Sultan Bahu ( pa, , ਸੁਲਤਾਨ ਬਾਹੂ ; also spelled Bahoo; 17 January 1630 – 1 March 1691), was a 17th-century Punjabi

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,

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 wri ...

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researc ...

and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

. He was active in the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

region (present-day

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-la ...

) during the reigns of

Mughal emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

and

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

. Little is known about Bahu's life, other than what is written in a

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

called ''Manaqib-i Sultani'', which was written by one of Bahu's descendants seven generations after Bahu's own time. According to these records, he was born in Shorkot,

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 18th largest city of Pakistan by population. The histori ...

, in the current Punjab Province of Pakistan, in the Awan tribe. He was son of Bayazid Muhammad, an officer in the

Mughal Army The Army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 15th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, ...

, and Rasti. He belonged to

Qadiri The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri t ...

Sufi order A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking '' haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

, and started the mystic tradition known as Sarwari Qadiri. More than forty books on

Sufism 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, ...

are attributed to him (mostly written in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

), largely dealing with specialised aspects of Islam and

Islamic mysticism 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 ...

. However, it was his Punjabi poetry which had popular appeal and earned him lasting fame. His verses are sung in many genres of Sufi music, including

qawwali Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: ( Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি ( Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontin ...

and

kafi Kafi ( pa, ਕਾਫ਼ੀ (Gurmukhi), (Shahmukhi), Hindi: काफ़ी, Urdu: کافی, Sindhi:ڪافي) is a classical form of Sufi music mostly in the Siraiki, Punjabi and Sindhi languages and originating from the Punjab, and Sindh ...

, and tradition has established a unique style of singing his couplets.

Education

Sultan Bahu's first teacher was his mother, Mai Rasti. She pushed him to seek spiritual guidance from Shah Habib Gilani. Around 1668, Sultan Bahu moved to

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 ...

for further training under the guidance of Syed Abdul Rehman Jilani Dehlvi, a notable Sufi saint of the

Qadiriyya The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...

order, and thereafter returned to Punjab where he spent the rest of his life.

Literary works

The exact number of books written by Sultan Bahu is not known, but it is assumed to be at least one hundred. Forty of them are on Sufism and Islamic mysticism. Most of his writings are in the Persian language except ''Abyat-e-Bahu'' which is in Punjabi verse. Only the following books written by Sultan Bahu can be found today: * ''Abyat e Bahu'' * ''Risala e Ruhi'' * ''Sultan ul Waham'' * ''Nur ul Huda'' * ''Aql e Baidar'' * ''Mahq ul Faqr'' * ''Aurang e Shahi'' * ''Jami ul Israr'' * ''Taufiq e Hidiyat'' * ''Kalid Tauheed'' * ''Ain ul Faqr'' * ''Israr e Qadri''Sultan Bahu books on Rekhta.org website
Retrieved 18 May 2020 * ''Kaleed e Jannat'' * ''Muhqam ul Faqr'' * ''Majalis un Nabi'' * ''Muftah ul Arifeen'' * ''Hujjat ul Israr'' * ''Kashf ul Israar'' * ''Mahabat ul Israr'' * ''Ganj ul Israr'' * ''Fazl ul Liqa'' * ''Dewaan e Bahu''

Spiritual lineage

Mian Taj Muhammad was successor of Sultan Bahu as his spiritual master, however Mian Taj Muhammad was born long after the death of Sultan bahu. Bahu was follower of Abdul Qadir Jilani's

tradition, Sultan Bahu initiated an offshoot of his own which he named ''Sarwari Qadiri''. According to tradition, the lineage reaches Mian Taj Muhammad as follows:"Urs of Sultan Bahu begins"
''The News International'' (newspaper), Published 2 September 2019, Retrieved 18 May 2020 #

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 mono ...

Ali ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

Hasan al Basri Abu Sa'id ibn Abi al-Hasan Yasar al-Basri, often referred to as Hasan of Basra (Arabic: الحسن البصري, romanized: ''Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī''; 642 - 15 October 728) for short, or as Hasan al-Basri, was an early Muslim preacher, ascetic ...

Habib al Ajami Habib ibn Muhammad al-‘Ajami al-Basri ( ar, حبيب بن محمد العجمي البصري) known also as Habib al-Ajami () and Habib al-Farsi () was a Muslim Sufi mystic, saint, and traditionalist of Persian descent. Different dates for hi ...

