Shah Hussain
{{short description|Punjabi Sufi poet (1538–1599)}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=November 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Shah Hussain
| native_name = {{nobold|{{nq|شاہ حسین}}}}
| birth_date = 1538 CE (945 AH)
| birth_place = Lahore, Punjab, Mughal Empire
{{small|(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)}}
| death_date = 1599 CE (1008 AH)
| death_place = near Ravi River, Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
{{small|(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)}}
| resting_place = Darbar Shah Hussain, Baghbanpura, Lahore
| occupation = Poet
| image = Shah-Hussain-300x372.jpg
| era = Early Mughal era
| birth_name = Hussain
| embed =
| notable_works = Kāfiyā'n Shah Hussain
| caption = Portrait of Shah Hussain
| module = {{Infobox writer |embed=yes
| language = Punjabi
| genres = {{hlist|Sufism|tragedy}}
}}
}}
Shah Hussain{{efn|{{langx|pa|{{nq|شاہ حسین}}}} {{small| (Shahmukhi)}}; {{lang|pa|ਸ਼ਾਹ ਹੁਸੈਨ}} {{small|(Gurmukhi}}}} ({{IPA|pa|ʃaː(ɦ) ɦʊˈsɛːn|lang}}; 1538 – 1599), also known as Mādhū Lāl Hussain,{{efn|{{IPA|pa|maːd(ʱ)uː laːl ɦʊˈsɛːn|pron}}}} was a Punjabi Sufi poet, who is regarded as a pioneer of the Kafi form in Punjabi poetry; and the first major early-modern poet in the Punjab, living during the 16th century in the early Mughal era, the Mughal interregnum with the Sur era, and the Mughal restoration.
Name
<span lang="pa" dir="ltr">Life</span>
File:Painting of the Punjabi Sufi saint Shah Hussain Qalandar, ca.1770.jpg
He was born in 945 AH (1538) within the Walled City of Lahore in what is now Punjab, Pakistan. His father was Sheikh Usman,{{Cite news|date=11 March 2019|title=Shah Hussain — the pioneer of Punjabi kafi|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/363607/shah-hussain-the-pioneer-of-punjabi-kafi/|access-date=17 March 2021|newspaper=Daily Times (newspaper)|language=en-US|author=Tania Qureshi}} he was a Dhudhi Rajput
(a clan of Rajput), and by occupation, he was a weaver (in some of Shah Hussain poetic rhymes he used his pen name as Faqir Hussain Julaha which means "Saint Hussain the weaver").{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1403596 |author=Sameer Shafi Warraich |date=24 April 2018 |title='Love needs no guidance': How Shah Hussain and Madhu Laal defied social norms past and present|newspaper=Dawn (newspaper)|access-date=18 March 2021}} His ancestor Kaljas Rai was a convert of Islam.{{Cite web |last=Rumi |first=Raza |date=2009-08-27 |title='I belong to Ranjha' - the syncreticism of Lahore's Shah Hussain |url=https://razarumi.com/i-belong-to-ranjha-the-syncreticism-of-lahores-shah-hussain/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=The Friday Times |language=en-US}} Notable books written on his life include Risala Baharia (by Bahar Khan on the directions of Emperor Jahangir), Hasanat ul Arifin (by Prince Dara Shiko in 1653), Haqiqat ul Fuqra (by Syed Sheikh Mahmood in 1662), Miftahul Arifin (by Abdul Fatah Naqshbandi Mujadad in 1667), along with others.
File:Miniature painting of Sufi saint, Madho Lal Hussain.jpg
Relationship with Madho Lal
Shah Hussain, a 16th-century Punjabi Sufi poet, is also known as Madho Lal Hussain due to his profound and unique bond with Madho Lal, a Hindu Brahmin boy. Their relationship transcended societal norms and religious boundaries, symbolizing unity and love in South Asia.
The connection between Shah Hussain and Madho Lal was so deep that their names became inseparable. It is said that Hussain was captivated by Madho's beauty and devoted himself to him in a way that mirrored the Sufi tradition of divine love. Hussain even celebrated Hindu festivals like Basant Panchami and Holi to honor Madho. Over time, Madho became Hussain's disciple and spiritual successor. After Hussain's death, Madho carried forward his legacy for 48 years until his own passing, and they were buried side by side at their shrine near Lahore's Shalimar Gardens.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-28 |title=The story of rebellious fakir Shah Hussain and his beloved Madho Lal, buried together in Lahore |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/shah-hussain-madho-lal-mela-chiraghan-sufi-queer-9417793/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Warraich |first=Sameer Shafi |date=2018-04-24 |title='Love needs no guidance': How Shah Hussain and Madhu Laal defied social norms past and present |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1403596 |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}
Shah Hussain’s decision to place Madho’s name before his own was a gesture of eternal remembrance. This fusion of names—Madho Lal Hussain—symbolizes their inseparable bond and serves as a metaphor for harmony between different faiths and communities.
