Karbala Ta Karbala

Karbala Ta Karbala is a collection of Marsias, or more appropriately Marasi, by Waheed Akhtar, a noted Urdu poet and critic. He also wrote Ghazals and nazms and an epic, Shahr-e Hawas, which is considered his magnum opus. Karbala Ta Karbala, which means 'Karbala to Karbala,' has eight collection of marasi or elegies/dirges. They are written in traditional format of Marsia, that is Musaddas, which became standard after great masters of Urdu poetry, Anis and Dabir. Each marsia in Karbala ta Karbala deals with the life, exemplary qualities and martyrdom of the hero of the marsia. Every marsia in the collection has more than 100 bunds which is a unit of marsia in the format of musaddas. The theme and heroes of his marasi are the people, who died in the battle of Karbala on tenth of Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 AD) along with the grandson of Muhammad, Husayn ibn Ali, or who belonged to Muhammad's household-Ahl al-Bayt.

Waheed Akhtar's marasi are different form other masters of Marsia in the treatment of the theme of marsia. His poetry writing attains its greatness in his marsias. It demonstrates his command of language, richness of ideas, his vast diction, his power of narration. It also reflects his aptness of writing poetic drama. His marsias deal with social, ethical, political and philosophical and many contemporary issues related to man and society. In general they are mirrors of his philosophy, ideas, and values he advocated and wrote throughout his life.

Karbala and Husayn, which is the central theme of these marsias, is also a leitmotif or a recurring motif in Waheed Akhtar's other poetic genres. All his marsias show his yearning for human freedom, truthfulness, uprightness of character, and constant struggle against injustice, oppression, human exploitation, to attain freedom and peace. To demonstrate that he very deftly uses the personality of Husain and his associates and other Ahl al-Bayt like Ali and Fatima. In his one marsia he praises speech and language as an important attribute of God, and denounces silence as a symbol of hypocrisy, opportunism, timidity and approval of injustice. The last Marsia in this book is different from others, in the sense that it is a call to those associates of Husain and probably to all of humanity who started their journey with the intention of joining Husain's cause, but could not reach Karbala on the day of Ashura. This call is from Zainab, Husain's sister, who is calling them for help to carry on Husain's mission, and to uphold the cause whose inheritors are the women and children of Husain's family and his only surviving son, Ali ibn al-Husayn. In his marsias Husain is the symbol of peace, freedom and the epitome of sacrifice in the divine cause of upholding the values of humanity. The journey which started early in the author's life during ceremonies of Muharram, according to his own admission in his foreword to Karbala Ta Karbala, comes full circle with the message conveyed by the last marsia of the collection:

Karbala tak aake palto bhi to jaoge kahan, Jis taraf jaoge hoga karbala maujood waan
Karbala leta raha hai har qadam par imtehan, Hashr tak hoga hisab-e-dostan-o-dushmanan