Dawud Tai Abu Sulaiman Dawud ibn Nusair al-Tā'ī, () usually referred to as Dawud Tā'ī, (died between 776 and 783 CE) was an Islamic scholar and Sufi mystic. He resided in Kufa and was a prominent student of Abu Hanifa. His disciples included many inf ...

Maruf Karkhi Maʿrūf Karkhī ( fa, معروف کرخی), known also by his full name Abū Maḥfūẓ Maʿrūf Ibn Firūz al-Karkhī, was a Sufi Muslim saint. Biography Maruf was born in the district of Wasit or Karkh in Baghdad. His father's name was Fi ...

Sirri Saqti Abū al-Ḥasan Sarī (al-Sirrī) b. al-Mughallis al-Saqaṭī (867CE) also known as Sirri Saqti (Arabic:سری سقطی) was one of the early Muslim Sufi saints of Baghdad. He was one of the most influential students of Maruf Karkhi and one of ...

Junaid Baghdadi Junayd of Baghdad (; 830–910) was a Persian mystic and one of the most famous of the early Islamic saints. He is a central figure in the spiritual lineage of many Sufi orders. Junayd taught in Baghdad throughout his lifetime and was an impo ...

Abu Bakr Shibli Shaykh Abu Bakr Shibli (; 861–946) was an important Sufi of Persian descent, and a disciple of Junayd Baghdadi. He followed the Maliki school of jurisprudence (fiqh). Biography Abu Bakr Shibli was born in Samarra, although his family was of ...

# Abdul Aziz bin Hars bin Asad Yemeni Tamimi # Abu Al Fazal Abdul Wahid Yemeni Tamimi # Mohammad Yousaf Abu al-Farah Tartusi # Abu-al-Hassan Ali Bin Mohammad Qureshi Hankari #

Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi ( ar, ابوسعیدمبارک مخزومی), known also as Mubarak bin Ali Makhzoomi and Abu Saeed and Abu Sa'd al-Mubarak (rarely known as Qazi Abu Sa'd al-Mubarak al-Mukharrimi) was a Sufi saint as well as a Muslim ...

Abdul Qadir Jilani ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...

# Abdul Razzaq Jilani # Abdul Jabbar Jilani # Syed Mohammad Sadiq Yahya # Najm-ud-Din Burhan Puri # Abdul Fattah # Abdul Sattar # Abdul Baqqa # Abdul Jaleel # Syed Abdul Rehman Jilani Dehlvi # Sultan Bahu # Mian Taj Muhammad The Sultan Bahu's tradition is still practised to this day by Mian Taj's successors.

Shrine

The

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ar ...

of Sultan Bahu is located in

Garh Maharaja Garh Maharaja ( ur, ), is a Town Committee of Ahmedpur Sial Tehsil in the Jhang District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 30°50'0" North, 71°54'0" East. The Shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or ...

, Punjab. It was originally built on Bahu's grave site until the

Chenab River The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul reg ...

changed its course causing the need to relocate twice and as witnessed by those present at the time of relocation, claims that his body was still intact at the time. It is a popular Sufi shrine, and the annual '' Urs'' festival commemorating his death is celebrated there with great fervour on the first Thursday of

Jumada al-Thani Jumada al-Thani ( ar, جُمَادَىٰ ٱلثَّانِي, Jumādā ath-Thānī, lit=The second Jumada) also known as Jumada al-Akhirah ( ar, جُمَادَىٰ ٱلْآخِرَة, link=no, Jumādā al-ʾĀkhirah, lit=The final Jumada), Jumad ...

month. People come from far-off places to join the celebrations.Book Name: ''Tareekh-e-Jhang'', Author: Iqbal Zuberi, Publisher: Jhang Adibi Academy, Jhang Sadar, Pakistan, First Edition, Date: 2002 Sultan Bahu also used to hold an annual Urs to commemorate the martyrs of

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governora ...

from the 1st to the 10th day of the month of

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...

. This tradition continues to this day and every year, thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine during the first ten days of Muharram.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sultan Bahu Indian Sufi saints Sufi poets 1630 births 1691 deaths Alvis Persian-language poets Punjabi-language poets Punjabi people Punjabi Sufi saints 17th-century Indian poets 17th-century Islamic religious leaders 17th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Sufi shrines in Pakistan Mystic poets Hashemite people Alids Awan

Education

Literary works

Spiritual lineage

Shrine

See also

References