Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali
(1837-1914) was an Urdu poet, and Writer. Hali occupies a special position in
the history of Urdu literature. Though he may not be as great a poet as Ghalib,
Momin or Mir Taqi Mir, he was more versatile than all of them. He was a poet, a
critic, a teacher, a reformer and an impressive prose-writer. He was a close
friend of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Born in Panipat in 1837, circumstances did not permit him to attain formal
education in a school or college, yet he had acquired, through sustained
self-effort, a perfect command of Urdu, Persian and Arabic, and a good working
knowledge of English. Later went away to Delhi where he wished to gain further
education in the Islamic theology and poetic tradition. As a poet he did not
confine himself within the narrow bounds of the ghazal, but successfully
exploited the other poetic forms such as the nazm, the rubai, and the elegy.
More particularly, he harnessed his poetic abilities to the higher aims of
social and moral edification. Art for him was a handmaid to life. His famous
long poem, Musaddas-e-Hali, examines the state of social and moral degradation
prevalent in the contemporary Muslim society. His prose treatise,
Muqaddama-e-Shair-o-Shairi, is a pioneering work of literary criticism. It
dwells on the limitations of the traditional ghazal, and points to the
hollowness of its hackneyed themes and imagery, especially when the form is
handled by inferior poets and versifiers.
After this turning point in his life, he drifted from job to job for several
years, arriving eventually in Lahore in the mid 1870s, where he began to compose
his epic poem at the request of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the Musaddas e-Madd o-Jazr
e-Islam ("An elegiac poem on the Ebb and Tide of Islam") under the new poetic
pseudonym of Hali ("The Contemporary"). The Musaddas, or Musaddas-e-Hali, as it
is often known, was published in 1879 to critical acclaim, and considered to
herald the modern age of Urdu poetry. Hali also wrote one of the earliest works
of literary criticism in Urdu, Muqaddamah-i Shay'r-o-Sha'iri.
Musaddas e mado jazr islam, one of Hali's most famous works describes the rise
and fall of the Islamic empire in the sub-continent. It speaks about the Islamic
empire and its best and worst. The aim of this writing was to forewarn the
Muslims of the sub-continent and make them more aware of their past and help
them learn from their forefathers' mistakes.
He has also written memorable biographies of Ghalib, Saadi Shirazi, and Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan, entitled respectively, Yaadgar-e-Ghalib, Hayat-e-Saadi, and
Hayat-e-Javad. His poem "Barkha Rut," describes the beauties of nature in the
rainy season; "Hub-e-Watan," underscores the virtues of patriotism; while "Bewa
ki Manajaat" focuses on the plight of widows in Indian society. Hali's interests
were wide-ranging, and his literary abilities were commensurate with his
humanitarian aims.