ModestoMolino5 at 05:38, 26 February 2026

2026-02-26T05:38:04Z

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{{Short description|Pakistani poet (1900–1982)}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=November 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Hafeez Jalandhari {{nobold|{{nq|حفیظ جالندھری}}}}
| honorific_prefix = Abul Asar
| honorific_suffix = [[Pride of Performance|PP]] [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz|HI]]
| image = Hafeez Jullundhri.jpg
| caption =
| pseudonym = ''Abu Al-Asar''
| birth_name = Muhammad Abdul Hafeez
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1900|1|14}}
| birth_place = [[Jalandhar]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]] (present-day [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]])
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1982|12|21|1900|1|14}}
| death_place = [[Lahore]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]]
| occupation = Poet
| nationality =
| citizenship =
| education = Early education in Jalandhar but due to family issues he could not complete his education.
| alma_mater =
| period =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Ghazal]]|[[Nazm]] and [[Writer]]}}
| subject =
| movement =
| notable_works = ''[[National Anthem of Pakistan]]'' ''Shahnama-e-Islam'' ''[[Watan Hamara Azad Kashmir|Anthem of Azad Kashmir]]''
| spouse = Zeenat Begum Anela Khurshid Begum
| partner =
| children =
| parents = Shams-ud-Din (father)
| awards = [[Pride of Performance]] Award in 1958 [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz]] (Crescent of Excellence) Award
}}

'''Abul Asar Hafeez Jalandhari''' [[Pride of Performance|PP]] [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz|HI]] ({{langx|ur|{{nq|ابو الاثر حفیظ جالندھری}}}}; 14 January 1900 – 21 December 1982) was a Pakistani poet who wrote the lyrics for the [[Qaumi Taranah|National Anthem of Pakistan]]<ref name=Pakpost/><ref name="Dawn" /><ref name="poemhunter">{{cite web|url=http://www.poemhunter.com/hafeez-jalandhari/biography/|title= Profile of Hafeez Jalandhari|website=PoemHunter.com website|access-date=24 May 2024|archive-date=20 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120142522/https://www.poemhunter.com/hafeez-jalandhari/biography/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Watan Hamara Azad Kashmir|Anthem of Azad Kashmir]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hafeez Jalandhari|first=The writer of National Anthem|date=22 December 2017|title=He also wrote National Anthem of Azad Jammu & Kashmir|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/173393-author-of-national-anthem-hafeez-jalandhari-remembered|website=Geo TV News website}}</ref>

He wrote in [[Urdu]] and [[Persian language|Persian]] languages and is widely celebrated throughout [[Pakistan]].<ref name=Pakpost>{{cite web|url=http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2001/abul_asar_hafeez_jalandhri.html|url-status=dead|title=Hafeez Jalandhri - profile and commemorative postage stamp in 2001|website=Pakistan Post Office website|archive-date=14 May 2001|access-date=22 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010514125216/http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2001/abul_asar_hafeez_jalandhri.html}}</ref>

==Early life==
Hafeez Jalandhari was born in [[Jalandhar]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]] on 14 January 1900 into a [[Punjabi Muslims|Punjabi Muslim]] family.<ref name=Pakpost/> His father, Shams-ud-Din, was a [[Hafiz (Qur'an)|Hafiz]]-e-[[Qur'an]]. Jalandhari initially studied in a mosque school and later joined a conventional local school in Jalandhar. He only received formal education until the seventh grade. The reason being that he hated mathematics and only liked learning the Urdu language. He was an eager reader and worked very hard to teach himself.<ref name=Dawn>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1377399|date=19 December 2017|author=Rauf Parekh|title=Hafeez Jalandhari: he came, he saw, he conquered (profile of Hafeez Jalandhari on Dawn newspaper|access-date=23 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903121339/https://www.dawn.com/news/1377399|archive-date=3 September 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref> He had a natural liking for poetry and became a disciple of Maulana Ghulam Qadir Bilgrami, a Persian language poet. Hafeez promoted the cause of creation of Pakistan and became an active member of the [[Pakistan Movement]].<ref name=Pakpost/><ref name="Dawn" />

After the independence of [[Pakistan]] in 1947, Jalandhari migrated to [[Lahore]] in the new state of Pakistan.<ref name=DailyTimes>[https://dailytimes.com.pk/181252/118th-birthday-hafeez-jalandhari-observed/ 118th birthday of Hafeez Jalandhari observed (Profile of Hafeez Jalandhri) on Daily Times newspaper] Published 15 January 2018, Retrieved 24 May 2024</ref>

==Literary career==
From 1922 to 1929, Jalandhari remained the editor of a few monthly magazines, namely: ''Nonehal'', ''Hazar Dastaan'', ''Teehzeeb-e-Niswan'', and ''Makhzin''.<ref name=Pakpost/> His first collection of poems Nagma-e-Zar was published in 1935. After [[World War II]], he worked as the director of the Song Publicity Department. During this same time he wrote several songs.

Jalandhari participated in the [[Pakistan Movement]] and used his writings to inspire people for the cause of Pakistan. In early 1948, he joined the forces for the freedom of [[Kashmir]] and got wounded.<ref name=Pakpost/> Jalandhari wrote the Kashmiri Anthem, "[[Watan Hamara Azad Kashmir]]". He wrote many patriotic songs during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]].<ref name=Pakpost/><ref name=poemhunter/>

Jalandhari served as 'Director General of morals' in [[Pakistan Armed Forces]], and then in a very prominent position as an adviser to the President, [[Field Marshal]] [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Mohammad Ayub Khan]] and also a Director of 'Writers Guild of Pakistan'.<ref name=Pakpost/><ref name=poemhunter/>

Jalandhari's work of poetry, ''Shahnama-e-Islam'' (4 volumes),<ref name=Pakpost/> gave him fame which, in the manner of [[Firdowsi]]'s [[Shahnameh]], is a record of the history of Islam in verse.

