Waheed Akhtar

Syed Waheed Akhtar
Personal
Era	contemporary
Notable work(s)	Paththaron Ka Mughanni, Shab Ka Razmiyah, Karbala Ta Karbala, Early Imamiyah Shia Thinkers, etc

Syed Waheed Akhtar: (1934-1996)

Urdu poet, writer, critic, distinguished orator (One of the leading muslim scholars and philosophers.)

Life:

Syed Waheed Akhtar a poet, literary critic and scholar was born on 12th of August, 1934, in the city of Aurangabad (Deccan) of erstwhile Hyderabad State of Nizam (present day Maharashtra), in a family which migrated from [Nasirabad]-Jais (Jais-birth place of poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi/[1]), boroughs of sa'adat inhabitants in Raebareily (or Raebareli) district of Uttar Pradesh. His father's name was Syed Nazr-e Abbas, and mother's name was Syeda Aliya Begum. They had seven children. Waheed Akhtar was the second child, among six sons and one daughter.After spending his childhood in Aurangabad, and completing high school and intermediate, he went to Hyderabad,to enroll at Osmania University as a bachelor of art student. He was in Hyderabad for eight years until he completed his Ph. D. and got appointment as lecturer at Aligarh Muslim University. Years in Hyderabad were crucial for moulding his personality as a poet and writer. Although, after Police Action Hyderabad acceded to the Dominion of India, it was still a very strong feudal society, dominated by rich and elite. At the same time, lot of muslims who held positions of importance had become defeatist, thinking they had lost their voice and authority in the conditions prevalent at that time. Hyderabad was still, the only University in subcontinent to teach modern sciences including medicine and engineering in Urdu, which was the fruit of Allamah Shibli Nomani's hardwork. Waheed Akhtar was not the one to resign to defeat, nor overwhelmed by the times and existing system. He was a born fighter and he made his ideas and voice heard in his writings. He was independent minded, freedom loving man who was well aware of Political and Literary Movements of his times around the world. He wrote prolifically in Urdu from very early age. During his initial years he adopted the pen name "Barq".

He got married to Indo-Iranian lady Syeda Mahliqa Qarai in Hyderabad in the year 1962 and had four sons: Hasan, Husain, Haider (who died due to polio in the fifth month of his birth) and Mohsin. Mrs Mahliqa Qarai was martyred in the USS Vincennes attack on Iran Air Flight 655- an iranian civilian airliner on Sunday July 3, 1988, in the Persian Gulf during the 8-year Iran-Iraq war. After his wife's death he suffered 5 heart attacks and 3 cardiac arrests. Finally passed away on 13th of December in 1996 at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi one year after his retirement at the age of 61.

His Close Friends:

