He lost his father when he was just nine years old and was then brought up in his maternal grandfather, Nawab Imadul Mulk’s care.

He was an intelligent child who developed an early interest in poetry and music. His mother Bibi Daulatnaz was the daughter of Rawat Arz and hailed from an Indian Rajput family. His father, Amīr Saif-ud-Dīn Mahmūd was a high official at the court of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish. He was born as Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn K͟husrau in 1253 in Patiyali in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh. Centuries after his death, his poetry is still sung today at Sufi shrines throughout Pakistan and India. He wrote primarily in Persian and Hindustani, though he had also composed a war ballad in Punjabi.

He went on to become an acclaimed poet who was greatly respected by the rulers of the land he was associated with the royal courts of more than seven rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. He was raised in an intellectually stimulating atmosphere and received training in the arts and literature as well as Fiqh, astronomy, grammar, philosophy, logic, religion, mysticism and history. Bright and talented, he began composing verses from the time when he was just eight. Khusro was introduced to Sufism and music at an early age by his father. Credited to have introduced the ghazal style of song into India, he was also the one who introduced Persian, Arabic and Turkish elements into Indian classical music. He played a significant role in the development of the arts and culture in the Indian subcontinent and is considered an iconic figure in the cultural history of the region. An expert in many styles of Persian poetry, he has written in many verse forms including ghazal, masnavi, qata, rubai, do-baiti and tarkib-band. Amir Khusro was a Sufi musician, poet and scholar regarded as the 'father of Qawwali'.

Amir khusro biography