Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai ( sd, شاھ عبداللطيف ڀٽائي, ur, ; 1689/1690 – 21 December 1752), commonly known by the honorifics ''Lakhino Latif'', ''Latif Ghot'', ''Bhittai'', and ''Bhit Jo Shah'', was a
Sindhi
Sindhi may refer to:
*something from, or related to Sindh, a province of Pakistan
* Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region
* Sindhi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
People with the name
* Sarkash Sindhi (1940–2012 ...
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, r ...
mystic, and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
, widely considered to be the greatest poet of the
Sindhi language
Sindhi ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 30 million people in the Pakistani province of Sindh, where it has official status. It is also spoken by a further 1.7 million people in India, where it is a scheduled language, witho ...
.
Born to a Sayyid family (descendants of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
through his daughter
Fatima) of Hala Haweli near modern-day
Hala, Latif grew up in the nearby town of Kotri Mughal. At the age of around 20, he left home and traveled throughout Sindh and neighboring lands, and met many a mystic and
Jogis, whose influence is evident in his poetry. Returning home after three years, he was married into an aristocrat family, but was widowed shortly afterwards and did not remarry. His piety and spirituality attracted large following as well as hostility of a few. Spending last years of his life at
Bhit Shah, he died in 1752. A mausoleum was built over his grave in subsequent years and became a popular pilgrimage site.
His poems were compiled by his disciples in his ''
Shah Jo Risalo''. It was first published in 1866. Several Urdu and English translations of the work have been published since. Latif's poetry is popular among the people of Sindh and he is venerated throughout the province.
Life
''Tuhfat al-Kiram'' and ''Maqalat al-shu'ara'', written by Mir Ali Sher Qani Tahttwi, a contemporary of Shah Abdul Latif, some fifteen years after the death of the poet, give some basic details of his life. Other than these, however, little written records exist from the early period and most of the material was transmitted orally through generations. The oral traditions were collected and documented in the late 19th century by
Mirza Qalich Beg and Mir Abd al-Husayn Sangi. Together with Thattwi's works, these form the basis for the outline of the poet's life.
Latif was born in 1689 or 1690 in Hala Haweli near modern-day
Hala, to Shah Habib, a great-grandson of the
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, r ...
poet
Shah Abdul Karim Bulri. His ancestors traced their lineage back to the fourth caliph
Ali and
Fatima, the daughter of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
. They had emigrated to
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
from
Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...
during the late 14th century. Latif spent early years of his childhood in Hala Haweli, but the family then relocated to the nearby town of Kotri Mughal. Local tradition holds that he was illiterate, however his use of
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
and
Persian in his poetry and the influence of the Persian poet
Rumi evident on his thought show that he was well educated. At the age of around 20, he fell in love with Saida Begum, a daughter of an Arghun aristocrat of Kotri Mughal, Mirza Mughal Beg, which landed Latif's family in trouble and caused them return to Hala Haweli. Her love, however, had a deep impact on young Latif and he left home wandering deserts and embarking on travel through Sindh and adjacent lands. According to Motilal Jotwani, it was perhaps during these travels that his poetic nature came to the fore. He mentions the places he visited in his poems. First he went to Ganjo Hill near what is now
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
, thereafter traveling to Kalachi (modern
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
) through
Thatta and
Banbhore
Banbhore, Bambhore, Bhanbhore or Bhambhore ( sd, ڀنڀور; ) is a city dating to the 1st century BCE located in modern-day Sindh, Pakistan. The city ruins lie on the N-5 National Highway, east of Karachi. It dates back to the Scytho-Parthia ...
. On the journey he met
Jogis and accompanied them to
Hinglaj
Hinglaj (Devanagari: हिंगलाज, bal, هنگلاج, sd, هنگلاج, ur, ) is an important Hindu pilgrimage place in Balochistan, Pakistan and Kuldevi of many Kshatriya, Charan, Rajpurohits and other Hindu Communities of India. ...
in mountains of southern
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
. On his return east, he visited Lahut in
Lasbela, and then travelled across to
Dwarka,
Porbandar
Porbandar is a city in the Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It is the administrative center of the Porbandar District and it was the former capital of the Porbandar princel ...
,
Junagadh, and several other places in
Kutch region. Returning west, he visited
Karoonjhar Mountains in
Nagarparkar. Parting ways with the Jogis in
Thar, he went to
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...
before returning to Thatta and then home. His travels seem to have had a strong influence on his poetry.
