Muhammad Mujahid Syed Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — "Naat is a poetry that specifically praises our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In the earlier days of Islam, not only the poets, but also, many famous scholars shot to fame for their Naats and Qasaed. Qaseeda Burda of Imam Busiri is one of the most famous euology of the Prophet. People who recite Naat are known as Naat-Khwan or Sana-Khwan (reciters of the praise). In Pakistan many Naat singers like Junaid Jamshed, Amir Liaquat Hussain, Awais Raza Qadri, Farhan Ali Qadri, Mushtaq Qadri and others recite Naats in Urdu, Panjabi, Persian and even in Arabic. In our family, for generations, there were many scholars and preachers. I had an inclination toward Naat recitation. Thank God, it has become my passion and I perform in Urdu and Punjabi without any formal preparation,” said famous Naat singer Ahmad Raza Hashmi. Hashmi shed some light on the art and history of Naat in Pakistan. He spoke at a gathering that was organized for him. Hashmi hails from Punjab, Pakistan and is a long time resident of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After a lavish dinner hosted by Khalid, Javed introduced Ahmad Raza Hashmi to the distinguished guests Syed Fareed Maharaj, a famous intellectual from Ajmer, Rajasthan, India, Sayeed Akhtar, Syed Zulwiqar, Eng. Abdul Aziz and others. Hashmi, in his familiar style, recited Naats of Muhammad Ali Zahoori, Dr. Mohsin Zaidi, Asar and Mumtaz Gangohi's Naats. His melodious voiced laced with love for the Prophet kept the audience spellbound. Zahoori's couplet in which the early period of Prophet's childhood is narrated brought tears to the eyes of the audience. Following is the couplet Ai Halimah yeh bata toone to dekha hoga Kaise tujh se mera Mahboob lipat ta hoga Dr. Mohsin Zaidi's heartwarming couplet describes his presence in front of the Prophet's grave Yeh Ashke nadamat bhi badi cheez hain Mohsin Darbare Risalat men zuban bole na bole Famous poetess Mumtaz Gangohi's Naat in Awadhi language was an excellent example for the love of Prophet: Koiee aisi chatar na mili mujhe pee ke duware bitha deti Main to rahe Madinah bhi dekhi nahin, mujhe baiiyan pakad ke bata deti The program began with the recitation of a few verses from the Holy Qur'an by host Khalid Javed. Sayeed Akhtar recited a Naat of famous poet late Kaleem Aajiz. Two other local poets, one of them being Sayeed Akhtar were also invited to recite their Naats. In the first session of the program after Syed Ahmad Hashmi's speech, Zulwiqar and Maharaj shed light on the tradition and evolution of Naat in the Indian subcontinent in different languages. Both speakers were all praise for Hashmi for his love of the Prophet and his art. They showered praise for the host for organizing such emotional and spiritual evening. Javed thanked Hashmi and other attendees of this beautiful program for their keen interest.
