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Of Smokeless Fire
Djinns—the invisible beings made of smokeless fire are Allah’s creations. Human beings cannot create or beget them, but whether it was a djinn or not, a rumour took birth that day that a djinn was born at the residence of Noor ul Haq, bar-at-law.
So begins the story of a lifelong friendship between three unlikely children. Mansoor, the rumoured djinn, who balances his love and loyalty between his devoutly religious mother and his erudite, alcoholic father. Mehrun, the churail—a Medusa-like creature-who struggles to get an English-medium education, the elusive ticket out of poverty. And Joseph, the bhangi, a derisive name for a sweeper, who dreams of becoming a movie star as he cleans the toilets of the rich and powerful. Wearing their insults like a garland, they transgress society’s norm and follow their dreams. Their lives intimately tied to the vagaries of Pakistan’s politics, alternating between tragedies and triumphs.
Of Smokeless Fire is a story about belonging and displacement. It is a reminder that belonging is not just about allegiance, and exile is not just physical. The novel asks the questions: Once you are ripped from your homeland, do you become homeless forever? What does it mean to live in a land that has forsaken you? Whether rooted or uprooted, is your relationship with your country conditioned by its politics?
So begins the story of a lifelong friendship between three unlikely children. Mansoor, the rumoured djinn, who balances his love and loyalty between his devoutly religious mother and his erudite, alcoholic father. Mehrun, the churail—a Medusa-like creature-who struggles to get an English-medium education, the elusive ticket out of poverty. And Joseph, the bhangi, a derisive name for a sweeper, who dreams of becoming a movie star as he cleans the toilets of the rich and powerful. Wearing their insults like a garland, they transgress society’s norm and follow their dreams. Their lives intimately tied to the vagaries of Pakistan’s politics, alternating between tragedies and triumphs.
Of Smokeless Fire is a story about belonging and displacement. It is a reminder that belonging is not just about allegiance, and exile is not just physical. The novel asks the questions: Once you are ripped from your homeland, do you become homeless forever? What does it mean to live in a land that has forsaken you? Whether rooted or uprooted, is your relationship with your country conditioned by its politics?
376 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 26, 2021
Nothing new that has not been written before about culture, the stifling struggle between new and old, poor and riches, and how religion plays a part in this journey to find one's true self. But it is told in such a captivating way that it made itself distinct from other similar stories that I have read.
The story starts with the birth of one and only child of Noor ul Haq, a prominent Lawyer in Pakistan in 1951. As the story progresses we see how the political landscape effect Haq and his family. While he finds himself drowning in liquor with ongoing changes in his country, his wife turns to Islam for solace, and their child Mansoor, find himself at the midst of tense environment of home which was getting dense with each passing year. To free his son from the explosive circumstances of the country Noor sends Mansoor to US to study, experience life and freedom. Mansoor learns a new way living, taste the freedom that he can never have in Pakistan but fate brought him back to face the idealism that he strictly abhors but his fellow countrymen are only too eager to accept.
So through Mansoor we go on a journey to search for sense of belonging, acceptance, treachery, innocence, religion, and loss. And it was a journey worth reading.
Highly recommended.
The story starts with the birth of one and only child of Noor ul Haq, a prominent Lawyer in Pakistan in 1951. As the story progresses we see how the political landscape effect Haq and his family. While he finds himself drowning in liquor with ongoing changes in his country, his wife turns to Islam for solace, and their child Mansoor, find himself at the midst of tense environment of home which was getting dense with each passing year. To free his son from the explosive circumstances of the country Noor sends Mansoor to US to study, experience life and freedom. Mansoor learns a new way living, taste the freedom that he can never have in Pakistan but fate brought him back to face the idealism that he strictly abhors but his fellow countrymen are only too eager to accept.
So through Mansoor we go on a journey to search for sense of belonging, acceptance, treachery, innocence, religion, and loss. And it was a journey worth reading.
Highly recommended.
August 27, 2021
Was a good read. My first book which actually tried to depict the history, politics and religious strife in Pakistan. The story unfolds through the eyes of a progressive family , especially the lawyer father and his close friends who try to stay ahead of religious strictures, the son who is as progressive as the father, if not more and the mother who falls easy prey to religious zealots. The son was supposedly born in an inauspicious manner and this stigma is there with him throughout life. He is even tought of to be a djinn who's made up of Smokeless fire. ( therein the title is derived). The son's friends are children of lower class workers , who are ostracized by the affluent educated section . The children grow up and try to carve their niche outside Pakistan, but face inherent difficulties. The lawyer father slowly disintegrates into an alcoholic , especially after complete estrangement from his now ultra religious wife of 50 years.
