Reflection on "Being Muslim: Ghalib’s Poetic Illuminations in Post-1857 Delhi"

By Mejgan Massoumi

2020 Annual Lecture, presented by Professor Ayesha Jalal, Department of History at Tufts University

Opening her talk with the perennial question, “who is a Muslim?”, Professor Jalal shed light on the ways in which being Muslim was defined by the religious categories of the modern bureaucratic state. To unpack this discussion and explore the implications of the 1857 rebellion against British rule in India, Professor Jalal presented some of the writings of the preeminent Urdu and Persian poet, Mirza Muhammad Asadullah Khan Ghalib (1797-1869).

A leading figure in the Muslim intelligentsia of the period, Ghalib was known for his enlightened and unconventional thinking that gripped the popular imagination of diverse communities throughout South Asia. Ghalib wrote not only about the pleasure and pain of love but also about life and its vicissitudes. Professor Jalal critically explored how he negotiated the new political landscape in Delhi in which his co-religionists were stigmatized as disloyal and rebellious on account of their religious beliefs.

Emphasizing the significance of literature for history, her presentation highlighted some of the ways in which his writings reflected the social and political happenings of his milieu. For instance, Ghalib wrote in Persian about the accounts that took place in Delhi from 1857 to 1858, including his critique of British martial law that discriminated against Muslims. Ghalib also pushed the boundaries of Islam by writing about the seduction of wine and pleasures of intoxication. Indeed, his non-conformity in religious matters is evident in his writings.

During the Q&A, Professor Jalal highlighted how Ghalib’s prose is an indispensable source for the historian, particularly because his writing is open to multiple possibilities. Just one interpretation of Ghalib is not fair, contended Professor Jalal. He is, indeed, far too big.

Original Article URL: https://southasia.stanford.edu/news/reflection-being-muslim-ghalibs-poetic-illuminations-post-1857-delhi