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.
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