Shah
Hussain, one of the important earlier Sufi poets of
Punjab, is said to be a contemporary of Emperor Akbar.
However, no authenticate date of birth is available
in his case. It is said that he was a decendant of
a Hindu family, Dhadda by caste, whose forefathers
had embraced Islam. His father Sheikh Usman was a
weaver by profession. According to the scholars who
have done research on the subject, his tenative date
of birth is AD 1538. Shah Hussain remained a perfect
Malang all his life and attained the peak
of mystic experiences by continuous practice and stern
conduct.
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Accompanied
by a Hindu saint called Madho Lal who later became
his follower and Khalifa, he spent most of his time
in the ill-reputed houses of professional dancers
and singers. He drank to the content of his heart
and painted his character in the light of self-inflicted
pain. By his deeds he conducted himself with hatred
and condemnation. The purpose behind this adopted
role was to create a sense of contempt for himself
in the mind of the onlookers, who would thus abuse
him and leave him alone.
As far as devotion
is concerned, Sheikh Farid and Shah Hussain stand
on the same pedestal, but Shah Hussain's experience
is more of this world than that of the other world.
His utterances are lucid, lyrical and free off philosophic
terminology of scholar Farid. Like all other Sufi
poets, Shah Hussain also remained close to earth.
He was commited to this typical style of poetry and
wrote delightful Kafis. Though an introvert
by nature, his poetry is full of words and phrases,
that we come across in every day life, yet his symbols
and metaphors are spiritual and mystic.
Shah Hussain
dies on 6th January 1600 AD. His grave near Baghban
Pura, Lahore has a status of srine where Hindus, Sikhs
and Muslims assemble on the Basant Panchami day. It
is an historic fact that Mahara Ranjit Singh celebrated
Basant Panchami with great fever on the mazar of Shah
Hussain. |
