Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri ( pa, ; ; 1680–1757), known popularly as Bulleh Shah ( pa, ; ) and Bulleya, was a

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and Sufi poet during 17th-century Punjab. His ancestors had migrated from

Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...

(modern-day Uzbekistan) some three hundred years earlier. His first spiritual teacher was Shah Inayat Qadiri, a

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

murshid of Lahore. He was a mystic poet and is universally regarded as "The Father of Punjabi Enlightenment". He lived and was buried in Kasur.

Biography

He was born in 1680 in Uch, Multan province, Mughal Empire (present day Punjab, Pakistan). Bulleh Shah was an eminent scholar of Arabic and Persian. After his early education, he went to Lahore where he met Inayat Qadri, and became his disciple. Bulleh Shah's father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was well-versed in Arabic, Persian, and the Quran. Due to uncertain reasons, he had to move to Malakwal, a village of Sahiwal. Later, when Bulleh Shah was six years old, his family moved to Pandoke, which is 50 miles southeast of Kasur. Bulleh Shah was schooled by his father, along with the other children of the village. Most sources confirm that Bulleh Shah had to work as a child and adolescent

herder A herder is a pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic or transhumant management of stock, or with common land grazing. ...

in the village. It is confirmed that he received his higher education in Kasur. Some historians claim that Bulleh Shah received his education at a highly reputed madrassa run by

Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza was a 17th-century Sufi saint and scholar of the Qadiri-Chishti Sufi order, living in Kasur, Punjab. He was also the teacher of the poets Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah. He was the Imam (main spiritual head) of the city of Kasur ...

where he taught for some time after his graduation. After his early education, he went to Lahore where he met Inayat Arian, and became his disciple. He died in 1757, at the age of 77 and was buried in Kasur, where he had spent most of his life. A dargah was built over his grave. He was declared non-Muslim by a few literalist "

Mullah Mullah (; ) is an honorific title for Shia and Sunni Muslim clergy or a Muslim mosque leader. The term is also sometimes used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and sharia law. The title has also been used in some Miz ...

" of Kasur and they had claimed it was prohibited to offer the funeral prayer of Bulleh Shah due to Kufr

fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist i ...

(allegations) put on him by extremists. His funeral prayer was led by Qazi Hafiz Syed Zahid Hamdani, a great religious personality of Kasur. He was buried in Kasur when he died in 1757. File:Bulleh Shah's Shrine.JPG File:Grave of Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah.jpg File:Bulleh Shah's grave.JPG File:Bullay Shah ibsisayndija2.jpg File:Shrine Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah.jpg

Poetry

Bulleh Shah lived after the Punjabi Sufi poet and saint

Fariduddin Ganjshakar Farīd al-Dīn Masʿūd Ganj-i-Shakar ( ; – 7 May 1266) was a 13th-century Punjabi Sunni Muslim preacher and mystic, who was one of the most revered and distinguished Muslim mystics of the medieval period. He is known reverentially as B ...

(1179–1266) and lived in the same period as other Punjabi Sufi poet Sultan Bahu (1629–1691). His lifespan also overlapped with the Punjabi poet Waris Shah (1722–1799), of '' Heer Ranjha'' fame and the Sindhi Sufi poet Abdul Wahab (1739–1829), better known by his pen name Sachal Sarmast. Amongst Urdu poets, Bulleh Shah lived 400 miles away from

Mir Taqi Mir Mir Muhammad Taqi (February 1723 – 20 September 1810), known as Mir Taqi Mir (also spelled Meer Taqi Meer), was an Urdu poet of the 18th century Mughal era in the Subcontinent and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu language it ...

(1723–1810) of Delhi. Bulleh Shah practised the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like Shah Hussain (1538–1599), Sultan Bahu (1629–1691), and

Shah Sharaf Shah Sharaf (1640–1724) is a famous Punjabi Sufi Poet who wrote his work in Kafi style. He also wrote Dohras, and Shuturnama. Among the people whom his poetry influenced Bulleh Shah is the most popular. See also * Baba Bulleh Shah *Punjabi lan ...

