Waris Shah

Waris Shah (Punjabi: وارث شاہ (shahmukhi), ਵਾਰਿਸ ਸ਼ਾਹ (gurmukhi); 1722–1798) was a Punjabi Sufi poet of Chishti order, renowned for his contribution to Punjabi literature.

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. Waris's parents are said to have died when he was young. Waris acknowledged himself as a disciple of an ustad from Kasur, namely Hafiz Ghulam Murtaza from whom he received his education. After completing education Waris moved to Malka Hans, a village twelve kilometres north of Pakpattan. Here he resided in a small room, adjacent to a historic mosque now called Masjid Waris Shah, until his death.

His mausoleum is a place of pilgrimage today, especially for those in love. The mausoleum complex was completed in 1978 and is a mixture of the Lahore School Architecture and Tughlaq Architecture.

1. Ali ibn Abu Talib
2. Husayn ibn Ali
3. Ali ibn Husayn
4. Muhammad al-Baqir
5. Jafar al-Sadiq
6. Musa al-Kadhim
7. Ali al-Ridha
8. Muhammad al-Taqi
9. Ali al-Hadi
10. Ja'far al Zaki
11. Ismail Harifa
12. Nasir also known as Aqeel Al-Mulk
13. Harun
14. Hamza
15. Ja'far
16. Zaid
17. Qasim
18. Ibrahim al Jawadi
19. Muhammad Shuja
20. Muhammad al Makki
21. Badruddin
22. Sultan Muhammad Mahdi
23. Jamaluddin
24. Naasiruddin
25. Muhsin
26. Hassan
27. Rahmatullah
28. Ya'qub
29. Taaj Mahmud
30. Meeran Habib Shah
31. Aadil Shah
32. Boodeh Shah
33. Peer Gul Sher Shah
34. Waris Shah

• Al-A'raji Al-Hamadani, Sayyid Qamar, ed. (2016). Kitab Mudrik At-Talib. 1. Idara Niqabat Sadat Al-Ashraf Pakistan. p. 436. ISBN 9789699836022. 

Waris Shah is primarily known as the author of Heer Ranjha whose verse is a treasure-trove of Punjabi phrases, idioms and sayings. His minute and realistic depiction of each detail of Punjabi life and the political situation in the 18th century, remains unique and the entire poem is an album of colourful and enchanting pictures of life in the Punjab, of varied views but always deeply absorbing.

Waris Shah was a consummate artiste, deeply learned in Sufi and domestic cultural lore. It is said that the story of romantic love is a poetic expression of the mystical love of the human soul towards God – the quintessential subject in Sufism and a recurring theme in both Muslim and Hindu mysticism.

Some authors also suggest that it was Waris Shah's own unrequited love towards a girl named Bhag Bhari that later became the foundation of the poem.

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 (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, mendicant, sword and horse, these the four are never anyone's friends)
• Waris Shah faqir di aqal kithe; eh pattian ishq padhiyan hun (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)

• Chopra, R M (1999). Great Sufi Poets of the Punjab. Calcutta: Iran Society. 
• From the book Heer Waris Shah (Chatur Singh Jeevan Singh) in Gurmukhi

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 movie on the life of Waris Shah Waris Shah: Ishq Daa Waaris was released in India in 2006 with Gurdas Mann as Waris Shah.