We began with the recitation of Surah al-Fatiha and as-Salat u’l Ibrahimiyya

How did you first get into writing?

My father (Yazdani Jalandhari Rahmatullahi `alayh) was a poet, writer and journalist, and as a child growing up, I saw more books than toys in our home. At school, I used to recite poems from various magazines and books. By grade 10, I was attending literary gatherings and had my poetry published in leading literary magazines in India and Pakistan. Some of the themes of my poetry were nature and significant events.

Please tell us about some of your published works

My first published work was a book of poems and ghazals in Urdu entitled Abhi Ik Khawab Rehta Hai (A Dream; Yet to Go) published in 1992. I compiled it while living in Germany and sent it to Pakistan where it was published. Its second edition was published around 2007.

My other published works include:

• Gehri Shaam Ki Bailein (Vines of a Deep Evening) - a book of nazms and ghazals, which was appreciated by literary critics and readers

• Raat Di Neeli Chupp (The Blue Silence of Night) - a book of poems in the Punjabi language

• Ita`at (Obedience): a book of naat shareef praising the Holy Prophet Sayyidina Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)

• Khali balti aur Doosre afsanay (Empty Bucket & other stories) - a collection of Urdu short stories

• Risalatul Muawana - an Urdu translation of Imam al-Haddad’s Book of Assistance (may Allah spread his benefit)

• columns for newspapers

• features for radio in Pakistan and Germany

• editing for literary magazines

• poetry in magazines, anthologies and websites

Insha Allah, writings of mine to be published in the near future are:

• a book of poetry

• a book of my poetry that has been translated into English

• a book of my translations of poetry from various cultures into Urdu

• a book of interviews that I conducted

• a book of literary essays

Can you please tell us about one of the types of Urdu poetry and its construction?

The most popular form of Urdu poetry is a ghazal. One of the features of a ghazal is that its couplets are independent of each other. On the other hand, popular modern Urdu poetry is very much inspired by Western poetry such as free verse and prose.

With Syed Hamid Yazdani saheb’s permission, below is an example of one of his ghazals:

Ghazal

A moment passing endlessly till eternity.
The snow kept falling.
Life’s earthen cup repeatedly filled or empty.
The snow kept falling.

A century falling asleep, oblivious,
like the news of a day gone by. The new
era, torn to shreds, diffusing constantly.
The snow kept falling.

Who went down, stair by stair, stealthily
through a phase of memory,
down into the dream’s underground room?
The snow kept falling.

Time passing by in the shadow of the lake,
and again and again the melting heart.
A stillness making its way through the mirror.
The snow kept falling.

Two pale purple blossoms blazed on and on
upon a dazzling white sheet. The moon
shivered all the time, deep in its journey.
The snow kept falling.

In endless reflections, the desire never losing
its vividness nor the season its fragrance.
In mirrors without end, she kept on adding to her charms.
The snow kept falling.

One canvas only and just a single colour
as far as the eyes could see.
A moment passing endlessly till eternity.
The snow kept falling.


Hamid Yazdani (saheb)
Translation by M. Salim-ur-Rahman (saheb)

Who has influenced you as a writer?

My father who was a poet, writer, and journalist, was my first teacher and mentor. He encouraged me to see the world, meet more people and benefit from them in the way of my writing. Two of my teachers in school were poets and I would go on to meet several literary figures in college and university.

Among those who influenced me were the two well-known writers and journalists, Ahmad Nadeeem Qasmi and Khalid Ahmad (Rahmatullahi `alayhim). I feel honoured that Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi would write me when I lived in Germany and here in Toronto. I treasure his hand-written letters. Both loved for me to write for their literary journals “Funoon” and “Bayaz”.

I pursued both religious studies and sociology, and these fields also had an influence on me. It was uncommon that these fields were studied mutually and I was fortunate to have pursued both. I received my first Master’s degree in Sociology in Pakistan.

How has traveling influenced your writing?

In Urdu we say, “Safar waseela-e zafar hai” that means travel is a source of success. My father wanted to see me successful in every way and he encouraged my ambitions to learn, travel and write. He emphasized that it was important for a writer to travel, as those experiences enhance one’s observation, knowledge and writing skills. Being exposed to more can mean becoming less narrow-minded. We meet different people, become familiar with different languages, experience different cultures and have some unique experiences. All this is the raw material for creative writing. I can say that travelling abroad brought a fresh change to my writing. I added other types of poetry to my previous focus on ghazals, and my subject matter shifted, for example, I started writing free verse (poems) about memories and nature. My travels include countries like Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, USA and Saudi Arabia.

How can a writer improve?

The desire to write can be innate in someone and they can improve on that. One can read good works of writing, receive influences and inspiration, and then make their own way.

