1. Alif
اَللہ چنبے دی بوٹی، میرے من وِچ مُرشد لائی ھُو
نفی اَثبات دا پانی مِلیس، ہر رَگے ہر جائی ھُو
اندر بوٹی مُشک مچایا، جاں پھلّاں تے آئی ھُو
جیوے مُرشد کامل بَاھُوؒ، جَیں ایہہ بوٹی لائی ھُو
الف
ਅਲਿਫ਼
ਅੱਲਾ ਚੰਬੇ ਦੀ ਬੂਟੀ, ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਵਿਚ ਮੁਰਸ਼ਦ ਲਾਈ ਹੂ
ਨਫ਼ੀ ਅਸਬਾਤ ਦਾ ਪਾਣੀ ਮਿਲਯਸ, ਹਰ ਰਗੇ ਹਰ ਜਾਈ ਹੂ
ਅੰਦਰ ਬੂਟੀ ਮੁਸ਼ਕ ਮਚਾਇਆ, ਜਾਂ ਫੁੱਲਾਂ ਤੇ ਆਈ ਹੂ
ਜੀਵੇ ਮੁਰਸ਼ਦ ਕਾਮਿਲ ਬਾਹੂ(ਰਹ), ਜੇਂ ਇਹ ਬੂਟੀ ਲਾਈ ਹੂ
Alif
Alif Allah chambe dee bootee, mere mann wich Murshid laaee Hoo
Naffee asbaat da panee millias, har ragey har jaaee Hoo
Andar bootee mushk machaayaa, jaan phullan te aaee Hoo
Jeeve Murshid kamil Bahoo, jain eh bootee laaee Hoo
Alif Allah! ‘Tis jasmine’s seedling, planted by spiritual guide in my spirit
Blooming within from the water of both negating and affirming
Ah! Secrets oughtn’t to unveil, fragrance endless and exquisite
Hail perfect spiritual guide, O Bahoo, for planting this seedling
Explanation by Sultan ul Ashiqeen
In this quatrain, Sultan Bahoo has likened Ism-e-Allah Zaat with jasmine. Sultan Bahoo is the pioneer Mystic who has used the metaphor of jasmine for Ism-e-Allah Zaat. Its seedling is sowed which gradually grows into a plant laden with flowers whose fragrance envelops the surroundings. Similar to it, when a spiritual guide bestows the seeker with invocation and contemplation of Ism-e-Allah Zaat, he sows a seedling into the seeker’s inward and under the care of the spiritual guide, light of Ism-e-Allah Zaat gradually envelops the whole being of the true seeker illuminating it. Sultan Bahoo says:
May Allah bless my spiritual guide with a long life who has bestowed Ism-e-Allah Zaat and revealed all its Divine secrets with his perfect spiritual attention as he is boundlessly merciful, kind and affectionate! He has revealed the reality of ‘there is no (other) God’ (لَآ اِلٰہَ) hence negated everything within me for Allah and removed all the idols from my inward. He also taught me the reality of ‘only Allah’ (اِلَّا اللّٰہُ) by affirming the Divine Essence in me and elevated me by the recognition of Essence through the name. Now this Divine secret has enveloped my entire being making me witness all the mysteries of Ism-e- Allah Zaat. I wish to disclose it before the world but these Divine secrets are for the chosen ones and not the commoners. It has become hard to live because I am bearing these magnificent secrets and mysteries. Now wherever I turn my eyes I see only Ism-e-Allah Zaat, not only spiritually but physically as well. My condition is reminiscent of the Quranic
Verse:
فَاَیۡنَمَا تُوَلُّوۡا فَثَمَّ وَجۡہُ اللّٰہِ(2:115)
Meaning: So whichever direction you turn to, there is Divine Countenance. (2:115)
GLOSSARY
| Shahmukhi, Gurmukhi & Transliteration | English |
|---|---|
| الف اَللّٰہ ; ਅਲਿਫ਼ ਅੱਲਾ ; Alif Allah | Alif is an alphabet of Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Punjabi languages. In Sufism, it means Allah. In Faqr, it means Ism-e-Allah Zaat (lit. the personal name of Allah i.e. the Divine Essence) which is the litany given by the spiritual guide for invocation and contemplation. |
| چنبے دی بوٹی ; ਚੰਬੇ ਦੀ ਬੂਟੀ ; chambe dee bootee | Sapling or seedling of jasmine |
| میرے ; ਮੇਰੇ ; mere | My |
| من ; ਮਨ ; mann | Inward; like heart is to body, inward is to soul. |
| وِچ ; ਵਿਚ ; wich | In, inside, into |
| مُرشد ; ਮੁਰਸ਼ਦ ; Murshid | Spiritual guide |
| لائی ; ਲਾਈ ; laaee | Transplanted |
| ھُو ; ਹੂ ; Hoo | A Quranic term, it is a pronoun for Allah. It is translated as He. |
| نفی اَثبات ; ਨਫ਼ੀ ਅਸਬਾਤ ; naffee asbaat | Negation and affirmation; Negation is ‘there is no (other) God (لَآ اِلٰہَ)’ and affirmation is ‘but Allah (اِلَّا اللّٰہ)’. The spiritual guide roots out idols from inward then the second phase is affirmation, manifestation of Allah in inward. It is against the glory of Allah to adorn the inward that has idols. |
| دا ; ਦਾ ; da | Of |
| پانی ; ਪਾਣੀ ; panee | Water |
| مِلیس ; ਮਿਲਯਸ ; millias | Received |
| ہر رَگے ہر جائی ; ਹਰ ਰਗੇ ਹਰ ਜਾਈ ; har ragey har jaaee | In every vein and every fibre - In every part of the body |
| اندر ; ਅੰਦਰ ; andar | Esoteric being, spiritual being |
| مُشک مچایا ; ਮੁਸ਼ਕ ਮਚਾਇਆ ; mushk machaayaa | Spreading aroma and fragrance |
| جاں ; ਜਾਂ ; jaan | Life |
| پھلّاں تے آئی ; ਫੁੱਲਾਂ ਤੇ ਆਈ ; phullan te aaee | Blossoming, blooming |
| جیوے ; ਜੀਵੇ ; jeeve | Long live |
| کامل ; ਕਾਮਿਲ ; kamil | Perfect and accomplished |
| جَیں ; ਜੇਂ ; jain | Who |
| ایہہ ; ਇਹ ; eh | This |
Note
In the second verse of this quatrain, the word used isمِلیس/ ਮਿਲਯਸ/ millias. Many scripts also had the word ملیوس/ਮਲੀਉਸ/milyos. Both the words mean ‘received’.