August 29, 2021
Gem of a book!
Its books like these which encourages me to experiment more with lesser known authors.
Thank you Mohi for this wonderful reco.
With the backdrop of political turmoil in the newly born Pakistan, the story of this family touches upon multiple aspects of humanity - expectations, friendship, atheism and religious philosophy, caste and class system, love and hatred, envy, revenge...
Overall a beautiful tale served nicely.
Its books like these which encourages me to experiment more with lesser known authors.
Thank you Mohi for this wonderful reco.
With the backdrop of political turmoil in the newly born Pakistan, the story of this family touches upon multiple aspects of humanity - expectations, friendship, atheism and religious philosophy, caste and class system, love and hatred, envy, revenge...
Overall a beautiful tale served nicely.
August 23, 2021
A very smart book that had the shades of Midnight's children. A A Jafri's Pakistan is one that belongs to 2 generations - the partition generations who are still adjusting to a nation that is still getting defined and the breakout generation that finds it easier to question and break shackles.
Mansoor, the Djinn was born to Noor and Farhat on the day the founder of the nation was killed. Noor and his friends are intellectuals who form the unholy quartet - critical of a Government based on religion. Farhat is pious and the two parents are polar opposites for the young Mansoor.
Mansoor grows up with his forbidden friends - the Churail (witch) Mehrun and the Bhangi Joseph. Along with them, the nation grows up - one regime after another growing more and more into an Islamic state. As the breakout generation finds means to realise their dreams, the older generation gets consumed in the conflict of the state.
I found the writing really engorssing. The only thing I didn't understand was the need for masking the names of leaders given the years and historical backgrounds are maintained. The rise of the villian in Atthani is also a nice touch.
This is a book that should be a lot more popular than it is today.
Mansoor, the Djinn was born to Noor and Farhat on the day the founder of the nation was killed. Noor and his friends are intellectuals who form the unholy quartet - critical of a Government based on religion. Farhat is pious and the two parents are polar opposites for the young Mansoor.
Mansoor grows up with his forbidden friends - the Churail (witch) Mehrun and the Bhangi Joseph. Along with them, the nation grows up - one regime after another growing more and more into an Islamic state. As the breakout generation finds means to realise their dreams, the older generation gets consumed in the conflict of the state.
I found the writing really engorssing. The only thing I didn't understand was the need for masking the names of leaders given the years and historical backgrounds are maintained. The rise of the villian in Atthani is also a nice touch.
This is a book that should be a lot more popular than it is today.
August 6, 2021
Of Smokeless Fire by A A Jafri, is one of those rare pieces of literary fiction that you cannot deny lending your heart to.
The narrative of 'Of Smokeless Fire' set in the nascent nation Pakistan, brings to life the anecdotes of three young curious minds and unlikely friends : Mansoor, the empathetic rumored 'djinn' ; Mehrun, the ambitious 'chudail' and Joseph, the 'bhangi' dreamer.
Their three lives collide Kashana-e-Haq, the sprawling residence of Noor-ul-Haq, a prominent lawyer and a self-ostrasized human, who is unable to lay hold of the idea of a nation, that is defined by religion.
As all the friendships with children begin, we encounter how the three musketeers, that they proudly claim themselves to be hold on to the reins of their bond even after all the transgressed norms imposed upon them ny their families.
Chequered by the events of Pakistan's history aftermath of the partition, Of Smokeless Fire also renders the reader with a glimpse of the state of affairs that made the country what it is today.
What sustains is the friendship of the three, although cleft by the reality of their lives and impinged by the classes they were born into yet the belonging they feel with each subdues everything.
'Of Smokeless Fire' keeps you amused with a story that is parts thrilling and equal parts emotional, and stays with you long after you have put the book down!
The narrative of 'Of Smokeless Fire' set in the nascent nation Pakistan, brings to life the anecdotes of three young curious minds and unlikely friends : Mansoor, the empathetic rumored 'djinn' ; Mehrun, the ambitious 'chudail' and Joseph, the 'bhangi' dreamer.
