Qudrat Ullah Shahab
Encyclopedia
Qudrat Ullah Shahab (Urdu
: قدرت الله شهاب) was an eminent Urdu
writer
and civil servant from Pakistan
. He is best known for his autobiography Shahabnama
.
in 1917. His father was a student at MAO College
and a protegé under the supervision of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. He later immigrated from Aligarh and settled down in Gilgit
. Shahab started writing in his early days both in Urdu
and English
languages. At aged 16, he won an international essay competition organized by the Readers Digest, London
. He graduated from Prince of Wales College, Jammu
, and later from Government College Lahore.
during the famine of 1943
, where he served as magistrate at Nandigram
. He came under heavy fire from the authorities when he distributed part of the strategic rice reserves to starving local community.
he was first posted in the Ministry of Commerce as a Deputy Secretary and then as Chief Secretary of the new state of Azad Kashmir
at Muzaffarabad
. Thereafter, he became Deputy Commissioner of Jhang
, Punjab
. He also served as Director of Industries of Punjab and dealt mostly with settlement issues concerning migration
. He was appointed by Governor General Ghulam Muhammad
his Principal Secretary and remained on this post during Iskander Mirza’s and Ayub Khan’s regimes. He served as Ambassador of Pakistan to Netherlands
in 1962 and later as Secretary of Information and Education. He resigned after clash with the new regime of Yahya Khan
and opted for a self-imposed exile at UK. Shahab was elected a member of the executive board of UNESCO
in 1968.
and Urdu
languages for contemporary newspapers and magazines. However, his main contribution to Urdu
short stories
earned him recognition in literary circles. Particularly, he entered into the circle of prominent writers like Ashfaq Ahmed
, Bano Qudsia
, Mumtaz Mufti
, Wasif Ali Wasif
, and poets like Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Ibn-e-Insha
, Jamiluddin Aali
, Hafeez Jalandhri. While serving as Secretary Education, he was elected as the first Secretary General of Pakistan Writers' Guild, founded at Karachi
in January 1959.
He is best known for his autobiography Shahab Nama
. In the first chapter, Shahab mentioned how the idea of writing a memoir occurred to him when he paid a visit to Ibn-e-Insha
in London
. While they were discussing the philosophy of life, it inspired him to pen his own experiences. The complete work was published after his death in 1986, and then soon became a cult favorite among the Urdu
knowing circles of the Indian sub-continent.
, Shahab's close friend and a well-known writer had been writing on and off about this side, but rather in low tone. Also in Shahab Nama
, Shahab shared some of his spiritual experiences, especially the bewitched bungalow of 18 civil lines (Cuttuck) that attributed in his understanding of Parapsychology
.
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 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:
, Shahab worked with front-line leadership of the country till the regime of Yahya Khan
. Shahab unveiled in Shahab Nama
, and Mufti
conferred it in Alakh Nagri
, that the idea of giving a constitutional name to Pakistan
as Islamic Republic
was actually proposed by him to Ayub Khan. Shahab did argumentation in the parliament in the favor of this idea, which was unanimously accepted by the then leaders.
The last chapter of Shahab Nama
about his exposure to spiritualism
has heated much debate and in some circles it is considered as highly controversial.
Though throughout his lifetime, Shahab had enjoyed a respectful image among his colleagues and friends.
Many of his friend writes paid him tributes in their essays and short stories. Notably, 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 have been collected in a book Zikr-e-Shahab.
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: قدرت الله شهاب) was an eminent Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and civil servant from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He is best known for his autobiography Shahabnama
Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
.
Early life
He was born in GilgitGilgit
Gilgit is a city in northern PakistanGilgit may refer to other terms related with the area of the city:* Gilgit River* Gilgit Valley* Gilgit District* Gilgit Agency * Gilgit Airport...
in 1917. His father was a student at MAO College
MAO College
MAO College was founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the leader of Muslim renaissance in Indian subcontinent, in 1875 at Aligarh. This later became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920....
and a protegé under the supervision of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. He later immigrated from Aligarh and settled down in Gilgit
Gilgit
Gilgit is a city in northern PakistanGilgit may refer to other terms related with the area of the city:* Gilgit River* Gilgit Valley* Gilgit District* Gilgit Agency * Gilgit Airport...
