Dont know how many of you knew him but he was a great scholar and linguistic of Urdu language
News Source
Wiki article
a great loss in my opnion
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Inna Lillahay wa Inna IlyehaY Raa'jeeoon.
I read this news yesterday on Geo website.
Sad loss indeed.
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Allah marhoom ko jawar a rehmat main jaga day. Ameen.
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Inna-lil-Allah-i-wa-innailihi-rajuoon
May Allah swt in His Infinite Mercy grant peace to the departed soul
My heartfelt sympathies for Dr shaab's family and pakistani nation , pain and loss that they have is heart wrenching ....
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
The title of Dr shaab's PhD thesis was “The Historical and Political background of Urdu Poetry from 1707 to 1857 CE” that, itself, is a testament to his love for comprehensive research.
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Aliyish, is there a copy of his thesis available online ?
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
I dont think so ....
But ya may see a copy in KU's library ....
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
sure, I’ll check it out tonight 
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Inna lillahe wa inna illahe rajaooin
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Indeed it’s sad to know about the demise of Prof. Kashfi.He was one of the persons about whom I heard a lot but could never meet him.He was in Pakistan while I am in India.
Few years back when I was in Kanpur, I used to live at a place which is close to a very famous Dargah of Kanpur , known as Dada Miyan (Rahimahumullaah). My eternal curiousity took me to dargah and I tried to know more and more about the saint resting there. His name was Shah Ghulam Rasool Rasoolnuma ……alias Dada Miyan …A buzurg of Naqshbandiyyah order …He died in 1287 Hijri in Kanpur and was the foremost spiritual guide of the modern Kanpur. ( I am an ardent researcher of history and historical figures especially the people who spread and propogated Islam in Indo-pak )
As I was trying to collect information of the earlier Ulama & Buzugaan , I started visiting that place regularly in order to get more and more information including the legends and oral traditions from the local people. Then one day I met the present caretaker of the dargah who was a professor of Urdu in local college and it was there in one of our subsequent discussion I came to know about Sayyid Abul Khair Kashfi was his elder brother who lived in Karachi.
From then onwards I developed an interest for his wirtings and whenever I found any article or book of Prof Kashfi I read it with great interest -Whatever I know about him is as follows-
Sayyid Muhammad Abul Khair Kashfi was born in Kanpur in 1931 in a family of mystics and saintly figures. Famous Dada Miyan (Shah Ghulam Rasul Rasulnuma )of Kanpur was the grand father of his grand mother. It is one of the most respected families of Kanpur.
His Father Sayyid Abu Muhammad ‘SAQIB KANPURI’ was a renowned poet of his time. His family originally belongs to a very famous & productive place in eastern UP i.e KADA MANIKPUR He belonged to one of most illustrious family of Ulemas in KADA.(Sometimes spelt as KARA or KARRAH) .Karra was a capital in medieval period 60 km east of ALLAHABAD. Now it is a small sleepy town in U.P on the banks of the Ganges in Allahabad district. Opposite the town on the other bank is the town of Manikpur in the district of Partabgarh. Often the two towns are spoken of as a single entity: Kada-Manikpur.
His grand Father Sayyid Muhammad Akbar moved to Kanpur after his marriage and soon was obliged to take over as a caretaker of that Khanqaah after the death of his father in law the famous Shah Ehsan ul Haq Kanpuri ……………………………and since then his family stayed there only and now known as Kanpuri……………………………
His father Saqib Kanpuri was a poet of repute and collected works of Sauda as Intikhab-i Sauda in last 30’s. ……
If one goes through the old files of the famous literary magazines of yester years , he will find regualar inputs by Saqib Kanpuri in all of them. Famous editor Munshi Daya Narain Nigam , editor of legendary ZAMANA ‘Kanpur was a family friend. Hasrat Mohani, Natiq Lucknawi ,were daily visitors. JIgar Moradabadi, Rawish Siddiqui, Asar Lucknawi, Andaleeb Shadani,Mawlana Azaad Subhaani were all his known friends. His first collection was published as Mata-i-Dard in 1931. I quote one of his Ashaar which was highly appreciated by Allama Iqbal.
Jaan deta hoon Qafas mein donon par khole huey
Hasrat e parwaaz mein bhi shaan hai parwaaz ki
In this atmosphere it is not surprising that literature became the first love of Kashfi.
It is interesting to note that he was quite weak in Mathematics when he studied in Kanpur at Haleem Muslim College. The teacher of maths once told him “ Syed sahib , aur ladke to pass hone ki khushi mein mere liye mithayaan latey hain magar jis din aap paas ho jaengey ,main khud aap ke liye mithai launga.He used to tell that one of the reasons of my failure in mathematics was the simple fact that figures and problems were not related to real life -Otherwise he was brilliant student.
He did his matriculation and Intermediate from Halim Muslim School,Kanpur . After migration he did his BA (Honours) from Sindh University and masters and doctorate from the University of Karachi. The title of his PhD thesis was "The Historical and Political background of Urdu Poetry from 1707 to 1857 which itself is a masterpiece. He joined Karachi’s Islamia College and remained there from 1951-58 and finally joined Karachi University in 1959 till 1994.
After his return from Japan, where he stayed as the Professor of Urdu at Osaka University, he initiated the Urdu Haiku Mushaira (Recital), with the coordination of Japan Cultural Center, Karachi. he personally contacted veteran Urdu poets like Taabish Dehlvi, Raaghib Murad-abaadi, Ada Jafri, Jamil Naqvi, Mehshar Badayooni and others to render translations, besides composing original Haiku.
He was a fearless writer which is reflected from few of his excerpts given below.
• He is quoted to have said “I never hid Ibne Safi’s Jasoosi Duniya in an envelope or in between other books. If anyone ever asked why I read Ibne Safi, I used to forcefully reply, "Because Ibne Safi writes better language than the greatest of the novelists of your town"...
• About Khwaja Ahmad Abbas - Khwaja Ahmad Abbas could have been got much better place in the history of litartue had he concentrated on writing instead of frittering away his energies on other activities..
• About Symposiums and conferences -He was of the view that symposiums, national and international conferences and a small number of periodicals alone cannot create a literary environment that once inspired people to write.
• About Eliot’s impact on Urdu Literature -“The fact is that he has given us a way of thinking, moulded our literary mind, and has changed many of our critical conceptions. In the same essay he writes ahead; Not only Mr. Eliot has been quoted by our critics, but many of our novelists have begun their novels with quotation from him, as in the case of Miss Qurat-ul-Ain Haider, whose novel 'Aag Ka Darya', begins with lines from Eliots's poem, 'Four quarter', which are: “I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river is a strong brown god”. ('Eliot's impact on Urdu literature)
After having retired he kept himself busy writing on criticism and education. As well as guiding the students in their doctoral dissertations.
His published works include:
• Hayat-e-Muhammadi Quran-e-Majeed Ke Aaine Mayn (seerat award)
• Urdu Shairi ka Siyasi aur Tarikhi Pasmanzar
• Hamare Ahed Ka Adab Aur Adeeb
• Jadeed Urdu Adab Ke Do Tanqeedi Jaezay
• Hamare Adabi Aur Lisani Masail
• Yeh Log Bhi Ghazab Thay" (personality sketches),
• Ghalib Ki Cheh Ghazlen
• Naat aur Tanqeed-i-Naat
Lastly I can only say that he was one of those whom the next generation will yearn to see. We expected a lot for him yet but alas……………………………..
Han, faqat rekhta hi kehnay na a’ay thay hum
Char din yeh bhi tamasha sa dikhaya hum nay (Meer)
Wish I could visit his younger brothers at Kanpur ……Sayyid Abul Hasanat ‘Haqqi’ and Sayyid Abul
barakat Nazmi” for taziyat.
Wassalam
Khalid Bin Umar
(Do not copy or quote the above obituary as it has been already published) If you wish to copy it please drop a mail to the writer at [email protected]
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Dear Friend!
Dr. Ahmad Safi (son of Ibne Safi) through an e-mail on July 5, 2009, has requested me to remove all novels of Ibne Safi which I have placed at esnips ---- The letter is self-explanatory in which Dr. Ahmad has rightly called my act a copyright infringement which I did accept and immediately removed all novels from my esnips folder ---- I request to all other friends to read the said letter and take the right decision — Dr. Ahmad writes:
**“ ***So as a first thing, I would request you to ** VOLUNTARILY remove the pdf versions or links to those, from your web pages and uphold the rights of your favourite author whose main aim was to propagate the Respect of Law (Qanoon ka Ehtraam.)” – ***I have known and admired you for your love and respect for Ibne Safi and his novels. I just have to tell you that these works are copyright materials and copying them in any form print/electronic is illegal. M/s Asrar Publications is actively publishing these novels and all rights are reserved. If you would not stand side by side with me and the Ibne Safi family which includes your dear friend Muneer, then we would be left to think that Ibne Safi Fans are fans for the sake of reading his works but not learning from it.
I hope you would consider the point of view of the copyright holders and would be amongst the protectors of the rights not violators of the same. Hope to see a positive response from you”.
***Please see De. Ahmad’s complete letter at: ***
Ibne Safi’s Son requested to REMOVE all Novels eSnips Folder
RASHID ASHRAF – [email protected]
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon.
May Allah give them an easy and pleasant journey and shower blessings on his grave.
Re: Dr. Abul Khair Kashfi passes away
Inna Lillahay wa Inna IlyehaY Raa'jiun.