https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Ahmaq_PhaphoondviAhmaq Phaphoondvi - Revision history2026-07-31T18:20:09ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Ahmaq_Phaphoondvi&diff=484944&oldid=prevPabloLabarre at 17:13, 16 October 20252025-10-16T17:13:04Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian Urdu writer and freedom fighter}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2025}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Ahmaq Phaphoondvi<br />
| native_name = احمق پھپھوندوی<br />
| other_names = Ahmaq, Maddah<br />
| birth_name = Mohammad Mustafa Khan<br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1895|04|26}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Phaphund]], [[Farrukhabad]], [[British India]]<br />
| death_date = {{Death date |df=yes|1957|08|08|}}<br />
| death_place = [[Phaphund]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]<br />
| known_for = Resistance to the [[British Government]], Linguist, Satirical-Poetry<br />
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]<br />
| movement = [[Indian Independence Movement]]<br />
| children = [[Khalid Ahmad]]<br />
}}<br />
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'''Ahmaq Phaphoondvi''' (1895-1957) was the alias of '''Mohammad Mustafa Khan''',<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Ibrahim Baig |first=Mirza |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/hazrat-ahmaq-ke-sawa-sau-sher-ebooks |title=Hazrat Ahmaq Ke Sawa Sau Sher |location=[[Aligarh]] |language=Urdu |trans-title=125 Quotes Of Hazrat Ahmaq}}</ref> an Indian [[Urdu]] [[poet]], [[Linguistics|linguist]], and [[freedom fighter]]. He is known for his contributions to literature, especially his satirical [[Ghazal|ghazals]] targeting the [[British Raj|British Government]] of [[South Asia|India]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Khan 'Maddah' |first=Mohammad Mustafa |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/josh-o-amal-ebooks |title=Josh-o-Amal |publisher=Jayyad Barki Press |year=1939 |location=[[Delhi]] |trans-title=Passion of Action/Adherence}}</ref> Phaphoondvi spent many years in the [[Aligarh|Aligarh jail]] for his active participation in the struggle for independence, including the [[Swaraj|Swaraj Movement]] and his association with the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Phaphoondvi |first=Ahmaq |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/sang-o-khisht-ahmaq-phaphoondvi-ebooks |title=Sang-O-Khisht |publisher=Danish Mahal |year=1942 |edition=1 |location=[[Delhi]] |language=Urdu}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Phaphoondvi |first=Ahmaq |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/naqsh-e-hikmat-ahmaq-phaphoondvi-ebooks-1 |title=Naqsh-E-Hikmat |publisher=Maktaba Burhan |year=1944 |location=[[Delhi]] |language=Urdu |trans-title=Map to Widsom}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Khan 'Maddah' |first=Mohammad Mustafa |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.400193/page/n13/mode/2up |title=Urdu-Hindi Shabd-Kosh |publisher=Government Of [[Uttar Pradesh]] |year=1959 |location=[[Uttar Pradesh]] |language=Urdu, Hindi}}</ref><br />
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== Early life and Career ==<br />
Ahmaq Phaphoondvi was born as Mohammad Mustafa Khan into a knowledgeable and respected [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] family from the [[Yusufzai|Yousafzai]] tribe, Ahmaq's ancestors had migrated to the [[Farrukhabad district|Farrukhabad]] district during the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal rule]].<ref name=":0" /> After his grandfather was hanged for his role in the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] against the [[British Raj]], his father relocated to [[Phaphund]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Ahmaq Phaphoondvi - Profile & Biography |url=https://www.rekhta.org/poets/ahmaq-phaphoondvi/profile |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=Rekhta |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Phaphoondvi |first=Ahmaq |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/zindan-e-himaqat-ahmaq-phaphoondvi-ebooks |title=Zindan-e-Himakat |year=1922 |language=Urdu}}</ref><br />
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His father established a successful publishing press in 1862, which operated until 1921, when Ahmaq was jailed. Afterward, the press declined and eventually ceased. After the death of his father in 1912, he went to Madrassa-ul-Uloom in [[Budaun]] to learn [[Arabic]]. Following this he went to the [[Tibbia College|Tibbia College in Delhi]], where he studied medicine for two and a half years.<ref name=":0" /><br />
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== Resistance and work ==<br />
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=== Poetry and jail ===<br />
From a young age, he demonstrated exceptional talent and became a remarkable poet. In 1919 he was inspired by the [[Indian National Congress]]'s work and joined their cause, as a result he was jailed by the [[British Raj|government]] in 1921. However, he continued to write from his cell in the [[Aligarh]] Jail. His [[Ghazal|ghazals]] have been compiled into several books, to name a few: ''Sang-o-Khisht'',<ref name=":3" /> ''Naksh-i-Hikmat''<ref name=":4" /> and the well-known ''Josh-o-Amal''.<ref name=":2" /> An example of his poetry includes:<blockquote>''"Look at the turmoil and the bloodshed among our people, The cleverness of the English mind is used up in all such schemes, this murder and mayhem, wars and battles, cruelties and malice, The country’s garden is barren, with nothing but dust and desolation" (Extract from: 'The cleverness of the English Mind', Original title: 'Angrezi Zehn Ki Tezi')''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jalil |first=Rakhshanda |date=2019-03-18 |title='This border that drinks blood and spits sparks': Voices of Urdu poets on war and peace |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1470375 |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref> </blockquote><br />
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=== Linguist ===<br />
Ahmaq or Mustafa, was well versed in multiple languages, including: [[Urdu]], [[Hindi]], [[Arabic]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Pali]], [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]]. He had previously compiled several dictionaries, including Pali-Urdu, Sanskrit-Urdu, Persian-Urdu.<ref name=":5" /> <br />
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In 1950, his former cellmate, Shri Narayan Prasad, suggested that he write an Urdu-Hindi dictionary, recognizing that many historical documents at the time were in Persian and Urdu and needed to be translated into Hindi. It took him three and a half year to compile this dictionary. It was published by the [[Government of Uttar Pradesh|Uttar Pradesh]] Government and in service of the [[List of chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh|Chief Minister]] [[Sampurnanand]]. The dictionary is still published and used in India.<ref name=":5" /><br />
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== Death ==<br />
Ahmaq died on 8 August 1957, leaving behind a legacy of resistance, literary contributions, and dedication to independence.<ref name=":1" /> The poet [[Khalid Ahmad]] was his son, born to his second wife, Anwar Jahan Begum, who migrated to [[Pakistan]] in [[Partition of India|1947]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Renowned poet Khalid Ahmad passes away – Business Recorder |url=https://fp.brecorder.com/2013/03/201303201165722/ |access-date=2025-03-11 |language=en-US}}</ref><br />
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== References ==<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Phaphoondvi, Ahmaq}}<br />
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[[Category:1895 births]]<br />
[[Category:1957 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Urdu-language Indian poets]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian linguists]]<br />
[[Category:Indian independence activists]]<br />
[[Category:People from Farrukhabad]]</div>PabloLabarre