Khalilulla Khalili
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Ustad Khalilulla Khalili (1907-1987) was an Afghan master of the Dari language and the most prolific Dari poet of modern time. But, he was more than just a great poet; Ustad Khalili preached and practiced virtues of honesty, compassion, honour, dignity, and peace.
Ustad Khalili was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1907. His parents, both from the Safi clan, were of powerful families. His father, Mirza Mohammad Hussein Khan, served as Moosto-phee Mama-lek during the reign of Amir (King) Habibullah. His mother was the daughter of Abdul Qader Khan Safi, a Khan (noble) of Kohistan Parwan.
Ustad Khalili lost his mother at the young age of seven. His father was executed due to political situation after the death of Habibullah Shah (1919). Khalili was an orphan at the age of eleven. In the fifth grade he was forced out of school and would not complete another grade. Khalili was very bright and showed immense interest in literature, particularly poetry. While in Kohistan, he turned his attention to classical literature and studied with the Islamic scholars of the region. This was the beginning of his unsurpassed career.
After Padshah (King) Amanullah was exiled from Afghanistan (1929), Ustad Khalili's family once again came into power. Khaili, still in his twenties, was named governor of Mazari Sharif, and would hold many positions: Secretary General, Minister of Information, court poet, and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Iraq during the forty- year reign of Mohammed Zahir Shah.
At the time of the coup in 1978, he was Ambassador to Iraq. He resigned from his position and moved to Pakistan to work with the Afghan resistance movement.
While in Pakistan, he published many volumes of poetry lamenting the fate of his people and cheering them on in their struggle to expel the Soviets.
Ustad Khalili published nearly fifty works of poetry, fiction, history, and Sufi studies. He died May 4, 1987, and was buried in city of Peshawar beside the great Pashtoo poet, Rahman Baba
[edit] Sources
- Said Ehsan, Article, Lemar Ahftab