(1640–1724). The verse form Bulleh Shah primarily employed is the Kafi, popular in

and Sindhi poetry. Many people have put his Kafis to music, from humble street-singers to renowned Sufi singers like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Fareed Ayaz,

Pathanay Khan Pathanay Khan or Pathane Khan (Urdu: پٹھانے خان ; born Ghulam Mohammad; 1926 – 2000) was a legendary Saraiki people, Saraiki folk music, folk singer from Pakistan. He mostly sang Kafis or Ghazals (in Saraiki dialect, Saraiki), us ...

, Abida Parveen, the Waddali Brothers and

Sain Zahoor Saieen Zahoor Ahmed or Ali Saain Shafiu ( Punjabi: سائیں ظہور, born 1936) is a leading Punjabi Sufi musician from Pakistan. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nom ...

, from the synthesised techno qawwali remixes of UK-based Asian artists to the Pakistani rock band Junoon.

Modern renderings

Bands and albums

In the 1990s, Junoon, a rock band from Pakistan, rendered his poems "

Bullah Ki Jaana ''Bullah Ki Jaana'' ( pa, بُلّھا کیہ جاݨاں (Shahmukhi), ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹਾ ਕੀ ਜਾਣਾਂ (Gurmukhi)) is one of the most-known Kafi poems written by the Punjabi Sufi saint Bulleh Shah. In the 1990s Junoon, a rock band f ...

" and "Aleph" ("Ilmon Bas Kareen O Yaar"). In 2004, Indian musician Rabbi Shergill turned the abstruse metaphysical poem "Bullah Ki Jaana" into a rock/fusion song in his debut album ''

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

''; the song was a chart-topper in 2005, helping the album to eventually sell over 10,000 copies and became immensely popular in India and Pakistan. The Wadali Bandhu, a Punjabi Sufi group from India, have also released a version of "Bullah Ki Jaana" in their album ''Aa Mil Yaar... Call of the Beloved''. Another version was performed by Lakhwinder Wadali and entitled "Bullah". Dama Dam Mast Qalandar, a qawwali composed in honour of

Shahbaz Qalandar Hazrat Sayyid Usman Marwandi, (1177 - 19 February 1274) popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (), was a Sufi saint and poet of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was born in Marwand, Sistan to a family from Baghda ...

, has been one of Bulleh Shah's most popular poems and has been frequently rendered by many Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi singers including Noor Jehan, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Sabri Brothers, Wadali brothers,

Reshman Reshma ( ur, ; c.1947 – 3 November 2013), was a Pakistani folk singer. Awarded with Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction), the third highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan among other honours, she is remembered for folk songs and ...

and Runa Laila. Other qawwali songs by Bulleh Shah, include " Sade Vehre Aya Kar" and "

Mera Piya Ghar Aaya Mera Piya Ghar Aaya ( pa, ) is a Punjabi Sufi poem written by noted 18th-century Sufi saint and poet Baba Bulleh Shah. He composed this poem at the return of his spiritual guide Shah Inayat Qadiri. The song is part of most of the Qawwali perf ...

". In 2008, a version of Bulleh Shah's famous verse, ''Aao Saiyo Ral Deyo Ni Wadhai'', was sung by

Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; born 26 February 1965) is a Pakistani pop and classical singer, songwriter, and composer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani pop rock band Fuzön ...

, for his debut solo album, '' Tabeer''. Ali named the song "Bulleh Shah" in honor of the poet. Also in 2016, a collaboration between two EDM artists ( Headhunterz and Skytech) named "Kundalini" used words created by Bulleh Shah, as well as having the words Bulleh Shah in the lyrics. Bulleh Shah's verses have been an inspiration to painters as well, as in the two series of paintings (''Jogia Dhoop'' and ''Shah Shabad'') by an Indian painter

Geeta Vadhera Geeta Vadhera is an Indian artist. She has exhibited her oil paintings and has published a book of poetry. Early life Geeta Vadhera was born in India to a father who was a poet and a mother who was an artist. She studied for a Bachelor of A ...

inspired by the poetry of Bulleh Shah and other Sufi poets and saints. In 2017, British Pakistani singer Yasir Akhtar used Bulleh Shah's poetry in his song "Araam Naal Kar – Take it Easy". In 2019, Sona Mohapatra used a Kalam of Bulleh Shah in her song "R.A.T Mashup".

