Lahore and Kasur have from the beginning of time had a deep ‘love-hate’ relationship. Be it the Sufi saints or the ancient rulers of Kasur who assisted every Afghan invader ravish, that special connection has always been extreme in nature.

We know that Lahore (Lavapuri) was named after Lava and Kasur (Kushavati) after his brother Kusha, both sons of the Hindu ‘god’ Rama and his wife Sita, whose life is best described in Valmaki’s ‘Ramayana’. From the Veds we know that ultimately through intrigue the Kasuris of the family of Kash captured Lahore, only to be ousted. But that is another amazing story, call it myth if you like. In this piece I would like you to follow my long walking trip following the story of Bulleh Shah’s ‘murshid’, the great Shah Inayat, that famous Sufi mystic, scholar and saint from Kasur of the Qadri tradition.

Our starting point is on Queen’s Road, now called Fatima Jinnah Road. The name Queen came about because at the high point a statue of Queen Victoria stood under a beautiful canopy opposite the Punjab Assembly building. That statue now lies in the basement of the Lahore Museum. The name Fatima Jinnah was given because the medical school set up in 1941 by Sir Ganga Ram, named the Balak Ram Medical School after his son, closed after Partition of 1947. Dr Shujaat Ali reopened it with the permission of the Quaid-i-Azam using his sister’s name.

As Queen’s Road crosses the Lawrence Road, to the right before the YWCA gate is a lane that goes to the shrine of Shah Inayat Qadri. Just to clarify that in days of old the road from the old city to Ichhra passed by the road that today is Lawrence Road. This road as it heads towards the old walled city acquires the name of Hall Road. The very first Sufi saint of Lahore, Shah Ismail, lies buried here. On his death came Shah Zanjani, and on whose death came Ali Hasan of Hajwer, better known as Data Sahib. In a way the Sufis came before the invader Mahmud from Ghazni.

Though on his own Shah Inayat stands out as a great Sufi mystic scholar, his real fame is largely because of one of his disciples the great Punjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah. He will always be remembered as his ‘murshid’ (teacher). Shah Inayat was born in Kasur in 1643, the son of a scholarly mosque maulvi, Pir Muhammad, of Kasur. He belonged to the Arain caste and essentially were farmers.

The family of Shah Inayat allegedly came to Punjab via Sindh along with the invading forces of Muhammad bin Qasim, hence they claimed an Arabian lineage. The major part of the family settled in Lahore, where they did well. Inside Lohari Gate is a ‘mohallah’ called Ghani Mohallah’, which research tells us was named after the sage’s ancestors, all of whom claim the lineage of Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077-1166). In this ‘mohallah’ Shah Inayat settled for the rest of his life.

Shah Inayat was tutored in Persian and Arabic and became a disciple of Ali Raza Shah Shattari, a famous religious leader of Kasur. He started life as a farmer in the day and a student of Shattari after work. Such was his proficiency that Ali Raza advised him to move to Lahore to avoid the wrath of Kasur’s ‘mullah’ class, who deeply influenced the Afghan ruler. He told him to set up his own ‘madressah’ in Lahore. Because of this he came to be known as Shah Inayat Lahori.

In Lahore he started off by tutoring children in the Quran and in Persian. Because of the connections he made with the families of these children, as well as the religious scholars who lived inside old Lahore, he started giving the ‘azaan’ at Bhati Gate’s Oonchi Masjid. His fame soon spread and he was made the ‘Imam’ of the mosque. Here it would be interesting to quote an article of Khaliq Ahmed Nizami on Akbar’s India where he quotes Mullah Abdul Qadir Badauni’s ‘Muntakhab ut Tawareekh’ as saying that “Inayat Lahori very quickly was friendly with every ruler of Lahore”.

This quote I have used because my friend Mushtaq Soofi informs me that as Bulleh Shah was often accused of heresy by people he ‘upset’, it was Shah Inayat Qadri who would rescue him time and again. This, the presumption is, was because Shah Inayat had influential friends. But then while he was, undoubtedly, a great Sufi scholar, he was also well-grounded in the ways of the world. So it was the ‘murshid’, in a way, who saw through his illustrious pupil to greatness. That is why he is such an important person in the history of Lahore.

Here we must mention the important works on mysticism that he wrote, all of them in Persian. His two most important works are ‘Islahul Amal’ and ‘Dasturul Amal’, where he describes the practice of the mystical way of understanding the Almighty. But then as he was essentially a scholar and teacher, he also wrote a book for his pupils titled ‘Ishartul Taliban’.

The beauty of the ways of Shah Inayat were that he analysed the practices of the Hindus of the land and quoted extensively from the Vedic texts. It was this very reason, probably, why the poetry of Bulleh Shah never propagated hatred against any religion, but just sought ways of reaching the ‘Almighty’ within every human being. One’s religion was very much a secondary consideration.

When Bulleh Shah first met Shah Inayat, the ‘murshed’ to-be was plucking plants to sow again to grow into larger ones. Bulleh Shah assisted him and Shah Inayat said: “Just think we pluck a plant and plant it again. The Almighty sees that in every destruction is a new creation. Such is His logic”. Bulleh Shah knew immediately that he had found his ‘murshid’.

There are many quotes of Shah Inayat Qadri which need to be repeated. In his Oonchi Masjid where he was the Imam, someone asked him why was it ‘oonchi’. His reply was: “Beneath are the walls destroyed by sinners”. Come to think of it archaeologists now tell us that the old walls of Lahore when Akbar expanded the city do actually lie under the ‘ghatti’ to the left of Bazaar Hakeeman. Archaeological research is needed to unlock scores of such secrets.

The family and friends of Bulleh Shah kept reminding him that he was of the ‘superior’ Syed caste and Shah Inayat was a mere Arain. So Bulleh Shah decided to leave his ‘murshid’. Shah Inayat asked him to leave with the words: “Tu Bullah nai, tu bhulliyan aan” (You are not Bulleh, you are lost). As the poet wandered he with every passing day realised his folly and returned.

But Shah Inayat Qadri was not one to forgive easily. So Bulleh Shah joined the dancing caste (kanjars) and for 12 long years attempted to please his ‘murshid’. Then one day he sang and danced to the famous verse: “Tere Ishq Nachaya”. On this Shah Inayat repented and forgave Bulleh Shah.

On Queen’s Road in Lahore where a piece of land was owned by Shah Inayat, is the tomb of the great mystic Sufi. Alongside are two more graves of his sons. The ‘murshid’ wrote in Persian and Arabic while his pupil wrote poetry in Punjabi. Over the years the mother-tongue has reached the hearts and minds of the people of the land of Bulleh Shah and his ‘murshid’ Shah Inayat. In peace Lahore and Kasur create great people. In hate history is full of tragic examples.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2019