About The Book
An excellent practical and helpful guide book explaining the rites of Hajj and Umrah in a straightforward, concise and comprehensive manner. Contains helpful charts, maps and diagrams in full colour.
This book is a practical and helpful guide that covers a complex subject in a straightforward, concise, and comprehensive manner. The author's insights and observations, coupled with selected charts, maps, and diagrams, help to prepare you for both your stay in Saudi Arabia and the sacred Pilgrimage itself.
The rites of Hajj and Umrah are clearly explained, and relevant prayers and supplications are provided in both Arabic and English. A final chapter is provided on a visit to Madinah, describing the Prophet's mosque and other sites of religious and historical significance.
About The Author
Sarwar Alam Raz was born on March 16, 1935 in the central Indian city of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (then Central Provinces in British India) in a reputable Muslim family with a long history of active interest in Urdu literature and poetry. His grand-father the late Hafiz Mohammad Jafar "Hafiz" was deeply intersted in Urdu poetry and occasionally wrote some himself. He kept a journal which contains, among other things, some of his Ghazals which attest to his considerably acumen in the field of Ghazal writing. His father, the late Abul Fazil Mohammad Sadiq "Raz" Chandpuri was a disciple of Maulana Seemaab Akbarabadi of the Dagh school and was a renowned poet and writer of his time.
In 1964 he proceeded to the U.S.A. to pursue higher studies in Civil Structural Engineering at Louisiana State University and North Carolina State University. He later resigned from AMU and emigrated to the USA in 1971.After working as a Senior Civil Structural Engineer for various international consulting engineering firms over many years, he took early retirement in 1995 in order to pursue his first love- Urdu literature. He currently resides in Carrollton (a small town next to Dallas), Texas, USA where he devotes his time and energies to furthering the cause of Urdu language and literature.
Sarwar received his training in Urdu poetry and literature from his illustrious father, the late Abul Fazil "Raz" Chandpuri. In poetry Sarwar is primarily interested in Urdu Ghazal wherein his style favors and reflects the styles and ideas of the old masters like Ghalib and Meer. His interests, however, also include Urdu short stories (afsaane) as well as literary criticism. He is widely published in Urdu magazines in India as well as Pakistan.
