Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali was a
renowned Urdu writer and poet. He was born in Panipat in 1837. He received his
early education in Panipat. He learned Persian and Arabic there. He got married
in 1854. In the same year, he reached Delhi and studied at the renowned Madrasa
Hussain Bakhsh, a renowned school of Oriental studies. During his stay in
Delhi, he became a student of the renowned poet Mirza Ghalib. Then he was
appointed tutor to the children of the famous poet Nawab Mustafa Khan Shifta.
Hali benefited greatly from the company of the late Nawab. After Shifta's
death, Hali moved to Lahore. His arrival in Lahore and his four-year stay there
represent a major revolution in his life. It was here that he became well
acquainted with English literature and criticism through translations. Together
with the renowned writer Muhammad Hussain Azad, he laid the foundation of
modern poetry in Lahore in 1874 and wrote Masnavis in the new style. Hali
returned to Delhi in 1888. During this time, he kept meeting Sir Syed Ahmed
Khan, a renowned leader of the continent, an unparalleled writer and a great
benefactor of Muslims who founded Aligarh College, which resulted in a great
intellectual revolution within him. It was here that, on the advice and request
of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, he wrote the unparalleled Urdu Masad, which is known in
Urdu literature as Maduzzar Islam or Masad Hali. This poem is still very popular
among the Muslims of the continent. This long poem presents an exemplary
picture of the great past and present decline of the Muslims and creates a
desire for a fresh life among the Muslims. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had said a very
beautiful thing about this poem. His It was said that if I were asked on the
Day of Judgment what was the most righteous deed I did in my life, I would say
that I had Hali write a Masad. In 1904, Maulana Hali was given the title of
Shams al-Ulama in recognition of his scholarly and literary services.
Maulana Hali wrote many
high-quality books in poetry and prose. In addition to the Masdas Hali in
poetry, his Diwan, consisting of ghazals and poems, has been published under
the name Kaliyat, Kaliyat Nazm Hali. In 1893, he wrote his controversial
critical book "Mu'aye Shar-e-Shaari" which was later published
separately several times. Based on this book, Hali is considered the first
prominent critic of Urdu. Among his other scholarly works are Hayat Javed (Sir
Syed Ahmed Khan's Hayat and Kaname), Yadgar Ghalib, Hayat Saadi and Maqalikat
Hali.
The fact is that Maulana Hali is
the architect of modern Urdu literature. He not only laid the foundation of
higher criticism in Urdu but also accomplished unparalleled feats in the field
of biography. His services for the renaissance of the Muslims of the continent
are very valuable. He is counted among the benefactors of the Islamic nation.
Our national poet Allama Iqbal was a great admirer and devotee of Hali. Hali's
academic services have been written in a comprehensive book and many excellent
PhD level papers have been written on him. Hali died on December 31, 1914. He
was buried in Panipat. On December 31, 2014, it will be a full hundred years
since Hali's death. It is hoped that his centenary will be celebrated with
great enthusiasm.
The Postal Department is issuing a commemorative stamp of Rs 8 on December 31, 2014, to mark the centenary of Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali.
No comments:
Post a Comment