A noha (Persian: نوحه‎, Urdu: نوحہ‎; translit. nūḥa/nawḥa; Azerbaijani: Növhə/Нөвһә/نؤوهه[1]), when interpreted in light of Shia views, is an elegy about the tragedy of Husayn ibn Ali in the Battle of Karbala.[2]

Marsiya and Noha has the historical and social milieu of pre-Islamic Arabic and Persian culture.[3] The sub-parts of Marsiya are called Noha and Soaz which means lamentation. It is usually a poem of mourning.[4] Lamentation has a central part in the literature of the followers and devotees of the Shia sect and its offshoots. The tradition of elegizing Hussain and the Karbala tragedy is not limited to Arabic speaking poets. Poets from different languages have also contributed significant poetic literature in their language.

In Urdu language, a number of poets like, Mir Anis and Mirza Dabeer have contributed a treasure in Marsiya and its sub-branch Noha. In like manner, English-speaking poets, whether Muslim, Christian, have also made significant contributions to produce elegies for Imam Hussain and the Karbala tragic incidents.[5]

See alsoEdit

Notes and referencesEdit

  1. ^ "Нөвһә." Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia: Volume VII: Egypt - Prado. Baku: General Editorship of the Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia. Editor: J. V. Guliyev. 1983. p. 300.
  2. ^ "Punjab". The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Routledge. 2013. p. 1053. ISBN 978-1-136-09594-8.
  3. ^ "Urdu Marsiay and Nohay". ABNA. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Terminology of Urdu Poetry". Intekhab-o-Lughat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ^ Mammad Reza Fakhr Rohani, PhD (18 May 2010). Ashura Poems in English Explained and Annotated (Volume 1) (2006 ed.). Al-Hassanain(p) Network Imam Hussain(p) Foundation. pp. 1–2(Forewords).