Ahmed Faraz (1931–2008) is the name most Urdu readers reach for when they want a ghazal that says plainly what they feel — and the shelf behind the name is larger than most readers expect. He wrote no novels, no short stories, no plays of his own except one verse play. What he left is a run of poetry collections stretching from 1958 to 1988, a book of criticism, a book of interviews, and ghazals that singers carried into homes across Pakistan and India. This Ahmed Faraz books guide takes those books one by one: what each one is, where the publication years are disputed, and where a new reader should start. He is framed here as a poet, not as a novelist. His name is also written "Ahmad Faraz" — Wikipedia uses that spelling — and this guide uses the common "Ahmed Faraz" throughout.
His Life in Brief
Faraz was born Syed Ahmad Shah in 1931, in the Nowshera and Kohat area of what was then the North-West Frontier Province — the sources disagree on the details, and this guide records the disagreement rather than hiding it. The current Wikipedia article gives his birthday as 14 January, citing a 2003 interview; older versions of the same article and other sources give 12 January. The infobox names Nowshera as his birthplace while the body of the article says Kohat; Rekhta reconciles the two by saying he was born at Nowshera while his family came from Kohat. His father, Agha Syed Muhammad Shah Bark Kohati, was a teacher who wrote Persian poetry. Faraz studied at Islamia College in Kohat and Edwardes College in Peshawar, and took an M.A. in Urdu and Persian from the University of Peshawar. His brother Masood Kausar later became Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He began as a producer at Radio Pakistan and lectured at Islamia College, Peshawar, before moving into the institutions that shape Urdu literature in Pakistan: founding director general and later chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, chairman of the National Book Foundation in Islamabad, and director of Lok Virsa. His two great influences, by Wikipedia's account, were Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ali Sardar Jafri — and it shows: like Faiz, Faraz wrote love poetry that kept turning into political poetry, and back again.
That double thread cost him. Under General Zia-ul-Haq he was arrested for poems criticising military rule, and then went into self-imposed exile — three years in Britain, Canada and Europe by Wikipedia's account, six years in Europe and Canada by Rekhta's. The length is disputed; the exile itself is not. He returned to Pakistan, kept writing, and in 2004 received the Hilal-e-Imtiaz from President Pervez Musharraf — then returned it in 2006, in protest against the Musharraf regime. He died in Islamabad on 25 August 2008, of kidney failure, and was buried the next day at the H-8 Graveyard. The Hilal-e-Pakistan was conferred on him posthumously.
The Books, One by One
Tanha Tanha (1958) — the debut
Start here, because this is where Faraz the published poet begins. Tanha Tanha appeared in 1958, while he was still a student, and it already carries the voice readers know him by: direct, romantic, and musical enough to be sung. It is the accessible starting point, and the book every reading order for Faraz opens with.
Dard-e-Ashob (1961 or 1966) — the year is disputed
The second collection is where the record first gets messy, and the mess is worth stating plainly. Wikipedia's books table dates Dard-e-Ashob to 1961; Hamariweb gives 1966, and a Rekhta e-book listing also shows 1966 — which may be a reprint year rather than the first publication. The exact year is unsettled in the sources.
Shab-e-Khun (1968) — the political turn
Shab-e-Khun, from 1968, is the collection for readers who want the resistance side of Faraz. The title means "night of blood", and the poems in it are the ones that made him a political poet as well as a romantic one — the thread that later led to his arrest and exile. No year conflict was found for this book.
Janan Janan (1972 or 1976) — the mature blend
Janan Janan is the collection most readers mean when they talk about mature Faraz: love and resistance in the same ghazal, neither apologising for the other. Wikipedia dates it to 1972; Hamariweb says 1976; a Rekhta listing shows 2005, which is evidently a reprint or edition year, not the first publication.
Pas-e-Andaz-e-Mausam (1974 or 1989)
The same caution applies to Pas-e-Andaz-e-Mausam: 1974 in Wikipedia's table, 1989 in Hamariweb. It belongs to the middle of his shelf, and that placing is safer than either year on its own.
Khwab Gul Pareshan Hai (1981) and Ghazal Bahana Karun (1982)
The two collections of the early 1980s carry the later Faraz: Khwab Gul Pareshan Hai (1981) and Ghazal Bahana Karun (1982). A Rekhta listing shows 2004 for Ghazal Bahana Karun — a reprint year.
Nayaft (1988) — a date that does not add up
Nayaft is dated 1988 in Wikipedia's table — but Hamariweb says the book was "declared the best book of the year in 1970", which cannot be reconciled with a 1988 publication. Nayaft is a late collection on his shelf, and its exact publication story is unresolved.
Kulliyat-e-Ahmad Faraz — the complete works
For committed readers, the Kulliyat is the whole shelf in one place. Rekhta records that the complete works appeared under the title Shahr-e-Sukhan Aaraasta Hai; no reliable source pins a first-publication year, so none is given here.
The prose and the play — criticism, interviews, Boodlak
Faraz's shelf is not only poetry. Ghazal ke Aatishkade (1987) is a book of literary criticism; Bayan-e-Faraz (1999) is a book of interviews. Boodlak is a play in verse — the one dramatic work on his shelf — and its year is unpinned: Hamariweb says 1994, a single source, and a Rekhta listing shows 2002, likely an edition year. Other titles Rekhta confirms but no source dates reliably — Merey Khwab Reza Reza, Be Aawaz Gali Koochon Mein, Nabeena Shehr Mein Aaeena, and Ai Ishq-e-Junoon Pesha, a selection from Bedi's poetry compiled by Faraz — are named here without years. Sab Awazein Meri Hain is Faraz's own translations of other poets' work, not his own poetry.
