Zafar Ali Khan
Poet and journalist (1874-1956)
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Through British Raj, Economics and Sociology
Working with both Islamic and Western knowledge and contemporary trends in economics, sociology and politics, he is considered one of the fathers of Urdu journalism.
Early life and education
Zafar was born in the Sialkot District in 1873 into a Punjabi family of the Rajput Janjua clan, as per the contemporary report of 1920.
He received his early education at Mission High School, Wazirabad, Wazirabad District, matriculated (10th grade) from Patiala, and passed his intermediate (12th grade) from the Aligarh College in 1895. Next, he worked in the postal department of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the same place where his father worked, but resigned over a row with his seniors. He rejoined Aligarh College and gained his BA degree from there, placing fifth in his batch.
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Career
Journalism
After graduation, Khan was appointed secretary to a Muslim political leader Mohsin-ul-Mulk, then in Bombay. Then he worked for some time as a translator in Hyderabad, Deccan, rising to the post of Secretary, Home Department. He returned from Hyderabad and took over the daily Zamindar newspaper from Lahore in 1908, founded by his father Maulvi Sirajuddin Ahmad in 1903. At one time, this newspaper was an important newspaper of the Punjab.
Relation with the Ahmadiyya Movement
Zafar Ali Khan's relationship with the Ahmadiyya was belligerent. He was among the vanguard, who censured Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from Qadian by writing satirical poems against him. He even wrote the preface to the book "His Holiness", which was written as a refutation of the Ahmadiyya movement. Later on, when Pakistan was created, he was an ardent participant in the 1953 Tehreek e Khatm e Nabuwat (a movement against the Ahmadis), writing articles against them.
Poetry
He chose to write in Urdu. Khan's interest in poetry began in his childhood. His poems have religious and political sentiments. He was especially versed in impromptu compositions. His poetical output includes Baharistan, Nigaristan, and Chamanistan. His other works are Marka-e-Mazhab-o-Science, Ghalba-e-Rum, Sayr-e-Zulmet and an opera Jang-e-Roos-o-Japan.
Most popular Naats
- Woh Shama Ujalaa Jis Ne Kiya 40 Baras Tak Ghaaron Mein sung by Mehdi Hassan, a Radio Pakistan production, a popular Naat written by Zafar Ali Khan
- 'Dil jis se zinda hai woh tamanna tum hi tau ho' sung by Muneeba Sheikh, a Pakistan Television production, a popular Naat written by Zafar Ali Khan
Death and legacy
He died on 27 November 1956, and was buried in Wazirabad, Punjab. His funeral prayer was led by his companion and friend Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi.
Sahiwal Stadium, а multi-purpose stadium in Sahiwal, Punjab, was renamed as Zafar Ali Stadium in his honour. It is used for football and cricket games. The stadium holds 10,000 people.
Zafar Ali Khan was an active member of the Khilafat Movement and a close associate of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar.
S. M. Ikram, a noted Pakistani scholar and historian writes about Zafar Ali Khan:
"He was young, forceful and courageous, and enthusiastically responded to the new political trends. In his hands the Zamindar became the most influential Urdu daily of Northern India and his role in politics was second only to that of Ali Brothers and Abul Kalam Azad during the Khilafat movement".
Later, he also served the Pakistan Movement and was an outspoken activist against British rule. Recognising Zafar Ali Khan's contributions to the Pakistan Movement, the Punjab government in Pakistan established a 'Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Trust' that initiated the 'Zafar Ali Khan Award' for outstanding journalists to be awarded every year. A public degree college in Wazirabad is named after him as Government Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Degree College.
Commemorative postage stamp
Pakistan Post issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series.
Books
Some of his notable publications include:
Poetry
- Bahāristān
- Nigāristān
- Camanistān
- Rahāristān
- Armag̲h̲ān-i Qādiyān
- Kulliyāt-i Maulānā Ẓafar ʻAlī K̲h̲ān
- Ḥabsiyāt
- Nashīd-i Shīrāz, collection of Persian poems and articles published in different periodicals
- K̲h̲amistān-i Ḥijāz, poetry about Muhammad
Essays
- G̲h̲albah-yi Rūm: ek tārīk̲h̲ī tafsīr, historical commentary of Sūrat ar-Rūm on the victory of Romans over the Persians and the Muslims over the Meccan polytheists as predicted by Koran in AD 615
- Taqārīr-i Maulānā Ẓafar ʻAlī K̲h̲ān̲, speeches of the author, especially in regard with the Khilafat movement
- Lat̤āʼifuladab, on the relation between literature and Islam
- Mʻaās̲h̲irat, on the social sciences
- Jamāluddīn Afg̲h̲ānī: yaʻnī itiḥād-i Islāmī ke muharrik-i aʻzīm, Misr, Ṭarkī, Īrān aur Hindūstān ke z̲arīʻah ʻalim-i Islām man̲, biography of the Muslim reformer and independence fighter Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī
Plays
- Jang-i Rus va Japān: yaʻnī ek tārīk̲h̲ī ḍrāmā, a play on the Russian Japanese War, (1904–1905)
Translations
- Jangal buk, Urdu translation from the English of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book
- Al-Farooq: the life of Omar the Great, English translation from the Urdu of Shibli Nomani's Al-Farooq, a biography of Umar