Waris Shah

Not to be confused with Waris Ali Shah, the Indian Sufi saint.

Waris Shah
Depiction of Waris Shah, Lahore, ca.1859
Native name	وارث شاہ
Born	(1722-01-23)23 January 1722 Jandiala Sher Khan, Subah of Lahore, Mughal Empire (present-day, Punjab, Pakistan)
Died	24 June 1798(1798-06-24) (aged 76) Jandiala Sher Khan, Bhangi Misl (present-day, Punjab, Pakistan)
Resting place	Tomb of Waris Shah, Jandiala Sher Khan
Occupation	Poet social critic qissa-writer
Language	Early Modern Punjabi
Period	Mughal decline era Misl era
Genre	Tragedy love divine love Islamic mysticism spirituality social commentary
Literary movement	Punjabi Sufi literary tradition
Notable works	Heer

Waris Shah (Punjabi: [ʋaːɾɪs ʃaːɦ]; 23 January 1722 – 24 June 1798) was a Punjabi poet, social critic and qissa-writer, belonging to the Sufi Chishti order. He is widely celebrated for his magnum opus – Heer – a poetic narration of a traditional Punjabi folktale in an epic format, which is now considered a marvel of Punjabi literature and storytelling traditions.

Born in Jandiala Sher Khan, Subah of Lahore, Waris Shah belonged to an agrarian family of the Punjabi countryside. His parents passed away in his preadolescence; and he spent his teenage years living with his maternal uncle, before moving to Kasur to receive religious education under Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza. Waris Shah spent some time in Lahore, before moving south to the State of Pakpattan, settling in the village of Malka Hans, where he spent most of his life, living in a small room next to a mosque (now called 'Waris Shah Mosque'), from where he produced most of his work.

Waris Shah's poetry is infused with themes of love and tragedy, along with spirituality, mysticism and divine love. Most of his works are based upon rural life, conveying emotions and philosophical ideas using imagery and metaphors, a pivotal aspect of Punjabi poetry. He mostly used colloquial language; and is regarded as a 'master' of the qissa format, merging the storytelling tradition with philosophical ideas, forming a literary basis for the centuries-old oral tales of the Punjab. Most of his works, including Heer, is, traditionally, recited in the bhairavi raga; this tradition continues to be followed till this day.

Waris Shah is also famous for his social criticism of the problems that arose with Mughal decline in the Punjab. He witnessed the Afsharid and later Afghan invasions and looting of Punjabi cities, especially of Lahore by Afghans in January 1748. In his poetry, he was critical of the acts committed by the invading forces; and of Mughal failure to counter them.

He passed away on 24 June 1798 at his hometown of Jandiala Sher Khan, at the age of 76, and was laid to rest in the same village. A mausoleum was later built over his grave, where his urs is annually held. The title of 'Pir' is often used as an honourable prefix to his name. Throughout the centuries, he has been regarded as one of the major figures in Punjabi literature, credited with preserving oral folktales by establishing literary formats of them.

Background

20th century portrait painting of Waris Shah

Syed Mohammad Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Khan, Punjab, present-day Pakistan, into a reputed Sayyid family and was a descendant of Sayyid Muhammad Al-Makki through his son Sayyid Badruddin. His father's name was Gulsher Shah and mother's name was Kamal Banu. Waris's parents are said to have died when he was young. Waris spent years in search of the perfect spiritual guide. Waris Shah acknowledged himself to be a disciple of an ustad from Kasur, namely Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza from whom he received his education. After completing his education, Waris moved to Malka Hans, a village twelve kilometres north of Pakpattan. Here he resided in a small room (or Hujra), adjacent to a historic mosque now called Masjid Waris Shah, until his death.

Waris Shah was also an eyewitness to the first Invasion of India by the Afghan leader Ahmad Shah Abdali. He witnessed the Battle of Lahore between the Afghan forces and the Mughal forces under Shah Nawaz which resulted in Lahore coming under the Afghans during January 1748. Waris Shah condemned Shah Nawaz's actions during the battle and even referred to him as a coward. Other poets later added their own verses in Qissa Waris Shah throughout the history. It is estimated that there are 11069 forged verses in the commonly available Qissa Waris Shah. One of the oldest and most accurate copy of Qissa Waris Shah published by Kripa Ram in 1916 is available in the Punjab Public Library in Lahore.

Works

Folios of a manuscript of Heer Waris Shah (Waris Shah's version of the Heer-Ranjha folktale), circa 19th century

Examples

Many verses of Waris Shah are widely used in Punjab in a moral context, for instance:

• Naa adataan jaandiyan ne, Bhavein katiye poriyan poriyan ji

نہ عادتاں جاندیاں نے، بھاویں کٹئے پوریاں پوریاں جے

(A man never abandons his habits, even if he is hacked to pieces)

• Waris rann, faqir, talwar, ghora; Chare thok eh kisse de yar nahin (Waris says that woman, beggar, sword and horse, these four are never anyone's friends)
• Waris Shah faqir di aqal kithe; eh pattian ishq padhiyan hun

وارث شاہ فقیر دی عقل کتھے، ایہ پٹیاں عشق پڑھیاں ھن

(It is beyond the wisdom of faqeer Waris Shah (to write this verse), (But) these lessons are taught by Love)

• Eh rooh qalboot da zikr sara nal aqal de mel bulaya ee (This entire reference is about Soul meeting with the Divine, Beloved which has been contrived with great wisdom)

Tomb

Tomb of syed waris shah.

The tomb or mausoleum of Waris Shah is near Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan in Jandiala Sher Khan town. His urs (death anniversary) is held and celebrated there every year.

Legacy

The renowned Punjabi writer and poet Amrita Pritam is best remembered for her famous work Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu (lit: "Today I Invoke Waris Shah") about the horrors of the partition of the Punjab during the Partition of India.

• Ajj Akan Waris shah nu, k tu Qabran vichon bol

اج آکھاں وارث شاہ نوں، کتھوں قبراں وچوں بول

(Today, I call upon Waris Shah, to rise from the grave and speak)

• Te Ajj kitaab e ishq da, koi Agla warka khol

تے اج کتابِ عشق دا کوئی اگلا ورقہ پَھول

(And plead with him to open another page in the book of love)

Portrayal in media

Waris Shah's life has been fictionalised in Punjabi-language films. A 1964 Pakistani film titled Waris Shah featured Inayat Hussain Bhatti in the title role. Another film on the life of Shah, Sayyed Waris Shah, was released in India in 1980; followed by Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris in 2006 which had Gurdas Maan in the role of Waris Shah.

See also

• List of Punjabi language poets