Shahab Nama

Urdu autobiography by Qudrat Ullah Shahab

Autobiography
History

Set in20th century British India and PakistanPublisherSang-e-Meel Publications

Publication date

1987Publication placePakistanMedia typePrintPages1248OCLC59070285

Shahab Nama (Urdu: شہاب نامہ, lit. 'Book of Shahab'; pronounced [ʃə'ɦaːb naːma]) is an Urdu autobiography by renowned Pakistani writer and diplomat Qudrat Ullah Shahab. It is an eyewitness account of the background of the subcontinent's Muslims' independence movement and of the demand, establishment and history of Pakistan. The 1248-page long book was published posthumously in 1987, shortly after Shahab's death. It is his most notable publication and a bestselling Urdu autobiography.^[1]^[2]

It covers his childhood, education, work life, admission to Imperial Civil Service, thoughts about Pakistan and his religious and spiritual experiences.^[3] Mushfiq Khwaja, a close friend of Shahab, was one of those who criticised the book for its exaggerations, inaccuracies and stretched truths.^[4] Considering Shahab's reputation as a man of integrity and a Sufi, Dawn wrote that "he mainly told the truth but there were things that he stretched."^[5]

References

^ "Mystic, writer, civil servant: Qudrat Ullah Shahab remembered". The Express Tribune. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
^ "Qudrat Ullah Shahab's death anniversary being observed today". BOL News. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
^ Mujtaba, Fatima (13 June 2013). "The might of the metaphor". Dawn. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
^ Parekh, Rauf (26 March 2014). "The 10 best Urdu autobiographies". The Milli Gazette. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
^ "Shahabnama, its creator and critics". DAWN.COM. 20 July 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2020.