Bulleh Shah

A good reminder.

The generations of Punjabi children after the partition have missed out on the spirit of Bulleh Shah and other Sufis of Punjab. While they can speak Punjabi, they neither read nor write. This almost criminal neglect of the mother tongue needs to be reveresed. I read recently that they are thinking of making Punjabi an optional language in small classess. Not too sure?

Only a strong cultural base (language & literature) can effectively fight the demon of extremism. Bulleh Shah should not be admired only as a part of history but should be a part of our everyday life. Omair. Thanks.

NHK

Thanks for the article and wonderful translation. Are there any works of Bulleh Shah translated into English, preferably alongside Punjabi text?

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

thank you for this wonderful article. loved Bulleh`s poetry.

romair, thanks for bringing this up....and keep up the good work.

Nazarhayat and Romair:

Pakistan is currenly facing a water shortage. It is already freaked out in trying to make sure India only uses the Chenab water in run of river mode and not store any of it.

Water is the life-line of Pakistan. Keeping the current water crisis in view, Pakistan would never want to be in a state where it has to negotiate a water treaty BOTH with India AND an Independent Kashmir. This by itself would indicate that an independent Kashmir is not an option Pakistan realistically entertains. If anything, it would be frightened by it. Legitimate desires of Kashmiris wanting to be free notwithstanding.

Do you not think, that from Pakistan`s perspective, an independent Kashmir is out of the question particularly in this regard (aside from all the other reasons)?

Though this is a Bulleh Shah board, you guys can also tell me what Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah would do versus what will probably end up happening. Thanks.

Cheers!

Romair, good article.Poets like Bulleshah inspire people to learn the language they write in.
Is he taught in schools colleges? And how much of research is done published on him and other sufi poets?
On another note,I think Kabir is the fountainhead of all the Sufi poetry in the subcontinent. It would be interesting to know how much Kabir has influenced other Sufi poets.Perhaps someone can enlighten.
And I think it is a moot point to even mention the religion of such people and those who appreciate them,coz they have developed their ethical frameworks and sensibilities independent of exclusivist religion,and religion to them is an accident of birth.

Thank you, romair, for this wonderful article. Bulleh Shah was indeed a great man and a great poet revered by Punjabis of all faiths. These days Khawja Ghulam Farid is considered by most West Punjabis to be the greatest of all Punjabi poets. His style is much more lyrical than that of Bulleh Shah and his tone somewhat more melancholy. I hope you can find the time to write an article about Ghulam Farid too.

well, it is unfair and unnecessary to assign the title of greatest Punjabi poet to any one without first establishing the criteria and setting the parameters. Usually, as in Urdu poetry, it is the common agreement among contemporay literati in the field of poetry to distinguish one above the rest for various reasons. If popularity is the criterion than Waris Shah should beat hands down and by a wide margin all others for the title of the greatest Punjabi poet since he wrote the bible of Punjabi culture, which is popular all across Punjab like nothing else. If celebrations of poets is the criterion than Shah Hussein with famous mela charaghaN and Baba Farid for his annula urs at Pakpattan would come out on the top, although this fame has little to do wih poetry in the case of Baba Farid Shakargang.

Among Punjabi Sufi poets, the spiritual and metaphysical subjects in poetry decrease in order from Sultan Bahu, Baba Farid, Bulley Shah, Shah Hussein, Mian Mohammed, Khawaja Ghulam Farid and Waris Shah. One one end is purely endorphin inspired poetry of Sultan Bahu and on the other testosterone inspired wordly subjects entering into poetry although such can be metaphorically read as metaphysical.

Bulley Shah and Shah Hussein poetry is written in oral traditions although Shah Hussein showed interest in the collection of his poetry. Poetry in oral traditions starts without following strict rules of poetry and flexibility lets lyrical and parameters enter slowly over time by the readers and scribes but the credit remains with the original creator. Poetry in oral traditions uses more vernacular and less vocabulary otherwise its purpose fails.

Lyrical qualities are also partially added by the singers using various ragas to fit the poetry which may not look lyrical to common people. Southern Punjab traditions of singing Sufi poetry by folk artists and Khwaja Ghulam Farid using temporal love or worldly metaphors has helped him become more popular than others.

Bulley Shah is very popular in the current atmosphere because of his history of conflict with mullahs of his time. He is a great poet and his stand for his local environment and over unilateral self-assigned caste superiority of Syeds (which was very common among Syeds of Uch GilaniaN) is greatly appreciated.

a bida parveen: Ikk nuktay vich..
click on streaming real media.

Bulleh-shah Kalaam.

Can someone please elaborate these lines ( I think 4th stanza)`` ali binaa eemaan naee labdaa,
paavaiN vichay dafn madina ho``

Also! the first three lines before this also need a bit reflection : Any real personalities of the times ( or otherwise) being hinted at?

This is the first contribution of any merit by Umair Raja. Well done.

Hope we will read more about historical figures who had the love of local people in their heart.

If my memory serves me right, I heard somewhere that of the 16 or so individuals (including the 9 gurus) who form the teachings of the sikh holy book, Guru Garant Sahib, one of them is Baba Buleh Shah.

