Firdaus e Bareen / فردوس بریں By Abdul Haleem Sharar
I read this book a second time. “The writing was entertaining,” “I cared about the characters (Husain and Zamurd) because they were believable,” . “There were so many twists and turns in the plot that I couldn't put the book down.” The use of specific praise helps browsing readers understand why your book is so good. Urdu It's the first novel based on the Hasan bin Sabah episode. The novel is a mixture of fact and fantasy (more fantasy though).
The narrative is focused around a couple that gets involved unwillingly in the on going campaign of Hasn bin Sabah who exhibits the power to grant heaven to those who obey him. Separated from his love, the male protagonist of the story follows a long struggle to be united with his love amidst the confusion about existence, life, death and salvation.
One distinguished feature of the novel as compared to Inyat ullah's 'Firdous e Iblees' is that it ignores unnecessary religious rhetoric and moves the story forward swiftly. Urdu مصنف نے دریا کو کوزے میں بند کر دیا ہے ۔ فیکٹ اور فکشن کا حسین امتزاج ہے۔ کہانی ایسی ہے کہ آپ کہیں بھی بوریت محسوس نہیں کرتے اور الفاظ جس خوبصورتی سے منظر کشی کرتے ہیں اس کا جواب نہیں ۔ کچھ لوگ اسے کلاسیک کا درجہ دیتے ہیں مگر میرے نزدیک کہانی اتنی جاندار نہیں کہ اسے کلاسیک کا درجہ دیا جائے ۔ Urdu amazing
Best famous Urdu novels free download Urdu Plot and character development are weak. The only good thing is the flamboyant narration, which is the distinctive characteristics of classic Urdu novels.
Vladimir Bartol's Alamut is way better a read. Urdu
The book was first published in 1899. The story of Husain and Zammarrud fallen in the grip of the Assassins take us back to the last days of Hasan Bin Sabah's merciless followers, at the end of which the sect's stronghold, the famous fort of Alamoot, was destroyed by the even more merciless Mongol hordes. Sharar writes famously in the style of a Walter Scott novel, the novel itself being a new literary form in his day. But there are shades of an earlier indigenous genre - the Dastaan - in his work. Yet although he tells a gripping tale, part Scott and part Dastaan, he is not unaware of character. Husain may be credulous, and smitten silly by his love for Zammarrud, but he can still ask Shaikh Vujoodi intelligent questions which the Shaikh can only parry by the display of great wrath and superhuman knowledge. Husain's credulity in accepting his answers immediately has a lot to do with his fear that he would not be allowed to visit his beloved in 'Paradise.' There is a definite modern streak in Sharar's work. His treatment of Zamarrud is different from the usual portrayal of female characters in his day. Zamarrud has a mind of her own. She is observant and intelligent and capable of rebuffing her lover when he sounds credulous and foolish. No old fashioned perceptions of female 'duty' or the superior status of men holds her back from realizing that she is more clear-headed than Husain. She is moreover not mild of manner or adulatory of her man, as the prototypes of female perfection tend to be in Urdu literature of the day. Yet non of this detracts from her femininity, as she runs around 'like a delicate, fleet-footed doe' but fully determined to have her way. Much has been written about the Assassins in English and other languages. Sharar's novel has its own charm, and given a chance it should become a very popular book. Translated into Tajik, Sharar's works have quite a lot of readers in Tajikistan, where they are also the subject of a Ph.D. dissertation by Vladimir Lanikin. Firdaus e Bareen / فردوس بریں
