Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami | |
---|---|
Born | 29 June 1704 Mughal India now Uttar Pradesh, India |
Died | 15 September 1786[2] (aged 82) |
Other names | Ghulam 'Ali Azad Bilgrami |
Academic background | |
Influences | Mir Abdul Jalil of Selsibil, Mir Saiad Muhammad, Muhammad Hayat |
Academic work | |
Main interests | Arabic, Persian and Urdu |
Notable works | Yad-i-Baiza, Ma asir ul-Kiram Tarikh-i-Bilgram, Sarw-i-Azad |
Influenced | Nasir Jang |
Azad Bilgrami (29 June 1704 – 15 September 1786) was a scholar of Arabic, Persian , and Urdu languages in 18th-century India. The King of Yemen Husayin II had acknowledged his poetic qualities and accorded him the title of Hassan Al-Hind.[3][4][5]
Early life
His original name was Mir Ghulam Ali Husaini Wasiti, although he is best known as Ghulam 'Ali Azad Bilgrami. He was born in Bilgram, India, a small town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He gained a reputation for possessing command over all topics of literature and learning. He was instructed in language by Mir Abdul Jalil of Selsibil; in prosody and literature by Mir Saiad Muhammad; in the Koran by Muhammad Hayat; and in all excellences[vague] by 'Abdul Wabhat Tantawi.[citation needed] According to Masalati Shuara, he studied eloquence with Muhammad Aslam Salim and Shaikh Saad Ullah Gulshan of Ahmedabad.[6] As a youth he left Bilgram and stayed for two years in
Life in Aurangabad
He returned from
Azad compiled his two diwans of poetry in Arabic and Persian. Among the works of lasting value were the dictionaries of poets.[7]
Works
- Yad-i-Baiza – Biographies of 532 poets.
- Ma asir ul-Kiram Tarikh-i-Bilgram, which dealt with 80 sufis and 70 learned men of the author's hometown.
- Sarw-i-Azad – sketches of 143 poets born in India.
- Khizanah-i-Amirah – notices of 135 poets famous for obtaining rich rewards from patrons. It also contained details of events to which Azad was eye witnesses.
- Rauzat ul Auliya – on lives of saints buried in Khuldabad.
- Ghizlan ul Hind – a book on Indian womanhood as reflected in Persian literature.
- Anis ul Muhaqqiqin – on Indian saints.
Azad's skill as a poet, especially as a panegyrist of Muhammad, has long been recognized. His one critically edited Arabic work, the Subhat al-marjan (The Coral Rosary), is approvingly cited for its praise of India, which describes India as the first domicile of Adam and for Azad's knowledge of Indian languages and culture, and his literary-critical and poetic sensibilities.[8][9]
The Miratu-l Khayal ("Mirror of fancy") by Shir Khan Lodi states that "the author of the Khazanahi A'amirah ... composed the Tazkirah at the request of his relation Muhammad Auladi Muhammad. Ibrahim Khalil gives the life of ' Azad in his Suhuf, and states that " up to the present time, which is the 7th year of Shah 'Alam, he is still occupied in the composition of Persian and Arabic poetry. His works are numerous, and among others, he has arranged three Tazkirahs of poets,-the first called Yadi Bayza; the; second Servi Azad; and the third Khazanahi Aamirah."[citation needed]
In the Khulasat ul 'Afkar, it is mentioned that "Azad was a distinguished poet settled at Aurangabad, where he was much honoured, and associated on friendly terms with the sons of 'Asaf Jah. He wrote a Persian diwan, and a book of Arabic elegies and mesnawis. His Tazkirahs are considered noble proofs of his proficiency in everything connected with prosody, versification, and composition, both in Persian and Arabic."[6]
Recognition
His works in Persian and Arabic have been cited by scholars and historians since they appeared, although Azad's Persian works have received more scholarly attention than his Arabic ones.[citation needed] He was celebrated in India, Arabia, and Egypt for his learning and literature.[6]
He is buried near the
See also
References
- ^ Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol I. p. 104, Printed in Lahore, 1964
- ^ Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol I. p. 106, Printed in Lahore, 1964
- ^ Seminar on Maulana Azad Bilgrami
- ^ Biographical Data
- ^ Urdu Authors Archived 1 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Gazetter of Aurangabad – H. H. The Nizam's Government 1884 pg 415–427
- ^ a b Dictionary of Indo-Persian literature – pg 101
- ^ India is a land of prophets
- ^ India: The Land and its Excellence Archived 4 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine