By Muhammad Sadiq

Tradition of fiction writing in Punjabi is very old. In 1766, WARIS SHAH wrote the famous QISSA (story) of HEER RANJHA. WARIS SHAH is the greatest fiction writer and prime pride for the essence of all human feelings, sentiments and sensational vibrations. In the whole human history of fiction writing, the most revered, honored and dignified personality depicting all its segments is WARIS SHAH , the great.

The loudest cry and echo of cardinal pain is addressed to WARIS SHAH , is the influential tribute from the throat of Amirta preetam

I say with severe dismay

Speak out from your grave

To teach us the next lesson

Of true love to lessen

Our feelings with essence of truth

Sincerity, purity and eternity

This great Sufi and philosopher poet having a high fame and repute like Shakespeare has depicted delicately the scenes and sensation of all human beings.

He picturised in poetry the original dynamics of natural fiction.

As tiny sparrows

Chirp and fly in rows

The day is dawned bright

And travellers take flight

The milk is being blown

Get up now from sleeping gown

Take now bath as enjoyed the married night

Now Ranjha acrroned the sight

Of a stream where the sailorman

A can of honey in bribe can

Be deduced as fare

For crossing with care.

To mention the sublime story a legendary tale of WARIS SHAH , I find no proper phrases nor worthy words to express the same spirit in true scene , yet as a favorite follower I try my best to offer some theme and thought of this great literally philosopher.

When WARIS SHAH talks about Punjab, he picturised the trends and traditions of Punjab including the society and culture full of life and spirit , his style in Punjabi language starts opening new and novel aspects of sensational communication:

Let us talk about in praise

Takht Hazara’s surrounding phase

Where young Ranjha’s, a symbol of youth

Are making merry in colors and smooth

These tall and strong, in loving technique

In handsome in looking, brave in physique

They are wearing remarkable ear ring

The make of jewelry in ornamental ring

A scene of joy tends to nurture

Wearing folk lunges of their culture

In praise of Hazara, what I mention

A paradise on earth has its attraction

The fair face of heer, which is presented, transcribed, exhibited and modalised by WARIS SHAH is the unique style of depiction. His tone is tuned by idioms, proverbs, illustrations, examples and the phrases which clearly witness.

The poet in craze, just to praise

The marvels of beauties heer lays

The luck smile on her fortune

Beauty is shining like a full moon

Her long long black hair

Well knotted into triplet pair

Like the grace of daffodil

Her eyes are wide and fine still

Like red, fresh and soft rose

Her cheeks are pinky blushing close

Talk about her smart and sharp brows

They are really like lahori bows

The black eye-liner is fine and fair

Depict Punjab culture and classical glare

Her eyes so attractive pretty

Like the thorough Indian beauty

Just like a fairy creature

Her delicate facial feature

Are just giving the words look

Calligraphed fine in golden book

To have her look, a matter of pride

Envying her beauty with every side

Let WARIS SHAH have a divine light

Lail-la-tu-qadar, the true holy night

Her fine red lips shines bright

As precious sapphire illuminates light

Her smooth lovely chin

Is like an apple thin

Her nose is straight with a slight curve

And a lit of hair on treasure to serve

Her teeth are white as daisy-row

And so shine, beads of pearls glow

Her whole graceful and beautified posture

Is like the fine and fairy’s Kashmiri picture

Her height is dashing tall

Like the paradise trees all

Like an innocent pretty koonj smart

Her knock is marked with graceful art

Her fingers are so soft and thin

Like in orchard the beans akin

Her arms are so smooth and smart

Like grinding sticks doing their art

Her breast so bloomed in beautiful maturity

Like marble carved round youthful purity

For the redness of her lips

Everyone sees, admires and slips

Among her all mates, Maids and friends

She seems a fairy queen with royal trends

The love has its own musical circle

With its magnetising lyrics and miracle

Through urd-bazar, a warriers solider

With a red cap he runs here and there

WARIS SHAH knows well, love is special kind

First eye to eye meeting wins the heart and mind

The patriotic love with Punjab is well described by WARIS SHAH . From the mind to the heart, and from heart to the feelings, his style of visualisation mysmerises the reader and he carries the soul parallel to his pen.

How it wonders that heer who was famous as a beloved of Ranjha, now heer is an essential character of WARIS SHAH . WARIS SHAH gained a unique style of poetic singing linguistic vocabulary, musicological rhythm, moral communication, natural and regional patriotism.

He says

A governor wishes soldiers with sincerity

And we express with kasur patriotic nationality

We are anxious and sorrowful by heart

Among the whole Punjab, kasur being desert

Except the external appearing grace

Kasur is losing its internal trace

WARIS SHAH is proud of being pupil

Of great Makhdom, the kasur’s symbol

The story of HEER RANJHA travels a journey from love tale to divine love has numerous ventures, sufferings, circumstances, observations, experiments, ups and downs, complications and a series of strive and struggles.

