Echoes Of Sufi Chants - Kafi Bulleh Shah - Allan Fakir

Bulleh Shah (1680 1757) (Punjabi: Shahmukhi:بلہے شاہ, Gurmukhi: ਬੁੱਲ੍ਹੇ ਸ਼ਾਹ}}), whose real name was Abdullah Shah [1], was a Punjabi Muslim Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.[2]

A Beacon of Peace
Bulleh Shah's time was marked with communal strife between Muslims and Sikhs. But in that age Baba Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and peace for the citizens of Punjab. While Bulleh Shah was in Pandoke, Muslims killed a young Sikh man who was riding through their village in retaliation for murder of some Muslims by Sikhs. Baba Bulleh Shah denounced the murder of an innocent Sikh and was censured by the mullas and muftis of Pandoke. Bulleh Shah maintained that violence was not the answer to violence.

Bulleh Shah also hailed Guru Tegh Bahadur as a ghazi (Islamic term for a religious warrior).


Humanist
Bulleh Shahs writings represent him as a humanist, someone providing solutions to the sociological problems of the world around him as he lives through it, describing the turbulence his motherland of Punjab is passing through, while concurrently searching for God. His poetry highlights his mystical spiritual voyage through the four stages of Sufism: Shariat (Path), Tariqat (Observance), Haqiqat (Truth) and Marfat (Union). The simplicity with which Bulleh Shah has been able to address the complex fundamental issues of life and humanity is a large part of his appeal. Thus, many people have put his kafis to music, from humble street-singers to renowned Sufi singers like the Waddali Brothers and Abida Parveen, from the synthesized techno qawwali remixes of UK-based Asian artists to the rock band Junoon.

Bulleh Shahs popularity stretches uniformly across Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, to the point that much of the written material about this philosopher is from Hindu and Sikh authors. His involvement with atheism did not sit well with the contemporary Muslims, as a result of which few biographies of him from Islamic sources exist.

Vocalist: Allan Fakir (1932 - 2000) (Urdu: الن فقیر), a Pakistani folk singer is a one of the foremost exponents of sufi music in Pakistan. He is particularly known for his ecstatic style of performance marked with extreme devotional rhetoric and sufi dance singing. His peculiarly funny body language and distinctively pleasing facial expressions marked with a broad smile, were always amusing for his audience at live performances.

Allan Fakir was born in 1932 in the ancient village of Aamari in Jamshoro District, taluka Manjhand, Sindh. His mother died soon after his birth. He spent his childhood in Manjhand, a town between Sehwan and Hyderabad. He belongs to the Mangrasi tribe the Mangarhars are believed to bring happiness and welcomed on festive occasions for their gift of melody. According to the traditions of this caste, Allan Fakir's father used to beat the drum and sing traditional songs at weddings and till today Faqir's brothers are doing same job.Faqir is a title for Sufi but is also used for "beggar" in Urdu and Sindhi.

When he was only a teenager, Allan Fakir developed a habit of singing melancholy songs which his father did not like. Deprived of a mother's love, he went off in search of someone who could replace that love. He arrived at the tomb of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Bhit Shah and started living there.Faqir's memory was sharp even though he could not read and write. Hearing the traditional Latifi Raag sung every night touched his heart. Encouraged by Faqir Zawar Qurban Ali Lanjwani and Moolchand Maharaj, he began singing Bhitai's poetry at the shrine and ultimately spent twenty years there until meeting Mumtaz Mirza, who introduced him to Radio Pakistan in Hyderabad and helped him to learn the correct pronunciation of Bhitai's poetry. Eventually, he became a performing legend.

In appreciation of his services to folk culture, he was given a job and a small house at the Institute of Sindhology. He was originally appointed as an officer to help promote Sindhi culture, but due to his illiteracy, he was eventually demoted to the post of peon.

Allan Fakir received the President's Pride of Performance award in 1980, the Shahbaz Award in 1987, the Shah Latif Award in 1992 and Kandhkot Award in 1993. Allan Fakir died on 4 July 2000.

