Shades of Islam

When a poet appeared in a family, among ancient Arabs, there were celebrations, happiness, and congratulatory exchanges. This is hardly surprising as poets were powerful assets for the tribe as well as real weapons. They sang the glory of the tribe, linked tribes to their ancestors, celebrated their values to bind people together and defended their honour. They also lamented their defeats, so that they were avoided, and glorified their victories, so that they were perpetuated.They satirised, ridiculed, and mortified their enemies. They were a means to ward off insult. The book under review shares some of these features.

Habib graduated from Oxford University and currently resides in America and is Professor of English at Rutgers University. He has published several books including An Anthology of Modern Urdu Poetry in English Translation (2003). He is currently editing the Oxford Anthology of Literary Criticism and Theory. His most recent work is the subject of this review.

The collection of poems is organised into five parts. In ‘Recitation and Revelation’, Habib opens his collection of devotional poems focussing on the Word of God, and religious and spiritual themes. It is fascinating to read Hira. In this poem, he conveys the sentiments and observations made by mount Hira of Makkan society prior to hearing the echoes of the first revelation.