Identity: journalist, historian, expert in Iqbal studies, novelist, translator, and biographer

Syed Rais Ahmad Jafri Nadvi (born, according to Malik Ram, in 1907 at Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh) was among the distinguished men of letters of the Indian subcontinent, who rendered valuable services in journalism, historiography, Iqbal studies, and biographical writing. His ancestral home was Sitapur, and his family was counted among the respected families of the region. After the early demise of his father, Syed Nazir Husain, he was brought up at his maternal home in Khairabad. His maternal grandfather, Syed Niyaz Ahmad, was the younger brother of the renowned Urdu poet Riyaz Khairabadi, whose guidance played a significant role in shaping his intellectual and literary outlook.

Syed Rais Ahmad Jafri received his education from Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, and Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi. From his student days, he developed a keen interest in writing, and his articles began appearing regularly in newspapers and journals. His first major work, Seerat-e-Mohammad Ali, despite being written at a young age, is regarded as an authoritative and standard work on the subject.

In 1934, on the invitation of Maulana Shaukat Ali, he moved to Bombay and was appointed editor of the daily Khilafat. He later edited Roznama Hindustan and subsequently Roznama Inquilab, Lahore, where he strongly supported the Pakistan Movement through his writings. Due to this political and journalistic role, he was compelled to leave India after the creation of Pakistan.

In 1948, he migrated to Pakistan and launched the daily Roznama Khurshid from Karachi. Later, he remained associated with Monthly Riyaz, Roznama Zamindar (Lahore), and the Idara-e-Saqafat-e-Islamia, Lahore, where he also served as editor of the journal Saqafat. In the last phase of his life, he briefly edited the daily Anjam, Karachi.

Syed Rais Ahmad Jafri Nadvi authored, compiled, and translated more than three hundred works. His well-known books include Iqbal aur Ishq-e-Rasool, Ali Brothers, Iqbal aur Siyasat-e-Milli, Wajid Ali Shah aur Unka Ahd, Tarikh-e-Tasawwuf, Tarikh-e-Daulat-e-Fatimia, and Bahadur Shah Zafar aur Unka Ahd. Along with scholarly circles, he was equally popular among the general public due to his dozens of widely read novels.

Death: 27 October 1968, Lahore