Shah Abdul Latif in Quest of Truth and Emancipation : Javed Shaikh
Shah Jo Risalo, written in very classic and concise Sindhi verses, is great storehouse of people of all religions without discrimination. Shah Abdul Latif has philosophical, mystical under layers of symbols taken from all spheres of life as well as from the classical Sufi tradition.
The traditional compilations of Shah Jo Risalo include 30 Surs (chapters) and were compiled by renowned scholars. The word “Sur" means a mode of singing. In Indian classical music, its "Rags" and "Raginis" are sung at different times of day and night. In Risalo the Surs are named according to their subject matter. These Surs contain “Bayts” (couplets) which Shah latif sang in state of ecstasy. These Bayts in the Surs concerning the life-stories of his heroines, viz. Suhni, Sassui, Lila, Mumal, Marui, Nuri and Sorath, are not in chronological sequences, for the Sufi Poet in his state of "Wajd" or ecstasy, was concerned with the moments of denouncements in life-stories, which he used as allegories to express his mystical experiences.
In quest of truth beyond all religions, Shah Abdul Latif travelled to many parts of Sindh and also went to the bordering lands such as Multan, Lasbela, Jaselmir and Bhuj. He travelled unilaterally in the company of “Jogies” and “Samies” and some time alone visiting towns and villages to understand true message of religion i.e oneness/unity. During these travels he had the opportunity of the company of well-known scholars, sages, mystics, and those exceptional men who had denounced the world for spiritual enlightenment. Some of those spiritual mentors and religious scholars he had met are mentioned here.
Shah Inayat Sufi (the martyr)
Mukhdoom Muhammad Moeen Thatvi
Shah Inayatullah Rizvi
Mukhdoom Muhammad
Mukhdoom Muhammad Hashim Thatvi
Syed Shahmir Shah
Mukhdoom Sabir Vulhari
Mukhdoom Muhammad Zaman Lowari
Faqir Sahib Dino Farooqi (Daraza)
Makhdoom Din Muhammad Sehwani
Syed Muhammad Baqa Lakyari
Makhdoom Abdul Rahim Grohri
Madan Bhagat
To sum up, Shah Abdul Latif’s poetry and his labourous work is an alternate source that helps understand the socio-political and economic conditions of Sindh during the first half of the eighteenth century. During this period, the people of Sindh suffered due to foreign subjugation and internal strife. The miseries suffered by the common people made them indifferent to the prevailing material conditions and they accepted the suffering as the Will of God. In such circumstances, Shah Abdul Latif raised his voice in support of the oppressed masses of Sindhi society. He not only tried to eliminate the sense of alienation among the masses but through his poetry, he also taught them the values of self-respect, equality of all human beings, political freedom and social justice. His deliberate choice of the Sindhi the language of indigenous people instead of the official Persian for expression was intended to eliminate the prevailing sense of inferiority among the diaspora and to create a sense of high intellectual attainment in them. This choice generated a sense of pride among the Sindhis, besides inculcating in them a sense of respect for their language and culture. The subject matter of Latif’s poetry is the common people of Sindh, such as herdsmen, peasants, camel breeders, weavers, fishermen, ironsmiths and seafarers. He also gave a great importance to women in his verses. He not only addressed women directly, but also gave them a central position in his thematic discourse.
He was all praise for his heroines who emerged as the symbols of courage, determination, scarification and struggle. Sassui has been portrayed as the symbol of firm commitment, Marui emerged as the icon of patriotism. Latif’s poetry reveals that he opposed any political role for religion in Sindh polity, but he did accept religion as a personal matter of the people. He criticized the Hindus and Muslims who used religion for planting seeds of hatred among the people. Keeping in view the heterogeneous character of Sindhi society, he suggested the formation of a new society, which was based on equality among all human beings, without any discrimination based on religion, caste and creed. Translating the theory of pantheism into a political doctrine, he wished to see the Sindhi polity of his times as an emerging ‘unity from diversity’.
His admiration for Shah Inayat reflected his ideas regarding socio-economic justice. Through his poetry, he encouraged the masses to fight against all kinds of exploitation and injustice. He appeared as a proponent of untiring struggle and sacrifice to achieve the goals of political stability, social justice and communal harmony.
Few verses of Shah Abdul Latif:
اکيون اهي ڌار، جنهن سان پسين پرين کي،
ٻي ڏي ڪين نهار، سڄڻ ريسارو گهڻو.
( شاهه- سر آسا)
پڙاڏو سوءِ سڏ، ور وائي جو جي لهين،
هئا اڳيهي گڏ، ٻڌڻ ۾ ٻه ٿيا.
(شاهه – سر ڪلياڻ)
a
پريان سندي پار جي، مڙيئي مٺائي،
ڪانهي ڪڙائي، چکين جي چيت ڪري.
a
اکر پڙهه الف جو، ورق سڀ وسار،
اندر تون اُجار، پنا پڙهندين ڪيترا.
حرف تو پڑھ لے الف کا سائیں! دوجے ورق بسار،
اپنے من کو اُجار، کیا کیا ورق پڑھے گا۔
Read letter A, (Alif) forget all other pages
Cleanse your heart, how long can you read pages after pages,