In Persian, Kurdish, Pashto, Turkic, Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), Kashmiri, Sindhi and Punjabi, the word takhallus (from ;A Brief History of Persian Literature, by the Iran Chamber Society. ; ; ; , , ) means a pen name. Pen names were widely adopted by Persian, Turkic, Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) and Punjabi poets.
The takhallus is often included in the , the last couplet () of a .
History and usage In classical Arabic literature and rhetoric, the term takhallus () originally refers to the seamless thematic transition from the opening prelude () of a (ode) to its primary subject, typically praise (). The masterful execution of this transition is highly regarded in Arabic prosody and is termed (good transition).
When the ghazal later evolved into a fully independent poetic form, Persian and subsequently Urdu authors adopted and redefined the term. In the Persianate tradition, takhallus evolved to mean the poet's adopted pen name. It became a formalized structural convention for the poet to weave this pen name into the (the concluding couplet) of the poem.
Examples of takhallus (Note that many of the following poets wrote in multiple languages, and not exclusively in the language they are categorised under.)
Examples of takhallus and used by some notable Arabic poets: Al-Khansa' Al-Mutannabi Abu Nuwas Ziryab al-Ghazal Abu Tammam
Examples of takhallus used by some notable Azeri and Persian poets: Suman - Attar of Nishapur Hafez Jami Khamushn - Rumi Saadi Ashfaq Attari - Fani Badayuni Mahsati Nizami Nasimi Fuzuli Ferdowsi Khaqani Khaṭāʾī - Shah Ismail I of Safavid Iran
Examples of takhallus used by some notable Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) and Punjabi poets, and other Islamicate poets of the Indian Subcontinent: Bulleh Shah Faiz – Faiz Ahmed Faiz Fani — Fani Badayuni, Shaukat Ali Khan Ghalib – Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan Hali – Altaf Hussain Hali Jigar - Jigar Moradabadi, Sikander Ali Moradabadi Kabir Kaki - Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki Makhfi - Zeb-un-Nissa Mir - Mir Muhammad Taqi Mir Raskhan Zafar - Bahadur Shah Zafar, Bahadur Shah II
Examples of takhallus used by some notable Turkish poets: Muhibbi - Suleiman the Magnificent Bâkî Nedîm Fuzuli Üftade Nef'i Mevhibe - Şerife Fatma "Mevhibe" Hanım
Among Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), Kashmiri, Sindhi and Punjabi poets, "Hasrat" is a particularly common takhallus, wherein the word also has meanings "wish" or "desire,", deriving from the Arabic hasra (). It is also the Persian, Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), Kashmiri, Sindhi and Punjabi variant pronunciation of the Islamic honorific haḍra (Arabic: ).
See also List of pseudonyms List of pen names Kunya, Laqab, and Nisba
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