Shah Muhammad Afzal, known by his pen name Afzal, was a poet from Golconda and a Sufi disciple of Meeran Shah Maroof. He is best known for his work Mohi Uddin Nama, in which he chronicled the miracles of the famous Sufi saint Muhi Uddin Abdul Qadir Jilani. Manuscripts of this book have been discovered in several libraries, including the Salar Jung Library, the Asafiya Library, and in Europe. In addition to his mathnavi, Afzal composed numerous qasidas and claimed the title of Hadi ush Shuara (guide of the poets) in the tradition of qasida composition. His poetic career is linked to the reign of Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah of Golconda, for whom he wrote a qasida.

Graham Bailley has suggested that this Afzal may be the same individual who authored Baarah Maasaa, a work written in Hindi metres that explores Hindu life and festivals, reflecting a distinctly Indian cultural context. The poem’s depiction of a lonely wife conversing with her companions about her absent husband mirrors a common theme in Hindi poetry. Afzal is also noted to be a contemporary of Shah Hatim (d. 1781/92), a poet from North India, during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah.

Further Reading:
1. Bailey, Thomas Grahame. A history of Urdu literature. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008.
2. Hashmi, Naseer-Uddin. Dakan MeiN Urdu. 1st ed., Taraqqi Urdu Bureau, 1985.