A beautiful translation of Firdaus-e-Bareen, one of the very first Urdu novels. I remember having thoroughly enjoyed the exotic story of Zammurd in search of love. The novel's title is an allusion to the medieval legend of the Ismailis when they were said to have a secretive paradise which was promised to the votaries of the sect who were willing to eliminate their enemies and sacrifice their lives in the process - the equivalent of medieval suicide bombers. But this is just a background. The protagonist of this novel enters a beautiful place which she is fooled to believe is paradise. And then begins a journey of adventure, suspense and, yes, romance. Urdu آج کل عجیب رواج چل نکلا ہے کہ ہر پرانی چیز کو کلاسیک کا درجہ دے دیا جاتا ہے۔ فردوسِ بریں کے ساتھ بھی یہی المیہ ہے۔ اِسے اُردو کے ابتدائی ناول میں سے کہا جاتا ہے جبکہ درحقیقت اس کا انداز داستان سے زیادہ قریب ہے کہ ناول کے لئے جو کردار سازی چاہیئے وہ فردوسِ بریں میں نظر نہیں آتی۔
کہانی نزاری اسماعیلی تحریک کے پسِ منظر میں تخلیق کی گئی ہے تاہم لفظ اسماعیلی یا شیعہ بوجوہ پوری داستان میں استعمال نہیں کیا گیا (وجہ سمجھنا مشکل نہیں)۔
مرکزی کردار حسین، زمرد اور شیخ علی وجودی ہیں۔ حسین، جومحبت میں مارا ہوا سادہ، جذباتی سا مسلمان ہے جسے چکاچوند باتیں کرکے باآسانی لاجواب اور اثر انداز کیا جاسکتا ہے جبکہ زمُرد ایک باحوصلہ، سمجھدار لڑکی ہے جو اپنی تدبیر سے ناصرف حسین کی جان بچائے رکھتی ہے بلکہ فردوسِ بریں کا بھی راز افشاں کرتی ہے۔
ناول کا سب سے زیادہ اثر انگیز کردار شیخ علی وجودی کسی بھی مکار و شاطر اور چرب زبان شخص کا عکس ہے جو اپنی مدلل دلکش باتوں سے نا صرف تمام اعتراضات رفع کرتا ہے بلکہ سامع کے دل میں عقیدت و احترام جگا کراپنا مطلب بھی بخوبی پورا کرنا جانتا ہے۔ میرے خیال میں علی وجودی کا کردار ہمیں آج بھی اپنے اردگرد مختلف رُوپ میں نظر آئے گا۔ (بالخصوص دو لفظ پڑھے لکھے آج کے باطنیہ میں)۔
کہانی کے بیشتر کردار حقیقت پر مبنی ہیں جیسے حسن بن صباح، خورشاہ، ہلاکو خان اور منظر نگاری میں بھی ایرانی جغرافیہ پیشِ نظر رکھا گیا ہے جیسے کوہ البرز کی گھاٹیاں اور المُوت کا قلعہ وغیرہ۔ منظرنگاری میں شرر صاحب کو واقعی ملکہ حاصل ہے اور جس طرح فردوسِ بریں کا نقشہ انہوں نے کھینچا ہے وہ بجا طور پر داد کے لائق ہے نیز علی وجودی کے مکالمے بھی پڑھنے اور سوچنے سے تعلق رکھتے ہیں۔ کہانی بھی رواں، تجسس سے بھرپور اور ایک منطقی طریقے سے انجام کو پہنچتی ہے اور رہی زبان۔ ۔ ۔ ۔ تو یہ 1899ء کا ناول ہے، زبان پہ شبہ کیا معنی!۔
اگرچہ کلاسیک تو نہیں مگرناول نما اس داستان کو ایک مرتبہ ضرور پڑھیں۔ Urdu Hassan al Sabah (c 1050 to 1124) and his band of Fidayeen/Hashshashin is one of the most enigmatic and menacing figures in history who is steeped in lore and mystique. Whether it is Marco Polo's chronicles or the magnificent novel Samrakand by Amin Malouf or Bernard Lewis's masterly The Assassins or the exquisite chronicles of Khillat the Cossack by the ever so readable Harold Lamb (so wonderfully translated into Urdu by Muhammad Hadi Hussain) I have long sought and devoured texts and tales about this mysterious sect of assassins. Said to have fashioned an artificial paradise, trained devout assassins who didn't hesitate a moment in lay down their lives while undertaking their deadly missions, and created a vast and insidious web of espionage, he and those of his ilk strongly impacted politics and events during a fascinating period that was populated also by the great Saladin, the Crusaders and eventually the mighty Mongol horde.
