Shah Latif And His Message
Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai is one of the great Sufi poets and intellectuals of South Asia. He is a notable enlightened humanist, who firmly believed in the metaphysics of the unity of being and turned the socio-psychological implications of this metaphysics into subjects of his impressive poetry. His voice repeats the echo of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and is the expression of the same spirit which can be felt in the poetic works of Baba Fareed, Shah Hussain, Baba Buleh Shah, Khushal Khan Khattak, Khawja Fareed and other Sufi poets of our region.
There is no end to Shah Latif's admirers. Every Sindhi has the Saint's verses in his memory and can aptly use them in matters of every day business when the occasion arises. His writings have been critically studied and a number of books have been published on the life of Shah Latif, his poetry and message. Lately, the Pakistan Philosophical Congress organized a symposium on Shah Latif's philosophy and learned articles were read on his teachings.
However, it goes without saying that Sain G.M. Syed was the most remarkable interpreter of Shah Latif. He as born and brought up in a world which had been nurtured by Shah Latif himself. In this respect, G.M. Syed appears to be a Second Coming of the great saint. G.M. Syed believes in the unity of being, in the unity of religions and also in an enlightened form of humanism. The great saint Shah Latif and Sain G.M. Syed, both deeply love Sindh, its language and people. They are both the celebrated sons of Sindh whom the people of Sindh venerate with and equal sense of pride.
In this book, Syed Sahib has given a simple and direct version of his guru's poetry and teachings. The book guides us not only to correctly understand the message of one of the great eighteenth century Sufi intellectuals but also helps understand the soul that lurking the soil of Sindh since the ancient times of the Indus Valley Civilization. The book was originally written in Sindhi. We are indebted to Khadim Hussain Soomro Sahib who has made the book available in English language for a larger international readership. The English version is indeed a gift from Sindh to a trans-cultural world. Soomro Sahib deserves our congratulations for this service
There is no end to Shah Latif's admirers. Every Sindhi has the Saint's verses in his memory and can aptly use them in matters of every day business when the occasion arises. His writings have been critically studied and a number of books have been published on the life of Shah Latif, his poetry and message. Lately, the Pakistan Philosophical Congress organized a symposium on Shah Latif's philosophy and learned articles were read on his teachings.
However, it goes without saying that Sain G.M. Syed was the most remarkable interpreter of Shah Latif. He as born and brought up in a world which had been nurtured by Shah Latif himself. In this respect, G.M. Syed appears to be a Second Coming of the great saint. G.M. Syed believes in the unity of being, in the unity of religions and also in an enlightened form of humanism. The great saint Shah Latif and Sain G.M. Syed, both deeply love Sindh, its language and people. They are both the celebrated sons of Sindh whom the people of Sindh venerate with and equal sense of pride.
In this book, Syed Sahib has given a simple and direct version of his guru's poetry and teachings. The book guides us not only to correctly understand the message of one of the great eighteenth century Sufi intellectuals but also helps understand the soul that lurking the soil of Sindh since the ancient times of the Indus Valley Civilization. The book was originally written in Sindhi. We are indebted to Khadim Hussain Soomro Sahib who has made the book available in English language for a larger international readership. The English version is indeed a gift from Sindh to a trans-cultural world. Soomro Sahib deserves our congratulations for this service
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