Latif returned home after three years. In 1713 Mirza Mughal Beg was killed while in pursuit of robbers who had looted his house. After this incident, Latif was married to Saida Begum, the woman whom he had been in love with. The marriage did not result in any offspring and Saida Begum died a few years into the marriage. Latif did not remarry and remained childless his entire life. He now seems to have settled down and devoted to prayer and worship. His piety attracted a large following, which reportedly earned him hostility of nobles and
Noor Mohammad Kalhoro, the ruler of Sindh, who is said to have unsuccessfully tried assassinating him by poisoning.
Some ten years before his death, Latif left his home, relocating to a sandhill a few miles from Hala Haweli, which later became known as
Bhit Shah (Mound of Shah), hence his title Bhittai (the dweller of Bhit). Latif died at Bhit on 21 December 1752 (14
Safar 1166
AH) at the age of 63 and was buried there. A
tomb was built over his grave by the then ruler of Sindh
Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro in 1754, or 1765.
Poetry
Latif's poetry is mainly Sufi in nature and deeply religious. He connects the traditional folk tales with the divine love. The poems, known locally as ''bayt'' (pl. ''abyat'') and similar in form to the Indian ''
doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...
'', are
lyrical
Lyrical may refer to:
*Lyrics, or words in songs
*Lyrical dance, a style of dancing
*Emotional, expressing strong feelings
*Lyric poetry, poetry that expresses a subjective, personal point of view
*Lyric video
A music video is a video of variab ...
and are intended for a musical performance, and are usually very compact.
In addition, he has also used a bit more relaxed format called ''wa'i''.
Latif is said to have always kept with himself the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
, Karim jo Risalo, and the ''
Mathnawi'' of Rumi. He seems to have been significantly influenced by the latter; sometimes he reflects his ideas and sometimes translates his verses in his poems.
Rumi has expressed similar idea in his verses:
During Latif's lifetime, Sindh transitioned from
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
-based
Mughal rule to the local
Kalhora dynasty. During the later part of Latif's life,
Nadir Shah Afshar
Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian ...
sacked Delhi and made Sindh his tributary. Latif also witnessed
Ahmad Shah Durrani
Ahmad Shāh Durrānī ( ps, احمد شاه دراني; prs, احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahm ...
's attack on Delhi and his subjection of Sindh to Afghan rule. Despite all this, his poetry is devoid of any mention of these upheavals or the political landscape of his time in general. H. T. Sorley has attributed this to his interest in "eternal verities" and indifference to "transient phenomena" and "petty wars".
Risalo
Latif's poetry was not written down during his lifetime, but was sung and memorized by his disciples during the musical sessions (''Rag'') that he used to hold. The poems were compiled after his death into a collection called ''Shah Jo Risalo'' (the Book of Shah). The ''Risalo'' was first published in 1866 by the German
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined ...
Ernest Trumpp
Ernest Trumpp (13 March 1828 – 5 April 1885) was a Christian missionary sponsored by the Ecclesiastical Mission Society. He was also German professor of Oriental Languages at the University of Munich and a philologist. With an intent to convert ...
. It contains thirty chapters, called ''Sur'', each focusing on a particular musical mode. Each ''Sur'' is further divided into sections, ''dastan'' (story) or ''fasl'' (chapter), which contain similarly themed ''abyat''. Each section ends with one or more ''wa'is''. Some ''Surs'' focus on folk tales of the Indian sub-continent such as
Sassui Punhun
Sassi Punnuh or Sassui Punhun ( sd, سَسُئيِ پُنهوُن) is a love story from Punjabi, Sindhi, and Balochi folklore. The story is about a faithful lover who will endure any difficulty while seeking her beloved husband who was separated ...
,
Sohni Mehar,
Umar Marui
Umar Marvi or Marui ( sd, عمر مارئي, ur, ), is a folktale from Sindh, Pakistan about a village girl Marvi Maraich, who resists the overtures of a powerful King and the temptation to live in the palace as a queen, preferring to be in simpl ...
, and
Lilan Chanesar, whereas others, like ''Sur Asa'' and ''Sur Yaman Kalyan'', describe the mystical moods and ideal traditional lover. ''Sur Sarang'' is devoted to the praise of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
, while ''Sur Kedaro'' laments the death of Muhammad's grandson, and Latif's ancestor,
Husayn ibn Ali at the
Battle of Karbala in 680.
Since the first edition of the ''Risalo'', several other editions have been published by various scholars including
Mirza Qalich Beg,
Hotchand Molchand Gurbakhshani
Hotchand Molchand Gurbakhshani (or Gurbuxani) (Sindhi: هوتچند مولچند گربخشاڻي) (March 8, 1884 - February 11, 1947) was an educationist and scholar who is well known for his annotated translation of the Sufi poetic compendium ...
