Father of Urdu

Maulvi Abdul Haq, or Baba-e-Urdu
Maulvi Abdul Haq, whose contributions towards establishing and enriching Urdu literature are unparalleled, is rightly recognized as the “Father of Urdu” or Baba-e-Urdu. Born in 1790 in Delhi, he received an excellent Islamic education before moving to Lucknow where he dedicated his life to the cause of developing Urdu. 

At a time when Urdu was still in a formative stage, he took up the monumental task of giving the language its own distinct identity and grammar rules separate from Persian and Arabic. 
His magnum opus, the Farhang-e-Asifiya dictionary with 40,000 entries became the first authoritative text that defined the core Urdu lexicon. 
Through other seminal works on grammar and syntax, he standardized the script and structured the language. 
As one of the early pioneers of Urdu poetry, he also enriched various genres through his verses. 
His leadership made Lucknow a thriving cultural centre for Urdu arts. Generations of poets and writers have been inspired by his works.