India: Khaleel-ur-Rehman Aazmi (Aligarh), Kumar Akhlaq Mohhammad Khan -- Shahryar (Aligarh), Akhtar Ansari(Aligarh), Majnoon Gorakhpuri, Abid Husain, Ehtesham Husain, Abdul Aleem, Khwaja Masood Ali Zauqi (Lucknow-Aligarh), Sohail Ahmad, Shad Bano Ahmad, Syed Viqar Husain (Aligarh), Mohammad Husain Razvi (Aurangabad-Aligarh), Hasan Askari (Hyderabad, now in UK), Mughni Tabassum (Hyderabad), Shaaz Tamkinat (Hyderabad), Makhdoom Mohiuddin (Hyderabad), Azhar Khursheed (Hyderabad), Raja Dubey, Om Prakash Nirmal, Abdul Rab, Anwar Moazzam (Hyderabad), Jeelani Bano (Hyderabad), Sulaiman Areeb (Hyderabad), Safia Areeb (Hyderabad), Ahmad Moazzam (Hyderabad), Akbar Hyderabadi, Qadeer Zaman (Hyderabad), Akhtar Hasan (Hyderabad), Saeed bin Mohammad (Hyderabad), Chandar Shrivastav (Hyderabad), Ibrahim Jalees, Mahmood Husain Jigar, Rashid Azar (Hyderabad) Alam Khundmiri (Hyderabad), Bashar Nawaz (Aurangabad), Mateen Sarosh (Aurangabad), Qazi Saleem (Aurangabad), Raj Bahadur Godh/Gaur, Akhtar ul Iman (Bombay), Ali Sardar Jafri (Bombay), Kaifi Azmi (Bombay), Baqer Mehdi (Bombay), Aziz Qaisi (Bombay-Hyderabad), Majrooh Sultanpuri (Bombay), Sahir Ludhianvi (Bombay), Yusuf Nazim (Bombay), Jan Nisar Akhtar (Bombay), Awaz Sayeed, Najm al Saqib Shahna (Raigir), Qurratulain Hyder or Qurat-ul-Ain Hyder (Aligarh-Bombay), Syed Rizwan Husain (Aligarh), Mujtaba Husain (Hyderabad-Delhi), Humayun Zafar Zaidi (Aligarh-Delhi), Mehdi Haider Zaidi, Makhmoor Saeedi (Delhi), Zubair Rizvi (Delhi), Khurseed ul Islam (Aligarh), Moin Ehsan Jazbi (Aligarh), Aale Ahmad Suroor (Aligarh), Aulad Ahmad Siddiqui (Aligarh), Qaisar Zaidi (Aligarh), Sajida Zaidi (Aligarh), Ather Perwez (Aligarh), Zahida Zaidi (Aligarh), Akhtar Sayeed Khan (Bhopal), Mohammad Alwi, Waris Alwi (Ahmadabad), N Rasheed (Calcutta/ Kolkatta), Nazeer Siddiqui (Bangalore), Ayaz Ahmad Ansari (Aligarh), Izhar Husain (Aligarh), Abbas Moosvi, Syed Mohd Wasi (Aligarh), Anwar Ansari (Aligarh), Shahab Jafri (Bhopal), Shamim Hanafi (Aligarh-Delhi), Jamal Khwaja (Aligarh), Sultan Ali Shaida (IIT-Kanpur), Farooq Nazki, Ghulam Rasool Adda, Jagannath Azad (Kashmir), Asghar Ali Engineer, Ameer Arfi (Hyderabad-Delhi), Afzal Ali (Hyderabad-Aligarh) A M Khusrow (Hyderabad-Delhi), Tayyaba Begum (Hyderabad), Akhtar Zaidi (Hyderabad), Aziz (Hyderabad), Shahid Mahdi (Delhi), Shamsur Rahman Farooqi, Chandan Das (Delhi).

Pakistan: Nasir Kazmi, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Josh Malihabadi, Himayat Ali Shayar,Zafar Iqbal,Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Abbas Haider Zaidi.

Iran: Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Ayatollah Ali Taskhiri, Hassan Habibi, Abdolkarim Soroush, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Dadbeh, Hossein Elahi Ghomshei, Mohammad Reza Shafiei-Kadkani, Seyyed Ali Musavi Garmaroudi, Gholamreza Avani, Gholam Hossein Ebrahimi Dinani, Hojjatoleslam Mohd Baqer Ansari, Jawwad Sahlani,

Education:

His early education took place at Chelipura High School, a government school in Aurangabad. He was educated at Osmania University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and received his bachelor's degree in arts, and master's and Ph. D degrees in Philosophy. He was appointed lecturer of philosophy at Aligarh Muslim University and went on to settle in Aligarh for the rest of his life, where he retired in 1995.

He passed all examinations from Osmania University, Hyderabad in FIRST DIVISION with distinction: High School–1950; B.A. – 1954; M.A. (Philosophy) – 1956; Ph.D. (Philosophy) – Khwaja Mir Dard’s Contribution to Sufism (1960, Osmania University).

