God, the Eternal, without need what He wants, He does.

God, the Eternal, without need what He wants, He does. Shah ‘Abdu’l-Latif devotes two chapters to the actual battle, and to Hurr’s joining the fighters ‘like a moth joins the candle’, e.g., ready to immolate himself in the battle. But towards the end of the poem the mystical aspect becomes once more prominent; those who ‘fight in the way of God’ reach Paradise, and the houris bind rose chains for them, as befits true bridegrooms.

But even more: Paradise is their place, overpowering they have gone to Paradise, They have become annihilated in God, with Him they have become He … . The heroes, who have never thought of themselves, but only of love of God which makes them face all difficulties, have finally reached the goal: the fana fi Allah , annihilation in God and remaining in Him.

Shah ‘Abdu’l-Latif has transformed the life of the Imams, and of the Imam Husain in particular, into a model for all those Sufis who strive, either in the jihad-i asghar or in the jihad-i akbar , to reach the final annihilation in God, the union which the Sufis so often express in the imagery of love and loving union.

And it is certainly no accident that our Sindhi poet has applied the tune Husaini , which was originally meant for the dirges for Husain, to the story of his favourite heroine, Sassui, who annihilated herself in her constant, brave search for her beloved, and is finally transformed into him. Shah’Abdu’l-Latif’s interpretation of the fate of the Imam Husain as a model of suffering love, and thus as a model of the mystical path, is a deeply impressive piece of literature.

It was never surpassed, although in his succession a number of poets among the Shi’i of Sindh composed elegies on Karbala’ . The most famous of them is Thabit ‘Ali Shah (1740-1810), whose speciality was the genre of suwari , the poem addressed to the rider Husain, who once had ridden on the Prophet’s back, and then was riding bravely into the battlefield.

This genre, as well as the more common forms, persists in Sindhi throughout the whole of the 18th and 19th centuries, and even into our own times (2) To be continued! NOTES: ___________________________________________ 1. Qur’an 7:171. 2. Sachal Sarmast, Bedil Rohriwaro, Mir Hasan, Shah Naser, Mirza Baddhal Beg, Mirza Qalich Beg, to mention only a few, some of whom were Sunni Sufis). Leave a Comment Leave a Comment Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.