Allusions of Anisur Rahman
Firaun and Musa (Pharaoh and Moses)
Firaun (Pharaoh) is the term used for the ancient rulers of Copts (native Egyptians) who were mainly located in the modern-day Egypt. It was foretold that an Israelite would bring about Firaun’s death. In order to save himself, Firaun ordered that all
Heer Ranjha
The story of Heer and Ranjha is about six centuries old now. Ranjha was the son of a landlord and lived in Takht Hazara by the river Chenab. Heer was the daughter of another prosperous person from Jhang. Both were young and beautiful but they were destined
Habeel and Qabeel (Caine and Abel)
Habeel (Cain) and Qabeel (Abel) were the two sons of Adam. When they grew up, Habeel became a shepherd and raised cattle and Qabeel cultivated vegetables and fruits. Qabeel was rough by his temperament and behaviour while Habeel was soft and kind. When
Aab-e-Hayaat (Water of Life)
Aab-e-Hayaat, as the name suggests, stands for the water of life which gives an eternal existence to one who drinks it. Khizr also drank this water and became eternal. That is how he came to be kown as the one who had lived the longest and travelled
Qaroon (Croesus)
Qaroon, also known as Croesus, is considered to be one of the richest men in history. He was an Israelite who lived in Eggypt but refused to pay heed to Prophet Musa’s (Moses) call. He is rumoured to have separate rooms filled with bags of gold, silver
Zulqarnain (Cyrus)
Zulqarnain, also known as Cyrus in the Biblical narrative, is mentioned in the Quran (Surah 18). The word Zulqarnain means “the two horned”. According to the Quran, he travelled first to the western end of the world where he witnessed the Sun setting
Namrood (Nimrod)
Namrood was the King of Babylon and was active during the times when Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was vigorously opposing idolatry. He is said to be a strong man and a brilliant hunter. He was also a wily being and resorted to trickery and manipulation.
Shirin, Khusrau and Farhad
Shirin was the daughter of an Armenian king. She was known all over for her fabulous beauty. Khusrau, the king of Persia, fell in love with her. He sent his messenger to Shirin with a proposal of marriage with her. She accepted the proposal but with
Sikandar (Alexander)
Sikandar, a student of Aristotle, was born in 356 BC. He became the ruler of Macedonia in the northern part of Greek after his father king Philip II was assassinated. After controlling rebellions at home, he consolidated his strength to win the world
Bilqees, the queen of Saba
Bilqees was the Queen of Saba (also known as Sheba). Her kingdom, situated in Yemen, had its heydays during the 8th century BC. While she is not always mentioned by name but scholars point out that she existed during the time of Prophet Suleiman (Solomon).
Iblees
Iblees, also known as Satan, was a jinn who had risen to a high rank and was given a place in the heaven. Also called Azazeel, he was made of smokeless fire. When God made Adam from clay, he asked all the angels to bow down before Adam. The angels obeyed
Majnoon (Qais) and Laila
Majnoon is one half of the famous star-crossed lovers known as Laila-Majnoon. Their story comes to us from the 11th century Arabia. Although the story was known in Persia, it was the eminent poet Nizami Ganjavi who gave it a legendary status in the twelfth
Aflatoon (Plato)
Aflatoon (428-27-347 BC), a teacher of Arastu (Aristotle), was a Greek philosopher and a devoted disciple of Suqrat (Socrates). This founder of Platonist school of philosophy has made an ever-lasting impact on the history of ideas. A master philosopher
Saqi-i-Kauser
Prophet Mohammad has been called Saqi-i-Kauser which implies that he would be the saqi to offer a drink from the two lakes of the heaven called Kauser and Tasneem. This offering would be a gesture of welcome to those entering the heaven. Commentators
Baagh-e-Iram and Shaddad
Iram, or Iram of the Pillars, is a mythical city that had to bear the onslaughts of a divine wrath which came as punishment to the people of Aad. It happened because the people disregarded a prophet’s call to follow the path of one God. As a consequence
Yad-e-Bayza
In Arabic, “yad” means hand and “baiza” means the shining one. Apart from the magical staff that God had offered to Musa (Moses), he was also given the great gift of a shining hand. For this, he was asked to take his hand inside his clothes and touch
