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Baba Sahiba / بابا صاحبا
Baba Sahiba by Ashfaq Ahmad
Hardcover
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About the author
Ashfaq Ahmed
107 books465 followersAshfaq Ahmed (Urdu: اشفاق احمد) was a writer, playwright and broadcaster from Pakistan. He authored several books in Urdu. His works included novels, short stories and plays for television and radio. He was awarded President's Pride of Performance and Sitara-i-Imtiaz for meritorious services in the field of literature and broadcasting.
After Partition, when Ahmed arrived at the Walton refugee camp with millions of other migrants, he used to make announcements on a megaphone around the clock. Later, he got a job in Radio Azad Kashmir, which was established on a truck that used to drive around in various parts of Kashmir. He then got lectureship at Dayal Singh College, Lahore for two years. Whereafter, he went to Rome to join Radio Rome as an Urdu newscaster. He also used to teach Urdu at Rome university. During his stay in Europe, he received diplomas in the Italian and French languages from the University of Rome and University of Grenoble, France. He also earned a special training diploma in radio broadcasting from New York University.
He started writing stories in his childhood, which were published in Phool [Flower] magazine. After returning to Pakistan from Europe, he took out his own monthly literary magazine, Dastaango [Story Teller], and joined Radio Pakistan as a script writer. He was made editor of the popular Urdu weekly, Lail-o-Nahar [Day and Night], in place of famous poet Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum by the Government of Pakistan.
In 1962, Ahmed started his popular radio program, Talqeen Shah [The Preacher] which made him immensely popular among the people in towns and villages.[13] He was appointed director of the Markazi Urdu Board in 1966, which was later renamed as Urdu Science Board, a post he held for 29 years. He remained with the board until 1979.
Ahmed, in his later years of life, was greatly inclined towards Sufism. His close association with Qudrat Ullah Shahab and Mumtaz Mufti was also attributed to this tendency. He used to appear in a get together with his fans in PTV program Baittakh (The Guest Room) and Zaviya (The Dimension) where he gave swift but satisfying responses to each and every question posed by the youth audience.
On 7 September 2004, Ashfaq Ahmed died of pancreatic cancer. He was laid to rest in a Model Town, Lahore.
After Partition, when Ahmed arrived at the Walton refugee camp with millions of other migrants, he used to make announcements on a megaphone around the clock. Later, he got a job in Radio Azad Kashmir, which was established on a truck that used to drive around in various parts of Kashmir. He then got lectureship at Dayal Singh College, Lahore for two years. Whereafter, he went to Rome to join Radio Rome as an Urdu newscaster. He also used to teach Urdu at Rome university. During his stay in Europe, he received diplomas in the Italian and French languages from the University of Rome and University of Grenoble, France. He also earned a special training diploma in radio broadcasting from New York University.
He started writing stories in his childhood, which were published in Phool [Flower] magazine. After returning to Pakistan from Europe, he took out his own monthly literary magazine, Dastaango [Story Teller], and joined Radio Pakistan as a script writer. He was made editor of the popular Urdu weekly, Lail-o-Nahar [Day and Night], in place of famous poet Sufi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum by the Government of Pakistan.
In 1962, Ahmed started his popular radio program, Talqeen Shah [The Preacher] which made him immensely popular among the people in towns and villages.[13] He was appointed director of the Markazi Urdu Board in 1966, which was later renamed as Urdu Science Board, a post he held for 29 years. He remained with the board until 1979.
Ahmed, in his later years of life, was greatly inclined towards Sufism. His close association with Qudrat Ullah Shahab and Mumtaz Mufti was also attributed to this tendency. He used to appear in a get together with his fans in PTV program Baittakh (The Guest Room) and Zaviya (The Dimension) where he gave swift but satisfying responses to each and every question posed by the youth audience.
On 7 September 2004, Ashfaq Ahmed died of pancreatic cancer. He was laid to rest in a Model Town, Lahore.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 17, 2021
'Baba Sahiba' belong to those category of Master pieces which has no fixed boundaries and visible dimensions. You will not be able to categorize the book in a fixed genre, You cannot say that it belongs to any particular topic. In the beginning you will think that the book is about Ashfaq Ahmed's travelogue to Rome (Italy), then you will start to think that the book is going towards spirituality, then you will think that in actual, book is about the teacher's life in Rome and their discussions, then the book will lead you to the conversation between two writers, two Pakistani writers away from their homeland, the book will also let you touch the parts of sufism then after sometime it will start exploring the relationship between science and religion, you will then find yourself in between a valley of short essays on different topics, then something else, then something else. It is a compilation of multi-dimensional fictionalized life experiences of Ashfaq Ahmed Sahab.
