Identity: One of the most popular Urdu fiction writers, renowned for suspenseful and supernatural novels
Marghoob Ali Rahat, widely known in literary circles as M. A. Rahat, was born in 1941 in Kanpur. His grandfather, Habib Ali Raghib, was an active participant in the Pakistan Movement. He received his early education in Aligarh and Delhi. In 1955, he migrated with his family to Pakistan and settled in Karachi, where he later earned an M.A. in Urdu from the University of Karachi.

His literary career began in the 1960s. After working in private jobs in Karachi for two years, he started writing for the famous Imran Series and Faridi-Hameed Series, the detective world created by Ibn-e-Safi. Initially, one publisher rejected his work, but another accepted and published it, marking the beginning of his extraordinary popularity. His success later led to the launch of Imran Digest and numerous other suspense and detective digests.

M. A. Rahat wrote extensively on crime, detective fiction, social themes, romance, history, science fiction, and supernatural subjects. He is counted among the most popular commercial fiction writers in Urdu after Ibn-e-Safi, A. Hameed, and Mohiuddin Nawab, and many critics regard him as the last major link in that tradition.

He became especially famous for his supernatural and mysterious novels, in which he portrayed jinn, magic, haunted beings, mysterious creatures, and unseen worlds with such skill that this style became his trademark. His notable novels include Sadiyon Ka Beta, Kalka Devi, Jinn Zada, Sandal Ka Taboot, Bloody Mary, Kala Jadu, Jinnati Duniya, and Namrood Ka Shehar.

In addition to novel writing, he also wrote for television. In 1994, at the request of Kazim Pasha, he wrote the famous drama serial Aitraf, while Captain Parmod is also counted among his popular dramatic works.

M. A. Rahat remained associated with various newspapers and magazines for many years and, in the final phase of his life, wrote regularly for Family Magazine Nawai Waqt, where his novel “Jharne” was being serialized.

Died: April 24, 2017, Lahore