Shah Abdul Latif, commonly known as 'Shah' or 'Latif' was a mystic or Sufi poet of Sindh. He lived in Sindh in the seventeenth century and is considered by far the greatest poet of Sindhi language. Shah was a very strong yet subtle proponent of the Sindhi Sufi tradition. His mausoleum is located in Bhit Shah, Sindh, and is visited by millions throughout the year. Shah's poetry is unique as it expresses the harmony between what he saw outside with his naked eyes and what he observed within by his inner eyes. He is the most revered poet-saint of Sindh. Shah's poetry is very popular in Sindh because it reflects the trials and triumphs of the common people in everyday life. He uses the romantic folk tales and simple beauty all around his land to convey a liberating spirituality. Sindhis belonging to all walks of life recite his poetry every day for inspiration and wisdom.
Shah was a poet, who never intentionally wrote his poetry. He just did it extemporaneously as it was being shaped in his mind. The collection of his poetry is called 'Shah-Jo-Rissalo' or the message of Shah. The forms his poetry took included, mystical, lyrical, spiritual, didactic, romantic, tragic, patriotic, revolutionary, historic, and many different forms to different people. His message conveys the spiritual unity of all living beings. The values he expressed are so universal that everybody can find something in his poetry to resonate with his/her own feelings. Shah teaches the universality of the human race. He speaks of the basic equality without social status, dignity of labor, peace for humanity, performance of good and virtuous actions, religious tolerance, hard work, union with the eternal truth through humility and humanity, etc.

His poetry is rendered to music in a special way that is unique to Sindh and is performed exclusively by his devotees, who are called Shah-Ja-Fakir (i.e. Devotees of Shah). It was Shah Latif himself, who developed and started this musical tradition. Therefore, this music is called Shah-Jo-Raag (i.e. the music of Shah). His poetry and its music has been handed down from generation to generation by the Fakirs or devotees of Shah. Not only did Shah compose the music but he invented the instrument that is the center piece of this musical tradition. The instrument is called "Dambooro"

A simple and solitary mosque, built at the site of the poets' house in the Halla Haveli, is now the only vestige left of the village. His father Shah, soon after the peot's birth, migrated from haveli to Kotri, a village, however, no more exists except in the form of sprawling ruins.

Shah was a Sayyed, one of his ancestors, Mir Hyder Shah, had chanced to come to Halla from Herat and married there. To him was born a son Mir Ali and from whom descended Shah Abdul Karim, the great grand-father of Shah Latif. Shah Karim was himself a much revered mystic poet. Shah's mother had descended from Makhdoom Dayani, known as 'Majoob' - divinely intoxicated. Shah Latif is said to have been as a result of faqir's blessings.

Shah Latif was sent for instruction to Akhoond Noor Mohammad Bhati in a village, known as Via. The poet, however, declined to proceed beyond the first 'Alif', which represents 'Allah'. His father instead of being displeased, is said to have embraced him for his precious spiritual awakening.

Eminent scholars like trumpp, Gurbaxani and Mirza Qalich Beg hold conflicting opinions about his education. His poetry used to flow from his tongue whenever he was in state of trance and his followers used to scribble it on paper. A manuscript, know as Ganj (treasure), preserved and left in the custody of Tamar Faqir, is now being guarded by his descendedts. The story of the poet's having consigned the orignal Risalo to Kirar lake owing to his apprehension that it might believed and has deservedly discredited by Gurbaxani. Such divine utterance are not born to perish as the poet himself declared: 'These are not 'bayts'(couplets) but 'ayats' ( scared verses).

Shah Abdul Latif joined a band of yogis and Sanyasins who were going on pilgrimage to Hinglaj, the famous shrine of Devi Amba. It was an arduous and perilous journey of one hundred and twenty miles from Karachi across a territory of barren deserts and mountains. The ordeals of this journey are recounted in his poetry. His associations with sanyasins and the trails tribulations of the 'path' purged his heart of all impurities and illumined his soul.

On his return, he seems to have journeyed alone, lamenting his parting with yogis, as one would bewail the loss of someone deeply loved and adored. In 'Sur Ramkali', pertaining to the yogis, he repeatedly say in anguish; 'I shall not live without those who possess real pearls and whose feet are planted in 'Lahut' (The highest sphere). His extensive return journey from Kalat to Kutch and then back to his native place after a lapse of three years enriched his knowledge of men and things, sharpened hsi power of observation and illumined his inner understanding.

By strange quirk of destiny, Shah married the young Moghul lady, in whose love he had wandered as a forlom Majnun. One day, a gang of dacoits, taking advantage of the absence of the male members of the moghul family ransacked Kotri and robbed the Moghul ladies of their valuables and decamped. The moguls later chased them, but Mirza Moghul Beg, the girls father, was assasinated by them. The moghul ladies fearing that the tragedy might have occured owing to the wrath of the Sayyeds, immediately arranged for the matrimonial alliance in order to win their blessings. Shah now settled down on 'Bhit' permanently along with his follower fakirs.

His father died when the poet was 53. he himself died when he was 63, exactly a decade after his father's demise, which he had deeply mourned. Strangely, both the Prophet and Hazrat Ali had alos ascended to the realm of Eternal Light at the same age.

Shah was a genial, pious and compassinate diposition and had therefore become the idol of his people. 'He had a broad forehead and dark attractive eyes, which often shown like brilliant candles. His face was glorious effuglent and in his old age particularly it reflected remarkable resplendence' says Gurbaxani in Shah jo risalo.

