Syed Sabih Rehmani
Founder NRC
About the Founder
The founder of NRC Syed Sabih Rehmani, a well-known Naat reciter, has earned national and international recognition for his beautiful voice and valuable contributions to Naat literature. His efforts helped build a large collection of research on this subject. He was only 17 years when he joined Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation 1983. Working full-time, he pursued higher education, graduated from the University of Karachi in 1987, and earned a Master's degree in Urdu in 1998. He became Research Director at ARY the same year. His passion for Naat ignited early—Mah-e-Taybah, his first book, appeared in 1989, followed by Jada-i-Rehmat in 1993. He was just 22, when he earned fame for his heartfelt poetry inspired by deep love for the Prophet ﷺ. Hafeez Taib once expressed wonder at his mature grasp of Prophetic devotion at such a young age.
Sabih Rehmani would bring unmatched spiritual energy to Naat gatherings, becoming a regular and much-loved figure on TV programs. His debut on PTV, alongside legends like Jamil-ud-Din Aali and Tabish Dehlvi, earned him instant acclaim for his poetic skill and melodious recitation of Naat. Trained by Muhammad Qamar Khan Rehmani and supported by notable figures like Iqbal Qadri and Sharif Amrohwi, Sabih's talent flourished. In 1987, he was invited to patronize the Gul Bahar Naat Council Trust's journal Lailat-un-Naat, alongside key members like Syed Nisar Ali Qadri and Shabnam Aqeel Abbasi.
Sabih Rehmani, a globally acclaimed Naat melodizer and poet, deeply moves audiences with his soulful, melodious praise of the Prophet ﷺ. His voice creates a spiritual connection, evoking powerful emotions and unity between him and listeners. His recitation style mirrors the divine rhythm and beauty found in the Qur'an and the Prophet's life. As both a poet and reciter, Rehmani's delivery enriches his poetic expression, blending simplicity with deep devotion.
At just 22, while juggling evening work and morning studies, Sabih Rehmani launched Lailat-un-Naat, a literary journal dedicated to Naat poetry. His efforts in managing writers, promotion, and circulation gave the journal nationwide and international recognition. Publishing only three issues (1987, 1988, 1994), the journal stood out for its scholarly focus on Naat criticism, history, and aesthetics—unlike traditional Naat magazines. It became a platform for intellectual discourse, earning praise from top poets and scholars in Pakistan and India. Rehmani's initiative helped elevate Naat as a serious literary genre, marking Lailat-un-Naat a milestone in modern Naat literature.
By now, Sabih Rehmani had gained some experience despite his limited resources, juggling a job, college, and journal editing. He worked tirelessly to build literary connections, gather content, and establish Naat as a serious genre in Urdu literature. Facing financial and educational challenges, he embodied the Qur'anic model of learning through perseverance and action. In 1995, he founded Aqleem-e-Naat to promote critical and academic discourse on Naat poetry. Leading a committee with Aziz Ahsan, Anwar Hussain Siddiqui, and Rashid Siddiqui, he launched the journal Naat Rang, the cornerstone of his literary movement.
Literary Journey & Achievements
From his early days as a young telecommunications worker with a passion for Naat poetry, Sabih Rehmani's journey has been one of dedication, scholarly pursuit, and literary excellence. His transformation from a 17-year-old enthusiast to a globally recognized authority on Naat literature represents decades of unwavering commitment to preserving and promoting this sacred art form.
Through the establishment of the Naat Research Center and his numerous publications, he has created a lasting legacy that continues to inspire new generations of poets, scholars, and lovers of Prophetic poetry. His work bridges the gap between traditional devotional expression and modern literary scholarship, ensuring that Naat poetry receives the academic recognition it deserves.
Dr Abu al-Khair Kashfi, Sabih's Mentor
Here he came across his great mentor, and this angelic support was no one other than Dr Abu al-Khair Kashfi. He was just 24 years when he met this saintly figure who would foster him into a predominantly revolutionary force to re-array the aesthetics and creative values of Naat poetry, upheaval the sluggish mind creating Naat, and jolt him with a force and technique to architect modern literary Naat from behind the curtain and make the giants of Urdu literature believe that Naat is a great literary genre of Urdu poetry which is unparalleled universally and is superior to lyrical Urdu poetry (Ghazal) in many ways. He enlightened Sabih Rehmani with the clarity about what to do and how to go about the task.
And Sabih Rehmani became a hard-task master to develop a net-work of prolific writers who would join him in the revolutionary venture and introduce and promote modern thought on aesthetics, literary evaluation and research into the tradition of Naat as a genre of Urdu poetic art.
