(1837–1914)
Altaf Hussain Hali was a pioneering Urdu poet, critic, and reformer, widely regarded as one of the key figures who ushered in the modern era of Urdu literature. Born in Panipat in 1837, he lacked formal schooling but built mastery of Urdu, Persian, and Arabic through self-study, and later moved to Delhi to pursue Islamic theology and poetry. A close associate of the reformer Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, he is best known for his epic poem Musaddas-e-Hali, which reflected on the decline and revival of Muslims in the subcontinent and became a landmark of modern Urdu poetry. He also wrote influential biographies of Ghalib, Sir Syed, and the Persian poet Saadi, along with early Urdu literary criticism. Hali passed away in his hometown of Panipat in 1914, leaving a lasting legacy on Urdu poetry, prose, and reform writing.
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