The first writer to use Urdu as the medium of poetic expression was

1. The question asks about the first writer to use Urdu as the medium of poetic expression. 2. Urdu evolved as a distinct language over centuries, developing from Sauraseni Prakrit and influenced by Persian, Arabic, and Turkic languages. Its early forms were known by various names like Hindavi, Rekhta, Deccani. 3. Amir Khusru (1253–1325) was a Sufi musician, poet, and scholar during the Delhi Sultanate. He wrote poetry in Persian but also extensively in Hindavi (an early form of Hindi/Urdu). He is often credited with being one of the earliest, if not the first major poet, to use this vernacular language (Hindavi/early Urdu) for poetic expression, alongside his Persian works. He composed ghazals, qawwalis, and other forms in this language. 4. Mirza Ghalib (1797–1869) was a preeminent Urdu and Persian poet, but much later than Khusru. 5. Bahadur Shah Zafar (1775–1862), the last Mughal emperor, was also a notable Urdu poet. 6. Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911–1984) was a renowned 20th-century Urdu poet. 7. Given his pioneering work in Hindavi poetry, Amir Khusru is widely regarded as the first major writer to use the precursor to modern Urdu for significant poetic expression.