Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's message
Shah Abdul
Latif Bhittai’s message
Message of Love & Hopes
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Let us come
together to the door of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and pray for Dignity,
Prosperity of Sindh.
Every year intellectuals, journalists, social workers and people from
different walk of life commemorate this day,
Bhitt Shah
Latif’s Message of Love to Mankind
O God, may ever you on Sindh
Bestow abundance rare;
Beloved! All the world let share,
Thy Grace, and fruitful be
(Sur Sarang: Monsoon)
We have, no doubt, learnt to swim in the sea and fly in the air, but we have not learnt to live in peace and harmony on this globe, which has been turned into a village because of speedy means of communications.
In this context, the universal message of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, which transcends all barriers of time and space, provides and appropriate remedy to our social and moral ills. The philosophy behind the verses in the ‘Shah-jo-Risalo’ (the message of Shah) is so simple that it can be commonly understood by peasants and scholars alike. Gifted with command over the niceties of language and many other qualities including the music of alliteration, keen observation of varying human nature and social customs with rare beauty of expression, Shah Latif lays great emphasis on moral reformation by picking up pieces of popular romantic stories with a touch of mystic thought. Since individual is the basic unit of a family and family is the basic unit of society, it is, therefore, essential to reform individuals, which will ultimately mean reformation of society as a whole.
It is for this purpose; Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai exhorts people in his own captivating style to liberate themselves from the shackles of arrogance as it is an obstacle in the way of man who desires to get closer to his creator. Shah believes that one who bows before the God Almighty and none else and touches his forehead on earth in prayers gets an opportunity to learn his lesson in humility and selfless love, five times a day. Shah Latif is of the view that such a person who tosses away his arrogance and crushed sham notions of dignity under his feet, will go back to society as a refined person, with qualities of fellow feelings and love, without any selfish motive.
Another point which he emphasizes is that every person must cleanse his heart of hypocrisy conceit, hatred, selfishness, jealousy and greed. He is of the view that if thought processes of a person are distilled of such evils and if he or she is protected against all such negative influences which convert human beings into ferocious animals; it will help facilitate his/her positive contribution towards building up a society, based on feelings of love, sacrifice, piety and sympathetic attitude towards every human being.
The message of Bhittai, brings to light the ills of ‘inner self’, which can only be cured through the touch of selfless love and the spirit of sacrifice to serve fellow human beings. The crux of Latif’s poetry is love combined with humility (without hypocrisy) which is the ethos of civilized human society. By now, 250 years have passed, but each passing year, the popularity of Shah Latif has been growing not only in the East but also in the West. If we deeply study the Risalo, we will note that Shah has sung popular romantic tales relating to ‘Sasui Punnu’, ‘Umer Marui’, Sohni Mehar’, Leela Chanesar’, ‘Noori Jam Tamachi’, etc., to attract the attention of people and bring home to them the importance of moral values of the development of individual as well as collective life.
In the story of ‘Sasui Punnu’, Bhittai teaches us to launch a relentless struggle for the attainment of high moral values despite heavy odds and obstacles. They story of ‘Umer Marui’, high lights the quality of patriotism and love for the village folk.
Despite all ideal comforts of life offered by King Umer, who forcibly kidnaps Marui to his palace; she consider herself like a prisoner, longing to return to Malir to be with her relatives and her own village people.
Late A.K. Brohi, a great jurist and internationally reputed scholar of Pakistan in one of his articles described the tale of Umer Marui as the autobiography of human soul, which has to return to the world hereafter.
The story of Noori Jam Tamachi is a lesson in humility and self denial. Jam is a king and Noori is fisherwoman, but still she is given more importance than other beautiful queens of Jam, because of her humility and submissiveness. This is a message that all human beings must cultivate in themselves, the qualities of humility and tolerance as against arrogance, selfishness and jealousy so as to make this world a better place to live in. Shah Latif has compared ‘Abyat’ of Risalo with ‘Ayat’ i.e. guiding signals or signposts on the pathway to Allah.
In other words it may mean that the understanding of these couplets will take one closer to the God Almighty, as one will earnestly desire to be close to the Beloved as far as possible.
A renowned scholar, Dr. Umer Bin Muhammad Daoodpota has divided the Risalo into the following four categories
a. Lyrical
b. Descriptive
c. Historical
d. Spiritual
According to another scholar Muhammad Yakoob Agha, the poetry of Shah Bhittai has its roots in the holy Quran and therefore, he has described the following main features of his poetry;
1. Fear of Allah and obedience to all his commandments
2. Love and reverence for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who has been mentioned as the greatest benefactor of mankind.
3. Symbol of sympathy and; mercy for the suffering humanity
4. Humility, forbearance and annihilation of ego, Dignity of human labor
5. Human equality
It will be interesting to know that Latif has vehemently condemned the act
of aggression, which is the main cause of turmoil on this earth today,
whether it is the problem of Kashmir or the issue of Palestine or anywhere
else in the world. However, the main cause of tyranny and turbulence may
better be described in terms of aggression or operation.
The United Nations despite her resources to contain military aggression
and unauthorized occupation of lands have miserably failed due to double
standards. The message of Latif while condemning aggression lays emphasis
on the need to promote human relations based on love and spirit of
justice, fellow feelings and decimation of ego. His beings with the
reformation of individual and goes to the reformation of human society as
a whole. There is a lesson for educationalist teachers as well as parents
in Latif’s poetry, who are required to concentrate on the character
building of their students/children.
The best tribute to Shah Latif will be to understand and implement his
message not only for the reformation of individual life but also for a
healthy change in all spheres of society so that the message of love and
humanity combined with devotion and righteousness is translated into
reality for the greater good of mankind.
“Whether hot or cold, march on,
there is no time to rest”
Translation of few verses from Shah Jo Risalo, here as under, may be found
containing inspiring thoughts, relevant to all times and climes.
“Seekers served keep reporting
There be no other God save him”.
“Though hundred times gallows be your lot,
Give not up the path of love for the lord,
Love’s secret from its original is to be sought”.
“Divine love’s saying are not bitter, but sweet
There is nothing bitter, if wisely perceived”.
“Killing equates with care,
Such always is beloved’s path,
The surgeon who incised your wound,
Is the same who is your soul’s solace”.
“Those who melted ore and made it steel,
Their worth blacksmith alone can feel”.
“When sufi purged his inner self
Only then, while alive, God’s vision be held”.
“Be humbly and gentle, anger brings sorrows and confusion,
True wisdom you will find, if you are firm in this decision”.
“Sit not besides those who increase your suffering,
Ignore the material gain, avoid such a gathering”.
“Sit close to those who lessen your pain,
Build your hut beside them and invest your time”.
“Work on the broken wheel, till you get the new one,
To vicious laziness accustom not yourself”.
“Those who love in their hearts, who spun coarse yarn,
Unweighed, the connoisseurs accepted their yarn”.
