Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq

One of the greatest Urdu poets of all times, Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq is regarded as one of the pioneers of Urdu poetry. He was born in 1789 in a poor family and had very ordinary education. Yet his treasure of Urdu poem and ghazals were immense and are considered priceless today. The life history of Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq is interesting and you will find more information about Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq biography.

Zauq was the pen name of Sheikh Mohammad Ibrahim and he composed his ghazals and poems under this pseudonym. In his later years, he went on to learn some tradition, history and astrology. Most of his brilliant compositions were lost during the wars fought for India's independence. Yet, he left behind numerous compositions and a rich legacy of ghazals, mukhammus and many poems.

One very unique specialty of Zauq was qasida or idioms. He is credited with having the largest number of qasidas that were superb when combined with music. The qasida was a eulogistic composition in the praise of an Emperor or noblemen. A single qasida consisted of as many as 100 couplets and sometimes even more than 100. The language used by Zauq was cultured and his speech was sophisticated. He was considered as a rival to none other than Mirza Ghalib. Though he wasn't a great philosopher as Ghalib, yet the respect he acquired in his lifetime is commendable.