Little research has been done on
his life and works — perhaps because mystery literature is not
considered at par with other genres. Indeed, literary stalwarts often
frown upon his name. Such biases notwithstanding, the pure merits ably
displayed by Ibne Safi need to be recounted.
The novels of Ibne Safi have
been structured on sound plots with the key mystery evolving at the
onset. The context is set with every minute detail and the whole idea
was to enable readers to stretch their imagination to include the same
mountains and rainbows that the author had introduced in his works.
The movements of the
characters, their intensities and directions were crafted with pithy
wordings and skilful depictions. Readers found themselves in a situation
where the drama unfolded in front of their nascent vision. The degree of
his audience’s involvement was so profound that they were able to
appreciate the weaving of the story as well as the texture of every
thread that went into its creation.
Ibne Safi believed in high morals. His characters do not mutilate the
pristine status of virtues as the norms of his society suggested. Thus
his lead characters such as Colonel Faridi or Ali Imran appear to be
thorough professionals, though with different approaches to their work.
Steering clear of societal ills
and worldly temptations, they reach their destinations with courage,
imaginative conduct and precision in application. Another common feature
in Ibne Safi’s writings is the references to future technology. Some
critics argue that many of these were borrowed from western science
fiction. A closer look proves that this is not so.
Many technological innovations
referred to by Ibne Safi were contextually embedded. The resulting
picture gives interesting dimensions to his storyline. ‘Zameen Kay Badal’
(Clouds of Earth) and ‘Bhayanak Jazeera’ (Dreadful Island) are only two
titles from the long list of his works.
It is important to note that
many technological gadgets which are common place today did not exist in
his day, but the author has made references to similar objects in his
novels.
Ibne Safi’s position among the
writers of his time does not compare to his acumen. It will be only
appropriate for concerned researchers of fiction to revisit his legacy
and keep his name alive.
For this reason it is
heartening to find that one of his fans, Mohammad Hanif, has developed a
website (www.ibnesafi.info) which contains invaluable information about
the writer.