. Shahab started writing in his early days both in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
languages. At aged 16, he won an international essay competition organized by the Readers Digest, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He graduated from Prince of Wales College, Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, and later from Government College Lahore.
Indian Civil Service
He was selected for Indian Civil Service in 1940 and later volunteered to serve in BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
during the famine of 1943
Bengal famine of 1943
The Bengal famine of 1943 struck the Bengal. Province of pre-partition India. Estimates are that between 1.5 and 4 million people died of starvation, malnutrition and disease, out of Bengal’s 60.3 million population, half of them dying from disease after food became available in December 1943 As...
, where he served as magistrate at Nandigram
Nandigram
Nandigram is a rural area with two commuunity development blocks in Haldia subdivision of Purba Medinipur district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located about 70 km south-west of Kolkata, on the south bank of the Haldi River, opposite the industrial city of Haldia...
. He came under heavy fire from the authorities when he distributed part of the strategic rice reserves to starving local community.
Pakistan and his career
After coming to PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
he was first posted in the Ministry of Commerce as a Deputy Secretary and then as Chief Secretary of the new state of Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
at Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...
. Thereafter, he became Deputy Commissioner of Jhang
Jhang
- Demographics :According to 1981 census of Pakistan population of Jhang was 1,970,944 with the 434,495 housing units in Jhang. In 1998 census, population of Jhang was 2,834,545, whose annually growth rate was 2.16%. Male population was 1,474,099 and female population was 1,360,446...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. He also served as Director of Industries of Punjab and dealt mostly with settlement issues concerning migration
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. He was appointed by Governor General Ghulam Muhammad
Ghulam Muhammad
Malik Ghulam Muhammad served as the third Governor-General of Pakistan from 1951 until 1955, shortly before his death in 1956.-Early life:...
his Principal Secretary and remained on this post during Iskander Mirza’s and Ayub Khan’s regimes. He served as Ambassador of Pakistan to Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1962 and later as Secretary of Information and Education. He resigned after clash with the new regime of Yahya Khan
Yahya Khan
General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan Qizilbash, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the third President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan...
and opted for a self-imposed exile at UK. Shahab was elected a member of the executive board of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1968.
Literary Works
Shahab had been writing since his student age in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
languages for contemporary newspapers and magazines. However, his main contribution to Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
earned him recognition in literary circles. Particularly, he entered into the circle of prominent writers like Ashfaq Ahmed
Ashfaq Ahmed
For disambiguation also see Ashfaq Ahmad, Ishfaq Ahmed and Ishfaq AhmadAshfaq Ahmed, PP, SI was a distinguished writer, playwright, broadcaster, intellectual and spiritualist from Pakistan. His prime qualities of heart and hand earned appreciations across the world...
, Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia is a writer, intellectual, playwright and spiritualist from Pakistan who wrote Urdu novels and short storiesregarded among the best Urdu novelists and short story writers of modern times.She is best known for her novel Raja Gidh.She has written for television and stage in both the...
, Mumtaz Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti SI , was a distinguished writer from Pakistan.-Early life:...
, Wasif Ali Wasif
Wasif Ali Wasif
Wasif Ali Wasif was a teacher, writer, poet and sufi intellectual from Pakistan. He was famous for his unique literary style. He used to write short pieces of prose on topics like love, life, fortune, fear, hope, expectation, promise, prayer, happiness, sorrow and so on. He was the regular...
, and poets like Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Ibn-e-Insha
Ibn-e-Insha
Ibn-e-Insha was a Pakistani Leftist Urdu poet, humorist, travelogue writer and columnist. Along with his poetry, he was regarded one of the best humorists of Urdu...
, Jamiluddin Aali
Jamiluddin Aali
Nawabzada Mirza Jamiluddin Ahmed Khan better known as Jamiluddin Aali , PP, HI, is a noted Urdu poet, critic, playwright, essayist, columnist, and scholar of Pakistan...
, Hafeez Jalandhri. While serving as Secretary Education, he was elected as the first Secretary General of Pakistan Writers' Guild, founded at Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
in January 1959.
He is best known for his autobiography Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
. In the first chapter, Shahab mentioned how the idea of writing a memoir occurred to him when he paid a visit to Ibn-e-Insha
Ibn-e-Insha
Ibn-e-Insha was a Pakistani Leftist Urdu poet, humorist, travelogue writer and columnist. Along with his poetry, he was regarded one of the best humorists of Urdu...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. While they were discussing the philosophy of life, it inspired him to pen his own experiences. The complete work was published after his death in 1986, and then soon became a cult favorite among the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
knowing circles of the Indian sub-continent.
Spiritualism
There has been much debate on the spiritual side of his personality. Mumtaz MuftiMumtaz Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti SI , was a distinguished writer from Pakistan.-Early life:...
, Shahab's close friend and a well-known writer had been writing on and off about this side, but rather in low tone. Also in Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
, Shahab shared some of his spiritual experiences, especially the bewitched bungalow of 18 civil lines (Cuttuck) that attributed in his understanding of Parapsychology
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
.
The real disclosure came in the final chapter of Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
that alluded to an out-of-world personality whom he used to call Ninety as his spiritual guide. After Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
published, which was actually after Shahab's death, Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti SI , was a distinguished writer from Pakistan.-Early life:...
wrote his autobiography, Alakh Nagri
Alakh Nagri
Alakh Nagri is the autobiography of Mumtaz Mufti describing the second phase of his life. This book has also unveiled the mystical life of Qudrat Ullah Shahab....
, and openly discussed the hidden traits of Shahab's life. Mufti wrote in the foreword of the book:
- "Since Shahab has opened his own secrets in the last chapter of Shahab NamaShahab NamaShahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
, I find no reason not to share experiences which I witnessed about the mysticism of Shahab" -- (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation of the original text in UrduUrduUrdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
).
Legacy
From the early days of PakistanHistory of Pakistan
The 1st known inhabitants of the modern-day Pakistan region are believed to have been the Soanian , who settled in the Soan Valley and Riwat almost 2 million years ago. Over the next several thousand years, the region would develop into various civilizations like Mehrgarh and the Indus Valley...
, Shahab worked with front-line leadership of the country till the regime of Yahya Khan
Yahya Khan
General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan Qizilbash, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the third President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan...
. Shahab unveiled in Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
, and Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti SI , was a distinguished writer from Pakistan.-Early life:...
conferred it in Alakh Nagri
Alakh Nagri
Alakh Nagri is the autobiography of Mumtaz Mufti describing the second phase of his life. This book has also unveiled the mystical life of Qudrat Ullah Shahab....
, that the idea of giving a constitutional name to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
as Islamic Republic
Islamic republic
Islamic republic is the name given to several states in the Muslim world including the Islamic Republics of Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956. Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958. Iran adopted it after the 1979 Iranian...
was actually proposed by him to Ayub Khan. Shahab did argumentation in the parliament in the favor of this idea, which was unanimously accepted by the then leaders.
The last chapter of Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama
Shahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
about his exposure to spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
has heated much debate and in some circles it is considered as highly controversial.
Though throughout his lifetime, Shahab had enjoyed a respectful image among his colleagues and friends.
Many of his friend writes paid him tributes in their essays and short stories. Notably, Mumtaz Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti
Mumtaz Mufti SI , was a distinguished writer from Pakistan.-Early life:...
made him the subject of his autobiography Alakh Nagri
Alakh Nagri
Alakh Nagri is the autobiography of Mumtaz Mufti describing the second phase of his life. This book has also unveiled the mystical life of Qudrat Ullah Shahab....
and later dedicated another book Labbaik. Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia
Bano Qudsia is a writer, intellectual, playwright and spiritualist from Pakistan who wrote Urdu novels and short storiesregarded among the best Urdu novelists and short story writers of modern times.She is best known for her novel Raja Gidh.She has written for television and stage in both the...
, a veteran Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
writer, wrote a book Mard-e-Abresham on Shahab's personality. A collection of essays about Qudrutullah Shahab have been collected in a book Zikr-e-Shahab.
External links
- Qudratullah Shahab's grave from Daily Times
- http://khudi.pk/2010/04/15/book-review-shahab-naama/Book Review of Shahab NamaShahab NamaShahab Nama is the autobiography of Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It was finished in 1986 and published in the same year after his death. The book has sixty chapters and 893 pages . From anecdotes of his childhood to the author's close proximity to all early Pakistan presidents earned Shahab Nama a...
in English.] - Listen to ShahabNama by Qudratullah Shahab