The most interesting thing about the book is:
It is not compiled & published by Ashfaq Ahmed himself but by his wife, Bano Qudsiya complied his writings and published the book after his death.
According to Bano Qudsiya, Ashfaq Ahmed was desperate all his life about the purpose of human life, what is the reason of our existence here, in this world and what do we want from ourselves. So, in 'Baba Sahiba' you will find his unending questions from life and existence and how he answered them as per his own perspective towards life.
Worth reading!
The most interesting thing about the book is:
It is not compiled & published by Ashfaq Ahmed himself but by his wife, Bano Qudsiya complied his writings and published the book after his death.
According to Bano Qudsiya, Ashfaq Ahmed was desperate all his life about the purpose of human life, what is the reason of our existence here, in this world and what do we want from ourselves. So, in 'Baba Sahiba' you will find his unending questions from life and existence and how he answered them as per his own perspective towards life.
Worth reading!
January 18, 2014
Where else can one find reading about love of love than Baba Sahiba! To convey the intended wisdom, it is written with love by love for the love of love.
Starting with his life experiences how this writing takes you from one dimension to the other and how it amazes you with the most thoughtful words is a journey worth experiencing. At times it provided the necessary healing, the other times it talked about me and some other times it talked with me. There were times where I read my own life experiences through his words and what a delight that was!
I wonder how it would have ended if Ashfaq Ahmad had gotten the chance to do so but, nevertheless, it still remains one of the best reads ever. Its something which i would always love to have next to me so that i can open the world i long for and feed me with what it feeds at its best; love and wisdom.
Starting with his life experiences how this writing takes you from one dimension to the other and how it amazes you with the most thoughtful words is a journey worth experiencing. At times it provided the necessary healing, the other times it talked about me and some other times it talked with me. There were times where I read my own life experiences through his words and what a delight that was!
I wonder how it would have ended if Ashfaq Ahmad had gotten the chance to do so but, nevertheless, it still remains one of the best reads ever. Its something which i would always love to have next to me so that i can open the world i long for and feed me with what it feeds at its best; love and wisdom.
Read
February 9, 2013baba sahiba by ashfaq ahmed
baba sahiba
baba sahiba
November 4, 2024
"Baba Sahiba", is a marvellous book by the pen of Sir Ashfaq Ahmed. "Baba Sahiba" is Sir Ashfaq Ahmed's masterpiece truly. The book covers all the strata of knowledge. Sometimes It looks like an autobiography. Somewhere It looks like a philosophy book. Sometimes It looks like a book of a patriot who patriotically explains the heart wrenching sacrifices of his elders by entering this independent beloved homeland... 'Pakistan'. Afterwards he states the stories of greed and corruption of officials and locals who totally forgot the true meaning of getting freedom. He states about the unwell behaviour of 'Ansaar' to 'Muhajirs' especially by writing the story of his grandmother in relation, whose family thinks that 'Muhajirs' are inferior to them. In introduction of the book Ma'am Bano Qudsia rightly states that it is the different kind of 'Literature' which can't written easily. One has to put his heart's blood into It. It is the fantastic chain of fragments and memories. Sometimes it looks like an incredible autobiography of him. He tells the incidents of his life like a great story teller. Generally, events and situations remain in a person's memory with association to failure, tragedy, feelings of inferiority and guilt. Events of happiness appear on the mental horizon of a person like 'Rainbow' and then quickly disappear. Life is always made by the coloring of these chain of memories.
The book wonderfully broadans the views of readers and urges them to 'Search' the 'Truth of Life'. Sir amazingly starts the book by his journey as a professor to 'Rome' where he learned remarkable things and from where he started his search towards finding the hidden and unknown. He states that he started studying 'Spiritualism' in order to prove the 'Wisdom of the East' and impress his colleague professors in 'Rome'. Eventually in his study of 'Spiritualism', he became fond of this dimension and searched the real search towards the way of 'Truth'. It proves that taking the name of Allah Almighty is beneficial in every way, whether it is a lie or the truth, sometimes even a liar becomes true in this search. Although he was interested in 'Spiritualism' but after reading so many books on it, he was less aware to the spiritualism. He was feeling remarkable change in him. But still there was something missing. One can say that before meeting and afterwareds becoming friend to Sir Q. U. Shahab he was away from 'Spiritualism'. It was Sir Q. U. Shahab who caught his hand and helped him to come out from the way of the ordinary world. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed states that he used to be a 'Muslim' by name only. In Rome, he was away from his family, friends and country, that's why he was easy prey for the culture and beauty of Rome. In Rome, he was very much impressed by the good manners and discipline of Christians and ultimately desired to become Christian but when he seen the hypocrisy of them, he restrained himself from becoming one. Throughout the whole book, Sir Ashfaq has written about his 'Search' that he wanted to know from his failures, what is the real purpose of man, what is the real purpose of his life, why he is here and what he wants to achieve. The enlightenment of the human mind comes from the text and deeper meanings of the Holy Qur'an, and all the understanding of the human soul is connected with the letters with hidden meanings and verses that are not understood. The depth of the Holy Quran has no limit. In Rome, he was inspired by Baba Dharam Daas's teachings but left him when he asked him to bow his head against the picture of his 'Bhagwan'. Through Professor Angareeti, he explained the marvellous resemblance between mice and human beings. The professor also teaches him about the hidden meaning of spiritualism. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed tells about the precise and urgent letter of Manto to him, where Manto was talking to him in a lighter tone by asking him to come back to Pakistan. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed added amazing fragmentary stories and lessons in order to grasp readers attention. He also classically divides the types of 'Faqirs' and describes the difference between Truth and Lies. He somehow criticizes the 'Truth of Research'. Research is such a disgusting thing that if a person continues to persevere, one day or the other, it will be carried out according to his will, the same result will be obtained, which was desired the first day. Sir also tells the incident of going to Shelly's grave where he meets a sixty five year old man, Maryo Qandoti. Through this man, Sir Ashfaq came to know about an interesting story of the friendship of P. B. Shelly and Maryo's grandfather. Later Maryo became friends with him. Maryo has a beautiful granddaughter Aanjla who can't walk because of her inability, and becomes friends with Sir. She was very intelligent and loved to read books. She also told Sir about the interesting formation story of 'Coca-Cola' through medicine of flu and fever. Later she starts walking through a miracle of some Saints. Ashfaq Ahmed states about the modern graveyard of Italy where graveyards are built like buildings and dead are placed in walls in order to consume space. He also meets with a French writer, novelist and playwright Saaratar, comedian Charlie Chaplin and scientist Sir Alaxandar Fleming in Rome. There are a lot of discussions about 'Self' and 'Soul' with professor Ferakuti. There is also mention of Sir Qudratullah Shahab who spent three days with him and while returning gave him the translation of the Holy Qura'n by Molana Ashraf Ali Thanvi and a book named as "Fawaid-ul- Fawaad". Sir Ashfaq mentions a lot of activities for concentration. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed told the stories of his Murshad 'Baba Noor Wale' and his sayings. He also mentions sayings of a saint, Sheikh Akbar and Hazrat Alhaj Imdad Shah Mahajar Makki. There are a lot of essays at the end of the book which covers nearly all aspects of life. These are: God, Religion, Spiritualism, Sufism, Concept of Guide or Murshad or Guru, Human, Human and Development, Human Nature, Formulas of Success, the Real Success, Reality and Truth, Sayings of Sufis and Saints. At the end of the book there is mention of the teaching and way of Sri Lankan Saint Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. Baba Sahiba truly leads humanity from the dark way to the way of light. All in all, I was shocked when I learned that Sir Ashfaq Ahmed can't complete this very book due to his sudden death. He leaves the question behind what else he wants to share with humanity...
Although the book"Baba Sahiba" is incomplete, it still teaches us that the existence of the invisible is more important than the visible. As through observation we can get that in this 'Universe', there is more invisible than the visible, and more nothing than something, although apparently nothing is nothing and something is more. He teaches humanity that life's purpose is death. If people can't control life and death then it's useless to cry over uncontrollable situations rather people should have patience. In this search for 'Truth', he ran behind 'Sufis', 'Mystics', 'Faqirs' and 'Dervashs'. Sometimes he wrote fiction, sometimes he wrote plays, sometimes he took out his head in 'Zaaviya'. Common man does not carry his 'Search for Truth', on his own self. His soul was in pain because of this 'Search'. He desire to know the 'Reality' was burning like fire in him. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed could not give up the search through out his 'Life'....