Umair, the verse that you quoted:

Masjid dha de, mandir dha de, dha de jo kucch dainda
Par kisi da dil na dhain, Rab dilan vich rehnda..

actually goes like this:

Masjid Dha Day, Mandir Dha Day
Dha Day Jo Kujh Disda
Par Kissay Da Dil Na Dhawee(n)
Rub Dilaa(n) Wich Wasda

Here is another beautiful one:

Chal Way Bullehya Chal O`thay Chaliyay
Jithay Saaray Annay
Na Koi Saadee Zaat PichHanay
Tay Na Koi Saanu Mannay

O` Bulleh Shah let`s go there
Where everyone is blind
Where no one recognizes our caste (or race, or family name)
And where no one believes in us

and here is perhaps in (my opinion) the most melodius, the most intoxicated piece of one of his kafi. Alas, an english translation will not do much justice. Only Abida Parveen could have sung it so well:

Tere ishak ne dera mere andar keeta,
Bhar ke zehar pyaala maen aape peeta.
Jhhabdey aaveen ve tabeeba nahi te maen mar gaiya
Tere ishak nachaaya kar thaiya thaiya.

Ais ishak di jhangi vich mor bulenda,
Sahnu kaaba te kibala pyaara yaar dasenda.
Sahnu ghaayal karke pher khabar na laiya.
Tere ishak nachaaya kar thaiya thaiya.

Article is good informative. good effort.

Shahid Nadeem and Madeeha Ghauhr has produced a long stage play on life of Bullah Shah. The story line, the theme and presentation is wonderful. It brings what I call - the Mullah and Bullah conflict - to light on stage in a very captivating manner. Bullah has said somethings that Mullahs would have liked to hang him then or even now. Bullah is antothesis of Mullah...it is funy when some Mullahs praise Bullah..because they really don`t know what he wrote.

NHK #1: Omair. Thanks.``

My pleasure. Glad you liked it...

``Bulleh Shah should not be admired only as a part of history but should be a part of our everyday life. ``

How true. Of all the, ``thinkers`` I have read, from various parts of the world, Bulleh Shah is the most appealing. Those who have spent their lives reading only Western thinkers should seriously take the time to read the Sufi poets.

`` read recently that they are thinking of making Punjabi an optional language in small classess. Not too sure?``

Punjabi is only a spoken language in Pakistan. I think if Pakistan`s literacy rate advances, Punjabi will disappear as a language. It will die in the contest of survival of the fittest. For Pakistan, as a country that may actually be a good thing. Though for those of us, who admire Bulleh Shah, it will be tragic. The only hope of the survival of Punjabi, in my opinion, is that it is the religious language of Sikhs.

Jamalrana #2: ``Thanks for the article and wonderful translation. Are there any works of Bulleh Shah translated into English, preferably alongside Punjabi text?``

You are welcome.

There are some writings of Bulleh Shah, including books. But very very limited, in comparison, to say, Ghalib. Primarily due to the death of Punjabi in Pakistan. His poetry has been translated into English, but once again, in a limited fashion. Check out www.apnaorg.com for a long list of his translations with Punjabi text. If I can ever get a year off, I seriously would like to translate whatever I can.

faisaluno #5: ``thanks for bringing this up....and keep up the good work.``

You are welcome....

rahul_capri #6: ``good article.Poets like Bulleshah inspire people to learn the language they write in........Is he taught in schools colleges? And how much of research is done published on him and other sufi poets?``

Thanks. Unfortunately, there is very little research on Bulleh Shah. Had it not been for Abida Parveen, NFAK, Junoon etc., Bulleh Shah would have disappeared from the mainstream. However, now it is, ``cool`` to quote Bulleh Shah again.

Punjabi is not taught in Pakistan, other than in college. And that too almost non-existent. I have met one person in my whole life who had a degree in Punjabi. So she may have studied Bulleh Shah academically. Punjabi in Pakistan, is generally considered the language of uneducated common folk.....The only areas where it has had a lot of success is in movies and music, where it dominates Urdu and English....

dionysus #8: ``Thank you, romair, for this wonderful article. Bulleh Shah was indeed a great man and a great poet revered by Punjabis of all faiths.....

You are welcome. Bulleh Shah is, no doubt, a philosopher par excellence.

echoboom #9: Will comment on it in a later reply.

sameerJB #10: ``well, it is unfair and unnecessary to assign the title of greatest Punjabi poet to any one without first establishing the criteria and setting the parameters.``

The exact term used was, ``arguably the greatest.`` These are, as you stated, very subjective opinions. Each person will have his own ideas. There is no right nor wrong. Some say Ghalib wrote the best ghazals, some say Mir did. But I don`t think it is an unnecessary attempt, though it can be unfair at times.

``Bulley Shah is very popular in the current atmosphere because of his history of conflict with mullahs of his time.``

I would put Bulleh Shah in the philosopher category. I don`t think Bulleh Shah`s popularity springs only from his conflict of mullahs. There is a lot more to him that that. That part of his poetry appeals to one class of his readers, who already dislike mullahs. Bulleh Shah obviously hated mullahs. But he hated mullahs of all relgions. And mentions Hindu, ``mullahs`` regularly also. And he disliked a lot of other groups also.

In addition, he seems to have had a lot of knowledge of Islam, and uses its concepts as the central basis of his poetry, i.e. the Islamic defintion of God. At the same time, he is very sensitive to all religions. I have not read anything in his poetry, which, in any way, humiliates Islam, Hinduism, Sikh faiths, as religions. While many people currently, who hate mullahs, humiliate Islam as a religion, also.