It can be helpful for a writer to be in tune with what’s happening inside them when they write, and how it makes them feel. That doesn’t mean a writer ignores or is indifferent to what’s happening around him. It’s the surroundings that not only give them subject matter but also inspire them to express their feelings and thoughts. We can improve our writing by sharpening our observation, exploring times and events in our personal and collective history, connecting with the universe, and of course, by reading good and tasteful books and writing on a regular basis. As Margaret Atwood says, “You can’t become a writer without writing.” Once you have completed a piece, let someone review it and give you constructive and honest feedback. For this, we need to develop a circle of like-minded friends and mentors.

Some people may simply have an urge to write and for others, writing may be more objective in nature. Some writers pursue perfection in their technique, while others prefer their writing to have a touch of originality. Some perspectives are in the moment, while others have a bird’s eye view. The writing process for some is more set out and planned, while for others it’s spontaneous and more mysterious - or even a kind of experience with the divine, as the poet Ghalib says:  

aate hain ghayb se ye mazaameen khayaal mein
Ghalib, sareer-e-Khaama nawa-e-sarosh hai

These ideas or subjects come to my mind/thoughts mysteriously (from the ghayb)
Ghalib! the sound made by the pen (while writing) sounds like the voice or sound of angels to me.

I don’t want to elaborate much on it, as a piece of literature also has an essential value and aspect of “beauty” attached to it. At one level, a “thing of beauty” should be treated as a “joy” for our aesthetic self. Digging into it or taking it apart for the purpose of analysis sometimes kills its beauty. It reminds me of William Wordsworth’s lines from his poem The Tables Turned:

… Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things
We murder to dissect.

How have literary circles benefited you?

There’s a literary circle that was established in Lahore (British India) 1939 called Halqa-e-Arbab-e-Zauq of which I am a part. I was among the founding members of its chapter in Germany, and later on I initiated a chapter in Ontario, Canada. I served in the joint secretary role for this organization in Lahore twice, in 1985 and 1987.

Literary circles can be of great benefit to a writer, for example the opportunities to benefit from being around senior writers, people sharing their writings, reading and hearing different styles of writing, receiving critique, and being exposed to fresh unpublished works. All of these can help a writer improve.

Beyond Pakistan, I've also had a circle of friends who love writing when I lived in Germany and here in Toronto. In 2008 they held a special evening for me in Toronto, to celebrate the launching of two of my books. I found this very encouraging.

What does writing do for you?

Writing is a part of my life, and I am always writing. I once tried to give up writing, thinking that if so many great poets have written so many brilliant works, why should I write? But then I thought, even though so many others have children for example, there is still a joy in one having their own children. There is a great pleasure in giving birth to something, and for a writer, that is creating a piece of writing. I’ve come to know that if there’s a period in my life that I do not write, I would feel empty.

Can you share any thoughts on the discouragement some youth face when it comes to creative writing?

People have different personalities and some are inclined towards art. I’ve learned early on in my life not to impose my liking and disliking on others. Let’s enjoy our liberties without disturbing the liberties of others. We should not take discouragements as an obstacle to our goal, rather we can use it as a fuel for our “creative fire” or passion to write. We should be able to distinguish between discouragement and criticism. Discouragement is negative but criticism is something positive and important to improving our product. This highlights the importance of having a circle of like-minded, sincere friends and mentors.

What role does creative writing play in society?

Society cannot survive without culture. Creativity and creating is natural. In one way or another people are involved in creating or developing, whether it’s a parent upbringing a child, someone growing plants or someone raising animals; for writers, creativity is with words.

Writing helps language develop, it raises awareness about concepts and issues, it helps us to explore our inner selves, and in a healthy way, it can challenge our mindsets and practices. Writing helps us explore and preserve our individual and collective consciousness, our past, our life with all its virtues and challenges, our biases, our crises, our concerns and our worldview.

It’s also beneficial that we have more ways in which to express ourselves and even challenge ourselves. It widens our intellectual horizon and makes us look deep inside the things we come across. For example, we see flowers all the time. To us they are colourful and fragrant but when these flowers are seen by John Keats, he gets the inspiration to write a fabulous poem “To a Friend who sent me some Roses” and when these flowers catch Van Gogh’s eyes, he paints a classic masterpiece “Sunflowers”. This is the difference between an ordinary look and an artist’s insight. One may mention the color blue, but what kind of blue is it? There is sky blue, navy blue and many more types of blue…

How did you come to religious and devotional poetry?

I used to write such poetry casually and on special occasions. But it was Ustadh Siddiq Noormuhammad saheb’s on-going encouragement that became a significant source of inspiration for me. He provided me opportunities to participate in his regular Zikr majalis and special programs where I presented my Poems (Hamds, Naats, and Manaqib composed exclusively for the occasion. I also wrote a tazmin of `Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan’s famous Salam “ Mustafa Jan-e Rahmat Pe Lakhon Salam” comprising of 171 couplets (may Allah spread his benefit). This poetry will appear in my next collection of religious poetry, InshaAllah.

This devotional poetry is a special gift from Allah (the Most High) and a blessing from being around good company. Al-Hamdu Lillah.


Al-Fatiha!