Ashraf Biabani
| Well-known As | Ashraf Biabani |
|---|---|
| Birth | 864/1460 |
| Place of Birth | Faqirabad (Ahmadnagar), India |
| Place of Residence | Faqirabad |
| Known for | One of the first Urdu poets, Composing Nawsarhar |
| Works | Nawsarhār, Wāḥid Bārī, Lāzim al-mubtadī |
Ashraf al-Dīn (Urdu: اشرفالدین) (b. 864/1460 – d. 935/1529), known by his pen name Ashraf and famous as Ashraf Biabani, was one of the first Urdu-language poets in India who composed Mathnawis regarding the Event of Karbala and the Martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a).
Ashraf al-Din was born in Faqirabad (Ahmadnagar) in the state of Maharashtra, India. He received his early education from his father, Diya' al-Din Rifa'i (d. 909/1503-4), and engaged in spiritual wayfaring under his guidance. In 895/1490, he received permission for spiritual guidance (Irshad) from his father. After his father's demise, Ashraf became his successor.[1] He played a role in the promotion of Urdu language and literature, especially Urdu poetry in Deccan, and held a special status in Mysticism ('Irfan). Ashraf Biabani passed away in Faqirabad and was buried there. His burial place is known as a shrine (Ziyara).[2]
Works
His works include:
- Nawsarhar: A poem in 9 chapters, considered the first poem in the Urdu language describing the Event of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a). This work was composed under the influence of the book Rawdat al-shuhada and was recited in mourning gatherings.[3] Its printed version was published in Karachi by Afsar Siddiqi with an introduction in Urdu.
- Wahid Bari: A poetic dictionary in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, following the style of Khaliq Bari by Khusraw Shah, in which terms related to prosody, rhyme, music, and astronomy are also explained.[4] This Mathnawi contains 800 verses, and a manuscript of it, dated 1230/1815, is kept in the Library of Urdu Literature in Hyderabad, India, under number 237.[5]
- Lazim al-mubtadi: A short Mathnawi of 198 verses on the rulings of the religion of Islam. Copies of this work are kept in the Library of the Administration of Urdu Literature in Hyderabad and the Anjuman-i Taraqqi-yi Urdu in Karachi.[6]
- A poem titled Qissa-yi akhir al-zaman has also been attributed to Ashraf Biabani.[7]
Notes
- ↑ Ṣiddīqī Amrūhawī, "Muqaddima bar mathnawī-yi Nawsarhār", pp. 7-8; *Makhṭūṭāt-i Anjuman-i Taraqqī-yi Urdū*, vol. 1, pp. 94-95; Qurayshī, *Tārīkh-i adab-i Urdū*, vol. 1, p. 174; Yūnus Shāh, *Tadhkira-yi naʿt-gūyān-i Urdū*, pp. 167-168.
- ↑ Ṣiddīqī Amrūhawī, "Muqaddima bar mathnawī-yi Nawsarhār", p. 3; *Makhṭūṭāt-i Anjuman-i Taraqqī-yi Urdū*, vol. 1, p. 95.
- ↑ Jālibī, *Tārīkh-i adab-i Urdū*, vol. 1, p. 177; *Tārīkh-i adabīyāt-i musalmānān-i Pākistān wa Hind*, vol. 6, pp. 383-384.
- ↑ Zūr, *Tadhkira-yi Urdū makhṭūṭāt*, vol. 1, p. 285.
- ↑ Zūr, *Tadhkira-yi Urdū makhṭūṭāt*, vol. 1, pp. 284-285.
- ↑ Zūr, *Tadhkira-yi Urdū makhṭūṭāt*, vol. 5, pp. 224-225; Ṣiddīqī Amrūhawī, *Makhṭūṭāt-i Anjuman-i Taraqqī-yi Urdū*, vol. 2, pp. 131-132.
- ↑ See: Jālibī, *Tārīkh-i adab-i Urdū*, vol. 1, p. 174.
References
- Jālibī, Jamīl. *Tārīkh-i adab-i Urdū*. Lahore, 1975.
- Qurayshī, Waḥīd. *Tārīkh-i adabīyāt-i musalmānān-i Pākistān wa Hind*. Lahore, Dānishgāh-i Panjāb.
- Ṣiddīqī Amrūhawī, Afsar. *Makhṭūṭāt-i Anjuman-i Taraqqī-yi Urdū*. Karachi, Anjuman-i Taraqqī.
- Ṣiddīqī Amrūhawī, Afsar. "Muqaddima bar mathnawī-yi Nawsarhār". Karachi, Anjuman-i Taraqqī.
- Yūnus Shāh. *Tadhkira-yi naʿt-gūyān-i Urdū*. Abbottabad.
- Zūr, Muḥyī al-Dīn Qādirī. *Tadhkira-yi Urdū makhṭūṭāt*. Delhi, 1984.