Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer (), (29 August 1803 – 6 March 1875) was an Urdu poet who excelled and perfected the art of Marsiya writing. He is considered the leading exponent of Marsiya Nigari or marsiya writing along with Mir Anees. Mirza Dabeer was born in 1803 in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. He started reciting marsiya since childhood during

muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

ceremonial gatherings called majalis (singular-

majlis (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...

). He started writing poetry under the tutelage of Mir Muzaffar Husain Zameer. Dabeer himself was an erudite scholar of his time. He migrated from Delhi to

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

, where he found suitable environment to develop and demonstrate his skills in marsiya writing. According to Maulana Muhammad Husain Azad in Aab-e-Hayat quoting Tazkira-e-Sarapa Sukhan, there is confusion regarding his father's name because of two different names mentioned in Tazkira-as-Ghulam Husain /Mirza Agha Jan Kaghazfarosh. Mirza Dabeer died in Lucknow in 1875 and is buried there.

Works

According to Muhammad Husain Azad in Aab-e-Hayat: Mirzā Sahib died on the 29th of

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

, AH 1292 875–76 at the age of 72 years. In his lifetime he must have written at least three thousand elegies. Not counting his salāms and nauhas and quatrains. He wrote a dotless elegy (be-nuqta) of which the opening verse is: Hum tale-e-Huma murad hum rasa hua Meaning: My far-reaching imagination has the same fortune-star as the Huma In it, he used (the dotless) Utārid or Atarid (Mercury) instead of Dabeer for a pen-name. And there's no doubt that with him elegy composition in India reached its conclusion. Now no such time will come, nor will such accomplished persons be born (Frances W. Pritchett translation). List of Marsiya by Dabeer: # Kis sher ki Amad hai ki Run kaanp raha hai # Dast-e-Khuda Ka Quwat-e-Bazoo Husain hain # Bilqees paasbaan hai ye kiski janaab hai # Paida Shua-E-Mehar Ki Miqraaz Jab Huee Although Dabeer's poetic expression found expression in the genre of marsiya but he made use of other forms of Urdu poetry, viz., salaam and rubai, he seldom wrote ghazals too. A couplet from one of his salaams is a clear example of his genius comparable to Ghalib: :Hurr fida pyaasa jo Shah par ho gaya :Ai salami, qatra tha samandar ho gaya! Meaning: :When the thirsty Hurr (willingly) sacrificed his life for the Shah (Hussain); :(Know) O salami, (O pilgrim) In truth the drop became the entire ocean! :Naqaash naqsh, Kaatib o Khat, Baani o Bina, :Bood o Nabood, Zaat o Sifat, Hasti o Fana, :Aadam Malak, Zameen Falak, Gard e Kimiya, :Duniya o Deen, Hadoos o Qidam, Banda e khuda, :Sab, Shahid e Kamal e Shahe Mashraqain hain, :Jab Tak Khuda Ka Mulk hai, Malik Hussain hain.

Dabeer and Anis rivalry

Anis and Dabeer rivalry is the most debated and talked about rivalry in Urdu literature. Their rivalry led to the development of two distinct styles/schools of Marsiya-nigari or marsiya writing at its inception. The staunch supporters of each of the masters identified themselves as "Aneesiya" and "Dabeeriya". The impact of rivalry was so intense that the followers could neither free themselves from their influence nor surpass either master's brilliance. Although the populace divided themselves into two separate groups the two poets remained at cordial terms and acknowledged each other with great respect. When Anis died in 1874, Dabeer penned the following couplet as a tribute to the departed poet: :::::Aasman Be Mah-i-Kamil Sidrah Be Ruhul Amin :::::Toor-i-Sina Be Kalimullah Mimbar Be Anis

Books on Mirza Dabeer

Description of some books published on the subject of Mirza Dabeer and his work by different writers/researchers and publishers of Indo-Pak: :1 – Moazna-E-Anees-O-Dabeer, by

Shibli Nomani Shibli Nomani (4 June 1857 – 18 November 1914) was an Indian Islamic scholar, poet, philosopher, historian, educational thinker, author, orator, reformer and critic of orientalists during the British Raj. He is regarded as the father of Urdu ...

:2 – Anees Aur Dabeer by Dr. Gopi Chand Narang :3 – Books Compiled/written by Dr. Syed Taqi Abedi: ::*Mujtahid Nazm Mirza Dabeer ::* Abwab-ul-Masa'ib ::* Silke Salame Dabeer ::*Mushafe Farsi (Work of Mirza Dabeer in Persian Language) ::* Taleh Mehar ::*Musnuyate Dabeer :4 – Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer compiled by Eldon A. Mainyu (English)Published in August 2013 by Aud Publishing,

Tribute to poet in Urdu literature

Tribute – Digital

35 Marsiya video series based on event between 28th Rajab to 8th Rabi' al-awwal, titled Az madina ta madina was released on 3 January 2014, by "Mafss Noha Academy"

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and recited by Rahil Rizvi (Marsiya & Noha Khwan from India). Video series consist 8 marsiya based on topic and 2 soaz written by Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer.

Legacy

Dabeer, along with Anis, left an everlasting influence on Urdu literature and marsiya in particular. Marsiya, in its content and matter, allowed the two masters to demonstrate their artistry and command of Urdu language and idiom. At the same time epical nature of marsiya covered and dealt with entire range of emotions and ideas. It has both mystical and romantic appeal. All the contemporary and succeeding generations of poets who adopted marsiya as the genre of poetic expression and also others who took to other forms of poetry found it difficult to break away from the trends and standards set by these two masters. The names of Dabeer and Anis are inextricable whenever Urdu Marsia is mentioned. In short, marsiya attained its zenith under the poetic genius of Anis and Dabeer. Marsiya became synonymous with the names of these two masters and also the form- musaddas- adopted by them became synonymous with the identity of marsiya. Dabeer along with Anis influenced two major aspects of the socio-cultural life of the Indian sub-continent. One is literature and other is azadari tradition of the sub-continent.

References

External links

Aab-e hayat link to Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer

SALAM-E-DABEER

MASNAVIYAT-E-DABEER

MUJTAHID-E-NAZM MIRZA DABEER (HAYAT SHAKHSIYAT AUR FUN)

Jab Chaley Yasrab Se Sibte Mustafa (SAW) Soo-e-Iraq

Masters of Marsia-Anees and Dabeer

Mir Anis & Mirza Dabeer: the battle is still on

Reliving Karbala: Martyrdom in South Asian Memory. By SYED AKBAR HYDER . New York: Oxford University Press, 2006 (Link o google books)

Hadees-e-Dil Marsia Number

Remembering Karbala Once Again-Selected Marsias of Meer Anis and Mirza Dabeer Translated by Syeda B. Raza

History and Influence of Marsia on South Asian Culture

The Year of Mirza Dabeer By Hasan Abidi

Abstracts from Marsia by Dabeer

Mir Anis and Karbala

Brief introduction to Urdu Marsia

Brief history of Urdu poetry {{DEFAULTSORT:Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer 1803 births 1875 deaths Poets from Delhi Indian Shia Muslims Urdu-language poets from India Indian male poets Urdu-language religious writers Urdu-language writers from British India 19th-century Urdu-language writers Urdu-language writers from the Mughal Empire 19th-century Indian poets 19th-century Indian male writers