Maulana Abdul Haleem Sharar is of course a key figure in the evolution of the Urdu novel - esp the historical and the romantic novel - and enjoyed wide and devoted readership. Firdaus-e-Bareen is considered as his best and is set a hundred and fifty years after Sabah when Rukn al-Din Khurshah reigned as the fifth (and final) Ismaili Imam at the famous and formidable mountain castle of Alamut. According to recorded history his reign was brought to an end by the Mongols and thus expired what is regarded as a reign of terror since its founding. Though a work of fiction, the novel is set against a backdrop that is historical and contains aspects that are accurate.
Published in 1899, Sharar's novel revolves around two young people - Zamurd and Hussain - who are waylaid while traveling by a group of beautiful fairy-like woman in the green valleys of the Alburz mountain range. They both lose their senses due to the shock. When Hussain recovers he realizes that Zamurd has disappeared. He pinses away for her at the spot and a strange sequence of events follow wherein she appears to contact him as if beyond the grave and sets him off on a series of pilgrimages and mysterious devotional exercises at different far-off places, in order to be able to meet up with her again. Thus Sharar launches Hussain into a journey where he meets up with various notables of what are termed as the Mulahida and Baitinya - a sect clandestine and powerful that adheres to a religion and theology that condones several kinds of otherwise prohibited actions, including murder, if authorized by a designated superior; as he is supposed to know their true internal (batini) merit and hence the functionary ought not to question the same based on its zahiri (apparent) value. What is striking is the level and detail of theological discourse Sharar engages in - recreating interpretation of Quranic verses and episodes as well as other religious traditions by the Batini stalwarts - known to scholars of religion and history as the Nizari Ismaili. I can't imagine this level of license and openness today which shows how much the space for creative and scholastic expression has diminished in various ways.
There then follows a fairly engaging description of Hussain's journey to the 'paradise' and his various seemingly fantastical experiences there. The descriptions of this heavenly world are vivid as well as those of the actual landscapes on the Alburz mountain range, the wasteland of Qazvin, the verdurous valleys of Mazandaran and various other actual places in the Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian and Palestinian lands (most notably Mount Ararat, Aleppo, Hebron, Nishapur, Isfahan etc). While the theological and descriptive passages are good, Sharar's language has the tendency to become rather ornate and stilted and the overplayed chasteness of his protagonists in matters romantic and sensual can at times jar, as does his weakness for melodrama. There is also unnecessary over-explanation of every facet of the manufactured paradise even when a lot of it was obliquely apparent and best left somewhat enigmatic. However, he is successful when it comes to creating menace and mystique, especially through characters such Sheikh Ali Wajoodi and Toor-e-Maani who are shrewd and magnetic personalities very high in the hierarchy of the sect as well as the Cult of Assassins.
As a work of fiction this is an important book as far as the development of the modern Urdu novel - especially the historical novel - is concerned and fairly readable despite its flaws. The fact that it is being read over a hundred years after it came to the scene is a testament to its abiding value.
Book Corner Jhelum has once again brought out a lovely edition with the title displaying a painting from famous Iranian artist Mahmood Farshchian (highly pertinent and evocative), details of publication on the inner page, a useful preface and the original foreword from Sharar as well as helpful footnotes where necessary. Once again the quality of paper, design, printing and cover make it an attractive publication that greatly enhances the reading pleasure. Urdu One of my favorites! A good piece of writing to dedicate your reading hours to,,, Do read it and trust me your time wont go wasted, u,ll love this book...(deserves a 5/5) Urdu نثری شاعری
ہمارے کلاسیکی اردو نثر کی یہی خاص بات ہے کہ پڑھتے ہوئے یوں لگتا ہے جیسے آزاد شاعری پڑھ رہے ہو .
خوبصورت جملوں اور تراکیب کا استمال . منظر کشی ایسے کہ تصور میں خود کو وہاں موجود پاؤ .
جس طرح اس زمانے میں فدایئں کومصنوعی جنّت کی سیر کروا کر قتل و غارت کروائی جاتی تھی وہی فتنہ آجکل ہمارے ہان خودکش حملہ اوروں کی صورت میں موجود ہے .
باقی حسن بن صباح اور ان کے جانشینوں اور جماعت کے بارے میں زیادہ معلومات نہ ہونے کی وجہ سے تاریخ نگاری پر تبصرہ نہیں کر سکتا .
پڑھیے اور سر دھنئے ...
Urdu
