The Irreverent Hero Islam Forgot

To claim anything from teh moghul era as isalmic os plain stupid. Islam was overrun by the hinduism as a superior religion to teh extend that akbar foud islam to be of no value and created a new religion called din-illahi. No muslim could have done that.

So the hamza, who ever that is cannot be a mulsim as we understand it today.

One should not forget that a scholl teacher in pakista who said taht the father of mohammed could not have been born a muslim was arrested under blsaphemy laws and killed. That is islam, and to say that akbar who created a new religion was a muslim has no idea about islam. One should also rember taht the the teaher in pakistan was sentenced to death by the paki sharia court, manned by the best isalmic scholars of pakistan.

...the adventures of amir hamza is a classic......i had read it by the time i was eight.....i recently purchased the english translation.....

amir hamza, umro ayyar, lindhor, aadi pehelvan, hamza's two son's (one who appears in the 9th volume).......i haven't even started reading the english version, but can remember the names from almost 30 years ago....

and of course, the second series, with all the magicians....afrasiyaab, and malika bihar......

brings back memories.....

William, take your sophistry elsewhere.

excellent article. kudos to chowk for publishing it--i am definitely going to buy the book. It is THE Islamic epic (with the possible exception of Alf Layla wa Layla (1001 Nights). Great review by Mr. Dalrymple too.

Thanks :-)

Great essay!
I really liked it. I grew up in Lahore, Pakistan and reading was one of my great past times. In my grandfather's library there was this really thick and very old volume of Daastaan-e-Amir Hamza and it was written in old urdu. It had some pages missing in the front and the back, but nevertheless it was one of my most favorite books to read. It transported one immediately into a land of magic and fantasy.

There was also another version of the Daastan-e-Amir Hamza which was published by Feroz sons, although I cant seem to remember the name of the author. I really liked that version too as it was written in more modern urdu and included characters from magical realms like Tilsm-Hoshrubaa. My favorite characters was Malika Bahar who later marries Amir Hamza and helps in the fight against the evil Shehenshah Afrasiyaab.

I would love to buy this book.

Seems like a great book of stories!

Wonder if the stories have any specific theme(s)...

jayp,

Wud u make little of Panchatantra?

Pl read that book.

Takes me back to my childhood; Umro Ayyar and his Zanbeel!

What has all this got to do with Islam again?

Re: # 7

VRV

I was only questioning the notion that the book is islamic, especially written during the moghul times.

It sounds like a definite buy .. Cheers for the reveiw :)

FYI

William will be in Berkeley on April 2nd.



CSAS Public Lecture Series

The Last Mughal:
The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi 1857

talk & book-signing by

William Dalrymple

Writer & Historian


Wednesday, April 2, 2008
6 pm,

Morrison Room, 101 Doe Library


Flyer: http://southasia.berkeley.edu/flyers/William_Dalrymple_Flyer.pdf
Directions: Morrison Library is on the right once you enter the Doe Library from its North entrance.

**************
Center for South Asia Studies
10 Stephens Hall, #2310
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-2310
http://ias.berkeley.edu/southasia/

(510) 642-3608 (Phone)
(510) 643-5793 (Fax)

Re: # 8 Akcheema sahib why you nare worried about Islamic references always?

Re: # 11 JUST WONDER HOW MUCH THEY CHARGE FOR ENTRANCE IN USA AND ENGLAND GENERALLY FOR SUCH SOCIAL FUNCTIONS
I AM TOLD THEY KEEP ALL SWEETS LIKE CAKES, BISCUITS, AND COFFEE AND TEA AS MUCH AS YOU WANT.HERD IN COLLEGES SUCH PROGRAMS ARE GOING ALL TIME AND ONE CAN LIVE ON CAKES, COFFEE AND BISCUITS.
WONDER IS IT TRUE SITUATION.
I HEARD MOST PEOPLE EAT BISCUITS AND DRINK COFFEE TOGTHER TILL STOMACH IS FILLED AND THEN GO SLEEP AND WHEN GET UP THEY JUST GET UP TO NEXT LECTURE CIRCUIT.
CAN ANY BODY PUT HONEST LIGHT ON SITUATION, HEARD IN UK PEOPLE ARE MORE CULTURED THEY DO NOT SNORE WHILE SLEEPING WHEN LECTURE IS GOING , IT IS CONSIDERED NOT GENTLEMAN OR LADY LIKE.

To clear up jayp's confusion, it is important to remember that the reference of 'India' and 'indian' is misleading in this context. 'Hindustani' would be more appropriate reference for the world breathing in the urdu versions of Amir Hamza stories. This would not be a geographical locus but a lingo-emotional heritage spread out IN PART between generations in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

Of course, Dalrymple cannot be trusted with his assertions about the Mughal court world being 'nuanced' in the stories because there is nothing of the sort going on. People who can vouch for that are the kids who grew up reading these stories and in the opinion of one, the world of zanbeel and jaadoogar and jinn was not of this world...

Re: # 12; mahfari:

Strange question since the article is titled "The Irreverent Hero Islam Forgot".

It is a bunch of fascinating stories that, alongwith the "arabian nights" have nothing to do with any religion BUT geography. Same applies to, for example, "the Canterbury Tales" by chaucer; no relation to religion per se but an important contribution to middle english literature.

I hope that clarifies it for you.

Cheers.

Re: # 15; mahfari sahib,
please pay attention to what the author is trying to say here before we all get on our high horses as usual. I quote the last paragragh:

"At this perilous moment in history, the Hamza epic, with its mixed Hindu and Muslim idiom, its tales of love and seduction, its anti-clericalism — mullahs are a running joke throughout the book — its stories of powerful and resourceful women and its mocking of male misogyny is a reminder of an Islamic world which the West seems to have forgotten: one that is syncretistic, imaginative and heterodox and as far as can be imagined from the puritanical Wahhabi Islam that the Saudis have succeeded in spreading throughout much of the modern Islamic world".

I hope this provides some further, unfortunately very desired, clarification in today's world of religious puritanicalism.