Academic Positions Held:'

He was appointed Lecturer in General Education – 1960 at Aligarh Muslim University; Lecturer in Philosophy – 1962; Reader in Humanities – 1970; Reader in Philosophy – 1975; Professor – 1979; Chairman Dept. of Philosophy – April 1987-1990 & 1992 till retirement; Dean Faculty of Arts, AMU, Aligarh – 1990-92

Academic and Scholarly Contributions:

a) Specialized in Sufism, Existentialism, Aesthetics, Literary Criticism and Shi’ite Thought. More than two hundred articles, besides eight books in Urdu and English published.

(b) His research and creative work has been quoted and referred to by an number of scholars in Philosophy, Islamic Studies and Literature, such as Annemarie Schimmel, Dr. Abid Husain, Prof. Aale Ahmad Suroor, Prof. Ehtisham Husain, Prof. Mujnoon Gorakhpuri, Ali Sardar Jafari, Prof. Muhi-al-din Qadri Zor, Prof. A.Q. Sarwari, Dr.Wazir Agha, Khalil-al-Rehman Azmi, Prof. Mumtaz Husain, Prof. Qamar Raees, Prof. Mohd. Hasan, Prof. G.C. Narang and many eminent literary critics.

(c) Ten researchers got M.Phil. under his supervision and five awarded Ph.D. under his guidance in the fields of Muslim Philosophy, Existentialism, Aesthetics and Social Philosophy.

Works

His published collections of poetry comprise mainly ghazals (Ghazal) and nazms (Nazm), but his mastery on other forms of poetry, like Marsia- elegy in the musaddas format; Qasida (Panegyric), [Hajv] (lampoon), Manqibat, Salaam, Rubai (quatrain)- is exemplary. He was one of the few to tread his own path independent of "tarraqipasand tehreek" (Progressive Writers' Movement) and questioned revolutionary ideals of the progressive movement, when most of the writers of subcontinent were looking towards communist Soviet Union for inspiration and guidance. He argued and predicted that a system which is devoid of individual, political and creative freedom is bound to fail. These ideas were penned down in late 1950's in 'Saba'- a literary Urdu journal edited and published by Sulaiman Areeb from Hyderabad. This article evoked a harsh criticism from none other than founder of the Progressive Writers' Movement, Sajjad Zaheer . Impact of the article was such that controversy raged for years in the literary journals of the sub-continent. His following verses from one of his ghazal is a satire on that era.

"Jisko mana tha khuda khak ka paiker nikla, Haath aya jo yaqeen waham sarasar nikla."

His ideas wether in prose or in poetry reflect that he was a great visionary and giant of his age and much ahead of his time compared to his contemporaries.

Waheed Akhtar was a strong proponent of freedom, and stressed for the commitment to ideals rather than adopting them as 'fashion' or a 'cliché' for creativity.His poetry is classical as well as modern. His poetry has elements of islamic mysticism or Tasawwuf, existentialism, contemporary issues related to the problems of man, politics etc. His poetry is more revolutionary and freedom inspiring than poets considered revolutionary in Urdu, another couplet from the same ghazal is an example of this,

Kal jahan zulm ne kati theen saron ki faslein,  nam hui hai to usi khak se lashkar nikla

Waheed Akhtar is also considered to be among the few successful modern Urdu poets who took Marsia to new heights and gave new direction to it in this age. "Waheed Akhtar, Professor of Philosophy at Aligarh Muslim University, had been crucial in keeping the tradition of marsiya dynamic in present-day South Asia. His marasi rely on the images, metaphors, and nuances inherited from nineteenth century masters like Anis and Dabir, and on the values invested in this genre by socio-religious reformers like Josh. On the back cover of his recently-published marsiya anthology, for example, is the famous Arabic saying: "Every place is Karbala; every day is Ashura." By positing a similarity between Hussain's historic battle and the present day struggle of human kind against renewed forms of Yazidian oppression, Akhtar deflects the interpretation of the martyrs of Karbala as mere insignia of Islamic history; they are instead posed as the sinews for the revival of an ideal Islamic state of being"

Poetry: Ghazals and Nazms

His following collections of poetry mostly comprise of nazms and ghazals 1) Patthron Ka Mughanni 2) Shab Ka Razmiyyah 3) Zanjir Ka Naghma