Their three lives collide Kashana-e-Haq, the sprawling residence of Noor-ul-Haq, a prominent lawyer and a self-ostrasized human, who is unable to lay hold of the idea of a nation, that is defined by religion.
As all the friendships with children begin, we encounter how the three musketeers, that they proudly claim themselves to be hold on to the reins of their bond even after all the transgressed norms imposed upon them ny their families.
Chequered by the events of Pakistan's history aftermath of the partition, Of Smokeless Fire also renders the reader with a glimpse of the state of affairs that made the country what it is today.
What sustains is the friendship of the three, although cleft by the reality of their lives and impinged by the classes they were born into yet the belonging they feel with each subdues everything.
'Of Smokeless Fire' keeps you amused with a story that is parts thrilling and equal parts emotional, and stays with you long after you have put the book down!
March 13, 2022
A magnificent novel, by A. A Jafri, revolving around Mansoor; son of a well-known barrister Noor-ul-Haq, Mehrun; an ambitious girl employed as a house help at Mansoor's household and Joseph; a bhangi, the untouchable whose life is destined to clean shit-holes of the affluent.
The friendship between Mansoor, Mehrun, and Joseph will touch your heart. The social and political setup of Pakistan, the unhappiness of Noor; Mansoor's father-who had migrated from India post-partition, the religious fanaticism, the persecution of Ahmadis, and the way Noor raises his son will strike a chord or two with your own conscience.
The novel encompasses so many issues. The political unrest of Pakistan, the social and economic gap between the wealthy and the poor, and the unsettling difference between the extremely religious and rationalist thinkers, to name a few.
Laced with the folklores of djinns and churails, Jafri weaves a beautiful story of belongingness, separation, and rearing fractured relationships. Everything has been said about the rich and the poor, patriotism and questioning your country and religion and its role in shaping our personalities. But the story is said in such a captivating way that the pain of the characters lives with you forever.
The friendship between Mansoor, Mehrun, and Joseph will touch your heart. The social and political setup of Pakistan, the unhappiness of Noor; Mansoor's father-who had migrated from India post-partition, the religious fanaticism, the persecution of Ahmadis, and the way Noor raises his son will strike a chord or two with your own conscience.
The novel encompasses so many issues. The political unrest of Pakistan, the social and economic gap between the wealthy and the poor, and the unsettling difference between the extremely religious and rationalist thinkers, to name a few.
Laced with the folklores of djinns and churails, Jafri weaves a beautiful story of belongingness, separation, and rearing fractured relationships. Everything has been said about the rich and the poor, patriotism and questioning your country and religion and its role in shaping our personalities. But the story is said in such a captivating way that the pain of the characters lives with you forever.
Read
November 20, 2021More than four years ago, Donald Trump became the president of the United States. His election heralded yet another end of history: the end of toleration, the revival of bigotry, the energizing of racial animosity, the ugly head of misogyny, and the possible death rattle of whatever remained of liberalism and its erstwhile cosmopolitanism. What remained, and is likely to endure into the future, is the privileged life of those who ran on a platform of mock populism. While still in office, Trump and his Republican Party did everything they could to abolish the Affordable Care Act, which would have left millions without health care. Trump did manage to lower taxes on the rich, including himself, based on the failed argument that the super-wealthy would invest in the US and create jobs: unsurprisingly, the rich simply got richer and the minimum wage was not raised at all, not at the federal level. What did workers get from Trump? No union protection, less health insurance in the workplace, the rescinding of overtime rules put in place by President Obama that help workers stay out of the breadline. Defeated for reelection, Trump did everything he could to overturn the results; including his support for the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol Building.
All of this will sound familiar. We live in a world in which walls are being built everywhere to keep out those who don’t look the same. Or who have different values, or religions, or are different colors. We are becoming isolationist, fearful, suspicious of each other. And we are not alone. The UK has Brexit. Denmark has drawn the line against Muslims coming into the country, and Marine Le Pen, the head of France’s far-right Front National, a party that is xenophobic, that was once tagged as anti-Semitic, still polls well as it campaigns against the EU and “foreigners.” Nationalism is back with a vengeance, history has returned, and the future is more menacing than it has been for many decades, fueled by a version of globalization that is making us less equal and less tolerant as more and more of us find ourselves displaced and increasingly ‘homeless’.