(Komal Ehsan..)
The book wonderfully broadans the views of readers and urges them to 'Search' the 'Truth of Life'. Sir amazingly starts the book by his journey as a professor to 'Rome' where he learned remarkable things and from where he started his search towards finding the hidden and unknown. He states that he started studying 'Spiritualism' in order to prove the 'Wisdom of the East' and impress his colleague professors in 'Rome'. Eventually in his study of 'Spiritualism', he became fond of this dimension and searched the real search towards the way of 'Truth'. It proves that taking the name of Allah Almighty is beneficial in every way, whether it is a lie or the truth, sometimes even a liar becomes true in this search. Although he was interested in 'Spiritualism' but after reading so many books on it, he was less aware to the spiritualism. He was feeling remarkable change in him. But still there was something missing. One can say that before meeting and afterwareds becoming friend to Sir Q. U. Shahab he was away from 'Spiritualism'. It was Sir Q. U. Shahab who caught his hand and helped him to come out from the way of the ordinary world. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed states that he used to be a 'Muslim' by name only. In Rome, he was away from his family, friends and country, that's why he was easy prey for the culture and beauty of Rome. In Rome, he was very much impressed by the good manners and discipline of Christians and ultimately desired to become Christian but when he seen the hypocrisy of them, he restrained himself from becoming one. Throughout the whole book, Sir Ashfaq has written about his 'Search' that he wanted to know from his failures, what is the real purpose of man, what is the real purpose of his life, why he is here and what he wants to achieve. The enlightenment of the human mind comes from the text and deeper meanings of the Holy Qur'an, and all the understanding of the human soul is connected with the letters with hidden meanings and verses that are not understood. The depth of the Holy Quran has no limit. In Rome, he was inspired by Baba Dharam Daas's teachings but left him when he asked him to bow his head against the picture of his 'Bhagwan'. Through Professor Angareeti, he explained the marvellous resemblance between mice and human beings. The professor also teaches him about the hidden meaning of spiritualism. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed tells about the precise and urgent letter of Manto to him, where Manto was talking to him in a lighter tone by asking him to come back to Pakistan. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed added amazing fragmentary stories and lessons in order to grasp readers attention. He also classically divides the types of 'Faqirs' and describes the difference between Truth and Lies. He somehow criticizes the 'Truth of Research'. Research is such a disgusting thing that if a person continues to persevere, one day or the other, it will be carried out according to his will, the same result will be obtained, which was desired the first day. Sir also tells the incident of going to Shelly's grave where he meets a sixty five year old man, Maryo Qandoti. Through this man, Sir Ashfaq came to know about an interesting story of the friendship of P. B. Shelly and Maryo's grandfather. Later Maryo became friends with him. Maryo has a beautiful granddaughter Aanjla who can't walk because of her inability, and becomes friends with Sir. She was very intelligent and loved to read books. She also told Sir about the interesting formation story of 'Coca-Cola' through medicine of flu and fever. Later she starts walking through a miracle of some Saints. Ashfaq Ahmed states about the modern graveyard of Italy where graveyards are built like buildings and dead are placed in walls in order to consume space. He also meets with a French writer, novelist and playwright Saaratar, comedian Charlie Chaplin and scientist Sir Alaxandar Fleming in Rome. There are a lot of discussions about 'Self' and 'Soul' with professor Ferakuti. There is also mention of Sir Qudratullah Shahab who spent three days with him and while returning gave him the translation of the Holy Qura'n by Molana Ashraf Ali Thanvi and a book named as "Fawaid-ul- Fawaad". Sir Ashfaq mentions a lot of activities for concentration. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed told the stories of his Murshad 'Baba Noor Wale' and his sayings. He also mentions sayings of a saint, Sheikh Akbar and Hazrat Alhaj Imdad Shah Mahajar Makki. There are a lot of essays at the end of the book which covers nearly all aspects of life. These are: God, Religion, Spiritualism, Sufism, Concept of Guide or Murshad or Guru, Human, Human and Development, Human Nature, Formulas of Success, the Real Success, Reality and Truth, Sayings of Sufis and Saints. At the end of the book there is mention of the teaching and way of Sri Lankan Saint Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. Baba Sahiba truly leads humanity from the dark way to the way of light. All in all, I was shocked when I learned that Sir Ashfaq Ahmed can't complete this very book due to his sudden death. He leaves the question behind what else he wants to share with humanity...
