Shah Abdul Latif is himself the messenger of love and peace. World knows that Bhittai is a mystic, and greater than a mystic. He is a philosopher and greater than a philosopher. He is a poet and greater than a poet. Yet what his poetry speaks has its influence upon the whole humanity. According to him, every human being is potentially a messenger of God. But today, in this materialistic world, everyone has become messenger of the Lord of death. Humanness requires that every one should manifest the Divinity within him. Every one should be a real messenger of God and strive to promote love and peace.
The Bhittai is an interpreter of the divine law in a human tongue. He is considered to be the ambassador of the spiritual hierarchy, for he represents humanity the illuminated souls who are both known and unknown to the world, who are both hidden and manifest, and who are both in world and beyond the world. He is both an initiate and an initiator, for he is only answer to the cry of humanity, as much of the individuals as much of the collectivity. He is the one who sympathizes with those in pain, guides those in darkness, and harmonizes those in conflict, and brings peace to the world, which is always losing its equilibrium excited by the centuries of its own activity.
And there is no gainsaying the fact that his verses are purely taken from Quran. As he says:
جي تو بيت ڀانئيان ،
سي آ يتون آهن،
نيو من لا ئين پر يان سندي ٻار ڏي
“What you think to be verses
Are celestial signs of love
They will make your heart move
In the direction of beloved”.
Love incepts from God and man as the image of God:
Love actually originates from God Himself which is actually the manifestation of the first principle of Islamic faith. Being a Muslim we notice that in Tawhid, love descends from God alone and all love is ultimately love for God.
In sur Khambhat one of the verses of Bhittai truly explains the love of man and God.
چنڊ ! چئين حق ،جي وڙهين جي وچڙين ،
ٻه اکيون ،ٽيون نڪ، تو ۾ ناهه پساهه پرين جو.
“O moon! Shall I tell you the truth
If you shall not angrily know
Two eyes, one nose and the brow
O you have not these of my Beloved.” (Reference: Khambhat verse 1-17)
As far as interpretation of the above mentioned verse is concerned, man is actually created in the image of God. Because almost all the religions of the world justify such argument. If you read one of the lectures of Nobel Laureates of Asia RN Tagore you will come to know how Man is the image of God.
He says, “I felt that I had found my religion at last, The Religion of Man, in which the infinite became defined in humanity, and came close to the man, so as to need my love and cooperation.”
In the Bible, man is explicitly explained as the image of God.
While interpreting the historical biblical account of the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26-27) states that God created first man and woman in His own image, “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created male and female.”
Further Bible says, “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.: (Genesis9:6)
So throughout the poetry of Shah Latif one finds that the main objective of love in whatever form it may take is to bring about union and integration between lover and loved.
Thus God’s love for man and man’s love for God both aim to overcome separation and bring about nearness and union.
In another verse of Bhittai he utters:
“Do not get depressed
I am just ahead unto you,
In seeing, seem far view
But ambit of we is one and same”
From above verse it is easily deducted that ambit of both world of man and reign of God within us is one and the same. So we have to cultivate the relationship of humanity and have to serve all the men of the world.
Bhittai cries for humanity:
He candidly explains and cries that both the love of mankind and God has migrated from the hearts of the people.
“There is no love, nor longing for love
nor it whispers to be heard;
As though It has migrated from the world
there seems not a word here”
Besides this latif sometimes becomes disappointed when he sees that true lovers of God are gone who used to love humanity. In Sur Karayal he utters his deep emotions:
ويا مور مري ، هنج نه رهيو هيڪڙو ،
وطن ٿيو وري ، ڪوڙن ڪانيئرن جو.
