The 17th century Sufi poet, Sultan Muhammad, came to be called “bahu” (one who is with Him), for his constant remembrance of hu, He alone. He wrote, “With one dot bahu becomes ya hu, and bahu is always steeped in the remembrance of ya hu (O Allah).”
The imagery of Sultan Bahu’s poetry is derived from the daily activities of villagers, like gardening and planting. Developing the ideas of the earlier Sufis, he presented them to the rural folk in a simple poetic form. Each of his verses ended with the word hu.
Allah is like the jasmine plant which the preceptor planted in my heart — O Hu
By water and the gardener of negation it remained near the jugular vein — O Hu
It spread fragrance inside when it appeared at the time of blossoming — O Hu
May the efficient preceptor live long, says Bahu, who planted this plant — O Hu!
Over 40 books on the subject of Islamic mysticism are attributed to Sultan Bahu. His collection of Punjabi verses, Abiyaat-e-Bahu, on the theme of Oneness of God, generated popular appeal. In a highly emotive style, the poet elaborates on the traditional belief in self-manifestation of the Absolute and the importance of a spiritual life dedicated to the pursuit of God.
Sultan Bahu’s verses are sung in many forms of Sufi music including kafis and qawwalis. His kafis established a particular form of melody, not used in any other genre of music.
The mystic poet’s family belonged to the Hashmi tribe who were descendants of the Prophet’s son-in-law Imam Ali. His father Sultan Bayazid was a senior official at Shah Jehan’s court. The family settled in Sherkot village in the Jhang district, which was awarded to Sultan Bayazid for his services to the government. Sultan Bahu’s religious education began at the feet of his enlightened mother Rasti, who had the greatest influence on him. She directed him to seek guidance from Shaykh Habibullah Qadri, who commanded Sultan Bahu to free himself from all worldly attachments. Sultan Bahu journeyed home and got rid of his family’s wealth, writing:
Ah! This worldly life polluted,
Washing, bathing all in vain,
For its sake the doctors, scholars,
Crouch in corners, cry in pain,
For its sake these worldly people,
rest not, sleep not. Ah! their bane!
Hermits, mystics, ascetics, Bahu!
Burn their boats — the wise, the sane!
Sultan Bahu’s spiritual master sent him to Delhi for further studies under his master Shaykh Abdur Rahman Dehlvi. On completing education, he returned to the familiar surroundings of Punjab. Sultan Bahu passed away in 1691 and his dargah is in Gargh Maharaja, Pakistan. Sultan Bahu’s annual urs celebrations are held amidst singing of the Sufi poet’s verses.
Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam. She can be contacted at sadiafeedback@gmail.com
