Famous Urdu writer Doctor Waheed Qureshi writes in ” Urdu Nasar Kay Melanaat ( اردو نثر کے میلانات )” about Eid-ul-Fitr in Urdu Literature.
Eid-ul-Fitar is a special festival for Muslim community which celebrate on first shawal every Islamic Year.
Eid-ul-Fitr in Urdu Poetry
Eid-ul-Fitr in Urdu Literature and In Urdu ghazal poetry, Eid, Eid moon and crescent , meetings with the beloved on the day of Eid and its related issues remained important.
However, after the War of Independence of 1857 AD, when the boundaries of Urdu poetry expanded and attention towards poems increased, allusions and symbolic possibilities became more prominent in the subject of Eid and Urdu poetry became the interpreter of feelings received after 1857 AD.
And thus the correspondence of the intellectual life of the Muslims intensified the process of observance of Islamic values and traditions in Urdu literature. This is the reason for the abundance of poems on Eid-ul-Fitr and when poets and writers provided the means of presenting these ideas regarding the creative essence, the subject spread in many directions.
Instead of looking at Eid as a mere glimpse of happiness or the disappearance of the Eid moon as a mere glimpse of it once a year, it has been linked to the wider geography of Muslim cultural and intellectual life. By creating new nuances in the themes of Eid, he took it to the mixed feelings of literary happiness.
Topics for Eid
Bouquets are not limited to the topics of Eid, meeting in the courtyard of Eid Gah and Eid meeting in the house. Rather, it presents in a wider range of emotions. Eid-ul-Fitr seems to us to linke to the problems and conditions of the middle class and the poor.
Given this cultural background, there is not a single moment of excitement. Rather, it goes a long way in our social life as a cultural entity. With this expansion, the roots of the subject have spread in our literary traditions.
Among the laments written by Khawaja Hassan Nizami for the destruction of Delhi, it is important to mention the celebration of Eid in the cosmopolitanism of princes and princesses who have been deprived of wealth and honor. This tradition begins with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
In addition to describing the shortcomings of Muslims’ social life under the heading “Eid of the Muslims of India”, he also described in detail the maps of their poverty.
In Hassan Nizami’s themes, “Remembrance of the Glorious” gives a symbolic reference to Eid. “Prince’s Eid” “Eid Gah Ma Ghariban Koye To” shows the intensity of religious fervor and deep interest in religious matters.
These prose passages have also had an effect on our poetic traditions. Here are two poems from the poem of Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali:
Allama Iqbal’s Sayings about Eid
Iqbal’s Hilal Eid not only makes us happy, it also makes us laugh. Regarding the Eid of orphans, Iqbal also reflects this attitude on which even prose writers have been criticizing. Childhood memory forces Allama Iqbal to photograph the Eid moon and he becomes inclined towards photography.
Themes Related to Eid-ul-Fitr
Overall, the themes related to Eid-ul-Fitr reflect the core of our poetry. For example:
- The tendency to describe the Eid moon in terms of scenes
- The attitude of associating Eid with internal happiness and external conditions.
- The tendency to accept Hilal Eid as a symbol of national aspirations, a symbol of the rise and fall of the nation and the basis of cultural life.
This trend points to a new direction on a creative level, from which it would not be out of place to conclude that the concept of Eid does not depend on Muslims merely celebrating festivals and making jumping a culture.
Rather, this happy relationship goes far beyond our values. This does not give a single direction to the creations of Urdu poets about Eid but their connection with our internal attitudes is so deep that in our poetic tradition this process does not end with just one-sided scenes. Eid is an important and unforgettable part of the poetic tradition.
