Shakir Shuja Abadi is a prominent figure in Saraiki poetry. Apprehending the essence of poetry, he wrote his first five shakir shuja poems in Persian, Urdu and Hindi. He began to recite them at the local Darbar in Waad-Ud-Daulah. By the mid 1990’s he had reached prominent status in Saraiki cultural circles. His first full hair shuja was held at Aminabad in 1986.
This was followed by a second chair shuja in 1990. In the book” Aman Qafas-ul-Ras” (The Appraisal of Shakir Shuja), written by Ahmed Karam Shah AlAzhari, we read that AlAzhari delivered a lecture in honour of Shakir Shuja in Aminabad,” thanking him for his many fine qualities”. The lecture was recorded and given as a lecture in Badshah Ghazi in the presence of the Shehnazat of Islam Ghazi. After the lecture, there was a competition to write a good mushaira. Some of the verses written by AlAzhari have been included in the app rankings.
The Shakhir poetry of Shakir Shaaji AlAzhari has also received various awards. He was one of only a few poets to receive the International Islamic Association of Writers’ Prize for Lifetime. For this award, he was nominated for the third time and for the fourth time he was awarded the Gold Medal.
His other works of hair poetry include: Shariful Maqbara; Shariful Ghazal; Bewitched, Beautiful Girl; and Most Beautiful Girl in Islam. All these have been included in the book, person and World’s Best Books of Nasdari, led by Abdul Hayi Usman. In fact there is even a short shakir song in the collection, Beautiful Girl in Islam. Shakir Shaaji AlAzhari is also listed as a contributor to the book, Beautiful and Funny person Women Poets.
Another famous poet, Taherzafar Chishti has a number of verses included in his famous work, Pakistani and World’s Best Books of Nasdari, translated by Saleem ul Islam. One of the most interesting poems in the collection is one called ‘Kifara Janniar’, translated into English by Saleem ul Islam. The title says it all: ‘A sheet of cloth, My only daughter, who has taken me to be her own creator’. It is interesting in that it describes the process of becoming a parent, the process of love and how it differs from one’s identity. A woman might be able to love her husband, but not her child, a concept that many women find difficult to grasp.
The other famous poem is one called ‘Hamid Al-Husain’, translated by Saleem ul Islam. This one describes how a young girl grows up during the time of the Second World War. Her father is dead and her mother is away making her live a life of hardship and fear. She eventually becomes a successful writer and forms one of the most loved characters in Pakistani and World’s Best Books of Nasdari.
Another interesting and popular Shakir Shujaabadi Poem is one called ‘Rudra Chandni’. In this song, the singer expresses her love for her mother and father and her wish to see them happy and healthy once again. The words in the song are, ‘Do not let your mother go, do not let the pain go’. The lines appear to be written in the mind of the singer who is so full of regret for her mother and father’s death but Saleem assures her that her words would not go down in history. This is just one of the thousands of poems by Saleem ul Islam that are dedicated to the memory of their mothers and fathers.
These two poems form a beautiful and touching tribute to the glorious dead. They help us keep in touch with the beautiful words and memories that will always remain in our hearts as long as we live. We can also make these memories alive in our own lives by singing these lovely and heart-touching songs every night so that we can also wake up feeling like Saleem and Rizwana when we fall asleep.