Dhanni ke Sufi Shu’ara (Dhanni’s Sufi poets) is Ali Khan’s book published by Warq Publications, Chakwal. The blurb tells us that this is author’s second book. He is a journalist by profession and also writes columns for different newspapers.

First a few words about Dhanni. Chakwal district is traditionally called Dhanni or Dhann. In old official documents it was called ‘Dhann Chaurasi’ because it comprised 84 villages of Chakwal. In folklore the region is celebrated for having tough men, powerful bulls, sturdy horses and enchanting landscape. In our literary tradition it’s mentioned as the birth place of classical poet Pilu. He was the first to have composed the most thrilling but sorrowful tale of young lovers Sahiban and Mirza. He made the tale immortal and the tale immortalised him. The book carries introduction by Dr. Kamran Kazmi and comments by Malik Kashif Awan and Prof Shahid Azad.

Seven poets are included in the list of what Ali Khan calls ‘Sufi poets’ and they are Pilu, Shah Murad, Shah Sharaf, Shah Charag, Qazi Abdul Haleem, Prof Bagh Husain Kamal and Sahibzada Tabish Kamal.

Placing Pilu (1580-1675) among the traditional Sufis can be problematic. He is basically a dramatic poet who knows the art of storytelling. In our literary history he has never been treated as a Sufi poet (Muslim mystic). On the contrary he is credited to have composed one of our most secular tales, which in the words of poet Hafiz Barkhurdar, is a ‘story of earthly love’.

Barkhurdar in his composition ‘Qissa Sahiban’ talks of Pilu and pays him profuse tribute by creating a story how a crow representing seven ages takes Sahiban’s message before she is hanged by a wild tree to Pilu and how he directs the crow to go to Barkhurdar’s place with the request to re-compose the tale. Ali Khan has quoted what Mian Muhammad said about Pilu: ‘He uttered verses with discretion and whatever he uttered was excellent’. It’s obvious that Mian Muhammad doesn’t mention Pilu’s mystic inclination, not even alludes to it.

Shah Murad (1627-1702) was genuinely a Sufi poet. He was born in Khanpur Town of Chakwal district in a religious family that upheld Muslim spiritual traditions. Despite his religious training and spiritual temperament he was an open-minded scholar and poet. He would stay with one of his Hindu friends whenever he visited famous Katas Raj Temples in his neighbourhood. He was a polyglot; he knew Punjabi, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. His poetry in Punjabi and Persian was edited and published by Qazi Sirajuddin in 1908 from Rawalpindi. He employed several poetic genres for his creative expression. “Lot of time has passed since my friend departed/ I have no news about his whereabouts / He doesn’t return nor I find him as I seek him/ I gaze at the paths and ask the wayfarers / My yearning becomes intense by the day…” he says.

He was the poet who was aware of Harappa’s historical value. “Wake up if you are asleep / get your act together / Collect the stamps from Harappa and get them evaluated by assessors”, he says in one of his verses.

Shah Sharaf was born in the town of Noorpur Saithi in the Wanhaar Valley of Dhann but he spent most of his years in his ancestral village Mureed. He was contemporary of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. The author quotes Prof Anwar Baig Awan who writes: ‘Shah Sharaf composed several books of verses but much of it was lost due to the indifference and negligence of his family’. Abid Minhas has the same opinion.

Majid Siddiqi, a reputable poet and scholar, collected his verses which were published by Folklore Institute, Islamabad, with the title ‘Dohray (Quatrains) Shah Sharaf’. Mian Muhammad pays him tribute: “The noble verses of Shah Sharaf are of a high quality / They show the seekers the way to their destination”. On the one hand Shah Sharaf highlights the social importance of moral values and on the other stresses the value of spiritual quest for individuals.

Shah Charag was born in Gujrat district but got disappointed with people of his ancestral land. As a result he first moved to the Khalil village in Potahar and later to Chuhan aka Chuhan Saiden. It’s generally believed that he died in the year 1857. Ali Khan writes that “Shah Charag wrote a voluminous book called ‘Var’ which has been lost. His other known books include Jang Nama (Imam Hasan di Var), Kramat Nama and Satvara Shah Charag.” Here is one of his verses: “Why should they light lamps whose eyes are a beacon of light? / Charag, those whom love engulfs need no intoxicant.”

Qazi Abdul Haleem was born in 1727 in Nakka Kot, Chakwal. About him the author says: “he composed verses in Arabic, Persian and Punjabi. He used to utter verses extempore. That’s why his poetry has anecdotal content…Most of his poetry could not survive the ravages of time. Much of what survived has been transmitted orally.” He was religiously inclined poet and an orthodox scholar. “What did you bring to this world? And what would take along while departing this life? /You shall wring your hands when your time is up.”

The last two poets included in the book are Prof Bagh Husain Kamal (born 1937) and Tabish Kamal (born 1965). They can be taken as modern representatives of Muslim mystic tradition. Ali Khan’s book is a mini compendium of Sufi poetry of Dhanni. It’s well-researched but a bit poorly proof-read. Ali Khan has collected a lot of relevant material that shows trajectory of spiritual evolution of Dhann region which is otherwise known for its soldiery, livestock, sparkling lakes and murmuring streams and cascading waterfalls. He misses little about the poets that’s worth narrating. So we find facts and fiction, and reality and myth woven in his narrative. He relies as much on history as on folklore in a bid to make us acquainted with the overall picture painted by scholarly and oral traditions. The book should be on the shelves of all libraries, public and private. — soofi01@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2024