Artists & Writers
Painters, poets, and storytellers of the human soul.
records written
Modern era
Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
1830 – 1907
Punjabi poet
Modern era
Khwaja Ghulam Farid
November 25, 1845 – July 24, 1901
19th-century sufi Punjabi poet of the punjab , polyglot, scholar and writer
Early Modern era
Waris Shah
January 23, 1722 – June 24, 1798
Punjabi poet (1722-1798)
Early Modern era
Sarmad Kashani
1590 – 1661
Persian mystic, poet and saint
Early Modern era
Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janaan
March 13, 1699 – January 6, 1781
Historical figure
Early Modern era
Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi
1743 – October 16, 1824
Islamic scholar
Early Modern era
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
1690 – 1751
Sufi writer
Early Modern era
Sachal Sarmast
1739 – April 11, 1827
Sindhi poet
Medieval era
Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani
October 22, 1314 – January 18, 1385
Iranian Kubrawiya Sufi saint (c.1312–1384)
Medieval era
Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali
April 9, 1378 – March 12, 1439
Kashmiri poet
Medieval era
Lal Ded
1320 – 1392
Kashmiri writer, mystic and saint.
Early Modern era
Rahman Baba
1632 – 1706
Pashtun Sufi Saint
Early Modern era
Dara Shikoh
March 20, 1615 – August 30, 1659
Indian prince
Modern era
Maulana Shaukat Ali
March 10, 1873 – November 26, 1938
Indian activist (1873–1939)
Modern era
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan
January 19, 1873 – 1956
Pakistani writer (1873–1956)
Modern era
Hasrat Mohani
January 1, 1875 – May 13, 1951
Indian independence activist and an Urdu language poet
Modern era
G. M. Syed
January 17, 1904 – April 25, 1995
Political leader (1904-1995)
Modern era
Mohsin-ul-Mulk
December 9, 1837 – October 16, 1907
Indian Muslim politician
Early Modern era
Haji Shariatullah
1781 – 1840
Islamic reformer
Modern era
Altaf Hussain Hali
1837 – December 31, 1914
Urdu poet and writer
Modern era
Shibli Nomani
June 3, 1857 – November 18, 1914
Indian Islamic Scholar (1857–1914)
Early Modern era
Bahadur Shah Zafar
October 24, 1775 – November 7, 1862
18th and last Mughal Emperor from 1837 to 1857
Modern era
Ram Prasad Bismil
June 11, 1897 – December 19, 1927
Revolutionary, poet & writer (1897–1927)
Modern era
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
July 23, 1856 – September 1, 1920
Indian nationalist leader, writer and journalist (1856–1920)
Modern era
Gopal Krishna Gokhale
May 9, 1866 – February 19, 1915
Indian political leader and social reformer (1866–1915)
Modern era
Lala Lajpat Rai
January 28, 1865 – November 17, 1928
Indian author and politician (1865-1928)
Modern era
Bipin Chandra Pal
November 7, 1858 – May 20, 1932
British Indian Bengali academic and politician (1858–1932)
Modern era
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
November 11, 1888 – February 22, 1958
Indian politician and writer (1888–1958)
Modern era
Sarojini Naidu
February 13, 1879 – March 2, 1949
Indian poet, politician, governor of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh from1947 to 1949
Modern era
Annie Besant
October 1, 1847 – September 20, 1933
British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator (1847-1933)
Modern era
Sheikh Abdullah
December 5, 1905 – September 8, 1982
Kashmiri politician (1905-1982)
Medieval era
Abdul Qadir Gilani
March 17, 1078 – February 14, 1166
Sunni Muslim preacher, mystic and jurist (1078–1166)
Modern era
Anwar Shah Kashmiri
November 26, 1875 – May 28, 1933
Islamic scholar
Modern era
Abul A'la Maududi
September 25, 1903 – September 22, 1979
South Asian Islamic scholar, Founder of Jamaat-e-Islami (1903–1979)
Modern era
Muhammad Taqi Usmani
b. October 3, 1943
Pakistani judge
Modern era
Ahmed Deedat
July 1, 1918 – August 8, 2005
South African writer and orator (1918–2005)
Modern era
Shah Ahmad Noorani
April 1, 1926 – December 11, 2003
Spiritual and political leader (1926–2003)
Early Modern era
Guru Arjan
April 15, 1563 – May 30, 1606
Guru of Sikhism (1563-1606)
Early Modern era
Guru Tegh Bahadur
April 1, 1621 – November 11, 1675
The ninth Guru of Sikhism (1621–1675)
Medieval era
Mirabai
1498 – 1546
16th-century Hindu mystic poet, saint and devotee of the god Krishna
Early Modern era
Tulsidas
1532 – 1623
Hindu saint and poet (1532–1623), author of the Ramcharitmanas and Hanuman Chalisa
Early Modern era
Surdas
b. c. 1500
Indian writer
Medieval era
Ravidas
c. 1450 – c. 1520
Buddhism
Early Modern era
Tukaram
1608 – 1650
Bhakti sant-poet
Medieval era
Dnyaneshwar
1275 – 1296
13th-century Hindu Marathi saint and philosopher
Early Modern era
Raja Ram Mohan Roy
May 22, 1772 – September 27, 1833
Indian religious, social, and educational reformer, and humanitarian
Modern era
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
September 26, 1820 – July 29, 1891
Philosopher, academic, writer, translator, entrepreneur, social reformer and philanthropist (1820-1891)
Modern era
Jyotirao Phule
April 11, 1827 – November 28, 1890
Indian social reformer (1827-1890)
Modern era
Savitribai Phule
January 3, 1831 – March 10, 1897
Indian social reformer (1831-1897)
Modern era
Sri Aurobindo
August 15, 1872 – December 5, 1950
Indian Bengali philosopher, yogi, maharishi, poet and nationalist (1872–1950)
Modern era
Paramahansa Yogananda
January 5, 1893 – March 7, 1952
Yogi, Kriya Yoga guru and founder of Self-Realization Fellowship (1893-1952)
Early Modern era
Mir Taqi Mir
May 28, 1723 – September 20, 1810
Indian Urdu language poet (1723-1810)
Early Modern era
Khwaja Mir Dard
1721 – January 6, 1785
Urdu writer
Modern era
Momin Khan Momin
1801 – May 14, 1852
Indian writer
Modern era
Daagh Dehlvi
May 25, 1831 – March 17, 1905
Indian poet
Modern era
Akbar Allahabadi
November 16, 1846 – September 9, 1921
Poet (1846-1921)
Modern era
Josh Malihabadi
December 5, 1898 – February 22, 1982
Shayar-e-Inqalab (1894-1982)
Modern era
Ehsan Danish
1914 – March 21, 1982
Pakistani poet, writer, linguist, and lexicographer (1914–1982)
Modern era
Nasir Kazmi
December 8, 1925 – March 2, 1972
Pakistani poet (1925–1972)
Modern era
Ibn-e-Insha
June 15, 1927 – January 11, 1978
Pakistani writer (1927–1978)