Abdul Bari Jahani has authored 29 books while he has also written 3 more books which are unpublished. His books are comprised of Poetry, translations, Novels, history, and Mysticism. The current book having a title of literary research is a
456 pages book having 17 Chapters which was published by Stability research foundation. The subject matters of the book are numerous.
Chapter 1 mainly focuses on voluptuousness and love for male partner in courts of Kings. It also talks about Pashto and Persian Poets who were gay lovers and had written poetry on the beauty of boys. Abdul Bari Jahani traces the genesis of Abasid courts about gay love and writes that Amin who was the son of Haron- ur- Rashid was a gay lover. During his reign Poets used to write on the beauty of boy in his court. Jahani writes that once Amin gave 30 thousand Rial to a poet who had written a stanza on a beautiful boy which Amin liked. In addition, Mamoon also had salved boys. While, Mutasim used to buy and bring boys from Turkey.
Apart from Abbasid courts, Abdul Bari Jahani also sheds lights on gay love in Ghaznavid court where according to him Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi liked and bought boys wheress Ayaz was the male beloved of Mehmood Ghaznavi. Jahani tells that Khilji court was also full of boys where a huge number of boys were present in Mubarak Feroz Shah Khilji court. While, according to him Alaudine khilgi also loved boys.
Abdul Bari Jahani writes that the Poets of Persian literature such as Hafiz Sherazi wrote poetry on boys and the name of his beloved boy was Farakh. In addition, Amir Khusro also wrote poetry on boys and loved Turkish boys. Moreover, Sadi and Sherazi also wrote on boys. Apart from them, Molvi Noordine and Abdul Rehman Jami, and Shaikh abu Saeed Abul Khair also wrote poetry on boys. They had their boys male partners respectively.
Abdul Bari Jahani talks about Poets in Pashto literature too who also liked boys and wrote poetry on their beauty. He asserts that nothing about boy beauty is found in the literary services of Khushal Khan Khatak, Qadir Khattak, Ashraf Khan Hajri, Kamgar Khan, and Sheeda. While, Abdul Hamèed Momand liked Turkish boys and has written poetry on his male beloved. Moreover, the name of male beloved of Qalander was MEERA. In addition, Mahazullah Momand, Shamsudine Kakar, Haji Juma Barakzai, and Hanan Barazkzai also wrote poems on boys.
Chapter 2 of the book sheds light on
Pashto poems, its types and parts. Jahani enumerates about Kafia (Rhyme) and articulates that Pashtoon Poets also use two rhymes (ZUQAFEETEEN). He also talks about Rawi (Last word of a rhyme), Radeef (Row), and sailab (syllable). Chapter 3 of the book is about Landi (A part of Pashhto Folk poetry), and its Syllable that are 9 and 13. Jahani narrates that Landi are mainly about love and Class struggle.
Chapter 4 of the book is about Naaray (Voices) or Kakarai that is also an important part of Pashto Folk poetry whose syllable are 7 and 8. Chapter 5 of the book is about Masalas (A Triangle Poem) such as Babolala, which is like Japani Haiko and Da Atan Narray (Voices sung in Pastun traditional dance). Jahani also talks about Nashra ( A type of Pashto Poetry) which is sung as a pray when a male child is born. This chapter also contains Nakloona (A type of short Pashto poetry) and their voices. He has given details of some Nakals such as of Fateh khan Bareech, Shah Tarrena ao Dali, and Aliback ao Shahani. The voices (type of poetry) are composed of 3 stanzad having, 12, 8, and 12 Syllables respectively.
Chapter 6 of the book talks about Music and Islam. Jahani rightly says that Taliban have banned Music and have killed Singers and Musicians and have put fire to their musical instruments. He says that there is no verse about Music in the Holy Quran. Jahani gives a Hadith that during Hazrat Aisha,s RA time, 2 girls sung with musical instruments such as Tanbor and Tanbula. Jahani asks how a Talib decides by their own to kill people? He says that Molana Roomi, Jalala -u -din Balkhi, Ali bin Usman Hajveeri, and Reman Baba liked Music and Dance.
Chapter 7 sheds light about Poetry in Kandahar where Musical poetry has been at its peak. He says taht Shams- u -din Kakar, Hanan Barakzai, Haji Juma Barakzai, Mula Hassan Alhwand, Gulzar Saeed Ahmad, Abdul Ali Akhwanzada, Mula Salam, Mula Manan, Mula Aadul Hakeem, Ubaidullah Jan Kandari, Shah Muhammad, Sayed Muhammad, and Wali Muhammad were renowned figures of poetry and Music.
Chapter 8 of the book talks about a
Pashto Magzine which was published from Kandahar in 1933 during the reign of Nadir Shah whose contents were about Politics, literature, and history and contained 1400 pages. In 1934 another magazine Pashtun was published on monthly basis. Jahani tells that 12 editions of the magazine had published when it stopped after Nadir Shah death.
Chapter 9 of the book gives information about poetry having a title how to write poetry. Abdul Bari Jahani talks about the
structure of poetry, and tells that what appropriate words are and why message is important in poetry. He reveals that
Why the poetry of Khushal and Rehman Baba is still loved is mainly owing to its messege and subject matter.
Chapter 10 of this book is a book review of
Bhagvad Gita which is a part of Mahabharat. Chapter 11 of the book has a title of Oneness in Hindu religion. Jahnai says that Al Biruni wrote in Kitab- ul -Hind that Hindu believe in one God. They belive that He is one and alive. Jahani also says that a general perception is that Hindu believe in many Gods. Chapter 12 sheds light on Oneness in Hindu Classival Literature.
Chapter 13 talks about Oneness before Islam. Jahani writes that Arabs believed that Lat, Manat and Uza were God daughters. They believed in Idol worship. According to an Hadith which Jahani quotes that Umro bin Luhi was the first who brought Idols. He also writes that
there were Mohideen too such as Warqa bin Nofal, Usman bin Al haweer, Ubaidullah bin Hajush, and Zubair bin Umro before Islam who preached Tawheed and believed in after death.
Chapter 14 has a title of Soma in poetry. Soma that is another part of Pashto poetry.
Chapter 15 has a title of Leo Tolstoy. It is a short story where a character Hume had hectors of land. But when he died he was buried in a 6 feet grave. This chapter gives a moral lesson that wealth and money are not permanent things and one is departed without these things. Chapter 16 talks about Rabinder Nath Tagore and his poetry who was a famous Indian literary writer who wrote Noval, poetry, and short stories. In addition, he got Nobal prize in 1913 and the title of Sir in 1925. In this chapter Jahani has also translated some of his poems.
This book with multiple subject matters is a remarkable work of Abdul jahani as a matter of fact that no Pashtun writer has written on different topics such has Jahani has written. It has deep analysis and is a well documented research oriented work. I fully recomend it to be a part of syllabus of MA Pashto literature in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
