Aaftabi was a 16th-century court poet in the Nizam Shahi dynasty (1490–1636), serving under Sultan Husain Nizam Shah of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate. He is best known for his mathnavi titled Kitab-i Tarif-i Husain Shah Padshah-i Dakan (The Chronicle of Husain Shah, King of the Deccan), also referred to as Tarif-i Husain Shahi or Tarif-i Husain Shah.

According to Naseeruddin Hashmi, this mathnavi is composed in the metre and style of Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (977–1010 CE), and comprises of 370 couplets narrating the battles of Sultan Husain Nizam Shah while extolling the king’s virtues and those of his queen consort, Khunza Humayun.

Aaftabi’s mathnavi prominently features the Sultan’s victory at the Battle of Talikota (1565), an event that significantly shaped the history of the Deccan. The text, accompanied by vivid illustrations, provides the only contemporary poetic description of this decisive battle. Aaftabi’s portrayal of the Vijayanagara ruler Rama Raya, an adversary of Husain Nizam Shah, oscillates between condemnation—labeling him a “useless infidel” (kafir-i nabakar)—and admiration, employing poetic conventions that highlight the grandeur and might of a worthy opponent.

Further Readings:
1. Shareef, Muhammad Jamaal. Dakan meiN Urdu Shayeri Wali Se Pehle. Edited by Muhammad Ali Asar. Hyderabad: Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu, 2004.
2. Tarif-i-Husain Shah, Badshah Dakhan: original text, translation and critical introduction. India, Bharata Itihasa Samshodhaka Mandala, 1987.
3. Eaton, Richard M.. A social history of the Deccan, 1300-1761: eight Indian lives. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2005.
4. Hashmi, Naseer-Uddin. Dakan MeiN Urdu. 1st ed., Taraqqi Urdu Bureau, 1985