KARACHI: This Ashura, as the main Muharram procession is offered water and other cool beverages from sabeels set up along its route for quenching thirst, there will be one very special sabeel among the others which will quench the thirst for knowledge of people.

‘Sabeel Imam Husain’ is a sabeel that offers free books to devotees.

The idea for this kind of sabeel came to veteran journalist Wajid Raza Isfahani some six years ago when on October 30, 2018, he distributed hundreds of books as blessings among people during the main procession on Arbaeen of Imam Husain.

“A friend of mine had shared a news item with me about someone looking for religious and devotional books in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he shares with Dawn.

Six times a year, a journalist sets up stall to give away books

“I have grown up with books. I understand the significance of books in our lives. I am the youngest in my family. My older siblings and I are very lucky and blessed to grow up in a home that would be full of books and periodicals. We had fiction and nonfiction books, collections of Ishtiaq Ahmed’s series, children’s magazines and digests. We also had Reader’s Digest and National Geographic. We used to devour all kinds of literature, which was just adding up as we were facing issues finding a place for everything in our rented accommodations,” he said, adding that by now he has given away most of his personal collection, which amounted to over 10,000 books.

‘Sabeel Imam Husain’ has been a regular stall at Guru Mandir every Ashura since 2018 where religious books and devotional material is offered to whoever is interested in it for free. “Earlier, I used to give away one book per person. But now I have so many books that I allow people to select and take as many as they like,” he said.

“Paper and books are very expensive these days but I keep receiving fresh supplies of books in the form of donations from various sources, including friends, libraries, which also include Imambargah libraries. Two Imambargahs in particular, Imambargah Shuhda-i-Karbala in Ancholi and Imambargah Yasrab, keep sending me books,” Isfahani Sahab shared.

Though stall space is free, he spends from his pocket for the tables, chairs and tent for the Sabeel Imam Husain. Not owning a personal means of transportation, he also rents a Suzuki pickup or a couple of rickshaws to transport the books to his stall.

The free book stall is not restricted to Ashura alone. Isfahani Sahab sets up his bookstall six times a year. The first book stall of the year is established during the 21st of Ramazan procession on Youm-i-Ali, followed by the main processions on Ashura (Muharram 10) and Arbaeen, or Chehlum, of Imam Husain. It is also set up on 12 of Rabiul Awwal in Gizri, Clifton, and during major Hindu and Christian festivals such as Diwali and Christmas.

Last year, the bookstall was set up at the Swami Narayan Temple on M.A. Jinnah Road during Diwali and at the St. Patrick’s Cathedral during Christmas. “I have printed a different Panaflex for each occasion. And the books I let people take also carry different stamps for the different occasions they were given away at.”

Apart from religious books, a variety of subjects are covered, including encyclopaedias, chronicles, Guinness World Record books, and special issues of literary magazines. There are also books about Pakistan, history, literature, science and technology, self-help, children’s books and other important topics though he tries to stay away from film and showbiz reading material.

Isfahani Sahab has also inspired others through his noble service. “There are others who have also started setting up free book stalls in other parts of the country after having taken books from my stall. I recently heard of one such book stall in Balochistan,” he said, adding that he is happy to have given others the idea for such a positive endeavour.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2024