The Poet of the Soil

Bulleh Shah Qadri was a Sufi mystic poet. His birth name was Abdullah Shah. “Bullah” was his family name, which he later adopted as his alias.

He was born in the historical city of Qasur, near Lahore in 1680 AD and died in 1755 AD. His lineage extends to Ghous-ul-Azam, Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani. Bulleh Shah’s father Sakhi Muhammad Dervish migrated from Ooch Shareef and became a settler in Qasur.

Bulleh Shah got his initial education from his father, and later from Molana Ghulam Murtaza and Ghulam Muhiuddin Qusuri. He learned tafseer-e-Quran (Quran as an academic discipline), Hadith, Fiq’ah, Mantaq (logic and reasoning).

Historians and curators have great regard for Bulleh Shah’s personality, poetry, and spiritual journey. His other attributes attributed to him are his social and societal services, preachings and teachings, his empathy for humankind, and his vision for an ideal world. 

Mufti Ghulam Sarwar Lahori (D. 1890 AD) has paid tribute to Bulleh Shah in his book Hadiqa-tul-Auliya.

Bulleh Shah is notable among Sufis from the Punjab region who chose poetry as a medium of expression. His poetry not only revolves around society and people, also serves a purpose for Islamic knowledge and for the sake of truth. His poetry has this specific essence of a dichotomy between Islam and society, where he touches sensitive issues and portrays them in the true light of Islam. His targeted audience were the oppressed, specifically the underprivileged classes. The Almighty had blessed him with a good pen, his writing skills and poetry connected with people on another level. He practiced his given powers for the purpose of spread of Islam. He had this speciality of breaking down complex matters into a simple prose or verse.

One of his greatest spiritual manifestations is the fact that he chose Punjabi language to convey and to preach. He also proved that the word of God is not limited and can be conveyed and expressed through not only different mediums, but different languages as well. Mystic poetry achieved a milestone because of Bulleh Shah.

In the following verse, explains his selflessness before Allah:

Chal Bulleya hunn othay chaliye jithay saray he hovan annay

(Let’s leave Bulleya for the land, where everyone is blind)

Na koi sadi zaat pehchaney te na koi saanu mannay

(For no one knows you, and no one believes you)

He got his spiritual wisdom from his murshid (spiritual advisor) Hazrat Sheikh Shah Inayat Qadri Shitari, who was also a resident of Qasur city. Hazrat Shah Inayat Qadri was a great spiritual guide and religious mentor. He would earn his livelihood through the profession of gardening. When Bulleh Shah came to him for Sufi-education, he was busy in trimming and programming plants and weeds in the garden. Bulleh Shah made his introduction to Shah Inayat and asked him to show him the “Path of Almighty''. In his response Shah Inayat said:

Bulleya, Rabb da ki paavan ay

(How to reach Allah Almighty)

Edhro pattan odhro laavan ay

(Uproot from one side and regrow on other side)

Bulleh Shah got the central note from this statement which was the essence of Sufism. Shah Inayat taught this lesson that the journey of spirituality is to cut off from worldly mischief and be attached with Allah’s path. Bulleh Shah followed his spiritual teacher and recognized this fact that without Murshid one cannot earn consent of the Lord. In his poetry, there’s this aspect of subtlety and sensitivity, the following verse reflects this aspect:

Bulleh nu loki matee’n denday Bulleya jaa baey vich Maseeti

(People put emphasis and advise Bullah to visit the mosque)

Bhai vich Maseetaa de ki hunda, je diloo’n namaz na nee’ti

(Mosques won’t do any good if one does not consent or intend to)

Bulleh Shah had utmost respect for his Murshid and paid tribute to him in his poems. On one such account he wrote:

Bulleh Shah Qasuri ho ke gal Qasuro’n kiti

(Bulleh Shah, a resident of Qasur, chose Qasur as his admirer)

Murshid jaam Inayat kita te Bulleh rajj rajj piti

(Spiritual guide bestowed [referring to Shah Inayat] goblet, and Bullah fulfilled his thirst)

Bulleh Shah negated sectarianism and casteism and advocated for equality and equity. His murshid Shah Inayat was a non-Syed and belonged to the Aarayin clan, since Bulleh Shah himself belonged to the Syed clan, his family asked him to reconsider his choices. Bulleh Shah responded by writing a verse in a storytelling way:

Bulleh nu samjhavan aayan behna te bharjaaya’n

(Bulleh’s sisters came to tell him)

Mann le sada kehna, chad de palla Aaraayaa’n

(Listen to us, and leave your Murshid [who was Aarayin by caste]

Aal-e-Nabi, Olad-e-Ali nu tu kiu leekhaan paayaan

(Do not bring shame to our ancestors)

Bulleh Shah promptly responded as:

Jehra sanu Syed sadday, dozakh milay sazaayaan

(Cursed be the one who calls me a Syed)

Jehra sanu Aarayin akhay, bahishti peengaa payaan

(Blessed be the one who calls me Arayin)

No one could feel the pain of the society like him once riots and skirmishes broke out in all of Punjab. The era of Bulleh Shah was the decline of the Mughal Empire. It was dwindling ceaselessly. The Marhattas, Sikhs and decentralized provinces accelerated this downfall. After the death of Aurangzeb Alamgir (1707 AD), royal disorder and fights for the throne reached their climax. The degenerated governance, unskilled emperors, selfish ministers, intrigues of anti-government forces brought a catastrophic situation. Nadir Shah Durrani and Ahmad Shah Abdali also played their part for bloodshed in Punjab especially Bulleh Shah, very courageously and bluntly expressed his grief and merciful condition of local folk. He writes:

Dar khula hashr azaab da

(The Doom’s Day is upon us)

Bura haal hoya Punjab da

(Punjab is in shambles)

Vich Haavia, dozakh maareya

(Hell is all lose upon us)

Sanu aa mil yaar, pyareya

(Come back and see me, my beloved)

Bulleh Shah successfully tried and composed saneful verses in various genre of poetry e.g., Duharaiy (Two couplets), Kafiyan (melodious sublime sonnets), Saiy Harfian (three couplets), Baran Mah (Twelve months), Athwaray (8 Days), Satwaray Taiy Ghanndhan (7 days and messages). But his popularity in Sufi poetry is Kafi. Baba Navab and Shah Hussain (poets and philosophers) coined this kind of poetry formerly. Bulleh Shah brought to light a thought-provoking system for the purpose of human existence, secrets of the Almighty’s recognition and this universe. He, on some occasions like Shah Hussain, adopted feminine tune to show his humbleness and humility before the Almighty.

Main nahati dhoti reh gayi, kehi ghanndh mahi dil paye gayi

(I was left unattended by my beloved since I got ready for his service)

Dard dhoni payi dar teray, tu hain dard ranjani da

(Painful and depressed I fell on your bind doorstep, as you are the only healer of my pains and restlessness)

Bulleh Shah stood for unity, peace, love, hope, empathy, sincerity, honesty, purity, loyalty, acceptance, tolerance, patience, love of God, love of The Prophet (PBUH), love of humanity, and for promotion of Sharia values. In this era of extreme tendencies, there’s a dire need to reevaluate and to rethink. There’s a will in the way of Sufi saints. May Allah guide us all and direct us to the path of truth, peace, and tolerance. 

Bulleya ashiq hoyo Rabb da, malamat hui lakh

(Bullah [if you] get disregarded [by people] for the love of The Almighty)

Loki kaafir kaafir aakhdey, tu aaho aaho aakh

(They will keep calling you an apostle, you should respond with a “yes”)

Bulleh Shah asaan marna naahi

(Bulleh Shah I shall not die)

Gour paya koi hor

(Resides someone else in my grave)