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Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq | |
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| Born | 1790 Delhi |
| Died | November 1854[1] Delhi, Mughal Empire |
| Pen name | Zauq |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Mughal Indian |
| Period | 1837–1857 |
| Genre | Ghazal, qasida, mukhammas |
| Subject | Love |
Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq (1790 – November 1854) was an Urdu poet and scholar of literature, poetry and religion. He wrote poetry under the pen name "Zauq", and was appointed poet laureate of the Mughal Court in Delhi at the age of just 19. Later he was given the title of Khaqani-e-Hind (The Khaqani of India) by the last Mughal emperor and his disciple Bahadur Shah II Zafar.[2]
He was a poor youth, with only an ordinary education. He went on to acquire learning in history, theology and poetry in his later years. Zauq was a prominent contemporary of Ghalib and in the history of Urdu poetry the rivalry of the two poets is quite well known. During his lifetime Zauq was more popular than Ghalib for the critical values in those days were mainly confined to judging a piece of poetry on the basis of usage of words, phrases and idioms. Content and style were not much taken into account while appreciating poetry.