Amir Khusro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Amir Khusro
Birth name Ab'ul Hasan Yamn al-Dn Khusrow 1253 Patiali, Etah, Uttar Pradesh, India 1325 (aged 72) Ghazal, Khayal, Qawwali, Rubai, Tarana

Born

Died Genre(s)

Occupation(s) Musician, Poet

Ab'ul Hasan Yamn al-Dn Khusrow (1253-1325 CE) (Persian: ; Hindi: ) , better known as Amr Khusrow Dehlaw (

; ), was an Indian musician, scholar and poet of Persian descent. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent. A Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi, Amr Khusrow was not only a notable poet but also a prolific and seminal musician. He wrote poetry primarily in Persian, but also in Hindavi. He is regarded as the "father of qawwali" (the devotional music of the Indian Sufis).[1][2] He is also credited with enriching Hindustani classical music by introducing Persian and Arabic elements in it, and was the originator of the khayal and tarana styles of music.[3] The invention of the tabla is also traditionally attributed to Amr Khusrow.[4]. Amir Khusrau used only 11 metrical schemes with 35 distinct divisions. He has written Ghazal, Masnavi, Qata, Rubai, Do-Beti and Tarkibhand. A musician and a scholar, Amr Khusrow was as prolific in tender lyrics as in highly involved prose and could easily emulate all styles of Persian poetry which had developed in medieval Persia, from Khqn's forceful qasidas to Nezm's khamsa. His contribution to the development of the ghazal, hitherto little used in India, is particularly significant.[5].

Alexander Visits the Sage Plato, from Khamsa-e-Nizami by Amir Khusro

[edit] Early life and background

Amr Khusrow was born in Patiali near Etah in northern India. His father, Amr Sayf ud-Dn Mahmd, was a Turkic officer and a member of the Lachin tribe of Transoxania, themselves belonging to the Kara-Khitais.[5][6][7] His mother was the daughter of Rawat Arz, the famous war minister of Balban, a king of the Mamluk dynasty (Slave dynasty) (1246-87) who belonged to the Rajput tribes of Uttar Pradesh.[7][8]

[edit] Career
[edit] Major life events in chronological order
1. 1253 Khusro was born in Badaun near Etah in what is today the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. His father Amir Saifuddin came from Balkh in modern day Afghanistan and his mother hailed from Delhi. 2. 1260 After the death of his father, Khusro went to Delhi with his mother. 3. 1271 Khusro compiled his first divan of poetry, "Tuhfatus-Sighr". 4. 1272 Khusro got his first job as court poet with King Balban's nephew Malik Chhajju. 5. 1276 Khusro started working as a poet with Bughra Khan (Balban's son). 6. 1279 While writing his second divan, Wastul-Hayat, Khusrau visited Bengal. 7. 1281 Employed by Sultan Mohammad (Balban's second son) and went to Multan with him. 8. 1285 Khusro participated as a soldier in the war against the invading Mongols. He was taken prisoner, but escaped. 9. 1287 Khusro went to Awadh with Ameer Ali Hatim (another patron).

10. 1288 His first mathnavi, "Qiranus-Sa'dain" was completed.

Amir Khusro's tomb (left), Nizamuddin's tomb (right) and Jamaat Khana Masjid (background), in the Nizamuddin Dargah complex, in Nizamuddin West, Delhi 11. 1290 When Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji came to power, Khusro's second mathnavi, "Miftahul Futooh" was ready. 12. 1294 His third divan "Ghurratul-Kamal" was complete. 13. 1295 Ala ud din Khilji (sometimes spelled "Khalji") came to power and invaded Devagiri and Gujarat. 14. 1298 Khusro completed his "Khamsa-e-Nizami". 15. 1301 Khilji attacked Ranthambhor, Chittor, Malwa and other places, and Khusro remained with the king in order to write chronicles. 16. 1310 Khusro became close to Nizamuddin Auliya, and completed Khazain-ul-Futuh. 17. 1315 Alauddin Khilji died. Khusro completed the mathnavi "Duval Rani-Khizr Khan" (a romantic poem). 18. 1316 Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah became the king, and the fourth historical mathnavi "Noh-Sepehr" was completed. 19. 1321 Mubarak Khilji (sometimes spelled "Mubarak Khalji") was murdered and Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq came to power. Khusro started to write the Tughluqnama. 20. 1325 Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq came to power. Nizamuddin Auliya died, and six months later so did Khusro. Khusro's tomb is next to that of his master in the Nizamuddin Dargah of Delhi.

[edit] Khusro the Royal poet

Khusro was a prolific classical poet associated with the royal courts of more than seven rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. He is popular in much of North India and Pakistan, because of many playful riddles, songs and legends attributed to him. Through his enormous literary output and the legendary folk personality, Khusro represents one of the first (recorded) Indian personages with a true multi-cultural or pluralistic identity.

He wrote in both Persian and Hindustani. He also spoke Arabic and Sanskrit.[7][9][10][11][12][13][14] His poetry is still sung today at Sufi shrines throughout Pakistan and India. Amir Khusro was the author of a Khamsa which emulated that of the earlier poet of Persian epics Nezami Ganjavi. His work was considered to be one of the great classics of Persian poetry during the Timurid period in Transoxiana.

[edit] Amir Khusro and the origins of the Sitar and the Tabla
Amir Khusro is credited with fashioning the tabla as a split version of the traditional Indian drum, the pakhawaj. Popular lore also credits him with inventing the sitar, the Indian grand lute, but it is possible that the Amir Khusro associated with the sitar lived in the 18th century (he is said to be a descendant of the son-in-law of Tansen, the celebrated classical singer in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar). See Origin Of Sitar and About Sitars.

[edit] Some samples of Khusro's poetry

[edit] Persian couplet
Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast. If there is any paradise on the face of the earth, This is it, this is it, this is it

Works

Tuhfa-tus-Sighr (Offering of a Minor) his first divan, contains poems composed between the age of 16 and 19 Wastul-Hayat (The Middle of Life) his second divan, contains poems composed at the peak of his poetic career Ghurratul-Kamaal (The Prime of Perfection) poems composed between the age of 34 and 43 Baqia-Naqia (The Rest/The Miscellany) compiled at the age of 64 Qissa Chahar Darvesh The Tale of the Four Dervishes Nihayatul-Kamaal (The Height of Wonders) compiled probably a few weeks before his death.

Qiran-us-Sadain (Meeting of the Two Auspicious Stars) Mathnavi about the historic meeting of Bughra Khan and his son Kyqbad after long enmity Miftah-ul-Futooh (Key to the Victories) in praise of the victories of Jalauddin Khalaji Ishqia/Mathnavi Duval Rani-Khizr Khan (Romance of Duval Rani and Khizr Khan) a tragic love poem about Gujarats princess Duval and Alauddins son Khizr. Noh Sepehr Mathnavi. (Mathnavi of the Nine Skies) Khusraus perceptions of India and its culture Tughlaq Nama (Book of the Tughlaqs) in prose Khamsa-e-Nizami (Khamsa-e-Khusrau) five classical romances: Hasht-Bahisht, Matlaul-Anwar, Sheerin-Khusrau, Majnun-Laila and Aaina-Sikandari Ejaaz-e-Khusrovi (The Miracles of Khusrau) an assortment of prose compiled by himself Khazain-ul-Futooh (The Treasures of Victories) one of his more controversial books, in prose Afzal-ul-Fawaid utterances of Nizamuddin Auliya hliq Br a versified glossary of Persian, Arabic, and Hindawi words and phrases attributed to Amir Khusrau, but most probably written in 1622 in Gwalior by iy ud-Dn husrau Jawahar-e- Khusrovi often dubbed as the Hindawi divan of Khusrau Laila Majnu Ayina-i-Sikandari Mulla-ul-Anwar Shrin-wa-Khusrau