Identity: Renowned Iqbal Scholar, Researcher, Critic, Travel Writer, and Distinguished Interpreter of Iqbaliyat

Rafiuddin Hashmi was born on 9 February 1940 in Misrial, Talagang District, Punjab. He completed his B.A. as a private candidate from Government College Sargodha. In 1966, he earned an M.A. in Urdu from Oriental College, Lahore, and in 1981 received a Ph.D. from the University of the Punjab for his dissertation titled “A Critical and Explanatory Study of Iqbal’s Works.”

He joined the Punjab Education Department in 1969 and, after serving at various educational institutions, was appointed to Oriental College, Lahore, in 1982. He later served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Urdu. He was also associated with the Department of Iqbaliyat at the University of the Punjab and, after retirement, served as a Professor under the Higher Education Commission.

Rafiuddin Hashmi is regarded as one of the most distinguished scholars of Iqbal in South Asia. He authored dozens of books on Iqbaliyat, literary research, criticism, and Urdu literature. His notable works include Khutoot-e-Iqbal, Kitabiyat-e-Iqbal, Iqbal: Masail wa Mabahis, A Hundred Years of Iqbaliyat, Sources of Iqbal Studies, Iqbaliyat: Understanding and Analysis, Allama Iqbal: Personality and Art, and Urdu Research in Universities.

He was also an accomplished travel writer. His travelogues Posheeda Teri Khak Mein (Andalusia) and Sooraj Ko Zara Dekh (Japan) received wide appreciation. In 2002, he launched the research journal Bazyaft, which earned considerable respect in academic and literary circles.

Death: Dr. Rafiuddin Hashmi passed away in Lahore on 25 January 2024.