Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – "The love for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) gives birth to Naat poetry. Naat should be straight from one's heart," said Syed Zulwiqar, an intellectual, while addressing the audience in a literary gathering to welcome famous Pakistani Naat singer Asad Shaukat. "Not only Muslim poets but also many non-Muslims' names are mentioned in the long list of Naat poets. In each and every country and language this genre of poetry is composed. The main source of the Naat poetry is the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith (Sayings of the Holy Prophet). The poets gets inspiration from the life of the Holy Prophet and compose their Naat in the light of the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith," added Zulwiqar. Shaukat, 28, is a emerging star in the field of Naat singing. He hails from Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, and is now living in Mandi Bahauddin, Pakistan. Asad is a student of MBA (Finance), but he participates in the Naat programs of local FM Radio and is a district coordinator of the Naat Forum International in Mandi Bahauddin. Shaukat is in the Kingdom to perform Umrah. "For composing Naat, there are certain conditions. The first and foremost is, the poet should not waver from the historical facts of the Holy Prophet's life. Secondly, while expressing his love, the poet should adopt words that glorifies the dazzling personality of the Holy Prophet," said Fizaur Rahman a Jeddah-based literary figure. "Asad Shaukat loves Holy Prophet and has selected the realm of Naat singing to express it. His melodious voice has become very popular within a short span of time, and he has selected Naats of different poets and compiled it in a book 3 years ago," said poet Anwar Hussain. The program began with the recitation of the few verses of the Holy Qur'an by Syed Muhammad. In the first session after the introduction of the guest and speeches, Jeddah poets Hussain, Faisal Tufail, Aftab Turabi and Mujahid Syed recited their Naats. Few examples of the Naat poetry recited by the poets: Anwar Hussain: Huzoor Aap ka ehsan shahr e Yesrab per; Ke jiski khak bhi khak e shifa bani hui hai Faisal Tufail: Toota hua tha rooh se rishta wajood ka; Aise men kaam aa gaya padhna Durood ka Aftab Turabi: Jub soo e khuld malaaik mujhe lekar jaayen; Apni aankhon men liye Taibah ka manzar jaaoon Mujahid Syed: Phir charagh e shauq ki lau tez tar hone lagi; Dil pa wo uqdah-kusha naqshe-Payambar khul gaya In the second session Asad Shaukat regaled the audience with his love-laced Naats. His Naats: Main ke be waq'at o be maayah hoon; Teri mahfil men chala aaya hoon; Khuda ne is liye Qasim Unhen banaya hai; Ke baantne ka qareenah Huzoor Jaante hain; Unke ausaaf o kamalaat ki had ko pahunche; Zehn e insaan men kahan aisa adad hai had hai; Koi duniya e ata men nahin hamta tera; Ho jo Hatim ko muyassar yeh nazarah tera; Kah uthe dekh ke bakhshish men yeh rutbah tera; Wah kya jood o karam hai Shah e Batha tera; Nahin sunta hi nahin maangne wala tera The program concluded with the supplication from Muhammad Sharif.
