Style and themes
Raz is basically a ghazal writer, but he has also experimented - though not extensively - with other forms of poetry, such as free verse or rhyming couplets.
Raz's poetry can be seen as an extension of his personality, as it majorly deals with his experiences and surroundings, and the lessons he has learned from life. Raz claims this in a couplet, saying:
"Not for a friend, nor for advising the enemy,I speak of the mirror for my own needs."
Adhering to ghazal tradition, Raz's work often contains an abundance of metaphors and similes. Common among them are the words
pathar and
sang, [stone] for difficulties, ego or hardheartedness,
pair or
darakht [tree] for prosperity or shade,
dasht or
sehra [desert] for emptiness and terror, and
dhoop [heat] for hardwork, labour and adversity. His most-used metaphor is clearly the word
aa'ina, the Urdu substitute for "mirror."
Although Raz may philosophize about the dilemmas of the world, ego and tragedy in his work, his poetry is, for the most part, highly optimistic, and focuses on the importance of love, good character ["The light of high things, enter the bossom of character/ For beauty - 'tis in snake, and flame, too!], patience, labour and hard work, to live and polish life.
Repeated usage of Aa'ina
Raz is noted for repeatedly playing with the Urdu word
aa'ina [mirror in English] in his poetry, and integrating it into his work in different ways. Noted poet and reviewer, Afsar Mahpuri notes this in his article, "Rafiuddin Raaz - A dreaming poet," in which he mentions the "focal position and importance" the mirror has been awarded over time, and presents the following partial list of couplets, containing the word
aa'ina, by Raz.
"Protect thy mirror-like eye,Faces can leave mirrors sans reflection."
"That one dream, which makes eyes, a mirror,That one thought, which makes loyalty, civilized."
"Behind the mirror - I; in front of it - I,My face - present at both."
"What incident would be greater,A mirror - and its breakage soundless!"
"The mirror, on seeing a mirror,Itself, donned facelessness!"
"Is battle 'tween mind and heart, or within feeling's vein?In front of the mirror, is placed a mirror."
"Saved in each stone, the reflection of days' direction,The stone of my age is like the mirror!"
Noted poet Dr. Jameel Azeem Abadi makes a similar observation in his article "What for, this Blazing Heat? - An Overview," saying that, by using one word in so many ways, Raz ties "the subject of one hue, to a hundred hues" which is "a proof of his artistic abilities." Like Mahpuri, he too presents a compilation of some
aa'ina-focused couplets, by Raz:
"Raz, there is no scene, no background,One wonders what he said to the mirror!"
"Look at the faces of mirror-like people,- Ask now how much the impurity beneath this layer of water!"
"Today, too, play with broken mirrors,Wither, often, in the longing to touch fire."
"Neither dust of path on face, nor defeated the mirror,Why, head-to-toe, are thee an unknown reflection of me?"
"The face cannot escape, even its shattered pieces,Even after defeat - the mirror is a mirror."
"Why should joyful he not be, when he sees my face,A complete mirror stands in front of the mirror-maker!"
"Even now, my eyes respect the mirror,Mistakes cause my head to hang in shame."
"This mirror's height - astounding,I had thought the sea of glass had shattered!"
Critical Reception
Raz's poetry has been highly well-received by both contemporary poets and critics. Reviews have been almost unanimously positive, with Dr. Professor Shafeeq Ali Khan calling him "a modern poet in every respect," and stating that "his feelings, emotions, observations and experiences are not traditional - they are, rather, a reflection of his own self and personality." Mehshar Badaiwani has called his work "a living example" of meaningful poetry, showing Raz's "poetical greatness."
Shan ul Haq Haqqi has written that, "Rafiuddin Raz's poetry contains both beauty off thought and beauty of style... [and is] successful throughout the body of Urdu poetry," while Urdu language great and renowned Karachi University professor, Aslam Farrukhi, claims that "Poetry, itself, has picked Raz for its expression." Similarly, Athar Hashmi speaks of finding "the features of life" in Raaz's work, and Shabnam Romani of his "uniqueness", and his "eloquent [use of] language and civilized tones," saying that, "the
raz (secret) is that Raz's poetry is new!"
Raz's ghazal has received widespread applause: Professor Najmi Siddiqui calls it "a fragrant puff of air that, having touched the fertile shores of classical tradition, gives life and lesson to the reader" and Mushaffiq Khwaja finds it "a custodian of the highest traditions of Urdu ghazal" which has "not only adhered to tradition, but taken it forward." Similarly, Hafeez Taib has praised him for opening "new horizons" for the ghazal, and saying that "his verses seem to beat with one's own pulse."
Comparison to classical poets
Raz is often compared to different Urdu poetry greats, including Ghalib, Meer and Yagana. In his article,
Afkaar ki Taazgi [The Freshness of Thoughts], modern-day poet Afsar Mahpuri draws a parallel between Raz and classical, ghazal poet, Yagana, saying that "some of Raz's verses are close to Yagana's voice" because he "has not begun his poetry with romantic exaggerations, in which countless poets waste their lives."
Dr. Rasheed Nisaar, on the other hand, compares Raz to Persian-language poet Bedil and one of Urdu poetry's greatest philosophers, Ghalib, saying that Raz "possesses the same style of thought and beauty of narration as Bedil and Ghalib."
