Ya Hoo! Some Mystical Moments With The “Sultan”

2. Ya Hoo! Some Mystical Moments with The “Sultan” Mystical poetry is such an important and magnificent aspect of our Eastern literature that our culture and civilization remains incomplete and inferior without it. Sub-Continent especially Pakistan is the homeland of such great Sufi saints and mystics and their fame has spread all over the globe. Hazrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) is one of such great personalities. This outstanding and marvelous ‘Faqeer’ spent his whole life in the service of great mystics and taught the lessons of mysticism and sacred love of God to his disciples to become true lovers of Almighty Allah. Diwan-e-Bahoo Sultan Bahoo (R.A) has written more or less one hundred and forty books (140) and Diwan-e- Bahoo is one of them. There are fifty-one (51) odes in this collection. In his many books, you can find Persian versus focusing on the love of God and oneness. The following ode is the opening of his literary collection: - I am certain within the universe there none worthy of worship besides Hoo There is no existence or objective in both worlds besides Hoo In hand with sword of negation comes alone without grief of hesitation Depending on acquaintance other than the truth is no triumph besides Hoo

3. Negate all besides Allah and seek Allah from Allah Keep your sight toward unison there is no purpose besides Hoo He is first He is last manifests His splendor Actual Divinity manifests from the truth there is none besides Hoo Listen O friend of passion there is no trinity or duality He is One He is the purpose none exists beside Hoo He is Hoo He is truth I know none other than Hoo He is Hoo He is truth I don’t recite none other than Hoo I mention one I search one and one I keep in my heart like a flower That one I find one besides that I find none other I traversed entire universe I only liked that Truth (Haqq) I called out one seen one and seen none other than one I am consoler of myself nothing is in my hand besides Yahoo I have attached my heart and soul with Hoo and not attached with none other besides Hoo

4. Now let us comment on these holy distiches taking them as an ode. His poetry is mystical according to structure and style and encompasses mystical secrets of sacred love of Allah. This becomes clearer and transparent when we comment on his work critically. As one critic explained, “His ode has broader meanings and insights with reference to structure and style. It does not mean the mere use of language and expression; these are critical and philosophical texture. Unless you consider the art of critique and aesthetic philosophy, you cannot understand the importance of his work’. Hazrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) has created a fabulous ode. Though rhymes have importance in the ode, yet a few bouts of rhymes are being overemphasized. But a deeper look can make you understand the focus of Hazrat Bahoo (R.A) and his wisdom and one forgets the use of a few rhymes. This wisdom appears in the use of the words “IllahHoo’ and ‘Hoo Hoo’. These words are fitted into the beautiful ode in such a delicate and charming manner that the listener gets lost in spiritual touch and gets isolated from the world. This special feature of Hazrat Bahoo (R.A) can be found in many other distiches. Just have a look at the following distiches: - You don’t mention I am but say that it is He Yes, it is He it is He Only He None knows the secret of this inhalation It is only He no one is aware of this proclamation No one knows the passion of my heart what effort I can make Why have you distanced me alas so sad so sad? This expression can be better termed as linguistic excellence. This is the same work done by great poet Jilal-ud-Din Muhammad Balkhi in ‘Kulyat-e Shams’. Read carefully the following distiches: - Come back a hear melody yer le yele yer le yele from my inner I am mentioning every moment tan tanan yer le yele yer le yele O cupbearer, bring that goblet and sing in the sound of flute Then say Tala lala tala lala yer le yele yer le yele absolute Due to absorption every lament sound Qu Qu beQuqu beq beququ beq beququ I am slave of Shams ul Haq Tabrizi who had taken this immaterial thing to hight

5. Shaqa Shaqaqa Shaq Shaqaqa Shaq Shaqaqiqi Such distiches are called distiches of emotions because here rhymes and traditional style of expression is not given importance. Here the poet talks about his inner spiritual feeling of love and devotion. He is not concerned about form and structure; it is an all useless effort. Distiches of Hazrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) are cultivated with truth and common understanding; they do not contain the fantasy of love and beauty. Sometimes, mystical passion reaches the highest level and aesthetic form of the ode is challenged. His distiches revolve around faith and oneness and artificial aesthetic sense is often ignored because faith is his life. As the distiches of Hazrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) reveal, he seems to follow the tradition and style of two famous poets, namely, Hazrat Mevlana Jamal-ud-Din Muhammad Balkhi (R.A) and Khawaja Shams-ud-Din Muhammad Hafiz Sherazi (R.A). If a person had studied ‘Kulyat-e-Shams’, he would have easily inferred that Diwan-e-Bahoo’ has similarities in several distiches with that of Hazrat Mevlana in terms of rhymes and alteration. As we have already explained, Hazrat Mevlana is the originator of such style. Similarly, the style of Hafiz Sherazi can also be found in several odes of Hazrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A).