View AbstractAbstract:
Ghulam Ali Azad Belgrami (died 1786) composed numerous poetical and biographical works in Persian, but his fame was as the “Ḥassan of Hind,” (since, he like the Prophet Muhammad’s protégé Hassan Bin Thabit, and wrote some powerful Arabic panegyrics in honour of the Prophet). He even tried to prove that India was the real homeland of Islam. He is one of the most significant figures of eighteenth century India, which has contributed a lot to the Persian and Arabic literature. His works in Persian and Arabic are of great value and have been appreciated by scholars and historians ever since they appeared, though Azad's Persian works have received more scholarly attention than his Arabic ones. Azad's skill as a poet, especially as a panegyrist of the Prophet Muhammad, has long been recognized. His masterpiece “Subhat al-marjan (The coral rosary) in Arabic, is approvingly cited for its praise of India, for Azad's knowledge of Indian languages and culture, and for his literary-critical and poetic sensibilities. The fact remains, however, that Azad is largely unknown outside India, even among scholars of Arabic. This is due to the fact that Arabic scholarship pays little attention to Arabic literature produced after 1517 and before 1798, and to literature produced outside the Arab heartland. A cursory look will be made to highlight his linguistic mastery and pioneering literary works in Persian and Arabic in addition to shedding light on his adeptness at synthesizing the cultural and linguistic elements of both Arabic and Persian traditions.