The Kalhora ruler, Noor Mohammad, was intensely jealous of him treating him as a rival in the arena of pirship (spiritual cheifship) which he claimed for himself. The Kalhoras like Tudors used to think themselves as both temporal and spiritual masters. The kalhoras ruler unsuccessfully made a couple of attempts to liquidate him, but he later repented and became his disciple. The poet's sacred remains now lie in a grand and majestic mousoleum, exquisitely designed by Idan, a renowned artist of the time. It has solid silver doors and Arabic verses. Every Friday night there is sama' (congregational music) on the Bhit. The faqirs sing the choicest verses from his Risalo throughout the night. During the saint-poet's life-time, two noted musicians from Delhi, Atal and Chanchal, were always present at the Bhit to provide spiritual music for him.

For the last twenty days of his life, the poet sat in the contemlation in a secluded chamber, taking in between only a few morsels of food. At the end of this period, he came out of the cloister and bathed: and throwing over himself a sheet, made a gesture, signifying that music be started. The sam' continued for three consecutive days and thereafter it was discovered that the poet had quietly passed away.

In an era when Arabic and Persian held their sway in the world of letters, it was Shah Latif, who showed the wealth, vitality and poetic eloquence of Sindhi, his mother-tongue. His Risa, a rich treasure house of literary and linguistic curiorities. The style is a harmonious and happy blend of Sanskritised vocabulary and Persian and Arabic phraseology. She shunned the prevalent technique of Persian prosody and asopted Doha, the favourite poetic vehicle of India's saint poets. Here also he freed Doha from the shackles of the rigid rules of 'matras' and the prescribed rule of two lines. He presented his verses with a variety of alterations in matras as many as eleven lines. His smiles and metaphors and alos drawn from the humble stock of rural objects and vocations and not from the conventional Persian stock.

It is in love stories that Shah has enunciated principles of Sufism, such as renuciation, non-attachment, patience, self-imposed poverty, abstinence, humility, self-abondonment, etc.

Where shall I spur, where shall I spur my camel? There is effulgence all around: Within me is the pink 'Kak' palace and its orchard. All is Rano and Rano none else exists.

Shah's tories are all based on the sufistic theory that temproral love is a bridge leading to divine love. By fleeing from self, by banishing ego, and by demolishing all sense of duality, one attams to self-realisation. This is the essence of the mystic philosophy of the saint poet.

Sindh is a country with roots in the Indus Valley Civilization. The ancient wisdom of its culture is reflected in the Sufi way of its people. Music has been an essential part of the spiritual life of the Sindhis for many a millennia. Shah Latif’s poetry is divided in thirty Surs or musical compositions that are based on classical ragas. There are certain ragas in Shah's music that are not even present in the Indian classical music. Shah's Surs are divided in Dastans or chapters. Each Dastan consists of a number of two to four line stanzas called "Bait" followed by one or two multiple line poems called "Waee". For the past three centuries, Sindhi mystics have congregated at Bhit Shah, where they hold a dust to dawn musical concert, chanting and singing the Waees of Shah Latif every night.

The Baits are performed in two ways i.e. 'Sanhoon' or thin (low voice) and 'Graham' or thick (high voice). The Waee can be performed in three different ways. The first is called 'Chherra' or tinkering. In Chherra, there is a rapid back and forth or up and down change of notes. The sequence of striking the strings is entirely dependent on the contents of the Waee. The second way of performing a Waee is called 'Dotalli' or double-stringed. The Dotalli Waee is performed by rendering the verses on a rhythm consisting of strings in order of 2nd, 5th, 1st, and again 5th. The third way the Waee is performed is called 'Dedhi' or twisted. The Dedhi Waee is performed by rendering the verses on a rhythm consisting of strings in order of 2nd, 5th, 1st, and a blank or a tap on the wooden top of the heart-shaped bottom of the Dambooro. The tap on the wooden part gives a sort of percussion sound and enhances the rhythm of the Waee. The last version is the most common and preferred way of performing waee by the most Fakirs.

Waee is more popularly known as 'Kafi', common to Sindh and adjoining areas of Balochistan, Punjab, Rajistan and Gujrat. The Kafi is an institution in itself in which many people can take part. After every line, a regular dialogue in singing ensues. One man gives a 'dohira' a verse; then another responds, replying in return; so on and so and so on it goes and supplies a feast for the intellect as well as the heart.

It was for the first time in 1997, a group of Fakirs, led by Qurban Fakir, visited the United States. Qurban Fakir's group resides at the shrine of Shah Latif. The Fakirs performed in New York City and Washington DC, where packed audience responded to their chants with exuberance and tumult. Here is some background for three Surs or musical compositions:

1. Sur Ramkali

...The divinity can exist within human beings. They are the glorious ones in the world. Some being 'fire', while others are 'light'. Shah Latif cries out for yogis, "I cannot live without them, I was sleeping when they woke me with a sigh. The saintly ones who gave their last crust of bread to the needy and left nothing for themselves, how can I live without them?"...

2. Sur Marui

....Sindh is Shah's Marui. She is always concerned with the well-being of her loved ones. Marui loves Maru and Malir unconditionally. She adores and sheds tears of blood for her Maro, irrespective of their faults. Shah Latif says to his beloved Marui or Sindh, "Do not cry, nor wail, nor shed tears. Whatever your days may bring you, endure them. After the sorrows, soon will come the comfort. Understand this, I Latif say to you, your bars have been lifted. Break your chains, your confinement will soon be over.

3- Sur Khahori

....Khahoris are yogis who wander around forests, mountains and deserts, detaching themselves from every relationship. They have patience and determination to attain their goal of purifying themselves by inflicting restraint, denial and torture on themselves. Shah Latif said for Khahoris," They have thrown away their begging bowls onto the ground and abandoned their whistles and walking sticks. They are above evil, and cannot become impure again. They have given up desires and they have attained unity with the whole"...