A non-Muslim poet’s collection of Naat

The collection of ‘Naat’s by Urdu poet Shiv Bahadur Singh ‘Dilbar’ has received wide acclaim within months of the publication.

Though non-Muslim Urdu poets have written Naats (poetry in praise of Prophet Muhammad), such collections have become a rarity in recent times. However, the collection ‘Aqeedat ke Phool’ has drawn the attention of Urdu-lovers.

It is a tough genre in the sense that there is very delicate balance that the poet needs to strike between divinity and prophethood, in order to write a Naat. It is a form of poetry where even a minor slip is not permissible.

Even Ghalib had to say:

Ghalib sanaa-e-Khwaaja ba-yazdaaN guzaashtam
kaaN zaat paak martaba-daan-e-Muhammad ast

However, Dilbar, who retired fro Army, has shown his devotion in the collection. The collection also has the Naats in devanagari script for the benefit of those who are not familiar with Perso-Arabic script. The 276-page ‘Aqeedat ke Phool’ is available for Rs 100 from 9, Chandar Nagar, Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh (UP) 229001

–Indscribe