Qudrat Ullah Shahab
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Qudratullah Shahab قدرت الله شہاب | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 February 1917[1] Gilgit, British India (now in Pakistan) |
| Died | 24 July 1986 (aged 69) Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Resting place | H-8 Graveyard, Islamabad |
| Occupation | Civil servant Diplomat Writer |
| Nationality |  British Indian (1917–1947) Pakistani (1947–1986) |
| Notable works | Shahab Nama |
| Spouse | Iffat Shahab (died in Canterbury on 17 June 1974, aged: 42)[2] |
| Children | Dr |
Qudrat Ullah Shahab (or Qudratullah Shahab, Urdu: قدرت ﷲ شہاب; 26 February 1917 – 24 July 1986) was an eminent Urdu writer and civil servant from Pakistan. Shahab holds the distinction of having served as the Principal Secretary to three heads of state; Governor General Ghulam Muhammad, President Iskander Mirza and President Ayub Khan. He went on to serve as the Ambassador of Pakistan to the Netherlands in 1962 and later as Information Secretary of Pakistan and Education Secretary of Pakistan.[3]
Early life[]
Shahab was born in Gilgit on 26 February 1917. His father, Abdullah Sahib, belonged to the Arain tribe of Chimkor Sahib village, district Ambala, and was a student at Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College and a protégé under the supervision of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Abdullah Sahib later migrated from Aligarh and settled down in Gilgit.[4] Shahab first rose to prominence when, at sixteen, an essay he penned was selected for the first prize in an international competition organized by the Reader's Digest, London, and, in 1941, for being the first Muslim from Jammu and Kashmir qualifying for the Indian Civil Service.[5] He later moved to Karachi Pakistan after the separation of sub-continent and took charge of Under-Secretary (Import and Export), Ministry of trade, of the newly formed independent state. He also served as the first Secretary General (later the position was renamed as Chief Secretary) of Govt. Of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Qudrat Ullah was deputy commissioner of Jhang. He was behind many government schemes launched for the benefit of writers and intellectuals.
Literary works[]
Shahab published in English and Urdu languages for contemporary newspapers and magazines of Pakistan Writers' Guild, founded at Karachi in January 1959.[6]
Shahab's essay "Maaji" poetically outlines the simplicity of his mother and the relationship that his parents shared, detailing migration, governorship, family dynamics and death in a short chapter.[7]
He is best known for his autobiography Shahab Nama.[8]
Spiritualism[]
The real disclosure came in the final chapter of Shahab Nama that alluded to an out-of-world personality whom he used to call Ninety[9] as his spiritual guide. After Shahab Nama published, which was actually after Shahab's death, Mufti wrote his autobiography, Alakh Nagri, and openly discussed the hidden traits of Shahab's life. Mufti wrote in the foreword of the book:[10]
Since Shahab has opened his own secrets in the last chapter of Shahab Nama, I find no reason not to share experiences which I witnessed about the mysticism of Shahab"
— English translation of the original text in Urdu
Legacy[]
Mumtaz Mufti made him the subject of his autobiography Alakh Nagri and later dedicated another book Labbaik. Bano Qudsia, a veteran Urdu writer, wrote a book Mard-e-Abresham on Shahab's personality. A collection of essays about Qudrutullah Shahab has been compiled in a book, Zikr-e-Shahab.[11]
Death[]
Shahab died on 24 July 1986 in Islamabad and is buried in H-8 Graveyard, Islamabad Pakistan.[12]
Honorary stamp[]
On 23 March 2013, Pakistan Post issued a stamp with denomination of Rs. 15 under the "Men of Letters" series in the honour of Qudratullah Shahab. The stamp can be found on Pakistan Post's official website: http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/stamps1/QudratUllahShahab.html
Books[]
- Shahab Nama شہاب نامہ – autobiography
- Ya khuda,یا خُدا – novel
- Mān̲ jī, ماں جی – short stories
- Surk̲h̲ fītāh, سُرخ فِیتہ – short stories
- Nafsāne, نفسانے – short stories
- Shahāb nagar, شہاب نگر – literary miscellany
- Pathans – an essay about Pashtuns
References[]
- ^ Final Resting Place of Hz Qudratullah Shahab (RA) « Dawn News. dawn.com (20 July 2009). Retrieved on 9 September 2020.
- ^ Zikr-e-Shahab: Remembering Qudrat Ullah Shahab | LUBP. Criticalppp.com (9 September 2004). Retrieved on 21 April 2012.
- ^ "Shahabnama, its creator and critics". 20 July 2009.
- ^ Qudrat Ullah Shahab. Shahab Nama. p. 70.
- ^ A.A. Jawwad Khurshid, "Qudrat Ullah Shahab" in Crescent, October 2009, p. 53
- ^ History 01. Pakwritersguild.org. Retrieved on 21 April 2012.
- ^ Virani, Shafique, "Maaji by Qudratullah Shahab." The Annual of Urdu Studies, 19, no. 4 (2004):406-15 https://www.academia.edu/37219648/Maaji_by_Qudratullah_Shahab
- ^ "Book Review: Shahab Naama". Khudi.pk. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ Qudrat Ullah Shahab » Crescent Archived 28 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Monthlycrescent.com. Retrieved on 21 April 2012.
- ^ [1] Archived 12 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Book Review: Shahab Naama Archived 7 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Khudi.pk (15 April 2010). Retrieved on 21 April 2012.
- ^ Aulia-e-Allah of Pakistan Archived 17 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Aulia-e-pakistan.com . Retrieved on 21 April 2012.
External links[]
- Qudratullah Shahab's grave from Daily Times
- Book Review of Shahab Nama in English.
- Listen to ShahabNama by Qudratullah Shahab
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- 1917 births
- 1986 deaths
- Ambassadors of Pakistan to the Netherlands
- Pakistani autobiographers
- Pakistani male short story writers
- Pakistani short story writers
- Government College University, Lahore alumni
- Indian Civil Service (British India) officers
- Pakistani civil servants
- Pakistani humorists
- Pakistani scholars
- Pakistani Sufis
- People from Ambala
- Punjabi people
- Shrines in Pakistan