Marsia

Karbala Ta Karbala (collection of Elegies on martyrs of Karbala– Urdu) –1991- consists of eight marasi (plural of marsia)

1. Maraiam se bhi siwa hai fazilat Batul ki-Chadar e Tatheer- Marsia on Hazrat Fatima, has 168 bunds.

Opening bund:

           Mariam se bhi siwa hai fazilat Batul ki  
           Bizat Rasool ki hai riyazat Batul ki
           Ajr e payambari hai muwaddat Batul ki  
           Iman ka juz hai iffat o ismat Batul ki
                Ayaat e nutq e Rab mein hai talmeeh e Fatima
                Takmeel hai namaz ki tasbeeh e Fatima

2. Qale tameer kiye daste havaskari ne-Qala Kusha-Marsia on Hazrat Ali ibne Abi Talib-135 bunds in total.

Opening bund:

          Qale tameer kiye daste havaskari ne
          Sarhade aag khenchi hain sitamgari ne
          Shahron ko bech diya tama ki nadari ne
          Mulkon ko bata hai sarmaye ki ayyari ne
                Khun pe bunyad rakhi aish ne darai ki
                Zulm ne aansuon se anjuman aarai ki

3. Barsi nahi naghmon ki ghatayen kai din se-Shaheed e Atash-Marsia Hazrat Ali Asghar ibn al-Husain-107 bunds.

Opening bund:

          Barsi nahi naghmon ki ghatayen kai din se
          Sanki nahi madmati hawaen kai din se
          Lab basta hain jeene ki duaen kai din se
          Nakarda hain masoom khataen kai din se
                Woh jas hai, awaaz ka dam toot raha hai
                Har geet ka har saaz ka dam toot raha hai

4. Ai saqi e hayat o masiha e kainat- Alamdar e Amn-Marsia on Hazrat Abul Fazl al Abbas, 134 bunds in toal.

Opening bund:

          Ai saqi e hayat o masiha e kainat
          Ai mawara e kon o makan ruh e shish jehat
          Ai khaliq e sifat o munazzah an assifat
          Ai woh ke khud wajud bhi hai jis ka ain e zat
                Har ramz o marifat ki hai ek sai e na tamaam
                Hadde sana o hamd se bartar tera maqaam

5. Hai qafila e jara'at e raftar safar mein-Salaar e Qafila e Shauq-Saiyid al-Shohada Hazrat Imam Husain ibne Ali, 143 bunds.

Opening bund:

          Hai qafila e jara'at e raftar safar mein
          Manzil ka nishan bhi nahi is rah guzar mein
          Ta hadde nazar reg e biyaban hai nazar mein
          Saya hai na pani rah e purpech o khatar mein
                Gardoon hai sharar bar, zameen aag ka darya
                Phela hua hai door o qarin aag ka darya

6. Raat yeh haq ke chiraghon pe bahot bhari hai-Tegh e Zaban e Zainab-Marsia Hazrat Zainab, 188 bunds in all.

Opening bund:

           Raat yeh haq ke chiraghon pe bahot bhari hai
           Sans lene mein bhi iman ko dushwari hai
           Kashmakash marg o masihaee mein ab jari hai
           Charagar aa bhi chuken, kooch ki tayyari hai  
                 Nashe fatah mein batil hai ke ata hai Yazid
                 Masnad e adl pe haq apna jatata hai Yazid

7

Prose

Literary criticism, philosophical writings, columns and talks

Published Books:

Books in Urdu: Besides his collections of urdu poetry Shab Ka Razmiyah, Paththaron ka Mughanni, and Zanjeer ka Naghma. He has published a collection of Elegies (Marsia /Marsiyah-sing; Marasih-plural) of the martyrs of Karbala by the name of “Karbala Ta Karbala. He contributed to numerous talks, discussions, and poetry recitations at All India Radio Stations.

