Wasif Ali Wasif

He wrote regular essays, commonly referred to as columns, on a weekly basis in the Pakistani Urdu newspaper Daily Nawa-i-Waqt (نوائے وقت). His first column entitled “Muhabbat” (Love), published in 1984 in the literary section of Nawa-i-Waqt, bewildered many in literary circles. During his lifetime, most of his columns were compiled into books under titles he chose himself: Dil Darya Samundar (دل دریا سمندر), Qatra Qatra Qulzum (قطرہ قطرہ قلزم) and Harf Harf Haqeeqat (حرف حرف حقیقت). Probably no contemporary Urdu writer is more cited in quotations than he is. His aphoristic style of writing has become proverbial and a benchmark in Urdu literature, commonly termed as Wasifian Style of prose writing. He is considered the founder of a new school of thought called Wasfiyaat (واصفیات), a blend of mystic wisdom, ethics and patriotism. He has beautifully amalgamated Pakistanism with mysticism. His mystic teachings, rooted directly in the Shariah (Quran and Hadith), represent the inner core and real essence of Islam. He had a gift for creating a rainbow of meanings with the help of very few droplets of words. He may be considered the pioneer of aphorism in Urdu literature. Read full biography →