Literature

Within the scope of Islamic civilization, a significant portion of the knowledge, intellect, and energy of Muslims is served on two things: religion and literature. This is the reason why Muslims have produced such a rich tradition of religious knowledge that surpasses the combined religious knowledge of all other nations. When we observe the tradition of literature within the realm of Islamic civilization, it becomes evident that there is no parallel to it in the entire world. However, today the state of Muslim societies has reached a point where even the so-called educated individuals question the benefit of literature. They ask why literature is created in the first place and why it should be studied.

This question of “benefit” is related to the current general social situation in which money, without publicly declaring it, has become the god of society, and millions of people worship it without openly declaring it. From this perspective, those who question the creation of literature and its utility are essentially concerned with the economic status of authors and poets and the socio-economic benefits of studying literature. In such an atmosphere, literature and religiosity both become “utilitarian”. And we are witnessing that some aspects of religiosity in our society are continuously becoming utilitarian. However, when some people raise questions about the benefits of literature, they actually want to know the importance of literature in life. What is its purpose or function? And is the creation and study of literature indispensable for society?

As for the answers to the questions of the first type of people, it is necessary to improve the economic situation of poets and intellectuals. We are confident that if, like athletes, our banks start employing poets and writers on salaries of millions, those who raise questions about the benefits of literature will eagerly strive to turn their children into poets and writers. However, as for those who are concerned with the role of literature or its function in society, it is necessary to provide detailed answers to their questions. This is because in our time, the understanding of not just literature but the true role of religion too has become difficult. Therefore, the question is, what is the importance of literature in society?

In Islamic civilization, the position of literature is within the expansive sphere of religion. In our civilization, literature has never been separate from meaning, nor has it ever been disconnected from religion. On the contrary, in Western civilization, there was a time when the need for literature was denied, and then a time came when it was said that religion is dead and now literature will take its place. Our civilization has never witnessed such extremes and deviations regarding literature. This is because, in Islamic civilization, the source of ultimate meaning is religion.

Therefore, the role of literature in our civilization is to transform the known into the felt, the abstract into the concrete, and the absent into the present. This role of literature has given birth to the terms “Reality” and “Appearance” in our tradition, and here, great literature is understood as something that is simultaneously related to reality and appearance. In our civilization, the term “Reality” refers to God, and the term “Appearance” refers to humans on one level and the entire material world on another level. But the question is, what is the relationship between reality and appearance?

In our civilizational and literary tradition, appearance is the manifestation and symbol of reality, and the nature of their relationship is such that through appearance, humanity establishes a connection with reality, comprehends it, and thus develops an understanding. In this way, the love for appearance also transforms into love for reality. In our literature, the terms love and desire are prevalent. Love is considered good and desire is considered bad. However, people are not aware of the distinction between these terms. The concept of love is that humanity is simultaneously connected to both appearance and reality through the medium of appearance. Conversely, love transforms into desire when a person becomes entangled only in appearance and fails to establish a connection with reality through appearance or when the manifestation of reality in appearance ceases to be visible. There is a verse:

ہر بوالہوس نے حسن پرستی شعار کی

اب آبروئے شیوۂ اہل نظر گئی

(Every lustful person has proclaimed beauty worship

Now the dignity of the far-sighted discerning people has faded away)

The meaning of this verse is that the consciousness of beauty has been limited only to the “Appearance” (physical realm), and the faultiness of sight has transformed love into desire. However, those who are consumed by desire do not realize this. Consequently, they consider desire-worship to be love. The greatness of our poetry, especially of Ghazal and the tradition of storytelling/parables, lies in the fact that it has made the unity of “Reality” and “Appearance” its goal. It is such a tremendous creative and cultural achievement that has no parallel. Through this accomplishment, the known becomes the felt, the abstract becomes concrete, and the absent becomes present. A significant portion of our great Ghazal poetry is characterized by the unity of reality and appearance. And the story tales (Dastaanein), involve the expression of spiritual experiences on one level and the narration of ordinary tales on another.

But how does literature transform the known into the felt, the abstract into the concrete, and the absent into the present? One example of this is Iqbal’s poetry.

In Iqbal’s poetry, Momin and Shaheen hold the status of two concepts. However, through emotions, feelings, and specific cultural and historical harmony, Iqbal has transformed them into the experiences of millions of people. In Iqbal’s poetry, as the curtains rise, Momin and Shaheen appear on the screen like heroes in cinema. Another example of this is Qurratulain Hyder’s novels. History is a philosophy and an abstract concept. However, in Qurratulain Hyder’s novels, history becomes lively, in the form of human characters, their wishes, aspirations, and actions. Instincts and false ethics are two concepts, but Ghulam Abbas, in his famous fictional work “Anandi,” portrays the great struggle between morality and instincts a finally the triumph of instincts over false ethics. Due to the ability to turn the known into the felt, the abstract into the concrete, and the absent into the present, literature remains superior to the other sciences and arts. However, the importance of literature extends beyond this matter.

Saleem Ahmed had said,

کوئی نہیں جو پتا دے دلوں کی حالت کا
کہ سارے شہر کے اخبار ہیں خبر کے بغیر

(There is no one who can reveal the state of hearts,

For all the city newspapers are without news)

This is a statement about the accessibility and inaccessibility of news. There is a fundamental difference between news and literature. The news represents the outward, while literature represents the inward. The knowledge of the outward can only tell us what is happening on the surface. But revealing the knowledge of human beings, society, and civilization’s inner workings is the task of literature. It is a common belief that Sir Syed Ahmad Khan is the first and foremost symbol of modernity in our society. However, Saleem Ahmed has shown in his book “Ghalib Kaun” that the experiences of life that we are experiencing today were already present in the consciousness of Ghalib long ago. Similarly, Iqbal sang the anthems of Islam and the rise of Muslims during an age of slavery, and at the time when these anthems were being produced, many people considered them to be a “madman’s boast”. However, circumstances and events proved that Iqbal’s creative vision was seeing a reality that had not yet come into existence.

The era of Dostoevsky predates the Russian Revolution. However, in the novels of Dostoevsky, the echoes of the revolution can clearly be heard. The multi-dimensionality of literary texts is a significant privilege of literature. It implies that all disciplines uphold their specific relevance. Psychology brings the tradition and perspectives of psychology into action. Sociology becomes captive to its specific tradition and perspectives. However, in literature, religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and the streams of nature merge together to form a new form. This happens to the extent that literary criticism also benefits from the wide spectrum of literature. To understand this, one should read in Urdu literature the criticism by Firaq, Muhammad Hasan Askari, and Saleem Ahmad, and in English literature the criticism by D.H. Lawrence and T.S. Eliot. These are the people who have turned even criticism into a civilization.

It is a reality that the expression of language’s meaningfulness and power occurs either in religion or in literature. The difference between religious and literary texts is that religious texts familiarize the reader with the depth of words and meanings, while literary texts exhibit the diversity of words and meanings. Therefore, it is not possible for someone to learn a language without studying religion and literature. People say that literature, especially poetry, cannot be translated, but they do not dwell much on this issue. Literature has two aspects: understanding and effectiveness. Understanding is related to ideas, and the translation of ideas is largely possible. However, effectiveness is related to a language’s entire tradition, history, structures of expression, and techniques. Therefore, its translation is not possible. This point highlights the fact that literature is the expression of an entire culture, the temperament of a nation, and a language. Hence, through the study of literature, we can reach the essence of a civilization.