1) Patthron Ka Mughanni ( ..... ) – 1966

2) Shab Ka Razmiyyah ( ..... ) – 1973

3) Zanjir Ka Naghma ( ..... ) – 1982 (dedicated to his brother in-law -- Syed Ali Quli Qarai & publisher Hasan Waheed)

4) Karbala Ta Karbala (collection of Elegies on martyrs of Karbala– Urdu) – 1991.

Prose:

5)Khwaja Mir Dard-Tasawwuf aur Shairi; published by Anjuman Tarraqi-e-Urdu Hind–1971

6) Falsafa aur Adabi Tanqid (Literary Criticism in Urdu) – 1972

Books and other scholarly articles in English:

In English, in addition to The Early Shiite Imamiyyah Thinkers and Iqbal In Modern Perspective, he wrote numerous articles on various philosophical subjects, besides several translations from Persian to English, and book reviews. His later work was mostly published in Al-Tawhid a journal for Islamic Thought published from Iran, Aligarh Journal of Islamic thought (a journal published by the department of philosophy, of Aligarh Muslim University- which was revived during his chairmanship of the department with him as its editor) and Message of Thaqalayn -another English journal published from Iran.

7) Iqbal in Modern Perspective (English) – 1987. (Also translated into Arabic)

8) Early Imamiyyah Shi’ite Thinkers (English) – 1988

Articles:

About one hundred features, talks and reviews on various philosophical and literary issues in Urdu and English broadcasted from All India Radio.

More than five hundred articles – critical reviews and write-ups published in outstanding journals of India and Pakistan, such as:

Saba (Hyderabad), Sabras (Hyderabad), Chiragh (Hyderabad), Gajar (Hyderabad), Shi’r wa Hikmat (Hyderabad), Ham Qalam (Karachi), Mashrab (Karachi), Adab-e-Latif (Lahore), Awraq (Lahore), Adabi Dunya (Lahore), Sha’ur (Delhi), Shabkhoon (Allahabad), Sha’ir (Bombay), Ahang (Gaya), Sharah & Atkar (Delhi), Ajkal (Delhi), Indo-Iranica (Calcutta), Mankind (Hyderabad), Fikr-o-Nazar (Aligarh), Islam aur A’sr-e-Jadid – Islam and Modern Age (Delhi), Funun (Lahore), Iqbaliyyat (Lahore), Fikr-o-Nazar (Lahore), Guftugu (Bombay), Urdu International (Canada).

List of Selected Articles in English:

1. Waves of Unreason, Mankind (Hyderabad), 1961

2. Man: A Problem for Himself (Presented in the Seminar on ‘Concept of Man’) A.M.U, Aligarh, 1967

3. Foundations of Modernity (Presented in the Annual Conference of All India Philosophical Association) Poona, 1968

4. Existentialism concept of Man (Presented in the 43rd Session of All India Philosophy Congress) Dharwar, 1969, (Published in the Proceedings of the Congress)

5. Dilemma of Modern Man: Science versus Religion (Presented in a Seminar on ‘Religion and Science’) A.M.U Aligarh

6. Aurobindo’s Theory of Poetry (Presented in Sri Aurobindo Centenary) Seminar organized by Sahitya Academy, Delhi and Bombay, 1972. Publish in Sri Aurobindo Centenary Commemoration Volume

7. Critical Review of Iqbal, Poet-Philosopher of Pakistan

8. Nature and Function of Reason (Presented in the Seminar on Reason) Centre of Advanced Study in Philosophy, B.H.U, Varanasi, 1973

9. Sufi Approach to the Problem of Alienation, with particular reference to Chishti Saints (Presented at the Baba Farid Octocentenary Seminar) at Ajmer, 1974. Published in Islam and Modern Age. Delhi

10. Iqbal and Western Thought, (To be published in a book: ‘Iqbal’s Philosophy’, All India Iqbal Centenary Committee)

11. Existentialism Elements in Iqbal’s Thought (Published in the book ed. by Prof.. Asloob Ahmad Ansari, Ghalib Academy, Delhi. 1975)

