In memory of Syed Sibti-Jaafar Zaidi - article by Syed Imon Rizvi It is very hard to get a recognition of this level in which any person who meets you for the very first time, starts calling you “Ustaad,” and if talks about Professor Syed Sibti-Jaafar Zaidi then that is not just a formality calling, its actually a true feeling of really wanting to call him in this way. When I met him first time, I was blown away by his way of treatment and his pleasant behavior. I heard that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had this quality that after meeting him people used to think that he is their favorite person. But I never experienced that feeling in my life until I met Professor Syed Sibti-Jaafar Zaidi. I felt the same way that Ustaad liked and loved me the most, but I was also not wrong in those feelings because God gave me golden chances to do something for my teacher. One of them was that I represented him and his style of Soazkhwani at Harvard University in the United States as his disciple. We all loved calling him “Ustaad” because he was a true Ustaad [Master] and he proved it through his actions, attitudes, and behavior. He was the biggest encourager I have ever seen in my entire life. In school, college or university I always had bad experiences in regards to teachers because we all know what kind of standards we do have in our schools, colleges and universities. He never discouraged us; rather he always used to encourage and praise and that used to be very productive in changing and improvement for his students and for all of them who were close to him. Believe me that there was never a word of condemnation or discouragement even after the bad performance of a student, he simply praised and used to say, “Mash-Allah you have performed well and keep practicing and Insh-Allah [God willing] you will get better.” One of the best Na’at-Khwaans of Pakistan, Ilhaaj Khursheed Ahmed, who also received Presidential Award for Na’at Khwani, once said about Professor Sibti Jaafar, “I think that I received this award very late but after listening to Professor Sibti Jaafar I think that he and his students deserved to awarded even before me.” When it comes to write about Ustaad, it seems that we are unable to capture his fruitful and amazing productive life, which has so many perspectives that we are afraid cannot describe it at its merit. But let’s start from his education, he had two master’s degrees, one in Urdu and the other one in Islamic studies and he received gold medal for one of his master’s. He was lawyer and practiced law for a while but after passing the C.S.S. exam he started his career as an educationist. He also received bachelor’s degree in education. One might wonder that how is this possible? But it is true that he was a multi-talented person and he was not just good in one field of life. When it comes to sports, he was the sports councilor at Karachi University from 1976 till 1979, and also a great player of table tennis and cricket. When it comes to the writing, he wrote several academic books for students about sociology, Islamic studies, etc. He was a great poet and wrote poetry very creatively and his style of writing poetry, or “Khayal” or the “Zameen” was very amazing and new to Urdu literature. I think that he contributed greatly by writing creative Urdu poetry and soon his services in that regard would also be appreciated. His humor, pleasant personality and ethical treatment have left hundreds of pleasant events and stories, which should be appreciated by the literary circles. People can gather the information of those humorous events in which he performed intelligently and made people laugh and happy and solved people’s problems through his intelligent way of thinking. His extensive research and publication on the topic of Islamic vocal arts has also gained him fame and was the reason that famous TV channels broadcasted his interviews and programs and the newspapers published his articles and research essays. He excelled in the art of soazkhwani, learned it from different Ustaads of his time, researched about the different schools of thoughts of soazkhwani in India and Pakistan and made his unique entry and paved that way so intelligently that the youth, who no more had any interest in soazkhwani returned to soazkhwani and that is how a life was given to that old vocal art. Thanks to Ustaad for that, even Harvard University and Columbia University appreciated his services and performing style and wanted to appreciate him by inviting him to US but somehow he did not go there and I was given a chance to perform there and represent him. A letter of appreciation was issued to Professor Sibti-Jaafar and they thanked me as well. He was a great composer and composed several amazing “Bandish” for Soaz, Salam, Noha, Manqabat and national songs. Such as “Jab Khuda ko Pukara” and “Jab Imam Aayaingay,” etc. He was opening up the coaching centers for the needy and talented students and was rendering his services to the community and he was always there for the community. He was a great lecturer because his students were fond of him and use to love his lectures. Recently he also became a principal of his college and his staff loved him very much. In Sunni circle, in Sikh community, and in Shia community he was liked and loved by all of them. Because he loved them all and paid them respect no matter what. He was truly the person who born in centuries, Pakistan was lucky to have him and Pakistani people must appreciate his existence because what he has conveyed in short time of life, many big organizations even cannot do that load of a work. His academic and religious students are in thousands serving around the globe and he would never die because his knowledge and education is alive. Even though he was martyred because of his Shia sect but people from all religions and around the globe loved him and he traveled to around thirty countries to perform soazkhwani. His martyrdom is an example, which clearly shows that the enemies of Islam are being defeated and killing is their last tool through which they think they can win. SIR/SS Syed Imon Rizvi is a published author and a poet of three English language poetry books (Outspoken, A Bold Stroke and Assalam-o-Alaikum O’ Universe). He has a master’s degree in Business Administration and a post-graduate degree in Public Administration. He is a poet, composer, digital media consultant, and a soazkhwan. He is currently studying at Islamic Seminary of Qom. presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/13/308813/in-memory-of-syed-sibtijaafar-zaidi/
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 20:15:44 +0000
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