LAHORE: Renowned poet, naat reciter, and orator Syed Salman Gilani passed away on Saturday following a prolonged illness, his family confirmed.
Gilani, 74, had been undergoing treatment at Sheikh Zayed Hospital for heart and liver complications. According to his relatives, his health had deteriorated in recent days despite ongoing medical care.
Celebrated in both literary and religious circles, Gilani was widely admired for his naat recitations and poetry. Attendees of his gatherings often praised his style as simple, relatable, and engaging.
His body of work, encompassing devotional and non-devotional poetry as well as humorous compositions, was frequently recited at religious and literary events.
Funeral prayers are scheduled to be offered after Zuhr at Jamia Ashrafia in Lahore, with family, friends, students, and members of the literary community expected to attend.
Expressing his condolences, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman described Gilani as a respected poet whose devotional poetry touched many lives. He added that the late poet maintained close ties with his family and prayed for his forgiveness.
