KARACHI - Death anniversary of renowned novelist, writer of several historical Islamic novels, Naseem Hijazi was observed here on Saturday.
References and seminars under the auspicious of various literacy organisations were organised across the country where speakers paid rich tribute to the great writer who played a vital role to aware the new generation about Islamic history.
Sharif Hussain more commonly known by his pseudonym Naseem Hijazi was an Urdu writer who is well-known for his novels dealing with the Islamic history.
He was born in pre-partition India in an Arain family and migrated to Pakistan after independence from the British Rule and subsequent partition of India in 1947.
As a novel writer, Naseem Hijazi is regarded as one of the finest writers of Urdu language especially in the later 20th century. Naseem Hijazi is known for his potent and romantic description of history. Hijazi’s writing is considered as the most credible in terms of historic description and accuracy.
His novels Muhammad Bin Qasim, Aakhri Maarka, Qaisar-o Kisra and Qafla-i Hijaz describe the era of Islam’s rise to political, militaristic, economic, and educational power while Yusuf Bin Tashfain, Shaheen, Kaleesa aur Aag, and Andheri Raat ke Musafir describe the period of Spanish Reconquista.
In one of these novels, Kaleesa Aur Aag, he painfully, yet truthfully, depicted the infamous inquisition that began by targeting Jews and ended with the conversion or expulsion of Muslims.
He wrote two sequential novels on British conquest of India, and described the shortcomings of Indian nations after the collapse of Mughal Empire. The second book, Aur Talwar Toot Gayee culminates in the sad and untimely martyrdom of Sultan Tipu. He also wrote a novel on the Independence of Pakistan named Khaak aur Khoon.
Three of Naseem Hijazi’s novels have been dramatised in 1980s which includes Akhri Chataan and Shaheen. The novel Khaak aur Khoon was dramatised into a movie with the same name and is one of few block buster movies that Lollywood has ever produced. He lived most of his life in Pakistan and died in March 1996.