Altaf Hussain Hali

Who was Altaf Hussain Hali?

Altaf Hussain Hali, known with his honorifics as Maulana Khawaja Hali, was an Urdu poet and writer.

Born in Panipat, Haryana in 1837, circumstances did not permit Hali to attain formal education in a school or college, yet he managed to acquire, through sustained self-effort, perfect command of Urdu, Persian and Arabic, and a good working knowledge of English. He later moved to Delhi where he wished to study the Islamic theology and poetic tradition. As a poet he did not confine himself within the bounds of the ghazal, but exploited other poetic forms such as the nazm, the rubai, and the Marsia. His long poem, Musaddas-e-Hali, examines the state of social and moral degradation prevalent in the then contemporary Muslim society. His prose treatise, Muqaddama-e-Shair-o-Shairi, is a pioneering work of literary criticism.

In 1886, Hali was chosen to be a member of the first teaching faculty at Aitchison College, Lahore. The College holds an Urdu elocution competition called the Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali Challenge Cup, in honour of the poet.