(Source Wikipedia)

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[raqib56]

But if you go thru the sufi poetry, they talk

mostly of the triangle relationship of (in ista'aray, Tashbihaat, & Kefiyaat) Creator, creatures & between creatures. Kabala / sufism ressemblance !! contestable ! There is absolutely no comparison between the Prophets and sufis. But certainly to ur discontentment, Mullah is there to remind us the defference. Lets enjoy the music and poetry together, taking us to our Kefiyyats

& Haal.

[saqibtahir]

Thanks.

[raqib56]

Saqibtahir,

sufism has no etymology in either Arabic /

semitic nor Indo-European cultral history. ibn Khaldun !

Divinity's Prophets remain mystic ? about what ? Wahis and Ilhams ? U say, Two Paradigms in religion, introduced by whom ? God or His Prophet ? U think Sufis have invented love, care peace, selflessness ?? Even Divine's Huquq-ul-Allah & Huquq-ul-Ibaad comes from HIM and will go back to HIM. Real Peace is

1 to 1 on ur own WITH HIM, no stones

no decorations, no escaping.

[saqibtahir]

Well this is not a place to have a mulla style discussion on Sufism. But I would say that mysticism did exist in pre-Islamic times. Jewish tradition of Kabala is very close to Islamic Sufism. Remember prophits were always rebelious against mainstream religion and clergy. If I compare the life of Prophits it looks much closer to a sufi than a mulla. rest we can discuss this topic on some other place if you want. Let us keep out talk within scope of this Kalam.

[raqib56]

Dharm47,

how can u say sufis " truely " understood

GOD.... ? if true, then just look around !

Btw, What about 140.000 Biblical Prophets ? they wasted time ? just

postmen knocking at the wrong doors ?

The mystic poetry was always rich in

imaginations, Tashbihat & keffiat, thats all. Limited to some messages for peace

and love, u can not run your society with only these two !

[saqibtahir]

Raqib, Sufism is nothing new. Most of prophits were mystics if you read their stories.

Religion has two paradigms. One is the way of priests and Mullas that take U nowhere except hate, selfishness, empty slogan and mindless rituals. Other hand Sufi live in a paradigm where religion means love, care for others, feeding hungry, selflessness, peace. I find peace on shrines of sufies. Have U seen any Mulla's mosque where ppl of all sects and religion gather, feed hungry, get hope and love?

[FMAR07]

Music born in two sides of river indus in SINDH thousand of years ago. Sounds turned into melodies over period of time and went to Europ with Gypsies migrating from Cholistan and Thar. You may find Mai Bhagi in vocals of Medonna.

[laputauk]

As a sikh ive always had love for sufism, we were brothers with these people once upon a time. But i always ponder the question as to why main stream islam hasnt taken its guidance from these sufis. If it had done islam would not get a bad rep.

Sat sri akal

[khanra]

@sarangsindi

Sindhu desh is a dead concept. Sindhis vote PPP and control Pakistan. JSQM and all those other forces are dead. In the west, the memory of Sindhu Desh is only kept on life-support by exiles and Indians.

[khanra]

Most of the worlds Muslims are Muslims because of the work of Sufis centuries ago. If it weren't for these Sufis, the austere and bland message of Orthodox Islam would never have caught on, and Islam would only be an Arab religion that was spread by force. Pakistan would be Hindu, Iran would be Zoroastrian, Indonesia would be Buddhist, Egypt would be Christian, and Africa would still be Animist. So basically, if youre not Arab, you can thank a past-Sufi for you being born into a Muslim family.

[ssskisaya]

Nice upload friend ,Keep it up , n wish u all the best...

[ssskisaya]

@raqib56 Right .

[ObaNarayanShivaji999]

Allahu Akbar!!!

[ameerask1987]

What's the name to this kalaam?

[acerb45666555]

the warrior who wishes to preserve peace is the Real warrior! he feeds his kids while the common renegade picks fights!

[ssahaisaurabh]

any place/ site where I can get song meaning of each line.,for Bulle Shah songs -THANKS

[alihaq92]

Alan Faqir you are in our hearts!

You are alive!