Zaigham

Hafiz Ikram Ahmad (Urdu: حافظ اکرام احمد), or simply known by his pen name Zaigham (Urdu: ضيغم), was a 19th-century teacher and alchemist based in Bengal.^[1] He became prominent due to his talent in Urdu and Persian language poetry,^[2] specialising in ghazal and marsiya in Rekhta.

Hafiz Ikram Ahmad Zaigham Rampuri
Born	Ikram Ahmed Rampur or Delhi
Died	1869 British India
Occupation(s)	Poet, alchemist, scholar
Successor	Nassakh, Wahshat, Azad, Mast, Arman and Abdul Ghaffar Akhtar

Early life and education

It is considered that Ikram was born in Rampur, Agra Presidency, while others suggest he was born in Delhi but from Rampur.^[3] His name is often preceded with the title of Hafiz, a term used by Muslims for people who have completely memorised the Qur'an.^[4]

Career

از عدد مدح دو تا کم رسید
Az adad-e-madah do ta kam rasid
هر چه بود قسمت ضیغم رسید Har che bud qismat-e-Zaigham rasid

 – Last line of a 50-line Persian qasida by Zaigham^[5]

Zaigham migrated to Bengal at some point in his life where he gained popularity. A notable piece of poetry of his include a fifty-verse long Persian qasida. Ikram was celebrated for his metre capability. Nassakh, a contemporary Urdu poet of Bengal, praised his teacher, Ikram, on this; stating that a single ghazal written by Ikram can include up to 72 Urdu poetic metres.^[6]

He was also a teacher to a number of students to whom he taught Urdu poetry. Some include Nassakh, Hafiz Rashidun Nabi Wahshat, Mahmud Azad, Hakim Ashraf Ali Mast,^{[citation needed]} Hamid Bakht Mazumdar,^[7] Arman and Khwaja Abdul Ghaffar Akhtar.^[8][9][10] He was also a tutor to the family of Nawab Syed Mahmud.^[5] It has also been said that Shaykh Haji Ilahi Bakhsh Bijan Siddiqi of Danapur was a student of Zaigham.^[11]

See also

کامل فن سخن ماہر اصناف كلام کوئی ضیغم سا نظر مجھ کو نه استاد آیا