In is into this fray, this unraveling of history, that A A Jafri has introduced his debut novel, Of Smokeless Fire. Ostensibly about his native Pakistan, which has suffered from extreme sectarianism, and the imposition of radical Islam into a once culturally and politically vibrant and cosmopolitan culture, Of Smokeless Fire warns us about what can happen when we are not vigilant enough, or when we are not willing to cherish or fight for the kind of humane values that do not tolerate walls, or hatred, or sectarian exclusivism. Jafri makes his point with indelible wit, but with knifelike precision throughout the novel: what happened in Pakistan, the overthrow of democracy, the imposition of an alien religious ideology, the outright suppression of human and civil rights, the willingness to use violence and to make a parody of decency, can happen anywhere. And it is already happening everywhere.
Which is why this novel is so poignant. The West has long condescended toward cultures outside its own traditions and values. But Liberal values, constitutionally mandated freedoms, the absence of sectarianism, democratic inclusiveness, acceptance of diversity, the rejection of intolerance, as of the election of Donald Trump in 2016, can no longer be taken for granted. It is this election, along with the UK’s Brexit vote, the growing divide between East and West, and between Christian and Muslim, that makes it more urgent than ever for readers to read Mr. Jafri’s novel.
Of Smokeless Fire is more than a novel, it is a labor of love, as the author says, a rallying cry at a moment in history when the sound of freedom has become more inaudible, when solidarity has become more elusive, when human decency and opposition to despotism has become more invisible and more restrained. Jafri’s story confronts us with our own failures, especially the inability to oppose tyranny, to defend inclusion, and to reject intolerance. In the author’s native Pakistan, Mansoor ul Haq is born into the world as a djinn — a creation of Allah crafted of smokeless fire — who sees firsthand state tyranny and the intolerant form of Islam that it imposes. Mansoor’s own family parallels the rifts in Pakistan caused by political Islam. He suffers from the split between his Western educated and rationalist barrister-father and his religious mother, as both try to claim Mansoor for their view of the world. Even in his youth, Mansoor is drawn to the cosmopolitan values of his father, Noor al Haq, including a love of literature and philosophy, and a love of books and Western culture. There is a price to pay, however, and that is the growing estrangement from his mother, Farhat Haq, who becomes a kind of proxy for the dictatorship and radical Islam embodied in Pakistan, although she believes her son will be damned if he is drawn away from true religion. Ultimately, he rejects radical political Islam, saving himself but losing his family.
The reader stands warned. Cosmopolitan solidarity can be easily lost. In the US perhaps it never quite existed. The direction of Pakistan, however, can be repeated. What about Jafri’s experience and his advice? Be more diligent, less assured that the ugly past can’t return and that a sociopath cannot come to power in the twenty-first century. Jafri’s proxy in Of Smokeless Fire, as Mr. Jafri himself tells us (on the bookjacket), has seen what a radical form of religion can do, especially in the hands of an ideologue, when defending privilege and power. Pakistan at one time was a dynamic open country, culturally diverse and tolerant. But as Mansoor found out, the dictatorship reversed what had been a promising future. Still there is a hopeful message: we don’t have to turn into another Pakistan in the West. History is open-ended, until it isn’t.
All of this will sound familiar. We live in a world in which walls are being built everywhere to keep out those who don’t look the same. Or who have different values, or religions, or are different colors. We are becoming isolationist, fearful, suspicious of each other. And we are not alone. The UK has Brexit. Denmark has drawn the line against Muslims coming into the country, and Marine Le Pen, the head of France’s far-right Front National, a party that is xenophobic, that was once tagged as anti-Semitic, still polls well as it campaigns against the EU and “foreigners.” Nationalism is back with a vengeance, history has returned, and the future is more menacing than it has been for many decades, fueled by a version of globalization that is making us less equal and less tolerant as more and more of us find ourselves displaced and increasingly ‘homeless’.
In is into this fray, this unraveling of history, that A A Jafri has introduced his debut novel, Of Smokeless Fire. Ostensibly about his native Pakistan, which has suffered from extreme sectarianism, and the imposition of radical Islam into a once culturally and politically vibrant and cosmopolitan culture, Of Smokeless Fire warns us about what can happen when we are not vigilant enough, or when we are not willing to cherish or fight for the kind of humane values that do not tolerate walls, or hatred, or sectarian exclusivism. Jafri makes his point with indelible wit, but with knifelike precision throughout the novel: what happened in Pakistan, the overthrow of democracy, the imposition of an alien religious ideology, the outright suppression of human and civil rights, the willingness to use violence and to make a parody of decency, can happen anywhere. And it is already happening everywhere.