WARIS SHAH seems as an objective character suffering himself through all pains and grieves. Even the event of ear piercing is the pain of WARIS SHAH himself.

With bowing head and joining hands

Let me request Jogi with sincere bands

Accept and adapt as humble servant

I came for a lesson and look brilliant

We are your deciples coming with pure trust

Almighty lord, is the king of learning best

Without saint’s guide there is no light

Towards a true path and teachings bright

Just as the example to wish

Without milk, no delicious creamy dish

The contentment is the treasure above all

Gained by patience, and endurance’s call

Worldly relations have no value and trust

Even father and brother, and other lust

We are depressed by material gain or attain

For getting rid, let us break linking chain

O my guide, you are the final resort

Leaving where I go, my vision don’t depart

In the search of Jog, WARIS SHAH himself seems a perfect Jogi and travels, transcends and starts divine journey in search of true creator.

The practice and policy of Jog is to strive on

Through learning, and constant meditating on

A kind of death, in struggles hearth

It is achieved only with truth’s wealth

To achieve creator’s wish and will

A constant endurances and self’s kill

With humble nature and humiliating trend

We can find his guide being serving friend

Faith, truth and sincerity do really change

All stones melt and get the divine range

Human being is no more than a clay model

Yet the creator guide well in spiritual cradle

WARIS SHAH finds his great Lord everywhere

He is Omnipresent dwelling in all here and there

WARIS SHAH talks in despair about departing of HEER and RANJHA, he picturised the gloomy scene in really sad tone.

Ranjha says, departing is painful

It is serve shock and really sorrowful

I am thoroughly looted and ruined away

All possibilities blocked, getting no way

Saida gets heer, but of no use

Every link is cut, all means refuse

A house is in mourning sad

The scène of departing is really bad

Loneliness and solitude, serve grip of grief

No charms of life no sigh of relief

Without food and energy, no race to win

To challenge for a fight is mere a sin

If even sky falls, No loss, no death

As the strong link hold well the earth

It’s hard to depart from the beloved

As a spiritual bond now deeply held

WARIS SHAH it is paining to depart

No hope is assured for re-union of heart

It is surprising to couple a natural wonder

A crow gets koonj and jackale meets with lions thunder

Although everyone knows well about the life of WARIS SHAH , yet I mention briefly that he was born in village of Jandiala sher KHAN. He got elementary education from local school and then went kasur for Dars-e-nazami course. He was admitted in the same institution where from Bhulle shah had got his training.

After this course, he secured skill and knowledge in several spiritual arts. Then he approached to baba farid-ud-din masood ganJ shakkar at pak-pattan.

He offers tribute his spiritual guide,

Pir chisthi, the great, is eye apple of mauddod

he is a revered shaker gajh masood

He is honor of noble chistia caste

Grown perfect, famous and pious fast

In pak-pattan, among twenty two

He is saint, humble and noble too

Later on, in Punjab, shaker gunj stayed

Through his teaching, a relief he laid

Fifteen kilometers away from pak-pattan on the road to sahiwal, there is a village of Malka hans, Inside a Mughlia masjid. Here at this very spot, in 1766, with in short span of only thirty months WARIS SHAH created his remarkable work “HEER WARIS SHAH ”. He himself inscribed and Calligraphed every line of his poetic work. He made three original copies.

Several generations passed by train of time

Many uttered in tone and sang in rhyme

They all have gone, none stayed here

Many rulers came, yet left their possession here

Several clamed for longer tenure

But the death might not assure

Many came with power and long intension

But Noh’s storm disturbed dimension

Everyone and who has vanity and pride

Has to die in grave to hide

Talk not about this soul and body

Everyone with a schedule has to ready

WARIS SHAH has written a unique fiction

No other can present such a poetic diction

WARIS SHAH prays for us who are listening, reading and commentating HEER to understand, to take moral lessons and try to act and adopt the virtues described in it.

O my lord, grant true readers with zeal

For the treasure literature which really reveal

The wit and wisdom, and the divine light

And bless them all health, wealth and delight

Forgive and grant mercy with great kind

To everyone who sees, reads and tends to find

WARIS SHAH wishes well for all His grace

Faith,truth,nobility and His divine face.

So here were some sublime glimpses of the work of WARIS SHAH . He is still alive surviving good life and name. He is surely the pride of our tradition of fiction writings.

WARIS SHAH passed away in 1798. He is buried in his native village Jandiala sher khan district skeikhpura. Every year a grand URS is celebrated with millions of lovers and followers. And several segments are arranged to pay tribute to this great WARIS SHAH .

MUHAMMAD SADIQ

Founder

JEHAN-E-WARIS

Dera baba Muhammad Sadiq,

babU saboo,

Lahore by-pass,

Lahore-Pakistan