Films

The 1973 movie Bobby song by Narendra Chanchal starts with the verse ''Beshaq mandir masjid todo, Bulleh Shah ye kahta''. Some of Bulleh Shah's verses, including " Tere Ishq Nachaya", have been adapted and used in Bollywood film songs including " Chaiyya Chaiyya" and "Thayya Thayya" in the 1998 film '' Dil Se..'', "Tere Ishq Nachaya" in the 2002 film '' Shaheed-E-Azam'' and "Ranjha Ranjha" in the 2010 film ''

Raavan Ravan, or Ravana(n), is the prime antagonist in the ancient Hindu epic ''Ramayana.'' Ravan, Raavan or Ravanan, may also refer to: Film and TV * ''Raavan'' (2022 film), Bengali action film * Ra.One, a 2011 Hindi-language film * Two Indian films si ...

''. The 2007 Pakistani movie '' Khuda Kay Liye'' includes Bulleh Shah's poetry in the song "Bandeya Ho". The 2008 Bollywood film, ''A Wednesday'', included a song titled "Bulle Shah, O Yaar Mere". In 2014, Ali Zafar sung some of his verses as " Chal Buleya" for Bollywood soundtrack album '' Total Siyapaa'', and the song was reprised by Zafar same year in '' Pakistan Idol''. The 2016 Bollywood films "

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

" and '' Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'' feature the song "Bulleya", sung by Papon and Amit Mishra respectively, which is short for Bulleh Shah. Poetry of Bulleh Shah was also used in 2015 film ''

Wedding Pullav ''Wedding Pullav'' () is an Indian romantic comedy film, directed by Binod Pradhan and produced by Shashi Ranjan and Anu Ranjan. The film stars debutants Kannada actor Diganth, Anushka Ranjan, Sonnalli Seygall and Karan V. Grover in lead roles ...

'' composed by Salim–Sulaiman. A song "Hun Kis Theen" based on his poetry was also featured in Punjabi animated film '' Chaar Sahibzaade: Rise of Banda Singh Bahadur''.

Coke Studio (Pakistan)

In 2009, the season 2 of '' Coke Studio'' featured "Aik Alif" performed by

and Noori. Ali Zafar also used some of Bulleh Shah and Shah Hussain's verses in his "Dastan-e-Ishq". In 2010, the season 3 featured "Na Raindee Hai" and "Makke Gayaan Gal Mukdi Nahi" performed by

Arieb Azhar Arieb Azhar (born 1972) is a Pakistani musician known for his renderings of traditional Sufi poetry and folk songs. Early life Arieb Azhar was born on 30 June 1972 at Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He is the second son of Aslam Azhar, known as the fat ...

. In 2012, Shah's poetry was featured with Hadiqa Kiani performing "Kamlee". In 2016, Ahmed Jahanzeb and

Umair Jaswal Umair Jaswal is a Pakistani actor, singer-songwriter and music producer from Islamabad. He was also lead vocalist of the rock band '' Qayaas''. Umair is the brother of singers Yasir Jaswal and Uzair Jaswal. Personal life Jaswal, whos ...

performed "Khaki Banda"; and

Rizwan Butt Rizwan Butt is a Pakistani singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as a lead vocalist and guitarist of music reality series ''Nescafé Basement''. With the career over decade Butt has collaborated with many artists as their music direct ...

and Sara Haider performed "Meri Meri", In third episode of

season 11 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhammad Qawal & Brothers performed a Qawwali based on Kalam by Bulleh Shah. In season 12 Hadiqa Kiani used verses of Bulleh Shah in the song "Daachi Waaleya".

Legacy

In 2012, the government of Punjab, most populous province of Pakistan, renamed an important road in the provincial capital Lahore to "Bulleh Shah Road". In 2021, the government of Pakistan also approved his name for a road in the country. Pakistan's "largest renewable packaging facility" is also named after him. In 2007, Pakistani senator Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed raised the proposal for establishment of Bulleh Shah University in Kasur.

References

External links

Complete poetry of Bulleh Shah in Shahmukhi

Punjabi Poetry of Bulleh Shah

Kulliyat e Bulleh Shah

Works online

Articles on Bulleh Shah's life and poetry (apna.org)

Bulleh Shah: Poems (English translations) and Biography (poetry-chaikhana.com)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulleh Shah 1680 births 1757 deaths Mughal Empire poets Mughal Empire Sufis People from Kasur District Punjabi-language poets Punjabi Sufi saints Punjabi people Sufi mystics Sufi poets Sufism Sufism in Pakistan Sufi shrines in Pakistan Muslim mystics