Jihādī literature? Some novels of Nasim Hijazi
Jihādī literature? Some novels of Nasim Hijazi

Summary/Abstract: In the wake of the Muslim political and social reform movements of the nineteenth century, evoking the Golden Age of Islam turned into one of the favourite topoi of Urdu writers who aspired to mobilize and consolidate the Muslim community. Starting with the novels of Abdul Halim Sharar (1860-1926) and the poetry of Altaf Husain Hali (1837-1914) and continued by Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), the glorious past was used as counter-image to the desolate present. Images of vigour, bravery, self-sacrifice and the glorification of martyrdom are stock features of these literary works. Many of the texts deal with the conquest of Andalusia, the age of the Crusades or the early years of Islam. These settings were later adopted by several writers, among them the novelist Nasim Hijazi who was to become one of the most popular authors of Urdu. His works are available with several online booksellers and in regular bookstores. The Jahāngīr Book Depot in Lahore alone carries 21 titles by the author, some of which have seen up to 40 print runs.

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