Maulana Altaf Hussain Haali – مولانا الطاف حسین حالی
1837 – 1914 Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali 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 I
slamic 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.
Civil Service
It was here he chose the cognomen of Khastah (“The Spent One”, or “The Tired One”).
He was forced to return home, and pursued a government job until displaced by the Mutiny
of 1857.
Writing
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.
- Maulana Hali’s ancestral home in Panipat, Haryana India
Farzana Naina 
Salam
trying to get mudasses e hali (complete) but no joy so far, i either ger this type of info on maulana hali or junaid jamshed’s naat, which is not complete. i will appreciate if i can get hold of the complete musaddes e hali.
Can I get Maulana Hali’s “Hube’-Watan” ? There are many of my friends who want to read it.
Thanks.
Thanks for stoping by Mr Kumar,
I will add your requested book as soon as I get hold of it.
Farishte se behter hai insaan ban’na,
Magar is mein lagti hai mehnat zeyada..
can i get banjara nama, the famous poetry written by Hali. can u pls send me the link of it. would be obliged. thanks 🙂
can i get mualana hali’s “hub-e-watan” many of my friends wants to read it
can i get an essay on talib e ilm k faraiz plzzz i shall be very thank ful
can i get mualana hali’s poem hamd to write a tashreeh
can i please get tashreeh of musaddase hali full poem