Sultan Bahu
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. He was active in the Punjab region (present-day Pakistan) during the reigns of Mughal emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
Sultan Bahu | |
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| سخی سُلطان باہُو | |
Shrine of Sultan Bahu | |
| Born | 17 January 1630 |
| Died | 1 March 1691 (aged 61) |
| Resting place | Garh Maharaja, Punjab |
| Known for | Sufi poetry |
| Successor | Syed Mohammad Abdullah Shah Madni Jilani |
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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.
According to these records, he was born in Shorkot, Jhang, in the current Punjab Province of Pakistan, in the Awan tribe. He was son of Bayazid Muhammad, an officer in the Mughal Army, and Rasti. He belonged to Qadiri Sufi order, and started the mystic tradition known as Sarwari Qadiri.
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.: 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.: 14