By Jawed Inayatullah Mughal

The Dawn: September 21, 2008

In 1739 a child was born to a respectable and saintly Faruqui family of Daraza, a small village about 32 miles from Khairpur Mirs and a mile from Ranipur Railway Station on the Rohrimain line. He was Abdul Wahab, a descendant of the second Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Umer. His great-grandfather Sheikh Shihabuddin Faruqui came to Sindh as a commander of a battalion with the Arab general, Muhammad bin Qasim who gave a crushing defeat to the mighty armies of the Hindu ruler of Sindh, Raja Daher and other chieftains at Debal, Rawar, Sehwan, Bahamanabad and finally at Alore on 10th Ramzan 93AH/June 20, 712 CE.

Abdul Wahab, or Sachal Sarmast as he was better known, spread the message of divine love through his poetry. He earned the title of Sachal (truthful) because of his love for truth, which he preached throughout his life.

Sachal’s poetry embodies the principle of mysticism. He was fond of sama (music) and would always be found absorbed in meditation. He enjoyed an absolute command over seven languages including Sindhi, Seraiki and Persian and earned additional titles of Shair-i-Haft Zaban and Sartaj-us-Shuara from his devotees. His unmatched poetry comprises kafi, bait, ghazal, musnavi, seh harfi, mustazad, hamd, jhoolna, ghoroli, musaddas, mukhamma etc.

There are about nine compilations of his Persian poetry, notably Diwan-e-Ashkar and Dard Nama, which consist mainly of philosophical verses. However, his Sindhi and Seraiki work is equally superb. Sachal Sarmast used to insist that he never wrote conventional poetry, and in fact it was divine inspiration. He says:

 

Een sukhan az ishq az sharist
Kay khan danad een ashaar

(What I utter is inspired by divine love/ It is not just poetry, so how can the ignorant ones grasp its meaning).

Under the influence of poetic inspiration, he would experience strange feelings and was overwhelmed by ecstasy which caused tears to flow profusely from his eyes.

In this state, his devotees would note down whatever he would utter. Upon regaining consciousness, he would deny having uttered the verses and would be unable to explain them. This is the reason why his poetry sometimes contains strange words and obscure expressions which bewilder his followers.

For example, in Diwan, he says:

 

But ra sajood kardam
nashistum Islam shud begharat chu sid deen
shikastam eemanburoon shud chu yaar anaroon shud.
Zinnar dar gulu. shud rishta sajid guasalam pirdaada yek jaam pur ze baada yaadam easay naayad ekhtiar shud
ze dastam.

(I bowed before the idol (of love) and sat in the idol house (temple). Islam was abrogated (by me) when I broke all barriers of religion/ As my beloved took hold of my heart and soul, all beliefs and faiths were ousted/ I snapped the rosary and put the thread (or noose) of love round my neck/ As my spiritual guide gave me a brimful cup of wine, I lost all control over myself and forgot everything.)

Sachal was an ascetic and led a life of piety and self discipline. He lived to the age of 90 years, passing away on 13th Ramzan 1242 Al Hijri (1829 AD). He was buried together with his meagre belongings alongside the graves of his father, grandfather, uncle and cousins in the mausoleum which was later built by Mir Rustam Khan Talpur, the ruler of Khairpur state.

As a true Sufi and an ambassador of goodwill, love and fellow feelings, Sachal rose from the heart of the Indus Valley like a torchbearer of truth. He spoke boldly and urged the people to become united on a single platform.

His heart embraced all men and religions. He spoke in all the important languages of the subcontinent and insisted on the development of the spirit of inquiry into both religious and worldly matters. He also urged the people to suppress their desires for the greater good of humanity, peace and prosperity of the world.

His immortal poetry continues to inspire us in times of adversity. Though the flower is no more, its fragrance continues to sweeten the soil of Sindh.

It is truly unfortunate that Sachal Sarmast’s work has not been translated into other languages of the world, and therefore huma-nity at large has not been able to derive benefits from his storehouse of wisdom.

Hundreds of thousands of devotees, from all over the country and abroad, attend the Urs of the great saint and sufi poet Hazrat Sachal Sarmast which is held every year at his shrine in Daraza Sharif, District Khairpur. The three-day Urs begins each year on the 12th of Ramzan.