Abstract
Yousuf Sadiq’s book examines the cultural, sociohistorical, missiological, and sociolinguistic aspects of the Punjabi Psalms (viii–ix). It is a well-researched work that uncovers the history and heritage of the 1908 Punjabi Psalter/Psalm and the Psalms committee’s methodology of more than a century ago (xv). The author attempts to open multi-dimensional windows into the sociocultural and missional history of the Punjabi context. The first three chapters focus on the “social, historical, and missional context” and the legacy of the Imam-ud-Din Shahbaz (a Shia Muslim convert and lyricist of the Punjab Zabur). Chapter 4 focuses on the present-day use of the Punjabi Psalms. The author observes the devotional, liturgical, and ecumenicity of the Punjabi Zabor beyond denominational barriers (64–75). Nevertheless, Sadiq confesses that “the particular aspect of Punjabi Psalms has never been explored” (77).
In chapter 6, Sadiq addresses the sociolinguistic crisis of the Punjabi language in the Pakistani context by exploring the risks of continuing its use due to the precarious cultural challenges facing Punjabi Christians. Additionally, linguistic hierarchy and negative attitudes towards the mother tongue (Punjabi) are highlighted through a sociolinguistic lens. Like a tour guide, Sadiq takes the reader on a historical survey to acknowledge the Punjabi Psalms (1908) committee members’ sacrificial service and reach toward Pakistan’s sociolinguistic issues.
From a missiological perspective, Sadiq addresses the Qur’an’s metrical dimensions by introducing “Muslim friendly terms” and the “Intertextuality” in the Psalms in the Qur’an and Hadith (81–84, 133). Moreover, Sadiq’s reference to Hadith literature resonates with peacemaking processes between Muslims and Christians in Pakistan. Additionally, Sadiq’s “cultural bridge-building” through Mystical-Sufi engagement in folk and Sufi Punjabi poetry (88–91) discusses shared Punjabi and Sindhi poetic confluence along with the music, dance, and universality of friendship.
Punjabi Zabors are lyrically composed within the lived traditions and culture of religious music in Pakistan. Sadiq’s observation concerning these “unexplored aspects” (77) can direct further exploration toward contextual musical expressions and related poetic content of the Punjabi Zabor. Pakistan’s musical genres, embedded within the Psalms’ text, can promote public witness in Pakistan.
In sum, this book plays a critical role in understanding the impact of the Punjabi Psalter in the social, historical, linguistic, missional, and cultural context of Pakistan. The Punjabi Zabur is a great gift of the Presbyterian Church in the Indo-Pak context, known as the “Bible of oral-literate,” and the Punjabi worship community’s heritage. The author invites readers to the pas de deux—a dance for dialogue and participation in the missio Dei.