Which is why this novel is so poignant. The West has long condescended toward cultures outside its own traditions and values. But Liberal values, constitutionally mandated freedoms, the absence of sectarianism, democratic inclusiveness, acceptance of diversity, the rejection of intolerance, as of the election of Donald Trump in 2016, can no longer be taken for granted. It is this election, along with the UK’s Brexit vote, the growing divide between East and West, and between Christian and Muslim, that makes it more urgent than ever for readers to read Mr. Jafri’s novel.
Of Smokeless Fire is more than a novel, it is a labor of love, as the author says, a rallying cry at a moment in history when the sound of freedom has become more inaudible, when solidarity has become more elusive, when human decency and opposition to despotism has become more invisible and more restrained. Jafri’s story confronts us with our own failures, especially the inability to oppose tyranny, to defend inclusion, and to reject intolerance. In the author’s native Pakistan, Mansoor ul Haq is born into the world as a djinn — a creation of Allah crafted of smokeless fire — who sees firsthand state tyranny and the intolerant form of Islam that it imposes. Mansoor’s own family parallels the rifts in Pakistan caused by political Islam. He suffers from the split between his Western educated and rationalist barrister-father and his religious mother, as both try to claim Mansoor for their view of the world. Even in his youth, Mansoor is drawn to the cosmopolitan values of his father, Noor al Haq, including a love of literature and philosophy, and a love of books and Western culture. There is a price to pay, however, and that is the growing estrangement from his mother, Farhat Haq, who becomes a kind of proxy for the dictatorship and radical Islam embodied in Pakistan, although she believes her son will be damned if he is drawn away from true religion. Ultimately, he rejects radical political Islam, saving himself but losing his family.
The reader stands warned. Cosmopolitan solidarity can be easily lost. In the US perhaps it never quite existed. The direction of Pakistan, however, can be repeated. What about Jafri’s experience and his advice? Be more diligent, less assured that the ugly past can’t return and that a sociopath cannot come to power in the twenty-first century. Jafri’s proxy in Of Smokeless Fire, as Mr. Jafri himself tells us (on the bookjacket), has seen what a radical form of religion can do, especially in the hands of an ideologue, when defending privilege and power. Pakistan at one time was a dynamic open country, culturally diverse and tolerant. But as Mansoor found out, the dictatorship reversed what had been a promising future. Still there is a hopeful message: we don’t have to turn into another Pakistan in the West. History is open-ended, until it isn’t.
December 24, 2021
This book by @aajafriauthor is a journey in Pakistan after the partition, amidst the political chaos, atrocities of religious leaders, military unstability and much more. A 'djinn', a 'churail' and a 'bhangi' all try to find place for themselves in the new budding country. Dealing with two generations at a time this book is soo religiously gets into the sensitive topics of caste discrimination, stereotyping physical appearance, celebrating riches and demeaning poverty.
I have a few books which travel across these themes and no doubt they are all eye opener. Of Smokeless Fire is also one of them. The pain of displacement is quite prevalent in Noor's character, and the couple together trying to settle in the new country is what makes me realize how painful is it all. 💔
A book which I feel will be immensely appreciated for its story and writing style, has won over my mind and heart ❤. I enjoy such reads which make me feel sad and gloomy.
Also, this is a debut book by the author, so yes I must say it's a wonderful shot.
I have a few books which travel across these themes and no doubt they are all eye opener. Of Smokeless Fire is also one of them. The pain of displacement is quite prevalent in Noor's character, and the couple together trying to settle in the new country is what makes me realize how painful is it all. 💔
A book which I feel will be immensely appreciated for its story and writing style, has won over my mind and heart ❤. I enjoy such reads which make me feel sad and gloomy.
Also, this is a debut book by the author, so yes I must say it's a wonderful shot.
September 27, 2024
Starts promisingly. Can be read for exposing oneself to the modern political identity of Pakistan as a country understood through the lives of one household. The ending is rushed and misses to generate the gut wrenching feeling it had potential to do.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews