Waris Shah (1722–1798) was a Punjabi

Punjabi people

The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...

 Sufi poet, renowned for his contribution to Punjabi

Punjabi language

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

 literature. He is best-known for his seminal work Heer Ranjha

Heer Ranjha

For 1970 Hindi movie of same name and characters, see Heer Raanjha.Heer Ranjha is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are Mirza Sahiba, Sassi Punnun and Sohni Mahiwal. There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being 'Heer' by Waris Shah...

, based on the traditional folk tale of Heer and her lover Ranjha. Heer is considered one of the quintessential works of classical Punjabi literature. The story of Heer was also told by several other writers—including notable versions by Damodar Das

Damodar Das Arora

Damodar Das Arora was a famous Punjabi poet, belonging to the Jhang District. He is famous for his poetic narration of the tale of Heer Ranjha, which is titled Heer Damodar. This was the first Punjabi language poem about this famous love-legend...

, Mukbal, and Ahmed Gujjar—but Waris Shah's version is by far the most popular today.
Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Khan

Jandiala Sher Khan

Jandiala Sher Khan, or Jandiala Sherkhan, is a town and union council of Sheikhupura District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part Sheikhupura Tehsil and is located at 31°49'15N 73°55'10E. The town is notable for being the birthplace of famous poet Waris Shah, known as the Punjabi...

, Punjab

Punjab region

The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

 into a reputed Syed

Syed

Syed is a masculine given name derived from the title Sayyid, it is not to be confused with the similar looking name Sayid...

 family who claimed descent from prophet Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

.