Sabih Rehmani's Works and Achievements
Sabih Rehmani's creative works
- Mah-e-Taybah, (Naat Poetry) 1989, Nizami Academy, Karachi
- Jada-i-Rehmat (Naat Poetry) 1993, Mumtaz Publishers, Karachi
- Urdu ka Hamdiya Adab—Ajmali Mutali'a (Brief Study of Urdu Hamd Literature), 2020, Naat Research Center, Karachi
Anthologies of Sabih Rehmani's Naat poetry
Several collations of his Naat poetry were compiled by different scholars and produced by different publishers with different names:
- Khabon main Sunehri jali hey—The blessed golden grille in dreams compiled by Aziz Ahsan
- First edition: 1997, Mumtaz Publishers Karachi
- Second edition: 1997, Fazli Sons Karachi
- Third edition: 1998, Taj Company, New Delhi
- Salam ke liay hazir Ghulam ho jai (The slave seeks reaching your Doorsteps for Salam) compiled by Muhammad Maqsood Hussain Qadri, 2000, Faiz Raza Publications Karachi
- Sarkar a ke Qadmon main, (Reverence unto his a feet) by Mudassar Sarwar Chand, 2006, Dua Publications Lahore
- Ye Ruh medinay wali hey (This spirit is from Medina)
- Kuliyat Sabih Rehmani, (Poetic works of Sabih) by Dr Shehzad Ahmed, 2019
English translation of Sabih Rehmani's works
- Jada-i-Rehmat (Path of Mercy) Justice Dr Munir Ahmed Mughal, 2009
- Reverence unto his a feet, Sarah Kazmi, 2012, Naat Research Center Karachi
Collection of letters to Sabih Rehmani
- Naat awr Adab-e-Naat (Naat and its Proprieties), Allama Kaukab Nurani, Aukarwi
- First edition, 2003, Zia-ul-Qur'an Publications, Lahore
- Second Edition, 2004, Mehr Munir Academy, Karachi
- Naat Namey (Letters to the editor) 2014, Dr Muhammad Suhail Shafiq
- Naatiya Adab, Masail-o-Mubahis, (Naat Literature, Issues and Premises, a topical and analytical study of letters to Sabih Rehmani), 2019 by Dr Abrar Abdul Salam, Naat Research Center Karachi
Compilations by Sabih Rehmani
- Ewan-e-Naat (The Naat palace; collection of Naat poetry), 1993, Aqleem-e-Naat Karachi
- Jamal-e-Mustafa, (The Beauty of the Prophet; collection of Naat poetry), 1993, Farid Publishers
- Naat Nagar ka Basi, (The Resident of Naat Abode) 2008, Aqleem-e-Naat Karachi
- Ghalib awr Sanai Khawja, (Ghalib and Hymnology of the Prophet) 2009, Naat Research Center, Karachi
- Urdu Naat me Tajalliyat-e-Seerat, (Seerat beams in Urdu Naat) 2015, Naat Research Center, Karachi
- Ghalib awr Sanai Khawja, (Ghalib and Hymnology of the Prophet) 2016, Second edition, Adara Yadgar-e-Ghalib, Karachi
- Dr Aziz Ahsan and Mutalia-e-Hamd-o-Naat, 2015, Naat Research Center, Karachi
- Urdu Naat ki She'ari Riwayat, (Poetic Tradition of Naat Poetry) 2016, Academy Bazyaft, Karachi
- Midhat Nama, (Naat poetry) 2016, Naat Research Center, Karachi
- Kuliyat-e-Aziz Ahsan, (Poetic works of Aziz Ahsan) 2017, Naat Research Center, Karachi
- Pakistani Zabanon me Naat: Riwayat awr Irtiqa, 2017, Naat Research Center, Karachi
- Kalam-e- Raza: Fikri wo Fanni Zawiay, 2017, Naat Research Center, Karachi
- Iqbal ki Naat: Fikri wa Usloobiyati Mutalia, 2018, Academy Bazyaft, Karachi
- Kalam-e-Mohsin Kakorvi, Adabi wa Fikri Jihat, 2018, Academy Bazyaft, Karachi
- Urdu Hamd ki Sh'eri Riwayat, 2019, Academy Bazyaft, Karachi
- Ameer Minai ki Naat, aik Mutaliyati Tanazur, 2021, Academy Bazyaft, Karachi
Establishment of Aqleem-e-Naat, Naat Research Center and Global Naat Foundation
- In 1995, Sabih Rehmani established Aqleem-e-Naat to bring out Naat Rang book serial.
- Aqleem-e-Naat also published books on Naat Research and Criticism.
- In December 1995, Sabih Rehmani declared Naat Rang, a movement.
- In 2002, Aqleem-e-Naat was named as Naat Research Center...
- In 2005, Sabih Rehmani floated his new objective to establish a Global Naat Foundation...
The Magazines and Journals patronized/edited/published by Sabih Rehmani
- Lailat-un-Naat, Karachi, 1987-94
- Iqan International Center, 1992
- Naat Rang, Karachi, (30 issues), 1995 to date