A New Investigation into the Works of Imam Bakhsh Sahbai Dehlavi

Introduction

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries AD, during the Timurid era in India, the subcontinent achieved a prominent position due to the presence of nobles and people of culture, relying on the history of its civilization, as well as a correct understanding of Iranian-Islamic civilization and studying a mixture of these two cultures. Studying and analyzing the works of literary elites of this period in various fields such as linguistics, literary criticism, lexicography, description of texts and Persian grammar confirms this claim. In these works, the element of nationality and supremacy of Iranian writers such as Hazin Lahiji was taken into consideration, while Indian writers stood up to defend their opinions and literary collections. One of the great writers who was able to play an influential role in the subcontinent along with great people like Siraj al-Din Ali Khan Arzu, Ghulam Ali Azad Bilgrami, and Munir Lahori is Imam Bakhsh Sahbai. He has created works in the field of text description, rhetoric, linguistics, and literary criticism, each of which include new insights, and offer new paths for further explorations. The works left by Sahbai show his knowledge and mastery in the conventional techniques of speech, research in Persian vocabulary and terms, text research, perfecting the art of riddles, and the description of Persian books and messages. Despite the considerable achievements of Sahbai, no comprehensive research has been done about his life, works, and thoughts. This article aims to take a small step in introducing him and his contributions.

Literature Review

So far, three books have been written in Urdu and three articles have been written in Urdu, English, and Farsi, some of which are hasty transcriptions of the contents of those books. The books, which are among the first-hand sources, are Imam Bakhsh Sahbai by Khawaja Muhammad Hamed, Sahbai: A Brief Introduction by Muhammad Ansarullah, and Imam Bakhsh Sahbai Ki Adabi Khadamat by Muhammad Zakir Hussain. In these three works, useful information can be obtained about Sahbai’s life, the circumstances of his martyrdom, and his students; Nevertheless, due to their rarity and being in Urdu, it is difficult for researchers to use them. although the authors of these works provide useful insights about Sahbai, they do not analyze his linguistic and literary views in the text and merely state the subject of the works.
The scholarly article “'Bringing Spring to Sahbai's Rose-Garden': Persian Printing in North India after 1857” written by Zahra Shah and published in the book The Global Histories of Books: Methods and Practices deals with the life and works of Imam Bakhsh Sahbai, as well as the significant contributions of his students, especially Monshi-e-Din Dayal and Dehram Narin, and the services of these two loyal students in collecting and lithographic printing of the works of their master. Additionally, the author reveals the personal goals and ambitions of people like Nawab Sayyid Muḥammad Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān al-Qannawjī and the East Indian conspiracies in preventing the publication and promotion of literary works, especially those of Sahbai, in Persian.
In 2018, Mehdi Rahimpour published an article titled “Sahbai” in the fifth volume of the Encyclopedia of Persian Language and Literature in the Indian Subcontinent. This article briefly discusses Sahbai's life and works, highlighting his literary and linguistic characteristics; however, the life events, the circumstances and reasons of Sahbai's martyrdom, his students and their influence in the subcontinent are not addressed. Another article written in Farsi is “Imam Bakhsh Sahbai: The First Persian Teacher of Delhi College” by Seyyedah Balqis Fatemeh Hosseini and published in the book Delhi in the Mirror of Persian Literature under the supervision of Rehana Khatun. Additionally, Pakistani writer Rukhsana Saba authored an article titled “Imam Bakhsh Sahbai: His Life, Works, and Death” published in the Urdu Development Association magazine, volume 95, number 1. Written in Urdu, this article is a summary of the three previously mentioned books and its important feature is the description of some events of the 1857 Delhi revolution and how Sahbai was martyred by the British.

Methodology

In writing this article and describing the events of Imam Bakhsh Sahbai's period, in addition to referring to the few sources written in Persian, we have cited various others in Urdu and English. We have tried to describe Sahbai's life, circumstances, and thought by referring to the available sources and criticizing and analyzing them to determine his scientific, linguistic, and literary position in the subcontinent. In parallel with the discussion of Sahbai's feelings and emotions, passions and desires, needs and wishes, we also examine his knowledge and scientific, cultural, and social relations. This article examines Sahbai's life and works focusing on several components: 1- The impact of genetic and other influential factors such as intelligence, talent, heredity; 2- The effect of education on the flourishing of Sahbai's talent; 3- The influence of the era and the living environment of Sahbai; 4- Experiences and mental abilities, knowledge, power of perception and thinking; 5- The role of Sahbai’s students in promoting the Persian language in the subcontinent; 6- Sahbai's works.

Discussion

The characteristics of the literary figures of the subcontinent in the 18^th century, shaped by the rich culture ruling the area, include sobriety, contentment, appreciation, and etiquette. In addition to these characteristics, seclusion, unity of thought, and relentless work ethic which Iqbal Lahori describes as “blood of liver” are the notable behavioral and scientific attributes of this group, including Sahbai. In his treatise Mathmar, Khan Arzu examines different dialects, then investigates the works and status of Persian poets and raises the question “Are the works of Persian writers of India considered documented?”. On page 34 of his treatise, Arzu asserts that only those who have worked hard to become among the people of language and are “able to speak” are reliable. In fact, Sahbai was one of those eloquent speakers who spent his life until his martyrdom on the path of learning and writing numerous works in various fields such as text description, grammar, discursive trial and debate, and also in order to train scholarly students, each of whom was unique in his time. After Khan Arzu, literary criticism and linguistics reached new heights with Sahbai.

Conclusion

As a result of his genius, research on Persian and Arabic texts and a remarkable memory, Sahbai is considered an opinionated and precise thinker, as well as an innovative critic.
Sahbai's writings about Tarshizi's works such as Sharh-i Se Nathr-i-Zuhuri and Sharh-i Minabazar alongside his critical treatises like Nata’ij-i-Afkar, I‘la’-al-Haq, and Qol Faisal are of great importance among his prose works.