But most of all, Bulleh Shah disliked anyone who tried to proclaim authority over ideas. He criticizes qazis (jurists) and intellectuals and anyone who tries to make life too complicated and is elitist. He would probably be quite uncomfortable on Chowk and would have probably ridiculed all of us here as as being elitist self-proclaimed know-it-alls, with nothing in common with the common Punjabi peasant.

To me, the biggest achievement of Bulleh Shah is his popularity amongst the common man of all three religions of Punjab - Islam, Hinduism and Sikh. And amongst religious and secular and even athiest folks, alilke. Not too many people can lay claim to that. He was a true humanist.

malik99 #12: ``Umair, the verse that you quoted:

Masjid dha de, mandir dha de, dha de jo kucch dainda
Par kisi da dil na dhain, Rab dilan vich rehnda..``

This is one of the best lines, ever written by anyone, in any language. As is, ``Bulleh! kee janna mein kaun.`` These are up there with, ``To be or not to be,`` ``Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,`` ``I think, therefore, I am`` etc.

Bulleh Shah`s poetry is actually read, sung and written in different ways by different people. Each twists and turns and changes the verses, keeping the general meaning the same. I spent about three hours, doing research on this verse on the Internet. Some places actually attributed it to Muhammad Baksh. So many people have translated it. The above was the most quoted version of this verse that I found. Though it is possible, it is incorrect..........

This was great. Thanks!

Umair
Thanks for writing such a good piece about Baba Bulleh Shah. It is unfortunate that some of us treat punjabi or the punjabi speaking third class, english the first, and urdu as second class. Ironically, we have such a beautiful punjbi poetry, which put humans at the center of life. The sufi poetry teaches that love of humans is true love of God. I have read Baba Bulley Shah, and Hazrat Sultan Bahu. It simply remove many of prejudices from your mind, and make you humble. It seems that they are not preaching you, yet you feel strong hunger to learn from them. It would be very nice if we add these poetry in our text book, so that we know our rich cultural heritage, and learn true humanity. Their messages are universal, and teaches the welfare of whole mankind. Those sufis believes on union, and not on partition. I am writind some verses of Hazrat Sulatn Bahu for our readers. Hopefully, they will enjoy it.

Shariat deh darwazey uchey, rah fikr da mori hu
Alam fazal langhan na dhaindey, jo langda(pass thru) soo chori hu
pat pat ittan(bricks) wattey maran, dard mandan deh khorie hu
raz(secret) mahi(loved-one) da ashiq janan Bahu, keh janan loak(people) athuri hu

Regards.

the extent of venom that hindus hold for us is just mind boggling. it really makes one wonder what hindus are teaching in their scools to thier innocent minds.

``#17 by nasah on September 12, 2004 8:51pm PT

the extent of venom that hindus hold for us is just mind boggling. it really makes one wonder what hindus are teaching in their scools to thier innocent minds. ``

Chowk Staff -- that post is certainly not mine -- naam-e degggar post-e deggar.....

my post was about how amusing thie following passage is -- of an otherwise great piece Umair wrote:

``He was from the Arian cast and grew vegetables to earn a living. Ironically, Bulleh Shah was of a much higher Sayyad caste. Yet, contrary to common social practice, Bulleh Shah accepted Shah Inayat as his spiritual master, and subordinated his life to his lower-caste murshid.``

I din`t know that the Pakistanis also have a caste system that is as well defined as the Hindus........mubaaruk...:-)

Umair,

Very very good. Thanks a ton.

Was not able to read the article. Got stuck with the poetry itself. Still stuck there.

For my info. Was Bulleh Bi-lingual. (Panjabi as well as Urdu?). I was told that song in movie Bobby ``beshak mandir masjid`` was writen by him. Was it he or was it adaption?

jayraj1

garam-chai:[ & others] 16

Just to throw cold water on your enthusiastic gloat about shariat. The context here is about intellectualism , bookishness, legal hair-splitting, social-sciencism, spin doctoring, analysis by Harvard harlots , anthropology-for-oil & minerals, `litterature` littorism, and such kind of moderatism.

Shariat and tareequat are an integral part of evey sage The word SUFI has become a polluted word, and I seldom use it now that it has been adopted by westernised vultures. They think it is a kind of gay-soul-, where sword is an alien concept: they forget Ali--the ultimate and unanimous source of all such sages

These sages whose reputation has survived the vagaries of Time & Space of whatever belief system were never sharabis, chursees, bhungees, haraamkaars, or haraam khores.

Ironically the ``muslims`` who try to glean some lustre off from these sages are exactly the opposite in character , creed, and deed than that of these sages.

i think this was a great peice about a great poet..it is times like these when u can actually link ureself to your culture..i think it is imp. for us to know about the great poets of our own time rather than just relate to shakespeare!!!..i think punjabi will never die...so v should stop worrying about it..because not all of us are punjabis bur v still apprecaite the language..i think it may be called the third language in Pakistan....which is sayin alot..where is pashtu..sindhi..n pahari ranked???

Sometimes it bothers me (when I compare myself to others) that I am not a very spiritual person. I have no interest in sufi-ism or spirituality. I do not know the meaning of either. I am not even convinced that it can imrove the quality of my life in any shape or form. Are there any other people like me, out there?

Umair,

This is a great article! Thanks a ton!

