Azad Bilgrami
Azad Bilgrami | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 June 1704[1] |
| 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 ofArabic,Persian,andUrdulanguages in 18th-centuryIndia.The King of YemenHusayin IIhad acknowledged his poetic qualities and accorded him the title of Hassan Al-Hind.[3][4][5]
Early life
[edit]His original name was Mir Ghulam Ali Husaini Wasiti, although he is best known as Ghulam 'Ali Azad Bilgrami. He was born inBilgram,India, a small town in the Indian state ofUttar 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; inprosodyand 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 inDelhi.He visitedLahoreandMultanand made acquaintance with scholars of these cities, and lived for five years in the province ofSind.He then traveled to the cities ofMeccaandMedina,where he devoted himself to religious studies particularly specializing inSihah-i-Sittahi.e. six books of traditions ofMuhammad Ismail Bukhari,Muslim Nishapuri,Ibn Majah,Abu Daud,Abu Isa Tirmiziand Abu Abdul Rehman Nisai.[7]
Life in Aurangabad
[edit]He returned fromHijazto India and lived in the city ofAurangabad,Deccantill his death.Nasir Jangand other nobles of theNizam's state were his devotees but he avoided worldly favours and preferred a life of piety and poverty. Azad was a poet and a biographer of poets. He was the friend ofShah Nawaz Khan,and when the latter was murdered, he collected his friend's manuscripts (Ma'asir al-umara) which were scattered in all directions and published them.[6]
Azad compiled his two diwans of poetry in Arabic and Persian. Among the works of lasting value were the dictionaries of poets.[7]
Works
[edit]- 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 inKhuldabad.
- 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 ofMuhammad,has long been recognized. His one critically edited Arabic work, theSubhat al-marjan(The Coral Rosary), is approvingly cited for its praise of India, which describes India as the first domicile ofAdamand for Azad's knowledge of Indian languages and culture, and his literary-critical and poetic sensibilities.[8][9]
TheMiratu-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
[edit]His works inPersianandArabichave 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 theDargahofSufisaintAmir Hasan Dihlawi Sijzi(d.1336) atKhuldabadnearAurangabadinIndia.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^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 AuthorsArchived1 March 2012 at theWayback Machine
- ^abcdGazetter of Aurangabad – H. H. The Nizam's Government 1884 pg 415–427
- ^abDictionary of Indo-Persian literature – pg 101
- ^India is a land of prophets
- ^India: The Land and its ExcellenceArchived4 March 2009 at theWayback Machine
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