12. Iqbal and Aurobindo (Iqbal Centenary Volume & Aligarh Journal of Muslim Philosophy)

13. Sabzwari’s Analysis of Being, Al-Tawhid. Vol.2.1 (Tehran)

14. Among the Believers (A review article on V.S. Naipaul’s book), Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

15. Al-Kulayni: Life and Works, Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

16. Shaykh al-Saduq: Life and Works, Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

17. Shaykh al-Mufid: Life and Works, Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

18. Al-Sharif al-Radi: Compiler of Nahj al-Balagha, Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

19. Al-Sharif al-Murtada, ‘Alm al-Huda’: Life and Works, Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

20. Shaykh al-Ta’ifah al-Tusi: Life and Works, Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

21. Modern Political Thought in Islam (A review article on Hamid Enayet’s book of the same title), Al-Tawhid (Tehran)

22. Freedom in the Islamic Framework of Human Rights with special reference to Nahj al-Balaghah, 1986 & Aligarh Journal of Islamic Thought, A.M.U, 1989 and Thaqalayn in Urdu, English and Persian (Tehran) 1993

23. Tasawwuf: The Meeting Ground of Tasannun and Tashaiy’uh: Al-Tawhid (Tehran) and Aligarh Journal of Islamic Thought (A.M.U) 1990-1991

Articles in Persian:

24. Anasir-e-Existentialism dar Fikre-e-Iqbal, presented at the International Iqbal Seminar, Tehran University, Tehran, 1986 (Published in a book from Tehran (1988).

25. Naqshe-e Zaban-e Farsi dar Wazehha Wa Mustalihat-e Urdu presented at the International Seminar on teaching of Persian in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Nashr-e Danishgahi, Tehran, 1986. (Published in Persian, Tehran).

26. Hafiz wa Ghalib: presented at an International Seminar on Hafiz’s 8th centenary, 1988, at Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

27. Presented a paper on Sabzwari’s Philosophy and its contemporary relevance at an International seminar, Sabzwar, Iran, 1993.

Translations:

28. Four quartrets by T.S. Eliot (Burnt Norton), Urdu Adab, Aligarh, and Shabkhoon, Allahbad.

29. Julius Ceasar by W. Shakespeare. AIR, Hyderabad.

30. Letter on Aesthetics by Schiller.

31. Mutual Services of Islam and Iran, by Murtada Motahhari, (Published in installments in Al-Tawhid, Tehran).

Participated and Presented Papers in the Following National & International Conferences and Seminars:

1. All India Philosophical Congress, 43rd Session, Dharwar, 1969.

2. All India Philosophical Congress, 47th Session, Simla, 1973.

3. Philosophical Association Annual Conference, Poona, 1968.

5. National Seminar, Sri Aurobindo Centenary, Delhi, 1972.

6. Seminar on ‘Reason’ Advanced Centre of Philosophy, B.H.U., Varanasi, 1973.

7. National Writers’ Camp, World Book-Fair, Organized by the National Book Trust of India, Delhi, 1972.

8. Annual Conference of Hindustani Academy, Allahbad, 1972.

9. All-India Cultural Conference, Hyderabad, 1954.

10. All-India Urdu Conference, Hyderabad, 1956.

11. All-India Urdu Conference, Hyderabad, 1961.

12. Osmania University Golden Jubilee Celebration, Hyderabad, 1963.

13. National Writers’ Meet, Academy of Culture and Languages, Srinagar, 1960.

14. Seminar on Problems of Criticism, A.M.U. Aligarh, 1964.

15. Seminar on Teaching of Language and Literature, A.M.U., Aligarh, 1966.

16. Seminar on ‘Modernity and Literature’, A.M.U., Aligarh, 1967.

17. Seminar on ‘Concept of Man’, A.M.U., Aligarh, 1968.

18. Seminar on ‘Urdu Literature after 1947’, A.M.U., Aligarh.

19. Ghalib Centenary Seminar, A.M.U., Aligarh, 1969.

20. Seminar on ‘Urdu Fiction’, A.M.U., Aligarh.

21. Seminar on Iqbal, A.M.U., Aligarh, 1972.

22. Seminar on ‘Sir Syed and his Relevance to our Age, A.M.U., Aligarh, 1972.

23. Seminar on ‘Science and Religion’ A.M.U., Aligarh.

24. Sri Aurobindo Centenary Seminar, A.M.U., Aligarh, 1972.

25. Baba Farid Centenary Seminar, Ajmer, 1973.

26. ‘Jashn-e-Firaq’ Seminar, Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, 1972.

