Samad Mir

Samad Mir (c. 1893 – 9 January 1959) was a mystic Sufi poet from Kashmir.

Life
Samad Mir was born at Alam Sahib Narwara, Srinagar, Kashmir, to Khaliq Mir and Noor Died in 1893 or 1894. Khaliq Mir was a dervish, aboriginally from Nambalhar, a small village in Budgam but had now migrated to Srinagar to earn a living.

Samad Mir was the only son to return to his native village. His younger brother Rahim Mir decided to stay at Narwara. Mohammad Mir, the third son of Khaliq Mir died in his twenties.

Samad Mir worked as a laborer at the Hari Niwas Palace at Srinagar (commonly known as The Grand Palace).

Mir had three sons and a daughter.

Poetry and Sufism
With no formal education, Samad Mir was illiterate. His poetry was transcribed for him by Ali Shah of Wagar, Budgam. His spiritual mentors were Habib Najar of Wagar Budgam, Khaliq Najar of Batmaloo Srinagar, and Ramzan Dar of Anchidora Anantnag (Kashmir).

His 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 Samad 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 true abstract qualities such as beauty and truth. It then relates how these qualities (as aspects of God) relate to the world around him. Beyond that, a common theme is a praise of Prophets, Walis, and Sufi saints of Islam.

Death
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.

Works

 * Aknandun "The Only Son"
 * Praran Praran Tarawatiyay
 * Islamic Poetry (Na'ats)