“All the swans are died
not a pea bird doth remain;
Ah this our native domain
is now the abode of carrion crows”
Today people have become worse than animals. Here Bhittai has eloquently spoken of the diabolical designs of human being in the following verse taken from the Sur Burvo Sindhi:
آد مين اخلاص ، مٽائي ماٺو ڪئو ،
هاڻ کا ئي سڀڪو ، ما ڙهونءِ سندو ماس،
دلبر ! هن دنيا ۾ وڄي رهندو واس
ٻئي سڀ لوڪ لباس ، ڪو هڪدل هوندو هيڪڙو
People have forsaken truthfulness
Each one shows what less he can
See you now in whole the world
Every one eats flesh of man;
Know ye Sir! remains but here
What was alone thy scent as man;
In craft clothed in all clan,
Only one be true heart among them.(3-4)
Shah Abdul latif candidly describes the exploitation of man by man for avarice ends. It is still the job of man in materialistic world as they are eating flesh of human being by killing and torturing them. They have now degenerated to such animalism that they now stand at the precipice of obscurity. They have forgotten divinity within them. Bhittai has not only condemned all acts of aggression against humanity but he has also stood stumbling block against the torture given to animals which is best described in the following verse:
آءُ اڏامي ، هنجڙا ! سر ۾ سارينئي
متان مارينئي ، پاڙهيڙي پهه ڪري
Come fly to us, to our waters,
Dear swan! we remember you here;
O least thy kill you here
All hunters-laying some secret traps (Sur Karyal 1-17)
In the same way Galsworthy in Stupidity street depicts a portent of compassion for birds:
I saw with open eyes
Singing birds sweet
Sold in the shops
Of stupidity street.
Bhittai gives clarion call for struggle in the path of love:
Bhittai by the dint of his poetry suggests people that they should wake up from deep sound slumber sleep to uncover the clandestine reality of love and that reality is to put ceaseless efforts for the establishment of God’s principle upon earth that is to promote peace and harmony. What to speak of human beings even candle moths are far better than us.
Bhittai says:
Go and ask the candle moths
How do they burn, on fire of love?
People of the world have failed to understand the very essence of Love and peace. Shah has been repeatedly emphasizing that God is love and Love is God. We, I mean human being, need to understand the spiritual vastness of our soul. The doctrinal principle of the God is that all people are one and the same. His principle and law is that law of God is love of man irrespective of any distinctions of color, creed, community or country. So. He stresses that people should not shun the spirit of struggle in all the life. They should strive hard to promote the love and peace in the world. And support and help of Allah will always be with us.
“Do not despair and melancholy
I am the little further from you!
By seeing, I may seem far to view
But ambit of we both is one and the same.”
Bhittai goes against the religious extremism:
Main motive and objective beyond the existence and creation of all the religions of the world was to understand God and understand one’s inner soul so that a time comes when all they reach a point to commit a cause that is of human dignity and protection of human rights. But almost all the religions of the world have miserably failed to understand and according to Bhittai they are not sincere with themselves and the religion because main agenda of any religion is to serve people but they have exploited it and made it main factor of trouble and turmoil.
ان پر نه ايمان ، جئن ڪلمي گو ڪوٺا لئين،
دغا تنهنجي دل ۾ ، شرڪ ۽ شيطان،
منهم ۾ مسلمان ، اندر آذر آ هئين .
This is not the true faith
As you claim yourself-sayer of kalma
Deceit is in your heart
And also the duality and satan;
By face you are Muslim
But in heart the worst of idolaters.(Sur Assa 4-14)
In another verse Bhittai also refers to the Hindus that they are also not heartfelt with their religion.
He speaks:
ڪوڙو تون ڪفر سين ، ڪافر م ڪوٺاءِ ،
هندو هڏ نه آهئين ، جڻيو تو نه جڳاءِ،
تلڪ تنين کي لاءِ ، سچا جي شرڪ سين.
False are you to your idols
Call not yourself an idolater!
Hindus aren’t you in the least,
thread is not on you the proper,
Adorn those with the tilak ever
who are faithful to idol-worship (Assa4-15)
We all are the same and one that is human being we have got common religion that is the religion of humanity. Destruction of temples or holy places is never and has never been agenda of Sindh. Bhittai stood firmly against the religious extremism and was advocate of peace and nothing. We need to grow out of extreme insularity and should begin to understand each other whether Muslim or Hindu, and work together for the common cause of establishing peace.Bhiitai strived hard to protect slam against sectarian, extremist and biased tendencies which speak volumes of the fact that he was the real supporter of love and peace. Shah Sahib consistently preached message of unity, peace, tolerance and love. He is the best weapon in today’s, modern world against the hate and intolerance which is on the rise, causing death, genocide, violence and religious persecution.