In 1946, Jalandhari visited the [[Sylhet region]] of [[Bengal]] where he watched a [[mushaira]] performance by the [[Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Abdul Matin Chaudhury (1895-1948): Trusted Lieutenant of Mohammad Ali Jinnah|page=125|author=Atful Hye Shibly|year=2011}}</ref>

On 23 February 1949, the [[Government of Pakistan]] formed a committee to prepare Pakistan's national anthem. Out of the 723 people who competed to write the national anthem, Hafeez Jalandhari's lyrics were selected as the national anthem of Pakistan.<ref name=Dawn/> Then this national anthem of Pakistan was composed by [[Ahmed Ghulamali Chagla]] also known as Ahmed G. Chagla. Hafeez Jalandhari was unique in [[Urdu poetry]] for the enchanting melody of his voice and lilting rhythms of his songs and lyrics. His poetry generally dealt with romantic, religious, patriotic and natural themes. His language was a fine blend of [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]] diction, reflecting the composite culture of [[South Asia]].<ref name=poemhunter/> One of his most famous poem 'Abhi Toh Mein Jawan Hoon' was sung by [[Malika Pukhraj]] in the 1950s with music by the Pakistani music director [[Master Inayat Hussain]] which is still popular among the public in 2018.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXlSUXBTDUs Malika Pukhraj sings Hafeez Jalandhri's poem on YouTube] Retrieved 24 May 2024</ref> Though considered a devout Muslim, he also wrote ''Krishn Kanhaiya'', a poem in praise of the Hindu god [[Krishna]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/in-pre-partition-india-muslims-too-celebrated-janmashtami-a-look-back-at-reverence-for-krishna-in-works-of-urdu-poets-3926603.html|title=In pre-Partition India, Muslims too celebrated Janmashtami: A look back at reverence for Krishna in works of Urdu poets - Firstpost|website=Firstpost.com website|date=14 August 2017 |access-date=2024-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Mandalaparthy|first=Nikhil|date=2017-08-30|title=When the man who wrote Pakistan's national anthem saw the divine in Hindu god Krishna|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1354704|access-date=2024-05-24|newspaper=Dawn newspaper|language=en}}</ref>

==Marriage==
Jalandhari married his cousin, Zeenat Begum, in 1917, at the age of 17. They had seven children, all girls. In 1939, he took a young English woman of Lithuanian descent, Anela, as his second wife. They had a daughter; the marriage ended in divorce. His first wife, Zeenat Begum, died in 1954. In 1955, Jalandhari married Khurshid Begum, with whom he had a daughter.<ref name=poemhunter/>

==Short stories==
* ''Haft Palkar''<ref name=Pakpost/>

==Books==
* Naghma Zar (1925)<ref name=Dawn/>
* Shahnama-i-Islam (1928 - 1947) in four volumes<ref name=Pakpost/><ref name=Dawn/>
* Soz-o-Saaz (1932)
* Talkhaba-i-Shireen (1947)
* Chiragh-i-Sehar (1974)<ref name=Dawn/>
* Hafeez kay Geet
* Hafeez ki Nazmein
* Chayty Nama (1982)<ref name=Pakpost/>
* Baqalam-e-Khud (his unfinished autobiography)<ref name=Dawn/>

==Death==
Jalandhari died in [[Lahore]], [[Pakistan]], on 21 December 1982 at the age of 82.<ref name=Pakpost/><ref name=Dawn/><ref name=DailyTimes/> Buried in [[Model Town, Lahore]], his remains were later shifted to a tomb built by the [[Government of Pakistan]] near the [[Minar-e-Pakistan]] in [[Lahore]], the site of the [[Pakistan Resolution]].<ref name=Dawn1>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/922286 |date=3 May 2018|newspaper=Dawn newspaper|title=National anthems founder remembered|access-date=23 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404143841/https://www.dawn.com/news/1405355|archive-date=4 April 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Awards and recognition==
*For his literary and patriotic services to Pakistan, Jalandhari was awarded the [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz]] Award by the [[President of Pakistan]].<ref name=Pakpost/><ref name=DailyTimes/>
* [[Pride of Performance]] Award in 1958 by the [[Government of Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1405355 |author=Aftab Shahban Mirani|title=National anthem's composer (Pride of Performance award for Hafeez Jalandhari)|newspaper= Dawn newspaper|date= 3 May 2018|access-date=23 May 2024}}</ref><ref name=DailyTimes/><ref name=Pakpost/>

==Commemorative postage stamp==
In 2001, [[Pakistan Post|Pakistan Post Office]] issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor in its 'Poets of Pakistan' series.<ref name=Pakpost/><ref>[http://pakistanpaedia.com/2001/stamp_4.html Hafeez Jalandhari commemorative postage stamp issued in 2001 by the Pakistan Post Office] Retrieved 23 May 2024</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of people on stamps of Pakistan]]
* [[Pakistan national anthem|Qaumi Tarana]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Pride of Performance for Arts}}
{{Pakistan Movement}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jalandhari, Abu Al-Asar Hafeez}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Jalandhar]]
[[Category:Urdu-language Pakistani poets]]
[[Category:National anthem writers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Pride of Performance]]
[[Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz]]
[[Category:Pakistani hymnwriters]]
[[Category:Writers from British India]]
[[Category:Writers from Lahore]]
[[Category:Poets from Lahore]]
[[Category:20th-century Pakistani poets]]
[[Category:Pakistan Movement activists]]
[[Category:People from Punjab Province (British India)]]

Hafeez Jalandhari - Revision history

ModestoMolino5 at 05:38, 26 February 2026