`Qambar`

Saminashah #15: You are welcome. Can you speak and/or understand Punjabi?

garam_chai #16: You are welcome. Punjabi poetry of the past few centuries is indeed quite interesting. Especially the verses with a Sufiana background. I think someone should do a piece on Sikh Punjabi poetry also.

nasab #17: Pakistan does have a caste system. Though it is a much milder version of most caste systems. It is more of a khnadan system with a basis in the financial position of one`s ancestors.

syke #18: It is definintely important to study anything that origianted from the areas one belongs to. Bulleh Shah spoke and wrote in my first language. He belonged to my religion. He walked around and grew up in areas, around Lahore, where I grew up also. Stretching it to the extreme, had he been around today, more than likely, he would be a Pakistani. As am I. Hence I have much more in common with him than with, say, Kant and Aristotle. Interestingly, so many educated Punjabis know of Aristotle`s ideas, and not of Bulleh Shah`s.

I am afraid I cannot share your enthusiasm for the survival of Punjabi in Pakistan. I think it is dying a slow death. It will survive amongst Sikhs for religious reasons. But in Pakistan, if Pakistan advances and gets more literate, Punjabi will disappear, eventually, or morph into something else. There is absolutely nothing of scientific and economic value (other than movies and pop songs) being written in it. And each generation of post-partition Punjabi children speaks it less and less. This makes it even more important to translate Bulleh Shah and others.

Pushto will survive, because it is a national langauge of a country, i.e. Afghanistan. Sindhi and Baluchi will die off quicker than Punjabi, in Pakistan. Baluchi is almost already completely dead.

jayraj1 #21: You are welcome. To the best of my knowledge, Bulleh Shah was bi-lingual and maybe even quadra-lingual, in Punjabi, Saraiki, Persian, and Arabic. Don`t know if he spoke Urdu. Punjabi and Sariaki and Persian being so similar to Urdu, maybe he did.

Urstruly #22: I don`t think one can understand any religion without being a spiritual person. My guess is that the founders of most religions, if not all religions, were very spiritual people. Specifically Muhammad, who used to meditate in a cave, even before he laid the foundations of Islam.

qambar #23: You are welcome.....

Romair:-

``To the point that much of the written material about this great Muslim thinker is from Hindu and Sikh authors. ``

That is really sad! THe problem is that the mullahs have always tried to come in between the almighty and his mortals through their discourses (some of which are absolute nonsense and goes in the name of ijtehad). These mullahs have denounced the ruhaniyat of Bulleh Shah and other sufis because they encourage the ordinary mortals to ``deviate`` from the ``true`` path that mullahs claim to show. The mullahs would lose everything if muslims were to set themselves on the path of Bulley Shah:

``Maati kudam karendee yaar,
Vaah vaah maati de gulzaar;
Maati ghora maati jora, maati daa aswaar,
Maati maati nu (n) dorave, maati daa chankaar.

Maati maati nu(n) maaran lag-gee, maati de hathiyaar.
Jis maati par bahutee maati, so maati hankaar;
Maati baagh bagheechaa maati, maati dee gulzaar.
Maati maati nu (n) vekhan aayee, maati dee a bahar;

Hus khed phir maati hove, paindee pau pasaar.
Bullah ja(n) eh bujhaarat buj-jhe,
Taa(n) lah bhau siro(n) maar.``



``The soil is in ferment, O friend
Behold the diversity.
The soil is the horse, so is the rider
The soil chases the soil, and we hear the clanging of soil
The soil kills the soil, with weapons of the soil.
That soil with more on it, is arrogance
The soil is the garden so is its beauty
The soil admires the soil in all its wondrous forms
After the circle of life is done it returns to the soil
Answer the riddle O Bulleh, and take this burden off my head.``


So welcome to the path of the heretic sufis!!

Bulleh Shah believed in internal Islam -- not the external -- legalistic -- sado masochistic -- ritualistic -- barbaric Islam...

.....for him Koran was a vehicle for an intellectual journey that took him to that quantum level of spirituality -- where the creator and the created became ONE -- All in One -- and One in All.............NOT a manual for beheadings and hostage taking.......

BaluKhan

I dont understand that poem you quoted by Bulle Shah. What is the meaning of the motif of the soil?

I dont think much of these sufi poets. All they do is praise the almighty. Not long before Bulle Shah was born Shakespeare was writing his eternal masterpieces. Yet all these Indian subcontinental poets only seem to have one thing to say....God is so wonderful, Mullah and Pandit are evil, tear down the walls to your heart...blah blah blah, over and over again. Like one trick ponies.

Wasnt there ever a secular poetry in the Punjab that spoke about the dirt of the soul, evil, sin, sex and love and hatred, without referring to God?

Somebody please enlighten me. I am congenitally wary of Holy Men and their poetry. In my experience Sufis anaesthetise you with ``All religions are the same, God is love, all men are equal, praise the almighty he lives in all faiths, he is inside you and is love`` but it somhow all ends up with ``Now convert to Islam or you will burn in hell and die you Kufr b@5tard!!``

Are there any Bhakti`s left? I met a few sadhus and one of them winked at me like he wanted to see my lingam, the other ones philosophy seemed to be, ``Drink bhang and the world will be at peace....``

I always hated hippies, and to think we had this stupid philosophy in India for 2000 years really depresses me.

ballukhan #25

That is really sad!

I am glad someone (who else but an Indian) picked up on what I found the funniest part of the article.

For others: Was Bulleh Shah really a Muslim? Does Sufism really have anything to do with Islam?

