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Muztar Khairabadi (born 1865 - 1962) was an Indian Urdu poet. He is a distinguished personality in Urdu literature.
Muztar Khairabadi (full name Syed Iftikhar Hussain Muztar Khairabadi) was an established poet of the Urdu Language. He was the grandson of Allama Maulvi Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, a poet, philosopher, religious scholar, literary personage of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, and freedom fighter in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Muztar Khairabadi's parents were Haafiz Ahmad Hasan "Ruswa" and Mohatrama Bibi HirmaN Khairabadi.
Muztar Khairabadi was born in Khairabad. He grew up under the tutelage of his mother, HirmaN Khairabadi, who was a poet and a scholar of Persian, Arabic and Urdu, in an era when female education was not popular.
Muztar Khairabadi wrote a poetry collection, Nazr-e-Khuda, in praise of God. He was well-known for his naatia kalaam, poetry praising the Prophet Mohammad. His collection "Meelaad-e-Mustafa" was published by Alvi Press, Bhopal. Muztar Khairabadi's poem Behr-e-Taweel and his ghazal Marg-e-Ghalat ki Fariyad are considered remarkable examples of Urdu poetry. His prose is also forceful. Allah Bas Baqi Hawis, Dukhi Ki Pukar, and MuNh Dekhi Muhabbat are good examples of his prose. A collection of his poetry, Ilhamaat, was edited by his son, Nashtar Khairabadi. Muztar Khairabadi published a magazine entitledKarishama-e-Dilbar in Khairabad, Sitapur District). Muztar Khairabadi spent his life in Khairabad, Tonk, Gwalior, Indore, Bhopal and Rampur. In his lifetime he received numerous distinguishing titles, including Khan Bahadur, Eitbar-ul-Mulk, and Iftikhar-ul-Shaura. "Muztar Khairabadi: Hayaat aur shairi," by Dr. Khalil-Ullah Khan, published by Urdu Publishers, Lucknow, discusses the poet's life and works.
One of Muztar Khairabadi's most famous poems, Main kis ke dil ka ghubar huN, is often incorrectly attributed to Bahadur Shah II, the last Moghul king in Delhi, because of the deep sorrow and dejection expressed in it.
Unfortunately, Muztar Khairabadi's diwan - his entire collected works of poetry - was lost when a mob burned down the printing press in Delhi where they were housed, during the communal riots of 1947 associated with the Partition of India. What remains of his work are only certain poems that were in the possession of his descendants and admirers.
Muztar Sahib served as a judge in the states of Tonk and Gwalior. He was a man of versatile genius, known for issuing his judicial verdicts in extemporaneous verse. He is famed as the judge in the case of Nuthmul, whom he set free in spite of the Maharaja of Gwalior's instructions to the contrary. Nuthmul was a childhood friend of the Maharaja; however, when the maharajah ascended the throne, their friendship went sour. The Maharaja had Nuthmul framed in a case which came before Muztar Sahib. Muztar Sahib found Nuthmul not guilty as charged and set him free. Thereafter, having defied his royal patron, he hurriedly left his judicial service in Gwalior and fled to Bhopal. In his final years, he lived and worked in Indore. He is buried in Gwalior.
Muztar Sahib was a handsome man and always wore elegant clothes. He had a sharp and creative mind and a remarkable memory. In a room full of his disciples he would ask them to recite their poems, keep track of who had read what, and make corrections. He was a wealthy man, his wealth derived from his service as a legal adviser to Nawabs and Maharajas. He was also a teacher and mentor of the Nawab of Rampur.
Muztar Khairabadi's descendants who continue his Urdu poetic tradition include his sons Eitbar Husain Bartar Khairabadi, Yadgar Husain Nashtar Khairabadi, Jan Nisar Husain Akhtar (Jan Nisar Akhtar), and his grandsons Barqarar Husain, Namdar Husain, Shandar Husain, Dr.Shahzad Rizvi, Irshad Rizvi, and Zia Khairabadi, and grandaughters Syeda Naheed Nashtar, Dr. Syeda Suhela Nashtar, Dr. Syeda Imrana Nashtar, Rukhsana Waseem, Javed Akhtar, and Dr. Salman Akhtar.
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