| Ghulam Hamdani | |
| Birth Date: | 1751 |
| Birth Place: | Amroha, Mughal Empire[1] [2] (India) |
| Death Date: | 1844 (aged 93) |
| Death Place: | Lucknow |
| Occupation: | Urdu poet |
| Period: | Mughal era |
| Genre: | Ghazal |
| Subject: | Love, philosophy |
Ghulam Hamdani (1751 - 1844), known by the takhallus (nom de plume) of Mas'hafi (مصحفی maṣḥafi), was an Urdu ghazal poet.[3]
Before his time, the language known as Hindi, Hindavi, Dehlavi, Dakhini, Lahori or Rekhta was commonly known as the Zaban-i-Ordu,[4] and commonly in local literature and speech, Lashkari Zaban or Lashkari.[5] Mashafi was the first person to simply shorten the latter name to Urdu.[6] He migrated to Lucknow during the reign of Asaf-ud-Daula. According to one source, his ghazals are full of pathos.[7]
He wrote Tazkira E Hindi in Persian language which demonstrates his skill in that tongue.[8] He also wrote in Hindavi also known as. Hindi poetry:
There are ten extant collections of his poems, but it is believed that he allowed others for a fee to publish his poems under their own authorship.[9] His personal life lacked discipline and his poetry reflects a level of sensuality.[10] He excelled in lyrics but also composed odes and romances.[11]