Cultural context: Shah Hussain's poetry often uses passionate language that could be interpreted as romantic love. Many argue that this relationship should be understood within the context of 16th-century Punjabi culture and Sufi traditions. Sufi poetry often uses romantic imagery to describe spiritual love, which can lead to different interpretations.Kaneez Fatima, S. and Hayat, M. (2020) ‘[https://giss.org/jsps_vol_27/13_syeda_hayat.pdf Dyeing the Soul in Red: Mystical Union in the Poetry of Hussain]’. New York, NY: Journal of Sikh & Punjāb Studies.
Poetic Diction
Shah Husayn, often assumed a female persona in their poetry, portraying themselves as brides and God as the male beloved or bridegroom. He used multiple terms for God in his poetry, such as Sajjan, Sāi'yāņ, Şāĥib, and Kant, all referring to husband, beloved, or bridegroom in Punjabi.{{Cite journal |last=Anjum |first=Tanvir |date=2017 |title=The Soul-bride of the Divine-groom: Bridal Metaphor in Sufi Poetry of Shah Husayn |url=https://giss.org/jsps_vol_24/tanvir_anjum.pdf |journal=Journal of Sikh & Punjāb Studies |volume=24 |issue=Spring-Fall 2017 |pages=25}}
ਸਜਣ ਦੇ ਹਥਿ ਬਾਂਹ ਅਸਾਡੀ, ਕਿਉਂ ਕਰਿ ਆਖਾਂ ਛਡਿ ਵੇ ਅੜਿਆThe human soul is represented as a bride, with different states of the soul depicted through various female roles; An unmarried girl unaware of her destiny, a bride-to-be waiting for her groom or a married woman in marital bliss or longing for reunion. He wrote in the concept of spiritual marriage or "betrothal to God" to symbolize the soul's union with the Divine. Thus, he represented soul's relationship with God through marital imagery. He would call a soul that has attained communion with the Divine as suhāgan (happily married woman), and a soul that fails to achieve divine love as duhāgaņ (unlucky or deserted wife). Shah Husayn used items associated with brides, such as the sālo (a red-dyed embroidered cloth), to symbolize spiritual concepts like good deeds and the soul's journey. File:Shrine of Maddho Lal Hussein, Lahore.JPG]]سجن دے ہتھ بانہ اساڈی، کی کر آکھاں چھڈ وے اڑیا
Shrine
His tomb and shrine is located at the Baghbanpura precincts, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens (Lahore), Pakistan. His Urs (annual death anniversary) is celebrated at his shrine every year during the "Mela Chiraghan" ("Festival of Lights").[http://www.dawn.com/news/1248883 Annual Mela Chiraghan (Festival of Lights) in Lahore, Pakistan] Dawn (newspaper), Published 4 April 2016, Retrieved 17 March 2021 Madho's tomb lies next to Hussain's in the shrine.Lal, Mohan. (2006) Encyclopaedia of Indian literature. Vol. 5, Sahitya Akademi, Delhi, p. 3940. {{ISBN|81-260-1221-8}}.
In the 18th century, during Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780 – 1839) rule of Punjab, the maharaja himself would lead a procession from his palace in Lahore to Shah Hussain's shrine barefoot during Mela Chiraghan (Festival of Lights), accompanied by thousands of Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus. Shah Hussain's urs and the mela used to happen at two different times but were both combined into one and then called "Mela Chiraghan" (Festival of Lights) by Ranjit Singh. This mela (festival) is considered to be the biggest festival of Punjab.
Kafis of Shah Hussain
Hussain's works of poetry consist entirely of short poems known as Kafis.{{cite book
| last = Hussain
| first = Shah
| authorlink =
| title = Kafiyan Shah Hussain: Kalaam Aur Urdu Tarjumah
| publisher =
| year = 1987
| location =
| pages =
| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LryJYgEACAAJ&q=shah+hussain}} A typical 'Hussain Kafi' contains a refrain and some rhymed lines. The number of rhymed lines is usually between four and ten. Only occasionally is a longer form adopted. Hussain's Kafis are also composed for, and the singing of them has been set to music based on Punjabi folk music. Many of his Kafis are part of the traditional Qawwali repertoire. His poems have been performed as songs by Kaavish, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Ghulam Ali, Hamid Ali Bela, Amjad Parvez, Junoon and Noor Jehan, among others.{{cite web |url = http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1eo69s_hamid-ali-bela-maaye-ni-main-kino-aakhan-kalam-shah-hussain_music |title = Hamid Ali Bela sings Shah Hussain poem |website = dailymotion.com website|date = 4 March 2014 |access-date =17 March 2021}}
"It may be asserted that poetry is often written to be sung. And all poetry carries, through manipulation of sound effects, some suggestion of music".{{cite web |url = https://www.travel-culture.com/punjabi-poetry/shah-hussain.shtml |title = Profile of 'Shah Hussain' |author=Najm Hosain Syed|website = travel-culture.com website|access-date =17 March 2021}}
Here are three examples, which draw on the famous love story of Heer Ranjha:
{{Verse translation|lang=pa-Latn
|Ni Mai menoon Khedeyan di gal naa aakh
Ranjhan mera, main Ranjhan di,
Khedeyan noon koodi jhak
Lok janey Heer kamli hoi,
Heeray da var chak
|Do not talk of the Khedas to me, mother.
