Rafiuddin Raz (real name: Mirza Rafiuddin Beg) was a prominent and versatile Urdu poet. He was born on 21 April 1938 in Begusarai district of Bihar, India. His father, Mirza Fariduddin, was proficient in several languages. Rafiuddin Raz earned an M.A. in General History from the University of Karachi and began writing poetry in 1968.

His life was deeply shaped by the experience of migration. He moved from Bihar to East Pakistan and later from East Pakistan to Karachi, where he eventually settled. His subsequent move to the United States marked another major phase of migration in his life. These experiences of displacement and relocation had a significant influence on his personality, thought and poetry.

Rafiuddin Raz wrote in a wide range of literary forms, including ghazal, nazm, rubai, doha, hamd, naat, manqabat, qit'a, inshaiya and haiku. More than 31 books of his poetry and other writings have been published. His contribution to naat poetry is particularly notable. His collection ‘Mir ke Naqsh-e-Qadam Par’ contains 100 naat poems composed in the poetic metres and patterns associated with Mir Taqi Mir.

His poetry brings together spiritual devotion, human sensitivity, intellectual depth and a distinctive mode of expression. Several research papers and books have been written on his life and work, while the literary quarterly Karwan also published a special issue dedicated to him, titled ‘Rafiuddin Raz Number’. Through his versatile literary output and distinctive poetic voice, Rafiuddin Raz occupies an important place in modern Urdu literature.