Whenever I chanced upon to hear melodies of Punjabi Sufi poets sung by folk singers, gawwaals or other accomplished musicians, I was always fascinated by their mysticism, their professed love for the Divine Beloved, their sincerity of purpose, the simplicity of their language, down-to-earth similes, most appropriate metaphors to drive home a point, and, sometimes, I wondered how very rich these compositions were in content, which, in fact, spurred me on the undertake study of Punjabi Sufi poetry in greater detail. During the course of this study I was pleasantly surprised when, in my search, I came across a treasure- trove of Divine Knowledge and Spiritual Realisation of a high order. It was also learnt that how these Sufi poets exercised a profound influence in the lives of the people and were responsible to a great extent for evolving a composite culture of the Punjab. They not only led the vanguard of progress in Punjabi language and literature but also, by the nobility of their pious feelings and rhythmic rendition, inspired the people to seek the Divine Love. The history of the Punjab from the thirteenth to the eighteenth centuries has seen many storms and peaceful interludes. These vicissitudes are reflected in the poetry of the Sufis. The Sufis, in the process, contributed a great deal in maintaining mental equilibrium of diverse communities in troublous times in the medieval ages. Their friendly and tolerant utt4erances retained the favour of both the Hindus as well as the Muslims and influenced the people's thought and sent the message of peace, love, fellowship, understanding and amity to every home and hamlet. They bestowed a remarkable legacy of communal harmony for posterity. I have tried to capture the essence of Sufi sayings and elaborate them into this book with the hope that it may help others in understanding the great Punjabi Sufi poets of yore and their contribution to bringing about a spirit of solidarity amongst different communities. It is not in any way an exhaustive study of the subject. As the Punjabi poetry was written by the Sufis in Persian script and, to maintain authenticity and originality, the verses of the Sufi poets in the book have been printed in Persian, as also in Devnagari and Roman scripts for easy comprehension and wider understanding.
Mysticism is a constant and eternal phenomenon of the universal yearning of human soul to have direct communion with the Creator. It is essentially the same in all religions. Sufism is the name given to mysticism of Islam. The central core of Sufism revolves round the strict Islamic principles, teachings and code of conduct. In the wake of conquest of the Punjab by Mahmud Ghaznavi and, later, by Shihabuddin Muhammad Ghori, Sufis started coming from Iran, Afghanistan and other Islamic centres in Central Asia to the Punjab from the eleventh century: A.D., and settled there to preach. From the early thirteenth century, to the middle of the nineteenth century, the Sufis exercised a profound influence on the people of the Punjab. Their winsome personalities, friendly spirit, patience, tolerance and humanitarian work endeared them to the people of all communities who always thronged to listen to their words of wisdom and seek their blessings. In order to reach the common people, the Sufis sang their love for the Divine Beloved in the local dialects drawing imagery from country-life and local customs prevalent in the Punjab so as to make themselves easily comprehensible to the simple village folks. In the process, the Sufis not only enriched the Punjabi language but also gave an abiding place to Sufi thought and verse in Punjabi literature. Punjabi Sufi poetry sings primarily of Love and God. Both these themes are intertwined. In fact, Divine knowledge and Spiritual Realisation are the ideas pursued by it. Mysticism is more predominant than materialism in Punjabi Sufi poets' temperament which found expression in their verses.
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