Tariq Rahman

The Handbook of Mirza Ghalib's Poetry and Poetics: Commentaries and Contemporary Concerns is a seminal contribution to Ghalib studies. It provides a detailed commentary in English on the poetry of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, known as Ghalib (1797-1869), arguably the greatest poet of Urdu not only of the 19th century, when he lived, but of all time. Each couplet is explained in English and is underpinned by historical references. Each chapter is rigorous, thorough, and jargon-free, making it accessible to all readers. The commentary relates to the historical reality of Ghalib's time as well as the contemporary period. It quotes several couplets from Urdu, Punjabi and English literature as well as other significant texts that have influenced civilisations, such as the Bible, the Quran, Dhammapada, Bhagwat Gita, Plato, and so on. It touches upon cultural history, too. Ghalib's commentaries - rich in cultural, historical, and literary references - make his work relevant to a wide range of contemporary concerns. The book is a social and literary guide to Indo-Islamicate culture, Iranian pre-Islamic cultural influences and local folk Indian Islam. The Urdu text of Ghalib and poetry in the literary languages of South Asia -- Persian, Urdu and Punjabi -- are transliterated according to a list of symbols that maintain accuracy and accessibility. The book introduces the reader not only to Ghalib's couplets but also to the most famous form of Islamicate poetry, the ghazal, found in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu literary traditions. In turn, it provides an alternative lens to understanding Islam and its interdisciplinary connections within the fields of international relations, politics, and sociology.

This book studies the wars Pakistan has fought over the years with India as well as other non-state actors. Focusing on the first Kashmir war (1947–48), the wars of 1965 and 1971, and the 1999 Kargil war, it analyses the elite decision-making, which leads to these conflicts and tries to understand how Pakistan got involved in the first place. The author applies the ‘gambling model’ to provide insights into the dysfunctional world view, risk-taking behaviour, and other behavioural patterns of the decision makers, which precipitate these wars and highlight their effects on India–Pakistan relations for the future. The book also brings to the fore the experience of widows, children, common soldiers, displaced civilians, and villagers living near borders, in the form of interviews, to understand the subaltern perspective.A nuanced and accessible military history of Pakistan, this book will be indispensable to scholars and researchers of military history, defence and strategic studies, international relations, political studies, war and conflict studies, and South Asian studies.

This book studies the wars Pakistan has fought over the years with India as well as other non-state actors. Focusing on the first Kashmir war (1947–48), the wars of 1965 and 1971, and the 1999 Kargil war, it analyses the elite decision-making, which leads to these conflicts and tries to understand how Pakistan got involved in the first place. The author applies the ‘gambling model’ to provide insights into the dysfunctional world view, risk-taking behaviour, and other behavioural patterns of the decision makers, which precipitate these wars and highlight their effects on India–Pakistan relations for the future. The book also brings to the fore the experience of widows, children, common soldiers, displaced civilians, and villagers living near borders, in the form of interviews, to understand the subaltern perspective.A nuanced and accessible military history of Pakistan, this book will be indispensable to scholars and researchers of military history, defence and strategic studies, international relations, political studies, war and conflict studies, and South Asian studies.

In the wake of radical Islamist terrorist attacks described as jihad worldwide and in South Asia, it is imperative that there should be a book-length study of this idea in this part of the world. The focus of the study is the idea of jihad with its changing interpretations mostly those available in exegetical literature of key figures in South Asia. The hermeneutic devices used to understand the meaning of the Quranic verses and the Prophetic traditions relating to jihad will be the focus of this study. The main thrust of the study is to understand how interpretations of jihad vary. It is seen as being both defensive and aggressive by traditionalists; only defensive and mainly about moral improvement by progressive Muslims; and being insurrectionist, aggressive, eternal and justifying violence against civilians by radical Islamists. One purpose of the book is to understand how the radical interpretation came to South Asia. The book also explains how theories about jihad are influenced by the political and social circumstances of the period and how these insights feed into practice legitimizing militant movements called jihad for that period.

In the wake of radical Islamist terrorist attacks described as jihad worldwide and in South Asia, it is imperative that there should be a book-length study of this idea in this part of the world. The focus of the study is the idea of jihad with its changing interpretations mostly those available in exegetical literature of key figures in South Asia. The hermeneutic devices used to understand the meaning of the Quranic verses and the Prophetic traditions relating to jihad will be the focus of this study. The main thrust of the study is to understand how interpretations of jihad vary. It is seen as being both defensive and aggressive by traditionalists; only defensive and mainly about moral improvement by progressive Muslims; and being insurrectionist, aggressive, eternal and justifying violence against civilians by radical Islamists. One purpose of the book is to understand how the radical interpretation came to South Asia. The book also explains how theories about jihad are influenced by the political and social circumstances of the period and how these insights feed into practice legitimizing militant movements called jihad for that period.