One of the most prominent representatives of the Romantic movement, Mahammad Hadi, who had a multifaceted creative activity, was born on February 19, 1879, in the city of Shamakhi, into a merchant family. The poet, whose real name was Agha-Mahammad grew up without parents. In his youth, he chose the pseudonym Hadi (translated from Arabic as "one who shows the right path"). He was later raised by his paternal grandmother Teyyiba Khanum. After the death of his grandmother, Mahammad Hadi lived under the care of his close relative, Mustafa Lutfi. Mustafa Lutfi Bey was a well-known intellectual from Shamakhi and the editor of the “Bürhani-tərəqqi” newspaper published in Astrakhan. He put much effort into Hadi’s upbringing and taught him Arabic and Persian from an early age. Hadi received his primary education in a madrasa, studied history, literature, Sharia, and law, and mastered Eastern art and philosophy through regular personal reading. Later, he studied at the school founded by the poet Abbas Sahhat's father, Aliabbas Efendi. Hadi dreamed of continuing his education in Eastern centers of learning. Since Mustafa Lutfi did not have the financial means to send him abroad, he turned to influential relatives but could not fulfill his wish. Hadi had to start a trading business with the help of his cousin. He soon quit because he was not interested in the job.

In the winter of 1902, an earthquake, the strongest in the history of Shamakhi due to the magnitude of the damage it caused, struck the city. The city was devastated, houses collapsed, and people were displaced from their homes. After the devastating earthquake, Mahammad Hadi, like many people from Shamakhi, was forced to leave his hometown and move to Kurdamir. Together with Agha Efendi, another educator from Shamakhi living in Kurdamir, he opened a school and taught. While living in Kurdamir, his first poems were published in the newspaper "Hayat" in 1905. During the famous First Russian Revolution (1905-1907) and the subsequent events that unfolded, he wrote a series of poems that celebrated the national, cultural, and revolutionary awakening in his verses. A talented poet, who won the admiration and respect of readers with the style and themes of his published poems, was invited by Mustafa Lutfi to work at his newspaper, Bürhani-tərəqqi. Ali bey Huseynzade invited Hadi, who had been living in Astrakhan for some time, to Baku when publishing the magazine "Füyuzat". After the closure of "Füyuzat", the poet collaborated with the newspapers "Həqiqət", "Tazə həyat", and "İttifaq", addressing himself to the topics of freedom, national progress, and ignorance in his works and articles.

The poet traveled to Istanbul in 1910, where he published his translations and works in the "Tanin" newspaper. He also collaborated with the publications "Rübâb," "Mehtap," and "Hilal." Due to his strong opposition stance, he was arrested along with several revolutionaries and exiled to Thessaloniki in 1913.

Hadi returned to his homeland in 1914. He published poems, articles, and translations in the newspapers "İqbal" and "Bəsirət". However, as soon as World War II broke out, he left for Europe as part of the Baku Muslim Division. In 1915, he volunteered as a medical assistant in the Caucasian army. He set off for the Austrian front, to the Carpathians, and served as a regimental imam among Muslim soldiers.

The bloody March events that led to the mass massacre of Muslims in Baku after the war in 1918 were particularly reflected in the poems of the patriotic poet.

In 1918, the most proud event in our history took place. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established. Hadi welcomed this glorious history with joy. He dedicated poems to our flag and the National Army. His poems were published in the "Azerbaijan" newspaper, the official press of the Republic. In the newspaper’s first issue, on September 15, 1918, his famous poem "Türkün nəğməsi" ("The Song of the Turk") was featured.

Love for humanity has been the fundamental principle of Hadi's philosophy. Calling his people to awaken and fight for independence, Mohammad Hadi regarded freedom as the essence of society and constantly praised it romantically. The poet's highest aspiration was the happiness of the people. He dedicated his life and the entirety of his art to this cause. However, the pain of the collapse of the Republic was not only reflected in the poet's poems but also hurt his health. The time of death and the cause of death of the poet, who spent his final days in the Ganja hospital, remained unknown for many years. Aziz Mirahmedov, a prominent scholar and researcher of Mahammad Hadi's work, traveled to Ganja in 1966 and, with the help of local aqsaqals, discovered Mahammad Hadi's grave in the Sabiskar cemetery. It was revealed that he died in a small hospital in the city of Ganja and was buried in the Sabiskar cemetery in May 1920 with the participation of progressive Ganja intellectuals.

In 2019, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the Decree "On the Celebration of the 140th Anniversary of Mahammad Hadi" according to Article 109, Paragraph 32 of the Constitution.

Mahammad Hadi dedicated all his talent to the struggle for the cultural advancement of his homeland. He produced valuable poetry, published artistic and journalistic articles, and translated classic Eastern and Persian-language Azerbaijani poetry into our language. As a powerful romantic thinker, poet, and journalist, he holds a special place in Azerbaijani literature and has gained significant recognition.

Recommended literature:

1. Qəribli, İslam Eynəli oğlu. Məhəmməd Hadi: həyatı və yaradıcılığı : [monoqrafiya] /İ. Qəribli ; elmi red. İ. Həbibbəyli ; AMEA, Nizami Gəncəvi adına Ədəbiyyat İn-tu. - Bakı: Elm və təhsil, 2020. - 559 s.
2. Mirəhmədov, Əziz Mirfeyzulla oğlu. Məhəmməd Hadi /Ə. M. Mirəhmədov ; rəyçi. Y.Qarayev. - Bakı: Yazıçı, 1985. - 222 s.
3. Qəribli, İslam Eynəli oğlu. Mən bir kitab, hər vərəqim min kitabdır: Məhəmməd Hadi haqqında məqalələr /İslam Qəribli ; red. A. Salmanov ; AMEA, Nizami ad. Ədəbiyyat İn-tu. - Bakı: Elm və təhsil, 2013. - 299 s.
4. Qəribli, İslam Eynəli oğlu. Məhəmməd Hadi və mətbuat: 1905-1920-ci illər /İ. Qəribli ; elmi məs. və red. B. Nəbiyev ; AMEA Nizami ad. Ədəbiyyat İn-tu. - Bakı: Elm və təhsil, 2011. - 446 s.
5. Barmanbay, Afina. Azerbaycan romantik edebiyatında vatan: /(Abbas Sehhet, Abdulla Şaik, Mehemmed Hadi). - Ankara: Bengü, 2020. - 199 p.