The Mind of Ibne Safi

Perks of being a genius in the subcontinent

Ibne Safi (1928-1980)

In the '50s, an Indian Muslim columnist was discussing the overwhelmingly influential sexual stories in Urdu language and their negative impact on the readers (they were Manto's afsanas). The friend of that columnist argued that it was utterly impossible for some other genre of fiction to replace the deluge of sensual literature. The columnist vowed to write something far more informative and entertaining than a bunch of gross orgasmic tales. He plagiarized the theme of an English spy novel and published it by the name Dilayr Mujrim [Brave Criminal]. It was the beginning of the three-decade long career of Israr Ahmad Narvi, the author went by his pseudonym Ibne Safi.

Ibne Safi's first fictional detective characters were Captain Ahmad Khan Faridi and Sergeant Sajid Hameed which were later promoted to the ranks of Colonel and Captain respectively. Faridi was portrayed as a man in whose personality both grace and beauty were combined. He had dedicated his life to fight crime and abstain from sexual and other immoral vices. His protegee Hameed was not so lenient in these matters but his immorality never exceeded a few shots in the bar and brief incidents of flirting with pretty girls. Ibne Safi relied upon Western detective stories for his first six works and then began to produce his own ideas. Faridi and Hameed kept appearing in Jasoosi Duniya (Spy World), a series of Ibne Safi's novels.

Ibne Safi on the set of Dhamakah not laughing at his friend's joke

After he'd moved to Pakistan, Ibne Safi created another character that was destined to take over the next generation of Pakistani readers. It was Ali Imran MSc PhD (Oxen), a seemingly-stupid but handsome and intelligent detective who used his goofy appearance to solve difficult cases. He, just like Faridi, too seems asexual and sometimes kind of homosexual. In fact, nothing's decided regarding Imran's sexuality because he is known to make people believe something about him he was opposite of. But, unlike Faridi, he is never known to have fallen in love with someone or have felt sexual attraction towards a man/woman. Imran is a combination of Faridi and Hameed. He possesses the wisdom and bravery of Faridi and, like Hameed, he provides entertainment with his humorous comments and lunatic behavior. He had his own series, the Imran Series, and he only appeared with Faridi and Hameed in one part of Jasoosi Duniya. It was its 75th issue, named Zameen kay Badal [Clouds of the Land].

In the beginning of the '60s, Ibne Safi suffered from schizophrenia and found himself unable to lift the pen for nearly three years, a sabbatical that was broken with the much-celebrated publication of Dayrh Mutwalay [One and a Half Inebriated]. He kept writing until the day he passed away in 1980 (on his birthday) while the manuscript of his last novel Akhri Admi [The Last Man] laid over his desk reportedly finished. The last sentence Ibne Safi wrote was articulated by Imran: "I am feeling sleepy." Ibne Safi had died before bringing the stories of Faridi and Imran to a final conclusion. His characters were never dramatized. Only two subordinates of Imran, Zafar ul Mulk and Jameson, have been played by two actors in a flop movie called Dhamakah [Blast].

The English translation of an issue of Jasoosi Duniya

Spin-offs of Imran Series were attempted during Ibne Safi's own lifetime. He threatened to sue some of them and even mentioned this lame imitation practice in one of his novels. His most famous rival was Mazhar Kaleem who wrote less than a thousand books in which Ali Imran resumes his role but now in a less philosophical and more childh-like manner. If one compares Kaleem's works with those of Ibne Safi, it feels as if a man desired to find another one of Shakespeare's works but stumbled upon some local romantic stories written by a teenage girl who's decided to lift her humble pen after watching too much Indian soap-operas to produce a Twilight-based, Nagan-inspired novella. It is unfortunate that none of Ibne Safi's true fans ever tried to revive his characters (not even in a live action). It seems this is another perk of being born in Pakistan with a philosophical mind. During his lifetime, Ibne Safe was mocked for not being a real author and his books were not considered to be genuine part of the Urdu literature. But even then his readers ranged from a common street vendor to the likes of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He used to say: "People mock me in the morning and then they go to their homes, take out my books from under their pillows and start reading them with guilty pleasure."

Ibne Safi's books are filled with philosophical remarks. His works even mention some possible scientific inventions. One fictional invention Foladmi [Steel Man], as he mentions in the preface of one issue, was actually created in USSR. But Ibne Safi explains that the Russians had their own idea independent of the Urdu literature. Faridi and Hameed's adventures are more diverse in the matter of situations and incidents. Imran Series is noted for being focused on the character of the main protagonist and his love-and-hate relationship with the most wanted criminal masterminds Sung-Hee and T3B; the latter seems to be in love with the goofy detective. One of Imran's most favorite subordinates is Captain Safdar who remembers how Imran made him stop drinking by placing a piece of pork on the table and asking him to eat. When Safdar showed discomfort, Imran asked if he was okay with alcohol, why not eat pork? "Aren't both forbidden in our religion?", He asked. Imran's secret identity was X2 using which he commanded the Foreign Ministry's Secret Service and acted as a hardhearted, bad-tempered genius who even laughed with contempt and sarcasm. Imran's team had no idea that he was X2 himself. Imran knew that, as Ali Imran, he couldn't even "scare an ant". But, when he talked to his team members on radio or via transmitter or in person (seldom and always clad in black) as X2, even the most courageous of them felt like fainting.

The great author's resting place in Paposhnagar Graveyard, Karachi (Pakistan)

Ibne Safi wasn't just an author. Like Arthur Conan Doyle, he was a phenomenon. He gave Urdu literature something people won't forget for the next thousand years. But we can't compare him to Holmes as Ibne Safi has erred calling Sherlock a guy who sits on a comfortable chair and makes deductions. Ibne Safi's work constitutes of adventures rather than logical solution procedures of Dupin and Holmes. Even after forty years, Ibne Safi is still popular thanks to internet. You can read his entire detective literature in Urdu on this website. This article has been updated on July 26, 2020 CE, for the occasion of this marvelous guy's birthday. I have made a documentary (researched, written and narrated by me) on Ibn Safi that's available to watch on DoDear