Yakub (Jacob)
Yakub, also known as Jacob in the Biblical narrative, was the son of Is’haq (Isaac) and the grandson of Ibrahim (Abraham). He is mentioned in the Quran (Surah 12) and his story is told through the narrative of his son Yusuf (Joseph). Yusuf was his favourite
Arastu (Aristotle)
Arastu (384 BC-322 BC), a distinguished disciple of Aflatoon (Plato), was a Greek philosopher and scientist who wrote the first major works in the annals of Western philosophy. He contributed principally in the domains of philosophy, science, arts, ethics
Yaooj and Majooj (Gog and Magog)
Yajooj and Majooj, mentioned in the Quran and the Judeo-Christian texts, were two wild tribes with all the barbaric qualities. They destroyed the crops of Turks, killed their children and made their lives extremely miserable. They used to live in a mountain
Dajjal (Antichrist)
Dajjal is a charlatan, an imposter, a false messiah. According to Prophet Moammad’s prophecy, he would appear as a one-eyed human with the word “kafir” (non believer) written on his forehead. Being a false messiah, he would be banned in Mecca but he
Hatim Tai
Hatim Tai, a native of Yemen, is known as one of the most bountiful and generous human beings on this earth. His reputation as a munificent and kind man had travelled far and wide. People from Yemen and even from outside used to come to him and get their
Aaina-i-Askandari (Sikadar’s Mirror)
Sikandar (Alexander) and Dara (Darius) used to be at loggerheads. Sikandar was a great warrior but Dara too was no less in his expertise with respect to planning and waging wars. Dara could watch Sikandar’s movement with the help of jaam-e-jahaan numa
Ayyub (Job)
Ayyub, also known as Job in the Biblical narrative, was a Prophet from the line of Is’haaq (Isaac). According to the Quran (Surah (21), he was deeply devoted to God and was considered to be the most loyal servant of God who stuck to his faith even among
Nausherwan
Khusrow I was the king of the Sasanian Empire and was also known as Anushiruwan or Nausherwan-i-Aadil (Nausherwan the Just). He was one of the most celebrated kings and was responsible for many reforms during his time, the most important of them being
Nal Damyanti
Nal, the son of Veerasen, was king of Nishadha kingdom. He was a scholar of the Vedas, remarkably handsome, courageous, and a charioteer extraordinary. He had but a habit of playing chausar that proved a tragic flaw of his character and tested him through
Attia Faizi
Getting to know of Attia Faizi’s intellectual worth, Mohammad Iqbal (1877-1938), the major Urdu poet and founder of modern nazm, went to meet her in Cambridge. He was naturally drawn towards this graceful and intelligent lady. They discussed issues
Jalaluddin Mohmmad Rumi
Jalaluddin Mohammad Rumi (1207-1273), generally known as Rumi, was born in 1207 in modern-day Afghanistan. His father was called the Sultan of Scholars. Forced to flee, due to the invasion of the Mongols in Central Asia, Rumi’s father shifted to Karaman
Zulaikha
Zulaykha was the wife of Aziz, the Prime Minister of Egypt, who had bought Yusuf as a slave and brought him into his household. Yusuf was known as the most handsome man alive. In order to show how handsome he was, Zulaikha once called some of the noble
Mann-o-Salwa
When the Israelites found their freedom from the onslaughts of the Pharaoh, the first thing they asked Musa (Moses) was to get them water to quench their thirst. Musa struck his magical staff on the ground which brought forth twelve fountains for twelve
Muunni Bai Hijab and Dagh Dehlavi
Munni Bai “Hijab” was a courtesan from Calcutta. She hapeened to visit the famous Benazir fair of Rampur where she met Dagh Dehlavi (1831-1905). She was a poet and liked Dagh’s poetry. Dagh, being a poet himself and a man of romantic disposition, also
Roz-e-Jaza / Roz-e-Hashr
This is precisely the day of judgement when all the human beings would be brought together and they would be punished, or rewarded, according to their actions on this earth. This will be the day of very severe test for them as the sun will come very
Burraq and shab-e meraaj
Burraq was the animal presented before Prophet Mohammad by archangel Jibreel (Gabriel) to transport him from the Kabaa in Mecca to Al-Quds in Jerusalem, and finally the seven skies. The word “burraq”, derived from the Arabic word “barq”, means lightening.
