Samad Mir (c. 1893 – 9 January 1959) was a mystic Sufi poet from Kashmir.[1] [2]
Samad Mir was born at Alam Sahib Narwara, Srinagar, Kashmir, to Khaliq Mir and Noor, who died in 1893 or 1894.[3] [4] Khaliq Mir was dervish, originally from Nambalhar, a small village in Budgam, but migrated to Srinagar to earn a living.
Mir was the only son to return to his native village. His younger brother Rahim decided to stay at Narwara. Mohammad, the third son of Khaliq Mir, died in his twenties.
Samad worked as a labourer at the Hari Niwas Palace at Srinagar (commonly known as The Grand Palace).
Mir had three sons and a daughter.
With no formal education,[5] Mir was illiterate.[6] His poetry was transcribed for him by Ali Shah of Wagar, Budgam.
Mir's poetry was compiled in his Kulyaat, called Kulyaat-e-Samad Mir by Moti Lal Saqi. Kulyaat-e-Samad Mir has been published and revised four times by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages. A monograph on Mir has been published in Urdu and Kashmiri by Sahitya Akademi, Government of India. He wrote more than 200 poems.
In line with Sufi tradition, Mir's poetry often deals with concepts such as beauty and truth.[7] Beyond that, a common theme is a praise of Prophets, Walis, and Sufi saints of Islam.[8]
Mir died on 9 January 1959 at his residence in Nambalhar (also pronounced Nambalhard). He is buried at Agar, Nambalhar (Budgam district), where a shrine has been built.