تذکرہ ایک مرکب صنف ادب ہے۔ اصطلاحاً اس لفظ کا اطلاق اس کتاب پر ہوتا ہے جس میں شعرا کے مختصر احوال اوران کا منتخب کلام درج کیا گیا ہو علاوہ ازیں شعرا کے کلام پر مختصر الفاظ میں تنقیدی رائے بھی دی گئی ہو۔زیر نظر کتاب "تذکرۂ گلشن بے خار" محمد مصطفی خاں شیفتہ کا لکھا ہوا تذکرہ ہے،جو کہ ان کی سخن فہمی کا ثبوت ہے، جس میں ہر شاعر کے کلام کے متعلق انہوں نے بڑی نپی تلی رائیں لکھی ہیں۔ خود ان کے معاصران کے مذاق سخن کے معترف و مداح تھے۔ تذکرہ گلشن بے خار ایک مبسوط اور مشہور تصنیف ہے اور یہی وہ پہلا تذکرہ ہے جس میں انصاف اور آزادی کے ساتھ اشعار کی تنقید کی گئی ہے۔محمد مصطفی خاں شیفتہ شعر گوئی اور سخن فہمی کا بڑا اعلی مذاق رکھتے تھے۔ متانت تہذیب اور سنجیدگی ان کے یہاں کوٹ کوٹ کر بھری ہے، وہ کسی موضوع پر تہذیب کے پہلو کو نظر انداز نہیں کرتے ۔

Mustafa Khan was born in Delhi in 1806. He was the Nawab of Jahangirabad, Bulandshahar. His father was Nawab Murtiza Khan. Jahangirabad estate was purchased by Nawab Mustafa Khan himself. Sheftaa got framed for indirectly helping the rebels during 1857 and was ordered to be imprisoned for seven years. Fortunately, his punishment was cancelled after an appeal but his estate and pension became a casualty. Later after much pleading half his estate was returned. In 1824, he stepped in the field of poetry and started writing poetry in both Urdu and Persian with Sheftaa as a pseudonym for Urdu and Hasrati for Persian. It is said that he consulted Gaalib and Momin in Persian and Urdu poetries respectively. He was a great lover of poetry and convened weekly poetical assemblies at his house. However, he took less interest in poetries after he returned from pilgrimage of the holy places and paid more attention to the religious practices. Much of his poetry was lost during 1857. Urdu and Persian collected works have been published and one ‘Tazkara’ called “ Gulashan-e-Purkhaar’ by him is considered a reliable and authentic source for the literary history of that era.