological and the spiritual reality of the Prophet of Islam. Aadil has managed to bring this doctrine in his poems which were beautifully written. I strongly believe that the major spiritual doctrines, the intellectual aspects of religion and the doctrine of human salvation should continue to occupy the central intellectual exploration so that the modern Muslim mind may not stick to the mundane and trivial aspects of life. Throughout the history of Islamic intellectual tradition, culture and heritage, all schools of thought whether legal, theological, philosophical or mystical have flourished in abundance. The writings of Aadil Farook have brought back glimpses of what the Muslim intellectuals have been discussing before. Looking from this aspect I should say that his poetic works have brought the tradition of Islamic intellectualism into the contemporary debates and discussions. I should congratulate him for his effort and talents.