Safi Lakhnavi

Safi Lakhnavi Biography

Safi Lakhnavi was a famous Urdu poet who lived in Lucknow during the period, 2 January 1862 – 1950. He belonged to a family of Zaidi Syeds who have claimed direct descent from Imam Husain. Salik was a prominent later classical poet who enjoyed wide popularity. His real name is Syed Ali Naqi Zaidi. But he chose himself to be called as Salik Lucknawi. He predominantly wrote poetry and ghazals in Urdu language. His poetry is a departure from the traditional poetry of Urdu which also gave him his individual identity. He preferred writing nazm compared with the traditional ghazals. He also penned a series of patriotic poems during his lifetime. Aghosh-i-Madar, Tanzim-ul-Hayat, and Diwan-i-Safi are his major works.

Safi Lakhnavi was born on 2 January 1862 in the city of Lucknow during British rule in India. Now his birthplace is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. He was born into an affluent and well-educated Muslim family of Lucknow, who are believed to be the direct descent from Imam Husain. He was born to Syed Fazal Husain, who served as the tutor of Prince Suleiman Qader Bahadur, son of Nawab Amjad Ali of Awadh. He completed his education from Canning Collegiate at Lucknow before joined government job. He served in the Revenue Department of British India.

Safi Lakhnavi’s writing career began at the age of 13. Since then he used the pseudonym Safi for his writings, which he continued throughout his life. He used very simple and sweet language for his writings that can be easily followed by common man, and for the same reason his works were indeed popular among the common folk. His poetry was also innovative and reformist in tone, and earned him the nickname, Lassan-ul-Qaum. Many of his works have been taught in different universities, as a part of academic syllabus.

Published: February 19, 2019

Updated: February 19, 2019