Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai
Dr. Allamah Nasir al-Din Nasir Hunzai (b. 1917) is a Pakistani writer, poet, and a professor at Senior University, Canada. He is known for his wisdom on the subjects of Islam and Brushaski language. His service towards Islam in general and towards the Ismaili community in particular has given him a worldwide acclaim and respect.
Personal life
He was born as 'Pertavi Shah' in Hyderabad, a small village of Hunza in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Since early childhood he was inclined towards esoteric meanings in faith. According to him his life, since the beginning has been full of hardships, oppositions and obstructions but he was not deterred and continued his efforts towards enlightenment and self-education-- and thus made efforts to make the Ismailis and Muslims feel the importance of their faith and its inner meaning. Inspired by the preachings and teachings of Pir Nasir Khusraw and a thirst for wisdom and understanding of a deeper meaning of life and existence, he devoted his life to self-exploration and in the service of Ismaili faith and its spiritual meaning.
Creative and research works
A sufi poet of many languages, he is the author of more than hundred books/booklets-- that shed light on spirituality and is claimed to be the first writer to coin the terms 'Spiritual Science', 'monoreality' and 'Thousand wisdoms'. Written in his first language, 'Diwan-e-Nasiri' is a favorite collection of his poetry in Brushaski (a language spoken in northern region of Pakistan). His books have been translated into English, French, German, Persian, Turkish, and Gujarati.
Mr Nasir has interpreted the Quranic verses from a new perspective. His emphasis is on the inner meaning and wisdom of the Holy Quran, which resembles to the present world especially after the events of 9/11. On March 23, 2001, the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan conferred upon him the award of Sitara-i-Imtiaz in recognition of his services in the fields of literature and scholarship. He was awarded an honorary PhD degree by Senior University Canada. He is a pioneer in the development of the first Burshaki-English dictionary in association with Heidel Berg University, Germany.
Criticism
Mr Hunzai’s work on the Burushaski language, grammar, vocabulary, history and traditions is highly appreciated while his spiritual status is under a shadow of controversies and critics accuse him of creating a new cult. In 2004 a case of blasphemy was registered against him in Gilgit, Pakistan while he was in Canada. His son Izhar Hunzai reportedly apologized from the government of Pakistan. Despite criticisms from many a corners a section of the Ismaili community is defending him aggressively and they love and respect the scholar.