I belong to Ranjha and he belongs to me.
And the Khedas dream idle dreams.
Let the people say, "Heer is crazy;
she has given herself to a cowherd."}}
Another Kafi:
{{Verse translation|lang=pa-Latn
|Sajjan bin raatan hoiyan whadiyaan
Ranjha jogi, main jogiani, kamli kar kar sadiyaan
Maas jhurey jhur pinjer hoya, kadken lagiyaan haddiyaan
Main ayani niyoonh ki janan, birhon tannawan gadiyaan
Kahe Husain faqeer sain da, larr tere main lagiyaan
Main vi jaanaan jhok Ranjhan di, naal mere koi challey
Pairan paindi, mintaan kardi, jaanaan tan peya ukkaley
Neen vi dhoonghi, tilla purana, sheehan ney pattan malley
Ranjhan yaar tabeeb sadhendha, main tan dard awalley
Kahe Hussain faqeer namana, sain sunedha ghalley
|The nights are long without my beloved.
Since Ranjha became a jogi, I have scarcely been my old self; people everywhere call me crazy.
My young flesh is all wrinkled, my bones are a creaking skeleton.
I was too young to understand love; and now as the nights swell and merge into each other,
I play host to that unkind guest – separation.
I have to go to Ranjha's hut, will someone go with me?
I have begged many to accompany me, but I had to set out alone.
The river is deep, and the shaky bridge creaks.
I am tortured by my wounds, but Ranjha my beloved is the doctor who can cure them.
Only my beloved can bring me comfort.}}
Two Kafis that are addressed to his Hindu disciple Madho Lal Hussain{{cite book
| last = Amin Naqshbandy
| first = Sheikh Parvaiz
| authorlink =
| title = Hazrat Maadho Laal Hussain
| publisher = Umar Publications
| year = 2001
| location = the University of Michigan
| pages = 120
| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CaljAAAAMAAJ&q=Hazrat+Maadho+Laal+Hussain}} need a special mention:
{{Verse translation|lang=pa-Latn
|Madho Lal! Piyaare ki parwaasa dam da?
Udeyaa bhor theyaa pardesi aggey raah agam da!
Jinhaan saada shauh rijhaaya tinha nu bhow jam da?
Aakhey Hussain faqeer nimaana chhaddiye sareer bhasam da!
Ve Madho! Main wadda theyaa badnaam!
Raati pi ke dukh da piyaala tureyaa suwairon shaam!
Ki aakhaan main ki si peeti? Loki dassan haraam!
Kaafar aakhan saarey mainoon laawan sabh ilzaam!
Mukh fairan sabh maidey wallon naal kaddan dushnaam!
Rowey Hussain maidey Saain nu Madho chheti pej salaam!
|Madho Lal! My dear what is this trust on life?
You fly out in the morning and become a stranger, to take on an unknown road!
Those that have pleased our Master in this life do they have to fear death which is the hereafter?
Says Hussain the pride less mendicant, cast off this body of ashes!
O Madho! I have been greatly defamed!
After drinking last night from my cup of sorrows, I have wandered from morning till evening.
What can I say that I had drunk of? People say it was the forbidden wine!
All here call me an infidel and accuse me of transgression!
They turn back their faces from me and abuse me!
Wails Hussain O Madho fast send my prayer to my Master!}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Great Sufi Poets of The Punjab, by R. M. Chopra, Iran Society, Kolkata, 1999.
- Verses of a Lowly Fakir poetry of Madho Lal Hussein translated by Naveed Alam 2016. {{ISBN|0670088277}}
External links
- [http://www.apnaorg.com/poetry/shah/shfront.html Complete works of Shah Hussain in Punjabi (Shahmukhi) language, Academy of the Punjab in North America (APNA) website]
{{Sufism}}
{{South Asian Muslim Saints}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Shah}}
Category:Punjabi-language poets