The Ghazals Everyone Knows
Two ghazals carry Faraz further than any book on its own. "Ranjish Hi Sahi" is his most famous ghazal: written by Faraz, first sung by Iqbal Bano, and popularised by Mehdi Hassan, who made it a hit as a film song in the Pakistani film Mohabbat. "Ab Ke Hum Bichde To Shaayad" was sung by Mehdi Hassan in 1977 for the film Angaray. The singers who carried his work are a roll call of the great voices — Mehdi Hassan, Noor Jehan, Ghulam Ali, Pankaj Udhas, Jagjit Singh and Runa Laila. No other famous-ghazal titles are added here — none were verified in the sources read.
The Awards — and the One He Gave Back
Faraz received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz — no source read gives the year — and the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2004, which he returned in 2006 in protest against the Musharraf regime. The Hilal-e-Pakistan was conferred on him after his death in 2008. Rekhta also names the Abaseen Award and the Kamal-e-Fun Award, without years, and Wikipedia lists Nigar Awards, also without years. One award claim needs a flag: Hamariweb alone credits him with an Adamjee Award in 1966, and a single weaker source is not enough to state it as settled fact. The award that matters most to his story is the one he gave back.
In English
For readers who do not read Urdu, the verified English shelf is one book: Best of Faraz, a selection of his ghazals translated by Kuldip Salil (Rajpal and Sons, 2012, 168 pages), with the Urdu originals transliterated in Roman and Devanagari alongside the translations. No other English-translation volume was verified, and none is claimed here. A 2025 Rekhta Publications paperback titled Ranjish He Sahi is a Faraz poetry selection, not a translation volume. For Urdu readers, Rekhta hosts 37 e-books, 153 ghazals, 45 nazms, 183 shers and 105 audio items by Faraz — the practical place to read and hear him.
Where to Start: A Reading Order
First, Tanha Tanha (1958): the debut, and the most accessible door into Faraz. Second, Janan Janan: the mature blend of love and resistance. Third, Shab-e-Khun: for the political side, the poems that led to arrest and exile. Fourth, the Kulliyat-e-Ahmad Faraz (Shahr-e-Sukhan Aaraasta Hai): the complete works, for committed readers. Fifth, for English-only readers, Kuldip Salil's Best of Faraz (2012). For readers who want only the essential Faraz, the first two collections and the two famous ghazals are enough. For the company he kept, our Faiz Ahmed Faiz books guide covers the poet who influenced him most, our Mirza Ghalib books guide covers the nineteenth-century master of the ghazal form he worked in, and our Fahmida Riaz books guide covers a poet of his own generation who also wrote of love and resistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Ahmed Faraz write any novels?
No. He was a poet: ghazal collections, a verse play, a book of criticism and a book of interviews — there are no Faraz novels to list.
Which book of Faraz should I read first?
Tanha Tanha (1958), his debut collection. It is the most accessible starting point, and the book every reading order for Faraz opens with.
Why do different sources give different years for his books?
Because the record itself disagrees. Wikipedia's books table (citing Rekhta) and Hamariweb give different years for Dard-e-Ashob, Janan Janan and Pas-e-Andaz-e-Mausam, and some Rekhta listings show reprint years rather than first-publication years. This guide records the disagreement instead of picking one year silently.
What is "Ranjish Hi Sahi"?
Faraz's most famous ghazal, first sung by Iqbal Bano and popularised by Mehdi Hassan, who made it a hit as a film song in the Pakistani film Mohabbat.
Where can I read Faraz in English?
Kuldip Salil's Best of Faraz (Rajpal and Sons, 2012) is the one verified English-translation volume. For Urdu readers, Rekhta hosts his e-books, ghazals, nazms and audio recordings.
Research date: November 7, 2026. Facts verified against Wikipedia (Ahmad Faraz and Ranjish Hi Sahi) and Rekhta's Ahmed Faraz profile page. Where sources disagree — his birth day is given as 14 January by the current Wikipedia article and 12 January by older versions and other sources; his birthplace is Nowshera in the Wikipedia infobox and Kohat in the same article's body, with Rekhta saying he was born at Nowshera while his family came from Kohat; his exile is three years by Wikipedia's account and six by Rekhta's; Dard-e-Ashob is dated 1961 by Wikipedia and 1966 by Hamariweb, Janan Janan 1972 by Wikipedia and 1976 by Hamariweb, Pas-e-Andaz-e-Mausam 1974 by Wikipedia and 1989 by Hamariweb, and Nayaft's 1988 date cannot be reconciled with Hamariweb's claim that it was the best book of 1970 — this guide records both sides and states no disputed year as settled fact. No publication year is given for the Kulliyat, Boodlak, Merey Khwab Reza Reza, Be Aawaz Gali Koochon Mein, Nabeena Shehr Mein Aaeena, Sab Awazein Meri Hain or Ai Ishq-e-Junoon Pesha, because no reliable source pins one down. The Adamjee Award 1966 claim rests on Hamariweb alone and is flagged as such.