Prem Singh
Tehsil Reporter, Nagarparkar
Daily BBC Pakistan News
He began his early education by learning the Holy Qur’an from the shrine’s attendant and scholar Hafiz Maulana Wali Muhammad. He studied Sindhi under Master Haji Abdul Ghafoor Wakilani and Akhund Abdul Rahman Anjum, and learned Persian from Maulvi Abdul Hay of Thehri and Maulvi Muhammad Alam. After this, he spent two years under the supervision and training of his father. He mastered calligraphy under Maulvi Muhammad Alam and Sindhi Khan ‘Said’. When his father became Sajjada Nashin, Talib-ul-Mola was eighteen years old. At that age, he married the daughter of Pir Muhammad Siddiq Siddiqi Qureshi of Tando Bago near Uch Sharif. This lineage was also connected to the second branch of Makhdoom Noah’s descendants. From this marriage, he had a son, Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
His second marriage took place on 7 December 1942 with the daughter of the renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Fazal Ahmed Ghaznavi of Hyderabad. All his later children were born from his second wife.
His father, Makhdoom Ghulam Muhammad, passed away on 30 Dhul-Hijjah 1363 AH / December 1944. After that, Qibla Saeen Talib-ul-Mola became the Sajjada Nashin at the age of twenty-five. His uncle Maulvi Allama Haider managed the family affairs until his death on 27 Ramadan 1372 AH / June 1953, after which Talib-ul-Mola began managing affairs himself.
From childhood, he was deeply interested in poetry, literature, and music. Around 1930, when he was eleven, during a journey to Nari, he met the renowned saint Mantar Faqir Rajar of Sarwari shrine, who would recite a new dehar (poetic verse) every morning—this ignited his passion for poetry. He first used the pen names Bewas, then Firaqi, Zaman Shah, and later Talib. In 1949, he adopted the name Talib-ul-Mola.
In 1936, he founded the literary society Anjuman-e-Ilm-o-Adab in Hala, under which many literary conferences were organized. In 1937, he gained knowledge of classical music from Ustad Sindhi Khan Gawai. He established the Al-Zaman Press in Hala and published weekly Sindhi newspapers “Pasban” and “Al-Zaman” for many years.
In 1946, he formed the organization “Jamiat-ul-Shuara” (Society of Poets). In the 1950 Hyderabad Conference, this organization awarded him the title “Mahboob-ul-Shuara” (Beloved of Poets), although he never used this title publicly. In the same year, under his patronage, the monthly literary journal “Firdous” was launched from Hala.
In 1952, Master Jummay Khan “Ghareeb” published a monthly Sindhi journal from Sita Road under his patronage. The same year, he was elected the patron of Jamiat-ul-Shuara at the Jacobabad Conference. In 1954, he established Idara-e-Rooh-e-Adab Sindh and organized a major music conference in Hala in February 1955, along with launching the monthly journal “Rooh-e-Adab.”
In November 1955, the foundation of “Bazm-e-Talib-ul-Mola” was laid in Hyderabad, with him serving as its chief patron. The Bazm aimed to preserve and promote Sindhi literature and culture. It later evolved into the All Sindh Movement, and under its platform, the Laar Sindhi Literary Conference was founded by Khwaja Muhammad Isa “Mast” Sarwari of Bhatto, which continues to be held annually.
From 1956, the journal “Shair” was published under his guidance from Hyderabad. In the 1957 Ghotki Conference, he was elected president and patron of Jamiat-ul-Shuara. Before the One Unit system, he also served as a member of the Sindh Assembly.
Makhdoom Talib-ul-Mola was a multi-dimensional personality known for his scholarly, literary, cultural, and political contributions. He was a poet, prose writer, researcher, linguist, music expert, and an exemplary human being.
When the Sindhi Adabi Board was founded in March 1955, he was a member. From November 1955, he served as a member of the Shah Latif Memorial Committee, later becoming the vice president of the reorganized Memorial Council. Between the 1940s and 1960s, he was elected Chairman of the Hala Municipal Committee four times, and in 1960, he became the first chairman of Hala Municipality.
He served twice as a member of the National Assembly—first during General Ayub Khan’s era and again during the government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He became a member of the Sindh Assembly in 1953. In 1969, he joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and was appointed its senior vice chairman for life. The first PPP convention was hosted by him in Hala. He played a pivotal role in the dissolution of One Unit and the 1983 MRD Movement.
In recognition of his services to literature, culture, and politics, the Government of Pakistan awarded him the Tamgha-e-Pakistan and Hilal-e-Imtiaz. He also received the Shah Latif Award in 1961, along with many other honors.
Talib-ul-Mola wrote poetry in ghazal and kafi forms. His works were sung by famous artists across Sindh, Punjab, and India. His major published works include:
1. Bahaar-e-Talib (Poetry, 1946)
2. Rubaiyat-e-Talib (1949)
3. Islami Tasawwuf (Editor, 1951)
4. Shaitaan (1951)
5. Khud Shanasi (Translation, 1952)
6. Imam Ghazali’s Letters (1953)
7. Yad-e-Raftagan (1953; expanded 1994)
8. Masnavi Aql o Ishq (1955, 1983)
9. Kachkol (1955)
10. Kafi (Research, 1962)
11. Shaan-e-Sarwari (1958)
12. Be Peer Akhiyun (1987)
13. Sindh Jo Sanwan (1982)
14. Diwan-e-Talib-ul-Mola (1982)
15. Aaun Kanga Kar Galh (1982)
16. Shaam o Subah (1982)
17. Chhappar Mein Chhariyun (1971)
18. Misri Jo Taroon (1990)
19. Sada Wasin Sindhri (1990)
20. Aab-e-Hayat (1990)
21. Chhandriyun (1992)
22. Muhanjo Nandapan (1993)
23. Mazameen-e-Talib-ul-Mola (1994)
24. Bahaaristan (1994)
25. Lughat Sindhi Mukhafafat (1991)
26. Shaan-e-Hussain (2004)
27. Intikhab Kalam Talib-ul-Mola (1993)
His collection of sayings, Misri Jo Taroon, was translated into English by Dr. Habibullah Siddiqui as Pieces of Sugar Candy in 1997.
In his Diwan, he arranged the letters of the Sindhi alphabet using 58 letters instead of the traditional 52, adding six new characters—Lah, Mah, Tanween, Meem Ghunnah, Noonah, and Nonh—which he justified with detailed reasoning in the preface.
Makhdoom Talib-ul-Mola passed away on 11 January 1993.
Note: This profile is taken from the Sindhiana Encyclopedia website, and the image has been generated using Artificial Intelligence by Jibran Zeb.
