The Persian language must be given proper status keeping in view its literary, cultural, historical and religious importance. Most of the speakers stated this at a seminar-cum-certificate awarding ceremony held at the Cultural CentrE of Islamic Republic of Iran here on Wednesday.
Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Peshawar, Professor Dr Ghulam Taqi Bangash was the chief guest on the occasion while Chairman, Department for Persian Studies, University of Peshawar, Professor Dr Ghulam Nasir Marwat, presided over the ceremony held at the Imam Khomeini Hall of the centre.
Director-General of Cultural Centre of Islami Jamhoori Iran, Aqai Masood Islami, said the Persian language had enjoyed a rich past and had a bright future. "It is an important literary and cultural language of the Muslim world with a history that spans over 1,000 years. Tafseer, Fiqah, mysticism and several social sciences reached the subcontinent through this language," said the Iranian cultural diplomat, adding the first translation of the Holy Quran was carried out in this part of the world in Persian by Hazrat Shah Wali Ullah.
Islami termed the Persian language as an asset to the Muslims, saying it had played a pivotal role in spreading the message of Islam in the subcontinent. "The NWFP has collections of the Persian language which can hardly be found in any other part of Pakistan," he pointed out while saying Persian was not a foreign language, but indigenous to this land.
Describing Persian as a bond of friendship between Pakistan and Iran, the Khana-e-Farhang chief said the people of the two brotherly countries were bound with one another by history, religion, culture and language.
"The Persian language is the medium that can provide you with access to ancient literary heritage which binds the peoples of Iran and Pakistan in brotherly ties," he concluded.
Professor Dr Ghulam Nasir Marwat said the development of a nation was linked to the development of its language. Culture and civilisation are the identity of the people, he said, adding civilisation and culture were identified with the language. He called for due attention to this language at all levels.
Spotlighting the religious importance of Persian, Marwat said after the Holy Quran, sayings of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) were the second main source of Islamic jurisprudence. "Five out of six authentic books of such sayings were compiled by the people of Persia (Faris) which alone is a sufficient proof to establish the importance of Persian from religious point of view," he argued.
Of the importance of Persian from the historical angle, the head of the Persian Department of the Peshawar University said the language was equally popular with the masses and the elite. "Our true history is present in the Persian language. If we want to study the real history, we will have to learn Persian for that," he went on to say.
Syed Ghayyur Hussain, an academician who teaches Persian at the Department for Persian Studies, Peshawar University, said Persian had close links with the languages spoken in Pakistan. "A better understanding of Persian means more comprehension of our languages. The research shows that Pashto and Persian have almost 50 percent common words. How can you understand great Pashto poets such as Rehman Baba, Khushal Khan Khattak and Ameer Hamza Khan Shinwari if you are not conversant with Persian?" he posed a question.
The literati from Astar Zai Payan (Kohat) tried to make his case for Persian by referring to the national poet Allama Iqbal. "Iqbal was a great poet, philosopher and thinker whose poetry stressed Pan-Islamism.
Two-thirds of his work is in Persian. Out of his 10 poetic collections, six are in Persian, three in Urdu and one in Urdu-Persian combine. Thus, Persian learning will enable you to understand the message of Iqbal in better manners," he pleaded.
The chief guest, Professor Dr Ghulam Taqi Bangash, speaking extempore, said language was a mean of communication and communication meant a better understanding. "Persian is a vast language that is spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and several Central Asian States. It is the language that is in our neighbourhood. Please learn this language to better understand your neighbours," he implored the audience, adding it would help strengthen our ties with our neighbouring states. Later, certificates were awarded to the students who had successfully completed the six month Persian language course at the Iranian Cultural Centre.
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