Although the book"Baba Sahiba" is incomplete, it still teaches us that the existence of the invisible is more important than the visible. As through observation we can get that in this 'Universe', there is more invisible than the visible, and more nothing than something, although apparently nothing is nothing and something is more. He teaches humanity that life's purpose is death. If people can't control life and death then it's useless to cry over uncontrollable situations rather people should have patience. In this search for 'Truth', he ran behind 'Sufis', 'Mystics', 'Faqirs' and 'Dervashs'. Sometimes he wrote fiction, sometimes he wrote plays, sometimes he took out his head in 'Zaaviya'. Common man does not carry his 'Search for Truth', on his own self. His soul was in pain because of this 'Search'. He desire to know the 'Reality' was burning like fire in him. Sir Ashfaq Ahmed could not give up the search through out his 'Life'....
(Komal Ehsan..)
August 27, 2024
"Baba Sahiba" by Ashfaq Ahmed is not structured like a conventional book with chapters or a linear storyline. Instead, it is a compilation of thoughts, reflections, and spiritual insights that the author gathered over his lifetime. The book is known for its profound philosophical content and is more about conveying deep life lessons and wisdom than telling a specific story.
If someone would ask me about the contents, I'd mark them as such; (from start to end almost)
1. Personal Experiences
2. Spirituality and Sufism
3. Human Nature and Psychology
4. Life and Death
5. Society and Culture
6. Relationships
7. Wisdom and Knowledge
8. Self-Discovery
The book is a rich tapestry of Ashfaq Ahmed's philosophical outlook on life. The conversational tone and reflective nature of the content make it a unique and impactful read.
Personalllllllllllllly , I'd say he meant it as a sequel to his Zaviya volumes.
If someone would ask me about the contents, I'd mark them as such; (from start to end almost)
1. Personal Experiences
2. Spirituality and Sufism
3. Human Nature and Psychology
4. Life and Death
5. Society and Culture
6. Relationships
7. Wisdom and Knowledge
8. Self-Discovery
The book is a rich tapestry of Ashfaq Ahmed's philosophical outlook on life. The conversational tone and reflective nature of the content make it a unique and impactful read.
Personalllllllllllllly , I'd say he meant it as a sequel to his Zaviya volumes.
December 28, 2017
It is a worth reading book....to find some meaning in life and "of life".Mere text cannot give one's life a core and depth of "life's meaning"...but if Allah is willing... this kind of books can enlighten ones mind with a real meaning of life and it's true way of leading, and I pray the same for myself and for everyone around.
June 26, 2019
Difficult book for self actualization. It breaks and remake fabrics into a new one. But if one is not ready to change oneself then it is futile to read and get shattered.
In short its journey from outside to inner depths from where you can lose your fake image and then ultimately left with options to build a new fake or newer original personality.
In short its journey from outside to inner depths from where you can lose your fake image and then ultimately left with options to build a new fake or newer original personality.
Want to read
July 4, 2019I like Ashfaq Ahmed so I want to read his books
Read
October 18, 2019I was read 3years ago soo I want to read it now
Want to read
September 1, 2020How we read this book in this app?
Read
October 23, 2021Amazing
Read
June 21, 2014a very humble way of telling grave truths,this book may seem as a biography at first but it is a journey from outside to inside.it also adds philosophical approach to religion for people who are challenged often by their mind. book absorbs slowly into soul.
December 17, 2012
Great.. thanks sir
November 15, 2013
It's personal journey of Ashfaq Saheb towards discovery of ones own reality. It's not a preaching or traditional religious material but a tale of a journey
December 12, 2013
ITS AWSOME
Read
June 21, 2014wdt4uy
April 2, 2017
One of the Greatest! Ashfaq Ahmed sahib is the premier Pakistani philosopher / dramatist and it is a letdown that his books are not available in English translations on Amazon and elsewhere. He needs to be read atleast once in a lifetime. His 'Zaawia' collection (Vol.1, 2 and 3) are pure goldmine.
Want to read
October 11, 2017well i am about to start it
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews