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Sultan Bahu (Punjabi: سُلطان باہُو (Shahmukhi), ਸੁਲਤਾਨ ਬਾਹੂ (Gurmukhi); also spelled Bahoo; 17 January 1630 – 1 March 1691), was a 17th-century Punjabi Sufi mystic, poet, scholar and historian.[1] He was active in the Punjab region (present-day Pakistan) during the reigns of Mughal emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.[2][3]

Sultan Bahu
سُلطان باہُو
Born	17 January 1630 Shorkot, Punjab, Mughal Empire
Died	1 March 1691(1691-03-01) (aged 61) Jhang, Punjab, Mughal Empire
Resting place	Garh Maharaja, Punjab
Known for	Sufi poetry
Predecessor	Abdul Rehman Jilani Dehlvi
Successor	Syed Mohammad Abdullah Shah Madni Jilani
Parents	Bayazid Muhammad (father) Mai Rasti-Quds-Sara (mother)

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Little is known about Bahu's life, other than what is written in a hagiography called Manaqib-i Sultani, which was written by one of Bahu's descendants seven generations after Bahu's own time.[4]

According to these records, he was born in Shorkot, Jhang, in the current Punjab Province of Pakistan, in the Awan tribe.[5][6] He was son of Bayazid Muhammad, an officer in the Mughal Army, and Rasti.[7] He belonged to Qadiri Sufi order,[6] and started the mystic tradition known as Sarwari Qadiri.[3]

More than forty books on Sufism are attributed to him (mostly written in Persian), largely dealing with specialised aspects of Islam and Islamic mysticism. However, it was his Punjabi poetry which had popular appeal and earned him lasting fame.[4]^: 14 His verses are sung in many genres of Sufi music, including qawwali and kafi, and tradition has established a unique style of singing his couplets.[4]^: 14

Education

Sultan Bahu's first teacher was his mother, Mai Rasti. She pushed him to seek spiritual guidance from Shah Habib Gilani.[3]

Around 1668, Sultan Bahu moved to Delhi for further training under the guidance of Syed Abdul Rehman Jilani Dehlvi, a notable Sufi saint of the Qadiriyya order, and thereafter returned to Punjab where he spent the rest of his life.[3]

Literary works

The exact number of books written by Sultan Bahu is not known, but it is assumed to be at least one hundred. Forty of them are on Sufism and Islamic mysticism. Most of his writings are in the Persian language except Abyat-e-Bahu which is in Punjabi verse.[8]

Only the following books written by Sultan Bahu can be found today:

Spiritual lineage

In his writings, Sultan Bahu refers to Abdul Qadir Jilani as his spiritual master, even though Jilani died long before the birth of Sultan Bahu. However, most Sufis maintain that Abdul Qadir Jilani plays a special role in the mystic world and that all orders and saints are forever indebted to him in some way either directly or indirectly.[11] While acknowledging that he is a follower of Jilani's Qadiriyya tradition, Sultan Bahu initiated an offshoot of his own which he named Sarwari Qadiri.

Bahu's Sarwari Qadiri tradition (or Sufi order) is similar in its overall philosophy to the Qadiri order.[12] Unlike many other Sufi orders, the Sarwari Qadiri tradition does not prescribe a specific dress code, ascetic practices, breathing exercises, etc. Instead, it focuses on practising mental exercises.

According to tradition, the lineage reaches Sultan Bahu as follows:[12]

The Sultan Bahu tradition is still practised to this day by his successors.

Shrine

The shrine of Sultan Bahu is located in Garh Maharaja, Punjab.[13] It was originally built on Bahu's grave site until the Chenab River changed its course causing the need to relocate twice and as witnessed by those present at the time of relocation, claims that his body was still intact at the time.[13] It is a popular Sufi shrine, and the annual Urs festival commemorating his death is celebrated there with great fervour on the first Thursday of Jumada al-Thani month. People come from far-off places to join the celebrations.[14][12]

Sultan Bahu also used to hold an annual Urs to commemorate the martyrs of Karbala from the 1st to the 10th day of the month of Muharram. This tradition continues to this day and every year, thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine during the first ten days of Muharram.[12]

See also

• List of famous Sufis
• Sufism in Pakistan

References

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