27. Iqbal Centenary Seminar, Calcutta, Delhi, 1974.

28. All-India Iqbal Centenary Seminar, Hyderabad, 1974.

29. All-India Iqbal Centenary Seminar, Srinagar, 1975.

30. All-India Anis Centenary Seminar, Delhi, 1975.

31. Seminar on ‘Creative Use of Language in Contemporary Literature’ held at Jamia- Millia, Delhi, 1975.

32. All- India Iqbal Centenary Seminar, Calcutta University, Calcutta, 1976.

33. Indo-Pak Seminar on Urdu Fiction, Jamia-Millia, Delhi.

34. All-India Seminar on Firaq, U.P. Urdu Academy, Lucknow, 1983.

35. All-India Seminar on Josh Malihabadi, Shia College, Lucknow, 1984.

36. International Seminar on Ghazali, Tehran University, Tehran, 1986.

37. International Seminar on Teaching of Persian in the Subcontinent, Tehran, 1986.

38. International Seminar on Iqbal, Tehran University, Tehran, 1986.

39. International Seminar on Eighth Centenary of Hafiz, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, 1988.

40. International Seminar on 'Concept of Time: Ancient and Modern', IGCNA, New Delhi, 1990.

41. International Seminar on Sabzwari, Sabzwar, Iran, 1993.

42. International Seminar on Muslim Education, Aligarh, 1993.

43. International Seminar on Sufism, Delhi, 1992.

44. International Seminar on Abu-al Kalam Centenary (A.M.U. Aligarh,1992).

45. International Seminar on Abu-al Kalam (Jamia Millia Islamiyyah, New Delhi, 1992).

46. International Seminar on ‘Islamic Culture and Civilization: Past, Present and Future’, Tehran 1994.

Delivered Lectures and Presided Over Seminars on Various Occasions:

1. Delhi University

2. Calcutta University

3. Osmania University

4. Patna University

5. Andhra University

6. Ghalib Academy, Delhi

7. Ghalib Institute, Delhi

8. Indo-Iranica Society, Calcutta

9. Kashmir University

10. Jammu University

11. Mysore University

12. Bangalore University

13. Marthwara University

14. Jamia Millia, Delhi

15. Sahitya Academy, Delhi

16. Tehran University, Iran

17. Shiraz University, Iran

18. Sabzwar University, Sabzwar, Iran

19. Annual Conference of Progressive Writers Association, Hyderabad

20. Annual Conference of Progressive Writers Association, Delhi

21. Islamic Radical Centre, Jaipur

22. Sufi Conference, Jaipur

23. Hindustani Academy, Allahbad

24. Institute of Objective Studies, Delhi

25. Institute of Objective Studies, Aligarh.

26. West Bengal Urdu Academy, Calcutta.

27. Vishva Bharti, Shantiniketan.

28. J.N. University, Delhi.

29. Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Culture and Art, Jammu, Srinagar several times.

30. Max Muller Bhavan, Hyderabad 31. Henry Martin Institute, Hyderabad – many times.

31. Abdul Kalam Research Institute, Hyderabad.

32. Aiwane-e-Urdu, Hyderabad.

33. Iran Culture House, Delhi.

34. Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal.

(f) Represented Urdu in All-India Multilingual Symposia organized and broadcasted by All India Radio, Delhi on four occasions, 1965, 1973, 1983 and 1995.

(g) Participated in hundreds of Mushairas and Kavi Sammelans all over India.

