Abdul was a poet in the court of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1627/988-1037) of the Adil Shahi dynasty.

According to Naseeruddin Hashmi, some sources suggest that his real name was Abdul Ghani. He is best known for his mathnavi ‘Ibrahim Nama’, which was commissioned by Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II and completed in 1012H/1603. The Sultan, intrigued by the idea of a unique literary work, summoned Abdul and instructed him to write a book unlike any other, stipulating that the author should be well-versed in Hindi and Dakhni, but not in Arabic. This request led to the creation of Ibrahim Nama.

The work begins with hamd, naat, and manqabat, including a manqabat dedicated to Hazrat Banda Nawaz Gesudaraz, followed by the primary subject matter, which focuses on the personal life events of Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II. Although not a comprehensive biography, Ibrahim Nama provides significant insights into the Sultan’s private life, making it an important literary document.

One of the distinctive features of Ibrahim Nama is its linguistic composition, which blends the old Dehlvi dialect of Delhi with Dakhni, reflecting a fusion of Hindi and Persian literary traditions. This mixture is noted by Masud Husain Khan, who describes the language of Ibrahim Nama as an amalgamation of these regional dialects. The work is regarded as the first literary masterpiece of the “School of Bijapur”.

Dr. Jamaal Shareef credits Prof. Bhagwat Dayal Varma as the first person to introduce this mathnavi, who came across a manuscript of it in the library of Parti Nidhi in the Awandh princely state. He mentions the scribe’s name as Syed Abdul Raheem bin Syed Yusuf. Another manuscript of this mathnavi was found by Dr. Zore in the collections of Salar Jung.

Abdul is also believed to have been a contemporary of Muqeemi and Mullah Wajhi of Golconda, another prominent poet of the time. In his Ibrahim Nama, Abdul identifies himself as “Abdul Dehlvi,” indicating his origins from Delhi.

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. (pg. 268)
2. Khan, Masud Husain, editor. Ibrahim Nama. 2nd ed., Karnataka Urdu Academy, 1999
3. Zor, Syed Muhiuddin Qadri, editor. Abdul Ka Ibrahim-Naamah. 1st ed., Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu, n.d
4. Hashmi, Naseer-Uddin. Dakan MeiN Urdu. 1st ed., Taraqqi Urdu Bureau, 1985.