Shah Husain and Bulleh Shah are hauntingly fascinating characters of Punjab’s classical literature who have inspired and intrigued people generation after generation not only as poets but also as enigmatic historical personages.

In this space I wrote earlier about Shah Husain: “The man despite being high in the caste hierarchy, identified himself all his life with the lowly. He was a scholar of great depth but liked to mix with the illiterate. He, while having all the knowledge of a high priest, shunned clerics and while being saintly never shooed away hapless fallen women…This clean-shaven and red-robbed man who fearlessly danced and sang in the streets of Lahore emerged as a symbol of defiance and compassion that helped build literary, cultural and spiritual landscape of medieval Punjab.”

Recently a book in Urdu ‘Ishq Nama’ by Farrukh Yar, a reputed poet and a well-known scholar, has been published by Book Corner, Jhelum. Tehzeeb foundation sponsored it. Ishq Nama is no ordinary book. It’s tome based on researches painstakingly done. It comprises three sections i.e. a historical background of mystic tradition especially of Muslim persuasion, an account of socio-cultural conditions of medieval Punjab and Urdu translations of Shah Husain’s Kafis (lyrics). The first section is scholarly and thorough, replete with references which delineate the development of Muslim mysticism (Sufism) spanning Arabia, Iran and Central Asia. The prose is demanding as it is loaded with vocabulary and terms borrowed from Arabic and Persian. Urdu somehow has hitherto not been able to be rid of such a literary encumbrance. The section is full of valuable insights but isn’t meant for lay readers as they would find it ponderous and thus forbidding. But scholars and researchers would value it as wonderfully relevant because it is a compendium of esoteric and at times convoluted Muslim mystic thought that reached its high point in the medieval ages. Author’s effort to place Shah Husain squarely in the context of Muslim mysticism seems a bit laboured as he inherits indigenous culture more than anything else. He is perhaps the only mystic whose work in no way alludes or refers to Semitic parsonages, symbols and history.

Mixing and mingling of Muslim mystical thought with the Indian mystic tradition in the subcontinent from 11th century onward resulted in a new synthesis which is unique in our cultural and literary world; it derives its vitality from two sources, Semitic and indigenous. It reflected the zeitgeist of the melting pot the region was. Its distinguishing mark was its people-friendly stance.

The rise of Bhakti Movement in the south India which deeply influenced the north India formed the bedrock of its widespread acceptance. It represented an artisans’ upsurge whose rejection of caste and class constraints had a revolutionary edge which transformed the cultural and spiritual scene in Punjab. Shah Husain was organically linked with this new historical development.

Farrukh Yar’s analyses of Shah’s times and life are thought-provoking and detailed. One of the main points of his focus is to rubbish what he calls myths surrounding the poet’s life especially his relationship with a young man Madho Lal that became stuff of many a story to the chagrin of the pious. The intent discreetly aims at rebutting the opinion about the physical aspect of this relationship and restore the image of Shah Husain as a pious one which in his own words he never was. The pious were the ones he exposed and debunked through his praxis and poetry. It’s appropriate to emphasise that myths should not be rejected without serious consideration. Myths, apparently irrational and illogical, may have deeper symbolic meanings which need to be decoded and understood. If we lose myths, we would lose much of our history. So instead of rejecting myths in haste as mumbo jumbo, one must try to unearth what lies under the patina they acquired with age.

Farrukh Yar attempts to distinguish Shah Husain’s person from his persona with the help of internal evidence found in his poetry. This can be dicey. There may be no direct correlation between a poet’s creative expression and his/her daily life. That a good social being can be a bad poet - ‘kill him for his bad verses’ in the words of Shakespeare - and a social outcast can produce great poetry is a well-known fact.

The author also digs up the mystic notion of ‘Malamat (self-depreciation) in the context of Shah Husain. But tracing a poet’s life through his/her poetry or vice versa can lead to uncertain outcome at best. Some thinking minds assert that the entire phenomenon of mysticism is now a sarcophagus that contains a beautiful dead body.

Author’s analyses of the Kafis are soundly based as he rightly reminds us of the treasure trove of metaphors, images and similes employed by Shah Husain. But still some uniquely significant metaphors we find in his poetry such as night and playfulness, for example, have been left out. The night in his poetry stands for emancipation and playfulness as a way of life premised on the pleasure principle which is a mark of freedom.

The author somehow avoids interpreting the Kafis that have politico-economic context which hints at class conflicts within the society. This section is highly readable and the flowing prose carries you along effortlessly. The idiom employed by Shah Husain which is our standard literary language even today shows its contemporary relevance. The best part of this section is his clear exposition of music that became an integral part of Punjabi poetry especially of Kafi.

The Raga suggested by Shah Husain for the rendition of each Kafi can enhance its impact by creating magical ambiance.

The last section has the translations of Shah Husain’s Kafis. Let’s remember Kafi genre was created by Shah Husain which later became extremely popular with poets such as Bulleh Shah, Sachal Sarmast and Khawaja Ghulam Farid. The text he uses is culled from seven versions, two of which compiled and edited by Dr. Mohan Singh and Muhammad Asif Khan, are more reliable. The translations are in prose and the best one can find in Urdu. The book is an event that needs to be celebrated. Farrukh Yar has put in lot of hard work in it and the result is delightfully illuminating.

“Farrukh’s magical exposition sends us into trance whereby symbols stand unfolded”, says Sarmad Sehbai in his blurb. The book is a tour de force. It’s well-published and a bit pricey but a must for the shelves of all public and private libraries. — soofi01@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2023