Allusions of Anisur Rahman
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Zulfiqar
Zulfiqar was the name given to the legendary sword of Prophet Muhammad which was used by his cousin and son-in-law Ali Ibn Abi Talib during the battle of Uhud. It had a peculiar shape as the long blade bifurcated into two ends. In the battle of Uhud,
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
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
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
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.
Yusuf (Joseph)
Yusuf, also known as Joseph in the Biblical narrative, was the son of Prophet Yakub (Jacob). Although well protected by his father, he suffered many a set back in his life before he became the Chief Minister of Egypt. He suffered at the hands of his
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
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
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
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
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
Shehr-e-Babil and the tower of Babil
Emperor Namrood (Nimrod) is supposed to have ordered the construction of the Tower of Babil. He had been locked in a war of wits with Prophet Musa (Moses) over the question of God’s ssupremacy with respect to everything in the world. Since Namrood did
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
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
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
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).
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
Rizwan
Rizwan is a messanger of God and is known as the gatekeeper of the heavens. When Prophet Mohammad reached the heavens on the night of ascendance on the back of a burraq, a horse-like white animal of great speed and splendour, Jibreel (Gabriel) introduced
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
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
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.
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
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
Mohammad
Muhammad, the last prophet and founder of Islam, was born in Mecca (c. 570) in the tribe of Quraish. His father, Abdullah, had already passed away before he was born and his mother, Amena, died when he was only six years old. He was looked after by his
Ismail (Ishmael)
Ismail, known as Ishmael in the Christian narrative, is also mentioned in Judaism. He was the son of Hajra (Hagar) and Ibrahim (Abraham). Hajra had the premonition of his birth and the name he should be given. There are two oft-quoted happenings from
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
Dawood (David)
Dawood, also known as David in the Biblical narrative, was a Prophet and a messenger of God. He was the father of Prophet Suleiman and was endowed with many exceptional qualities like bravery, exceptional strength, sonorous voice and the art of softening
Zakariya (Zachariah)
Zakariya, also known as Zachariah in the Biblical narrative, was the progeny of Prophet Suleiman (Solomon). He was a priest who looked after Al-Aqsa, a place of worship in Jerusalem. It is said that he was asked to float a pen in the river along with
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
Zanbeel-e-Amr
The dastan of Amir Hamza has an extremely curious character called Amr Ayyar. As the word ayyar suggests, he was the master of deceitfulnes and treachery. He was endowed with unique gifts and strange techniques to carry out his tricks. He used to store
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
Suleiman (Solomon)
Suleiman, also known as Solomon in the Biblical narrative, was the great grandson of Yaqub (Jacob) and son of Dawood (David). He had inherited the throne after the death of his father and became the third King of Israel. He was a messenger of God and
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
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
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.
Abraha
Abraha, also known as Abraha al-Ashram, was a Christian commander. He had become the ruler of Yemen after overthrowing the Jewish King who had burnt the Christians alive. During his rule in Yemen in the sixth century, he realized that the Arabs had made
Radha and Krishna
Radha and Krishna were archetypal lovers. Here is an an interesting story about them. On being poisoned by the breast milk of Putana, Krishna got a dark skin colour and was disappointed with his swarthy appearance. He thought that because of his skin