In Sindh forcibly conversion of Hindu women is shameful act. We cannot force anyone to follow any religion which is totally against Islamic percepts. Sufi poet also went against this idea. Same has been repeated in the Holy Quran which states: “There is no compulsion in the religion”.(Baqarah:256)we must Foster peace and love through deliberate policies and efforts. Sachal Sarmast also opined in this way:
“Neither I am a follower, nor a Master; all are the Devotees of Devotee.
Neither I am a dictator, nor a savage, but I am the leader of the peace”
Here Again Bhittai says:
A message came from the Lord:
A full moon shone
Darkness disappeared
A new message came from the lord:
It does not matter what caste you are
Whoever comes is accepted.”
Baba Bulleh Shah says;
That one who knows his self, knows his lord.
Further Bulleh Shah says;
مندر ڈھا دے مسجد ڈھا دے ، ڈھا دے جو کجھ ڈھیندا اے
پر بندے دا دل نہ ڈھا ویں جی دے وچ رب ریندا اے
“Tear down the mosques and also the temples
break down all that divides
but do not break the human heart
because it is there where God resides”
Again He appeals for peace;
“Neither a Hindu nor a Muslim
Sacrificing pride
Let us sit together
Neither a Shia nor Sunni
Let us walk the path of peace”
God is peace and where God resides there is a peace and where there is a peace, there is plenty, prosperity, love and harmony. The enduring legacy of the modern world is that it compelled peoples of the world to begin seeing themselves as a member of single human race and earth as races of common homeland and belongs to the same domination of God’s species and are to as Humans. Furthermore, inhabitants of the same planet, we are mutual neighbors. This requires that we become friends to each other, with purity of humble heart and sincerity of purpose. We should dispose kindly to each other and be mutually helpful.
Bhittai says that a religion which does not inculcate universal compassion is not religion at all. Our God has never discriminated between one people and another. The earth created by Allah provides a common floor for all people alike. The attributes of Almighty Allah nurture us lesson that we should behave magnanimously and kindly towards our fellow human being . Rest assure that if any religious nation does not treat God’s attributes with respect and will not shape its conduct as par the conduct of God then that nation within no time will be wiped out from the face of earth. Unfortunately, organized religion, whose very reason for being entails service to the cause of brotherhood and peace, behaves all too frequently as one of the most formidable obstacles in the path.
Ego has devasted one’s existentialism. Bhittai repeatedly emphasized and declared ego as our bitter enenmy which resides in our self. He suggests not to rely on it and try to disengage from it in the following verse.
“Same is the bird, same is the cage
Descending down deeply in
Perceived I the whole plan
Same was the hunting man who chased us was within us.”
سو پکي سو پڄرو ، سو سر سو ئي هنج ،
پيهي جان پروڙيو ، مون پانهنجو منجهه ،
ڏيل جنهن جو ڏنجهه ، سو ماري ٿو منجهه ڦري.
Bhittai has also emphasized on true friendship and he stressed on it .
يار سڏائي سڀڪو ، جاني زباني ،
آهي آساني ، ڪم پئي ٿي ڪل پوي.
“Friendship by words they do profess;
an easy thing to do;
The proof will come when need and stress the real friends will reveal”.
فاني ئي فاني ! دنيا دم نو هيڪڙو ،
لٽي لو ڙهه لتن سين ، جوڙيندءِ جاني !
ڪو ڏر ۽ ڪاني ، آهه سر سڀ ڪنهين .
The worlds is passing soon or late,
one breath it is, not long;
And with their feet they’ll bury you
a tomb will be your fate;
The measuring rod and spade,
do wait as last things on this earth.