Or is this merely an association of convenience?

sameer #10

I think you are right, we shouldn`t be so quick in declaring so and so the greatest Punjabi poet. Waris Shah`s Heer, as you point out, is the Bible, Quran and Geeta of Punjabi culture. But I don`t think anyone can argue that Ghulam Farid has supplanted Bulleh Shah has the people`s favourite poet. Ghulam Farid is extremely popular with both classical and folk singers and this probably at least partly explains it, but I don`t think it`s the whole story.

#27 by BruceLee on September 14, 2004 7:07am PT

``What is the meaning of the motif of the soil?``

sufis see divinity in all aspects of almighty`s manifestation- the soil motif is just about this commonality of substance between the so called polarities of high-low, rider-ridden, king-slave, musalmaan-kafir.

The essence of this world view is in the second line itself:
``Vaah vaah maati de gulzaar; ``

These diversities belong to the same gulzaar- and the sufi maintains this view when he beholds even the tiniest of the almighty`s creations!!

Try this-

Focus your vision on an ant and try to see it with this feeling that it is a manifestation of the almighty.
You would realize what the sufis feel after a few minutes!!!!

#27 by BruceLee on September 14, 2004 7:07am PT

``What is the meaning of the motif of the soil?``

sufis see divinity in all aspects of almighty`s manifestation- the soil motif is just about this commonality of substance between the so called polarities of high-low, rider-ridden, king-slave, musalmaan-kafir.

The essence of this world view is in the second line itself:
``Vaah vaah maati de gulzaar; ``

These diversities belong to the same gulzaar- and the sufi maintains this view when he beholds even the tiniest of the almighty`s creations!!

Try this-

Focus your vision on an ant and try to see it with this feeling that it is a manifestation of the almighty.
You would realize what the sufis feel after a few minutes!!!!

WELL DONE UMAIR!
I am afraid our beautiful `maan boli` Punjabi, the laguage of Bulle Shah, may not be drowned in the flood of Urdu brought about by `Matarruaism` which is ruling the roost these days in Pakistan. The Quran says ` Allah speaks only in the language of the people`. Only Punjabi touches the heart of the people as it is their `Maan boli`. It is perhaps why soofies prefer Punjabi, Sindhi, etc., and the Mulla, Arabic and urdu, treating one as God`s language and the other a `national` one.

As pointed out by nasah I also object to calling araeen a `low cast`. I may remind Umair that ther is no horizontal division in Islam on the basis of cast as is proved by Bulle Shah who says ` Araeen, Araeen aakho menu syed nah aakho koi`. In fact a syed is given respect only as a matter of courtesy due to his relationship to the Prophet (PBUH) and not as a matter of right. You will find syeds generally adopting the language and culture of the people to be one with them. So the mention of lower cast by Umair is unfortunate.

#20 echooom
I am not sure how you took my email? I am not trying to portary myself anti-shariat person, since i dont know what shariat is? I have to read, and understand it before i can say anything about it. I simply wrote verses of Hazrat Sulatn Bahu, which i like. I think it has a very deeper meaning, and it has different meaning to different people. That is the beauty of poetry that it fits in multiplt situation. It is not solid like a brick. It is more like a fluid which changes its shape according to its container. It has no LITTERAL , and fixed meaning. There is another beatiful shair of Hazrat Moen-ud-din chisht, which he wrote about Hazrat Ali Hajveri.

Ganj bakhsh faiz-e-alam mazharey noor-e-khuda
naksan ra peer kamal, kamlan ra rehnama

Regards.

its so difficult to get out of a habit.
Especially if its of drinking sufi wine.
As bullah himself said:
``Ab lagan lagi ki kariye?
Na ji sakiye te na mariye. ``

Umair,
A most interesting article. Though I have read Rumi, my knowledge of Bullay Shah`s poetry is very poor. As you rightly mentioned, if it wasn`t for Abida Parveen and Junoon, his poetry would have remained unknown to many of us.
Thanks for the wake up call.

BaluKhan

All that you describe sounds very Buddhist-Hindu in its mindblowing way of looking at the oneness of creation!

Wonderful article...good job. I am not punjabi, I hardly understand the language but I have always been fascinated by the vision of Bulley Shah...I have been trying to find the translation of his poems in English but so far no luck...if anyone could tell me where I can find something like that, it would be nice.
Once again, thank you very much Umair Raja for writing such a wonderful article about Bulley Shah!

BTW nearly every mehfil of the Ahle Sunnat in Pakistan a and the Pakistani Diaspora usually has someone, at least one naatkhaan, who recites from the poetry of Hazrat Bulleh Shah!

Sometimes whole jalsay are devoted to his memory and praise!

May Allah sanctify his innermost being and give us his faiz!

Great choice of topic romair!

Hazrat Bulleh Shah Qadiri rahmatullah alayhi was, no doubt, one of the greatest saints of the Subcontinent. (Saint is here a translation of the Arabic word `wali` and used in its specific Islamic Sufi sense). His poetry, like that of, eg Rumi, is of a heart annihilated in the Love of Allah! The biggest mistake is to interpret it in a perrenialist sense! He is speaking like a lover so lost in his Divine Beloved that everything *appears* to him to be the same. This is the expression of the Unity of Being [wahdat al wujood] first formulated in these words (the idea and the reality has existed since the first days of Islam eg the Prophet alayhisalatuwa salam`s famous hadith, `He who has seen me has seen The Truth (al Haqq)` ie. Allah or `O Abu Bakr no one knows my Reality except my Rabb!` ) It means that the saint of Allah is reminded of Allah in every object he sees. It does not mean he believes everything is Allah (which goes against basic Islamic teachings and every wali is a Muslim first and foremost; all of them, like Hazrat Bulleh Shah, followers of Sunni orthodoxy and very pious in practise. Thus there criticism of mullahs who practise one thing, preach another! The awliya practise what they preach! )

Main NeevaaN Mera Murshid Uccha...
Main UcchiyaaN naal sang laayee
I am lowly my spiritual guide is lofty!
I have tied my fate to such lofty ones!

This is an area on which I would request the kind input of Hindus on Chowk. In general, I have seen that they are very respectful of Sufis.

Naqshbandi`s #37 and #38 reflect the fact that there is far greater connection between Naqshabandi`s Islam and Bulleh Shah like Sufis than people may at first believe.

Should we ignore this connection? If not, what are the implications of this nexus? What are its social and religious consequences? Have the admiring Hindus, in general, known less about Sufis than they should in order to make a better judgement of the character and role of these individuals?

#40 by Ralph on September 16, 2004 9:04am PT
The need to subsume sufism into contemporary Islam or not is a political decision of the supporters/detractors. The sufis were mostly condemned because they took away the spiritual authority from the elites who accused that in the name of tariqat (way) they innovated hundreds of false beliefs, and laid down the basis of another shariat besides the Islamic shariat. The sufis were accused of justifying these innovations on the grounds that it was the spiritual knowledge which had been transmitted by word of mouth from generation to generation and constituted a much more efficacious way of communion with God as compared to the known shariat.
Even the sufi thought has gone great political transformation since ages and may appear in some sufi schools as a rigid institutionalized tariqat that undermines the importance of the informal and intense spiritual communication between the murid and his shiekh/murshid.

My humble question to all is as follows.

If the sufies did believe in commonality across religions then why did so many people have to convert - there is a theory that begs more research and that is that sufies were the nice guys who were sent by imperialist Muslim emperors to soften up the general population.

take the example of Sufies in Punjab and Sindh or even the famouse Rumi of Anatolia.

Ballukhan

I am going to accuse you of being a scholar :)

That was an extremely well-written, IMO accurate, analysis. As my #12 would suggest, I hold Sufism, and some of the great Sufis, in very high regard. Sufism, the way I understand it, is a true religous path that made only limited and nominal concessions to Islam, just enough to ensure its own survival under very harsh philosphical conditions. (if a Sufi could survive the physical wrath of Muslims by agreeing to call the Object of his worship by an arabic word, allah, and by paying obligatory deferences to their man friday called muhammad, to a Sufi`s mind, he didn`t lose much).

My fear arises from the connection of gentlemen like Naqshbandi to Sufism. That plants a seed of doubt in my mind. Do I not fully understand Sufism? More interestingly, do Hindus who revere sufis as ones of their own - I can`t tell the difference between Sufism and much of philosophical Hinduism - have got things all wrong?

It`s hard to believe to anything that warms the heart of Mr. Naqshbandi can be good for humanity, particularly non Muslims. This connection makes it imperative that no matter what our own prior right or wrong views of Sufism may have been, we, at the very least, take another look at Sufism. Could it be that despite the best intentions of Sufis, Sufism itself became just a well-decorated gateway for an entrance into Islam?

Ralph & Bullukhan:
Fear not Naqshbandi, Contact Deepak Chopra: He agrees with Naqshbandi.
In the mean time chew on this:

---

#20 by echoboom on September 13, 2004 11:14am PT
garam-chai:[ & others] 16

Just to throw cold water on your enthusiastic gloat about shariat. The context here is about intellectualism , bookishness, legal hair-splitting, social-sciencism, spin doctoring, analysis by Harvard harlots , anthropology-for-oil & minerals, `litterature` littorism, and such kind of moderatism.

Shariat and tareequat are an integral part of evey sage The word SUFI has become a polluted word, and I seldom use it now that it has been adopted by westernised vultures. They think it is a kind of gay-soul-, where sword is an alien concept: they forget Ali--the ultimate and unanimous source of all such sages

These sages whose reputation has survived the vagaries of Time & Space of whatever belief system were never sharabis, chursees, bhungees, haraamkaars, or haraam khores.

Ironically the ``muslims``[ or even a wayward-hindu or christian] who try to glean some lustre off from these sages are exactly the opposite in character , creed, and deed than that of these sages.

---

There is no other refuge!

Those skeptics who can`t accept Sufism is an integral part of Islam and nothing else but the practical application of the command to `worship Allah as if you see Him and if you do not see Him know that He sees you` should read any of the following renowned books in their field:

What is Sufism? by Martin Lings
Mystical Dimensions of Islam by Anne Marie Schimmel.

Also this website answers the question What is Sufism? from a practising Sufi:

http://www.livingislam.org/fiqhi/fiqha_e50.html


http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/sufitlk.htm

Naqshbandi.

great to have you back. Are you still posting nudes pics on your i logs in another site in the name of art and beauty? I kinda lost the URL.

regards

Also, I do not know Mr. Ling, and think extremely poorly of Ms. Anne Marie Schimmel. We would learn much by reading directly your own words.

Naqshbandi

I will be honest with you. Your association with Sufism changes the entire meaning of the term.

Why don`t you tell us, in a few short paragraphs, what the essence of Sufism is. What are the few principles without agreeing with which any sympathy with Sufism will be inappropriate? Thanks.

#43 by Ralph on September 17, 2004 6:18am PT
I am hardly a scholar of Naqshbandi`s calibre and I do not think you have to fear anyone trying to follow a tariqat. We should be just wary of those who try to `use` politics with the tariqat to score a few temporal points.
It is just that some follow the path blindly by counting the number of steps to the muqam- while some just run along the path with their eyes wide open.

escapist....sometimes!

***


Ballu ALL I am trying to convince you and Ralp and others of is that Sufism is nothing other than the spiritual, mystical, inner, dimension of orthodox Sunni Islam...


Name any well known Sufi and find out a bit about his doctrine, and education...every one will have been educated in a madrassah from Hasan al Basri in the 1st century of Islam to Pir Sayyid Mihr Ali Shah in the 20th and all in between from Rumi and Ghazali to Ibn Arabi and Shah Wali Allah...#

That`s all!

Dear Ballukhan

Great point. Wish more of us were in your league, and `not scholars of such calibre.` :)

Regards.



Naqshbandi

I, and many other people like me, admire Sufism, but we don`t want to admire it in complete ignorance - admiring Y thinking it is X. Put simply, we don`t want to be misled. Your kind help in clarifying the following will be much appreciated.

1. Why does an orthodox Muslim like Escapist hold you in such utter and vicious contempt? Who has got Islam wrong?

2. What kind of spirituality or mysticism could one associate with a doctrine based on such dogmas as -

- God is not God unless He is called Allah.

- God sends prophets. But He told whatever He ever wanted to tell, now and forever, to a man named Muhammad, and shut down the prophet production line for good.


If we outright reject such foolish nonsense as unbecoming of any rational human being, did Bulleh Shah believe that we would all go straight to hell, while Muslims went on to enjoy the after-life wonders of heaven?

What exactly was Bulleh Shah`s doctrine? I am asking you in the hope that you know Bulleh Shah.

Thanks for your help, my friend.

Ralph.

I admire Bullay shah as a great poet. But to consider him an Islamic figure would be unfair to both Islam and Bullay shah.

I dont hold Naqshbandi in utter and vicious contempt at all :)

I also think the writer has very wisely wrote ``the punjabi humanist``, instead of ``punjabi muslim sufi poet`` or what not.

Regards

Ralph
`God is not God unless He is called Allah`

Mullah says Allah is the personal (zaati) name of the one who is generally called by the name of God, Rab, Khuda, etc.. It is, so to say, His `Signature` and accordingly the mullah-ridden PTV has virtually banned the name of Khuda from all its programs. It reminds me of a couplet of Akbar Allahabadi:

Raqeebon ne rappat likhwaae ja ja ke thhane mein
kih Akbar naam leta he Khuda ka is zamaane mein

They can`t say `khuda haafiz` on Ptv now when all urdu and persian litterature is full of the name of Khuda.

`God sends Prophets. But he told whatever he wanted to tell, now or for ever, to a man named mohammad, and shut down the prophet production line for ever.`

The production line is perhaps too busy producing Firouns and Hamaans (modern mullah) to have a time for producing a Musa or his like, even ignoring the age old wise saying `Har Firoun-e-ra Musa` (for every Pharao there is a Moses). This is obscurantism par excellence.
The mullah cannot tolerate even a false prophet what to speak of a real Prophet.

Its not the Mullahs. Its the Quran itself which says,


The Meaning of The Holy Qur`an. Surah:23. Al-Mu`minun. Ayah 14

16.Say: ``Who is the Lord and Sustainer of the heavens and the earth?`` Say: ``(It is) Allah.`` Say: ``Do ye then take (for worship) protectors other than Him, such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?`` Say: ``Are the blind equal with those who see? Or the depths of darkness equal with light?`` Or do they assign to Allah partners who have created (anything) as He has created, so that the creation seemed to them similar? Say: ``Allah is the Creator of all things: He is the One, the Supreme and Irresistible.``

The Meaning of The Holy Qur`an. Surah:39. Az-Zumar. Ayah 62

62.Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs.

Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

teshah

Whatever that meant.

Romair ( & others )

Here is the complete Masnavi of Rumi ( translations) , commentary & much more. A great comparison of various translations plus intro. to a new translation.

http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/masnavi.html

For a sufi a diehard & fumdamentalist belief & love for Allah, Qura`an, Prophet & his progeny AND invoking of shariat and observing tariquat is an integral & unfettered obligation. A sufi is not some kind of Mharishi, or Chopra or pop-psycho charlatan, or quick-fixer feel-good Doctor.

No non-muslim can be a sufi and simply because someone from tinsle-town & tabloid has oohed & aahed over it , one should never ever consider oneself learned or even at the shoe-level of a maulana, a maulvi, or even a mullah.

Hope muslims as well as others would benefit from this site.

P.S: Romair; I understand about that `innocent` enquiry. This is not the time & place to talk about it. You are doing fine. May you excel in your business.

Everyone only ``sees`` the world according to ones own belief. The ``world`` is inside us , not ``outside``.

Dear teshah, escapist, and echoboom

Although we failed to benefit from the undisputed scholarship and wisdom of Naqshbandi, you guys came through. Thank you.

I am certain the average reader is now more enlightened about Sufism, Islam, and the relationship between the two.

Regards.

escapist

But who is `Rabulaalimin` of the Quran Who is the only one to be praised, worshipped and asked for help (see Surae Faatiha, the Ummul-Quran). Allah as a `mohtasib` is the God of the Mullah, Allah as Rab who is `Rehman and Raheem` is the God of the humans. Allah is one but it has many `Sifaat`. It depends upon you how you recognize Him- Allah as the owner of hell which he has to fill up with `Jin-o-Ins` or Allah as Rab, the sustainer, the God of love and compassion.

umair,
thanks for your article on bulleh shah. nusrat fateh ali khan sang a lot of his poetry.
also, i`ve enjoyed the discussion that came out of your article.

echoboom

Quran says, `Have you seen those who have made `Ehbaar` (the religious professionals) as God`. Mullah is not mentioned in the Quran which was revealed to the Prophet. Ecchoboom might have read some Qurn revealed to the Mullah which names that professional seller of Islam as Allah above all human beings, even the progeny of the Prophet (peace be upon all).

Umair,

Thanks a lot for this wonderful article. Baba Bulle Shah is a prominent figure in Sufi culture and I was dying to know something about him. Sufis should not be seen in the light of Hinduism or Islam or for that matter in any other man-made religion. Sufis always talked about humanity, one God whom we call Sadashiv, Allah, Rabb, God, Khuda, and oneness of universe. They wanted people to understand the falsehood of our practices and taught us about God within all of us and equality of all human beings.

I listen to NFAKs original sufi qawwalis (non techno variety) regualrly and somehow, did not like Abida Parveen`s version that much. If somebody can provide me links where I can did more info about BaBa Bulle Shah and BaBa Ghulam Farid, I will be grateful.

This is to reference to Naqshbandi`s reference....I am not a great historian like him. But yes he is right when he talks about spiritual Sufism ideologies insipred by Sunni spiritual ideology....but let me tell u my friend it`s not where a person gets his doctrine and education from (as you said Bulleh Shah was educated in madrassah), it`s how you utilize the knowlegde after that is important.

If you refer to Bulleh Shah`s lines

``Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya Na maen apna naam dharaaya ``...which means ``Secrets of religion, I have not known .I am not the name I assume ``...that shows he went beyond religious text books & religious preachings and had attained SELF REALISATION ...the REAL HIMSELF

He was a humanist and let me tell you it`s not the maulvis/Mullas in Islam and (the Pandits in Hinduism) which is gonna help you find the real GOD...the Almighty....which is inside you....You YOURSELF will have to take that special effort and Bulleh Shah had done that ....

i remember a poetry by bulleh shah it goes:
bulleh ya weh too raatin jaagen taan sant kaha vein, ratti jaagan kutey tethon ute
(Bulleh shah you stay awake at nights and people call you a saint. dogs stay awake at nights, who are better than humans)
malak da dar mool na chad dey pavein sau sau paindey joote teton ute
(dogs do not leave the door of the owner even if hit by shoes therefore they are better than humans)
bulleh ya weh too ve deen mana ley nahin tey baazi ley gaye kutey tethon uthe
(Bulleh Shah you too must be obedient to god your master or dogs will supersede you)

i remember a poetry by bulleh shah it goes:
bulleh ya weh too raatin jaagen taan sant kaha vein, ratti jaagan kutey tethon ute
(Bulleh shah you stay awake at nights and people call you a saint. dogs stay awake at nights, who are better than humans)
malak da dar mool na chad dey pavein sau sau paindey joote teton ute
(dogs do not leave the door of the owner even if hit by shoes therefore they are better than humans)
bulleh ya weh too ve deen mana ley nahin tey baazi ley gaye kutey tethon uthe
(Bulleh Shah you too must be obedient to god your master or dogs will supersede you)

About 20 years back i had purchased a audio cassette named Bulleh Shah Dee Kafiyaan, sung by Sh. Narender Chanchal. Some words were
`` Je Rub(God) Milda Nahateyaan Dhoteyan,
Te Milda Dadduan(frogs) Macchhian(fishes),
Je Rub Milda Madhi Masani,
Te Milda Chham Chidikhiyaan,
Je Rub Milda Jungal Wele,
Te Milda Gauaan Vacchhian,
Bulleh Shah Rub Usnu Milda,
Te Niyataan Jinhaan Diyaan Acchhian,
Nee Main Kamlee Haan
Hazi lok Makke Wal Jaande
Assaan Jaana Takth Hazare Nee Main Kamlee Haan.

masjid dha de, mandir dha de....i believe that was part of saiful mulk, by pir muhamad mian...not a poem by bulleh shah...am i wrong?

An informative and interesting article. As mentioned that Bulleh did not believe in saying something ambiguous. Whatever he wanted to convey he said it by hitting the nail in the head. His kalam reproaches the hypocrites.

Parh parh masley roz sunaavey
Khaanaa shak shubey da khaweyn
Daseyn hor te hor kamaaweyn
Ander khot baahir suchyaar

You deliever sermons everyday
You eat the food of suspicion and doubt
You preach something and act inversly
Inwardly you are corrupt but outwardly you are pious

Moreover I agree with tharilist786 that this couplet belongs to Main Muhammad Baksh `` masjid dha de, mandir dha de....( .not by bulleh shah) please correct me if you find me wrong in this regard.