Shah Hussain Explained

Shah Hussain
Birth Date:1539 CE (945 AH)
Birth Place:Lahore, Punjab, Mughal Empire
Death Date:1599 CE (1008 AH)
Death Place:near Ravi River, Lahore, Lahore Subah, Punjab, Mughal Empire
Resting Place:Darbar Shah Hussain, Baghbanpura, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Occupation:Poet
Era:Early Mughal-era
Birth Name:Hussain
Notable Works:Kāfiyā'n Shah Hussain
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Language:Punjabi

Shah Hussain (Panjabi; Punjabi: {{nq|شاہ حسین ; Panjabi; Punjabi: ਸ਼ਾਹ ਹੁਸੈਨ ; 1538 – 1599), also known as Madhoo Lal Hussain, was a 16th-century Punjabi Sufi poet who is regarded as a pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. He lived during the ruling periods of Mughal emperors Akbar and his son Jahangir.

Name

Shah Hussain is also often known as Shah Hussain Faqir - Faqir meaning Dervish (mendicant) and Shah means King. So due to his extremely humble Sufi personality, people called him The Dervish King, a person who was a King and a Dervish at the same time.

Life

Shrine

His tomb and shrine is located at the Baghbanpura precincts, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens (Lahore), Pakistan. His Urs (annual death anniversary) is celebrated at his shrine every year during the "Mela Chiraghan" ("Festival of Lights").[1] [3] Madho's tomb lies next to Hussain's in the shrine.[4] [2]

In the 18th century, during Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780  - 1839) rule of Punjab, the maharaja himself would lead a procession from his palace in Lahore to Shah Hussain's shrine barefoot during Mela Chiraghan (Festival of Lights), accompanied by thousands of Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus. Shah Hussain's urs and the mela used to happen at two different times but were both combined into one and then called "Mela Chiraghan" (Festival of Lights) by Ranjit Singh. This mela (festival) is considered to be the biggest festival of Punjab.[2] [1]

Kafis of Shah Hussain

Hussain's works of poetry consist entirely of short poems known as Kafis.[5] A typical 'Hussain Kafi' contains a refrain and some rhymed lines. The number of rhymed lines is usually between four and ten. Only occasionally is a longer form adopted. Hussain's Kafis are also composed for, and the singing of them has been set to music based on Punjabi folk music. Many of his Kafis are part of the traditional Qawwali repertoire. His poems have been performed as songs by Kaavish, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Ghulam Ali, Hamid Ali Bela, Amjad Parvez, Junoon and Noor Jehan, among others.[2] [6]

"It may be asserted that poetry is often written to be sung. And all poetry carries, through manipulation of sound effects, some suggestion of music".[7]

Here are three examples, which draw on the famous love story of Heer Ranjha:

Another Kafi:

Two Kafis that are addressed to his Hindu disciple Madho Lal Hussain[8] need a special mention:

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: 11 March 2019. Shah Hussain — the pioneer of Punjabi kafi. 17 March 2021. Daily Times (newspaper). en-US. Tania Qureshi.
  2. News: 'Love needs no guidance': How Shah Hussain and Madhu Laal defied social norms past and present. Sameer Shafi Warraich . 24 April 2018 . Dawn (newspaper). 18 March 2021.
  3. http://www.dawn.com/news/1248883 Annual Mela Chiraghan (Festival of Lights) in Lahore, Pakistan
  4. Lal, Mohan. (2006) Encyclopaedia of Indian literature. Vol. 5, Sahitya Akademi, Delhi, p. 3940. .
  5. Book: Hussain , Shah . Kafiyan Shah Hussain: Kalaam Aur Urdu Tarjumah. 1987.
  6. Web site: Hamid Ali Bela sings Shah Hussain poem . dailymotion.com website. 4 March 2014 . 17 March 2021.
  7. Web site: Profile of 'Shah Hussain' . Najm Hosain Syed. travel-culture.com website. 17 March 2021.
  8. Book: Amin Naqshbandy , Sheikh Parvaiz . Hazrat Maadho Laal Hussain. Umar Publications. 2001. the University of Michigan. 120.