, Ghulam Muhammad Shahvani,
Kalyan Advani, and
Nabi Bakhsh Baloch. Urdu translations have been published by
Shaikh Ayaz
Shaikh Ayaz SI ( ur, , ) born Mubarak Ali Shaikh ( ur, , ) (March 1923 – 28 December 1997) was Sindhi language poet, prose writer and former Vice Chancellor of University of Sindh. He is counted as one of the prominent and great Sindhi ...
, and Ayaz Husayn Qadiri and Sayyid Vaqar Ahmad Rizvi. The first partial English translation of the ''Risalo'' was published by H. T. Sorley in 1940, followed by
Elsa Kazi, and Ghulam Ali Allana. Complete translations have been published by Muhammad Yakoob Agha, Amena Khamisani, and others. Early manuscripts of the ''Risalo'' as well as published editions show considerable differences in the content. The most widely accepted version has some 3,000 ''abyat'' and 200 ''wa'is''.
Legacy
Latif is regarded as the greatest Sufi poet of the
Sindhi language
Sindhi ( ; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 30 million people in the Pakistani province of Sindh, where it has official status. It is also spoken by a further 1.7 million people in India, where it is a scheduled language, witho ...
, and the national poet of Sindh. According to the
orientalist Annemarie Schimmel
Annemarie Schimmel (7 April 1922 – 26 January 2003) was an influential German Orientalist and scholar who wrote extensively on Islam, especially Sufism. She was a professor at Harvard University from 1967 to 1992.
Early life and education
...
, he is "The most outstanding master of popular Sufi poetry in Pakistan." According to
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Seyyed Hossein Nasr (; fa, سید حسین نصر, born April 7, 1933) is an Iranian philosopher and University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University.
Born in Tehran, Nasr completed his education in Iran and the Unite ...
, Latif's ''Risalo'' has been compared with Rumi's ''Mathnawi'', and Latif was "direct emanations of Rūmī's spirituality in the Indian world." Every Thursday evening, Latif's poetry is sung by traditional musicians and dervishes at the shrine in a typical ecstatic style. The performance is commonly referred to as ''Shah jo Rag'' (Shah's music).
Popular culture
Latif's poetry is popular among the Sindhi people, including both Muslims and Hindus. Latif's own connections with Jogis and Sanyasis may have contributed to this. The folk tales narrated in the ''Surs'' of the ''Risalo'' are frequently recounted and sung to children. Many anecdotes of
haigographical nature are famous among the locals. One such story holds that when he was being taught the alphabet, he refused to learn anything beyond the letter ''
Alif'' for it signifies the name of God (
Allah) and there is nothing of value beyond it. Another story of this kind asserts that his followers presented him a written copy of the ''Risalo'', which he threw away in the nearby Kirar lake after having read it. When the followers protested, he allowed them to rewrite the entire ''Risalo'' by narrating it from his memory. His tomb is a popular pilgrimage site in Sindh.
Urs
The ''
Urs'', an annual commemoration of his death, occurs on 14 Safar, the second month of the Hijra calendar. The ceremony, which lasts for three days, features prayers, music, exhibitions, literary conferences, and horse races. People visit the shrine from all over the province. A 16-foot-high statue of Latif was erected in front of the Bhit Shah rest house on the occasion of his 274th ''Urs'' in 2017.
See also
*
Khawaja Muhammad Zaman of Luari
Khawaja Muhammad Zaman of Luari (1713 - 1775 AD : 1125 - 1188 AH) ( sd, خواجہ محمد زمان لواري وارو) was a sufi saint and poet from Sindh. His father, Shaikh Abdul Latif Siddiqi, was a descendant of first Rashidun Caliph Ab ...
*
Sachal Sarmast
Notes
References
Bibliography
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* Ghulam Hussain (2021) The politics of metaphor: traces of casteism and patriarchy in the work of Shah Abdul Latif, Postcolonial Studies, DOI: 10.1080/13688790.2021.1923154
External links
Biographies
*
Biography of Shah Abdul Latif
Poetry
Shah Latif's poetry: translated into Englishby
Elsa Kazi
Audio samples of Shah Bhitai's poetry set to music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhittai, Shah Abdul Latif
1689 births
1752 deaths
Mystic poets
Sufi poets
Sufi mystics
Sufism in Sindh
Sufism in India
Sindhi Sufi saints
Mughal Empire poets
Sindhi-language poets
Sindhi people
History of Sindh
Sindhi-language writers
Mughal Empire Sufis
Shrines in Pakistan