Shah Hussain
Shah Hussain | |
|---|---|
| شاہ حسین | |
 Portrait of Shah Hussain | |
| Born | Hussain 1538 CE (945 AH) |
| Died | 1599 CE (1008 AH) |
| Resting place | Darbar Shah Hussain, Baghbanpura, Lahore |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Era | Early Mughal era |
| Notable work | Kāfiyā'n Shah Hussain |
| Writing career | |
| Language | Punjabi |
| Genres | |
Shah Hussain[a] (Punjabi: [ʃaː(ɦ) ɦʊˈsɛːn]; 1538 – 1599), also known as Mādhū Lāl Hussain,[b] 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.[1][2]
Name
[edit]Shah Hussain is also often known as Shah Hussain Faqir - Faqir meaning Dervish (mendicant) and Shah means King. So due to his extremely humble Sufi personality, people called him The Dervish King, a person who was a King and a Dervish at the same time.[1]
Life
[edit]
He was born in 945 AH (1538) within the Walled City of Lahore in what is now Punjab, Pakistan.[2] His father was Sheikh Usman,[2] 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").[1] 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.[2]
Relationship with Madho Lal
[edit]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.[3][4]
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.[3][4]
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.[5]
Poetic Diction
[edit]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.[6]
ਸਜਣ ਦੇ ਹਥਿ ਬਾਂਹ ਅਸਾਡੀ, ਕਿਉਂ ਕਰਿ ਆਖਾਂ ਛਡਿ ਵੇ ਅੜਿਆ سجن دے ہتھ بانہ اساڈی، کی کر آکھاں چھڈ وے اڑیا
The 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.[6] 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.[6]
Shrine
[edit]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").[2][7] Madho's tomb lies next to Hussain's in the shrine.[8][1]
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.[1][2]
Kafis of Shah Hussain
[edit]Hussain's works of poetry consist entirely of short poems known as Kafis.[9] 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.[1][10]
"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".[11]
Here are three examples, which draw on the famous love story of Heer Ranjha:
Ni Mai menoon Khedeyan di gal naa aakh[11] |
Do not talk of the Khedas to me, mother. |
Another Kafi:
Sajjan bin raatan hoiyan whadiyaan[11] |
The nights are long without my beloved. |
Two Kafis that are addressed to his Hindu disciple Madho Lal Hussain[12] need a special mention:
Madho Lal! Piyaare ki parwaasa dam da? |
Madho Lal! My dear what is this trust on life? |
Notes
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Sameer Shafi Warraich (24 April 2018). "'Love needs no guidance': How Shah Hussain and Madhu Laal defied social norms past and present". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 18 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Tania Qureshi (11 March 2019). "Shah Hussain — the pioneer of Punjabi kafi". Daily Times (newspaper). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
- ^ a b "The story of rebellious fakir Shah Hussain and his beloved Madho Lal, buried together in Lahore". The Indian Express. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ a b Warraich, Sameer Shafi (24 April 2018). "'Love needs no guidance': How Shah Hussain and Madhu Laal defied social norms past and present". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Kaneez Fatima, S. and Hayat, M. (2020) ‘Dyeing the Soul in Red: Mystical Union in the Poetry of Hussain’. New York, NY: Journal of Sikh & Punjāb Studies.
- ^ a b c Anjum, Tanvir (2017). "The Soul-bride of the Divine-groom: Bridal Metaphor in Sufi Poetry of Shah Husayn" (PDF). Journal of Sikh & Punjāb Studies. 24 (Spring-Fall 2017): 25.
- ^ Annual Mela Chiraghan (Festival of Lights) in Lahore, Pakistan Dawn (newspaper), Published 4 April 2016, Retrieved 17 March 2021
- ^ Lal, Mohan. (2006) Encyclopaedia of Indian literature. Vol. 5, Sahitya Akademi, Delhi, p. 3940. ISBN 81-260-1221-8.
- ^ Hussain, Shah (1987). Kafiyan Shah Hussain: Kalaam Aur Urdu Tarjumah.
- ^ "Hamid Ali Bela sings Shah Hussain poem". dailymotion.com website. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Najm Hosain Syed. "Profile of 'Shah Hussain'". travel-culture.com website. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
- ^ Amin Naqshbandy, Sheikh Parvaiz (2001). Hazrat Maadho Laal Hussain. the University of Michigan: Umar Publications. p. 120.
Further reading
[edit]- 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
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