(h) Member I.C.P.R (UGC) 1995-1996.

Books Ready for Press:

Several of his books are awaiting publication on varied subjects of philosophy, literature and Islamic thought.

Ham Asr Adab, Iqbal aur fikr-e-jadid, Shahr-e-Hawas (epic poem) and another collection of elegies are some of the works ready for publication.

1) Iqbal and Modern thought (English).

2) Adab aur Wujudiyyat ( ..... ) a collection of articles in Urdu.

3) Ham Qalam ( ...... ) a collection of articles on contemporary Urdu writers.

4) Ham ‘asr Adab ( ..... ) a collection of articles on contemporary Urdu Poetry.

5) Ham ‘asr Adab ( .... ) a collection of articles on contemporary Urdu Prose.

6) Ham ‘asr Adab ( ..... ) a collection of articles on contemporary Urdu literary theory and criticism.

7) Iqbal aur Fikr-e-Jadid ( .... ) a collection of thirteen articles on Iqbal.

8) Perspective of Islam and Islamic Thought, a collection of Philosophical articles in English on various Muslim Metaphysical, Socio-Political themes in Philosophy.

Foreign Assignment:

Editor of Al-Tawhid (English) a journal of Philosophy and Culture, Islamic Propagation Organization, Tehran, Iran – May 1984-April 1987.

Awards and Honours:

1960: Andhra Pradesh Sahitya Academy Award

1967: Ghalib Award of the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy – for the best Urdu Book

1972: Uttar Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh Urdu Academy Awards on Khwaja Mir Dard’s Sufi Doctrines and Poetry.

1973: Uttar Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh Urdu Academy Awards, on Philosophy and Literary Criticism

1974: Uttar Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh Urdu Academy Awards

1983: The Highest National Award in India for Literary Criticism in Urdu by Andhra Pradesh Urdu Academy Hyderabad

Research On His Life and Works:

One M. Phil. & Ph.D from Central University of Hyderabad (1993) awarded to Athar Sultana who did research on his works in Literature and Philosophy. Another Ph.D awarded to Ali Salman Rizvi on his Urdu Poetry and Literature from Lucknow University (2002), (University of Lucknow), one Ph. D. from Kashmir University, one Ph. D. from Aligarh Muslim University.

Links

[1] *[2] a brief portrayal of Waheed Akhtar by his friend Awaz Sayeed from Hyderabad.

[2] *[3] Right to Acquire Knowledge: Nahj al-Balaghah's Approach

[3] *[4] Freedom, Human Destiny, and the World in the Nahj al-Balaghah

[4] *[5] The Concept of Freedom in the Nahj al-Balaghah

[5] *[6] Taken from "The Early Imamiyah Shi'ite Thinkers"-discusses Kulayni's work and contribution.

[6] *[7] Freedom in the Islamic Framework of Human Rights, With Special Reference to the Nahj al-Balaghah

[7] *[8] Al-Tawhid

[8] *[9] Karbala', an Enduring Paradigm of Islamic Revivalism

[9] *[10] The Islamic Concept of Knowledge

[10]*[11] An Introduction to Imamiyyah Scholars Major Shi'i Thinkers of the Fifth/Eleventh Century

[11]*[12] Islam and Iran: A Historical Study of Mutual Services

[12]*[13] Alleged Book Burnings in Iran and Egypt: A Study of Related Facts and Fiction

[13] *[14] Western Nationalism and Islamic Nationhood

[14] *[15] Book Review: Modern Political Islamic Thought

[15] *[16] Prof. Waheed Akhtar in a Mushairah at Muscat in 1994

[16] *[17]Mushaera - Dr. Waheed Akhtar - 02 (Video)

[17] *[18] Reliving Karbala Martyrdom in South Asian Memory By Syed Akbar Hyder, Inc NetLibrary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urdu_poetry

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urdu_poetry#Poets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Aligarh_Muslim_University_alumni

Copyright: Syed Hasan Waheed

seyedhasanwaheed@yahoo.com: