Sachal Sarmast, whose Urs ceremony is held at Daraza Sharif in Khairpur district on every 14th of Ramazan, is regarded as one of the most prominent mystic poets of Sindh. He wrote poetry in seven languages. His poetry inspired many Sindhi poets. He is held in high esteem by Muslims and Hindus alike. He was a true Sufi. To be “in the world, but not of it” free from ambition, greed, intellectual pride, blind obedience to custom, or awe of persons higher in rank - that is the Sufi’s ideal.
The real basis for looking into elements in the poetry of Sachal Sarmast is Sufism. When the holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) said “Seek knowledge even if you were to travel to China,” it opened new vistas and avenues for seeking knowledge from the East or the West. In fact, later on, Sufism became a bridge between the East and the West. Language as a vehicle of expression:
It is in the quest for this knowledge and “Haqq” or “Truth” that Sachal gave manifestation to his mystical thought in Sindhi, Siraiki, Urdu and Persian languages. In fact he has been rightly acclaimed as “Heft Zaban” - although it is another matter that his poetic expression in languages other than his mother tongue i.e. Sindhi is of conventional nature. He has expressed his feelings strongly in Sindhi or Siraiki.
A striking feature of Sachal’s poetry is “openness” or as many of his admirers believe, his courage. However, his pen-name used in his Persion poetry, namely, “Aashkaar” or “Open” is ascribed to a story attributed to Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai who, upon seeing Sachal in his childhood, had immediately recognised that one day he would “Open the lid from many secrets” of mysticism. Indeed it is this very characteristic of his poetry which brackets him with personalities such as Mansur Halla, Sarmad, Shams Tabriz, Bilawal, Shah Inayat and Attar. Sachal Seems to have been inspired by Attar. In fact he has been called “The Attar of Sindh.”
Attar has been acclaimed universally, among all mystical poets of Iran as the “Voice of Pain” the “Voice of longing” and the “Voice of Searching”. It is this very sense of searching the inner recesses of the mystic’s mind, that overpowers Sachal when he describes his feelings thus:
“I am what I am etc.”
“How shall define what thing I am wholly existent, and non-existent, I am...Sometimes a mote in the disc of the sun, At others, a ripple of the water’s surface. Now I fly about on the wind of association, Now I am a bird of the incorporeal world... I have enveloped myself in the four elements. I am the cloud on the face of the sky. In the lot of the devoted, I am the honey, In the soul of the Impious, the sting. I am with everyone, and in all things; without imperfection - immaculate I am. (Translation by: Annemarie Schimmel) Element of love: ‘Sarmast’ is an inseparable adage to Sachal’s name. As it literally means, Sarmast was an intoxicated Sufi. He was intoxicated with Love - love of Allah, because, verily, a true Sufi seeks Him - through love. If we consider Sufis as enlightened, then we must bear in mind that even enlightenment comes with love.
The love theme has been used since the days of Ibn El-Arabi (1165 - 1240 A.D.) whom the Sufis call their master poet. Ibn El-Arabi says of himself:
I follow the religion of love Now I am sometimes called A shepherd of gazelles (divine wisdom) And now a Christian monk And now a Persian sage My beloved is three - Three yet only one; Many things appear as three, which are no more than one.
Sufism has often been called the creed of love. Irrespective of their various schools, the theme of love has been of essential concern to them. What is the love of God? One could say that it is the unflinching faith in the Oneness of God. There is no God but one God. Only He is there. We may consider this translation from Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi:
One went to the door of the Beloved and knocked.
A voice asked, “who is there?”
He answered, “It is I”
The voice said, There is no room for Me and Thee”
The door was shut.
After a year of solitude and deprivation he returned and knocked. A voice from within asked, “Who is there?”
The man said, “It is Thee”
The door was opened for him.
The Sufis of Sindh, like those of the Punjab? India, Iran, Turkey, Spain and other countries, including Sachal Saeen have, besides love for God, preached love for mankind, which transcends ordinary human love. Love supersedes everything else. We may consider this translation from Anwari:
If to be a lover is to be a poet, I am a poet; If to be a poet is to be a magician, I am a magician; If to be a magician is to be thought evil, I can be thought evil;
If to be thought evil is to be disliked by worldlings, I am content to be as such.
Disliked by worldlings is to be a lover of the true reality, more often than not.
I affirm that I am a Lover!
TRIBULATIONS: Himself being a mystic of a high order, Sachal went through the tradition of suffering for his love of God. He led a solitary life. He, in his spiritual experience, felt the tinge of afflictions suffered by his predecessors, brought about by love. He has included in his verses the names of a few of them:
Welcome, welcome Thou art — to which place wilt thou bring me? Thou wilt again cut off a head!
Giving a kick to Sarmad thou has killed him; Thou has brought Mansur on the gallows, cut off Shaikh Attar’s head - Now thou art asking the way here!
Thou hast split Zakariya with a saw, thrown Joseph into a well,
Thou hast made Shams to be killed at the hand of the mullas, Thou usest to afflict the lover.
Thou hast made San’an bind the brahmins thread, Thou hast made to be slaughtered Bullhe Shah, Ja’far to be drowned in the sea, In misfortune hast Thou pressed Bilawal, hastkilled Inayat in the fighting arena, hast sentenced Karmal...”