Jibreel (Gabriel)
Jibreel, also mentioned as Gabriel in the Biblical narrative, is an archangel who carried the word of God to a chosen group of people. He appeared before Prophet Muhammad during his contemplation in the cave of Hira in Mecca. Over the course of a few
Ashaab-e-Kahf (Cave of the seven sleepers)
In a place called Shahr-e-Afsoos (city of sorrows) there lived a king called Daqyanoos who was an idol worshipper. He used to oppress those who did not follow him and his faith. However, there were some in his domain who did not pursue his line and those
Isa (Jesus)
Isa, also known as Jesus in the Biblical narrative, was the penultimate Prophet and the son of Maryam (Mary). He was miraculously born to Maryam, a virgin. He is a significant figure in Islam with the the Quran mentioning him ninety-three times in various
Tuur
Al-Tuur, also known as Mount Sinai, is mentioned in the Quran (Sura 52). Once Musa (Moses) was travelling with his family and when he reached a particular place, he saw a fire. He walked towards it and it is here that God spoke to Musa and professed
Dushyant and Shakuntala
The story of how Shakuntala met Dushyant, the king of Hastinapur, is unique in its own way. Dushyant went hunting with his huge entourage in the deep jungles. While hunting, he got separated from his companions and happened to reach the ashram of sage
Satyavan and Savitri
Savitri was the only daughter of king Asvapati of Madra Kingdom. She was exceedingly beautiful and the word of her beauty had reached far and wide. When she grew up, her father thought of finding a bridegroom for her. He sent his Brahmins and messengers
Nau-rooz
Navroz is the Iranian national festival which marks the arrival of spring and is celebrated on the first day of the month of Farvardin according to the Persian calendar. According to the Christian calender, it is celebrated on 21/22 March every year.
Musa (Moses)
Musa, also known as Moses in the Biblical narrative, was born as an Israelite in Egypt. A prophet in Christianity, Judaism, Bahai and several other Abrahamic religions, he is the most mentioned Prophet in the Quran, especially in a Surah (33). He was
Huma
Huma is said to be a divine bird that had its origins in Iranian folklore. Not only is this bird referred to in poetry but it is also mentioned in the Hindu scriptures. Legends have it that Huma was a magnificent bird which flew high in the sky but remained
Khizr
Khizr is known as the spiritual guide of Musa (Moses) and Sikandar (Alexander). While many say that he was a Prophet, some others argue that he was one of the angels sent upon the earth to guide those who had lost their way. There are many stories around
Jamshid
Jamshid is a mythological character in Iranian folklore. He is supposed to be the greatest ruler in the history of Iran who ushered the first Golden Age in the country. He is said to be the emperor of the world with a complete control over all the demons
Ibrahim (Abraham)
Ibrahim, also known as Abraham in the Biblical narrative, features prominently in Islam, Christianity and Judaism. He is also the most elaborately written about Prophet in the Quran (Sura 14). He was given the title of Khalil-ul-Allah (friend of God)
Rustam and Sohrab
Rustam was a celebrated wrestler who was immortalized in the Iranian epic Shahnameh by Firdowsi. It is said that his birth was a particularly difficult one for his mother called Rudaba. As his father worried that she might die due to the size of the
Adam and Hawwa (Adam and Eve)
Adam, the first man on this earth, was created out of clay of different shades collected from different regions of the planet earth. God blew His soul into him, endowed him with intellect and taught him the names of things which he repeated after Him.
Maryam (Mary)
Maryam, also known as Mary in the Biblical narrative, is the mother of Isa (Jesus). She has been referred to as many as seventy times in the Quran with great reverence. There is a complete Sura (19) in her name. She was the daughter of Hannah and Imran
