Aik Alif by Bulleh Shah

The first post of 'The Translation Series' is the translation of a Punjabi poem known as 'Aik Alif' by my favourite Sufi poet, Bulleh Shah. He was a great Sufi poet of Punjab as well as a saint, a humanist and a philosopher.

I hope this translation helps you grasp the message the poet is trying to convey.

Parh parh ilm te faazil hoya

You read so many books to know it all

Te kaday apnay aap nu parhya ee na

Yet fail to ever read your heart at all

Bhaj bhaj warna ay mandir maseeti

You rush to holy shrines to play a part,

Te kaday mann apnay wich warya ee na

Would you dare enter the shrine of your heart 

 Larna ay roz shaitaan de naal

You are quick to attack the evil one

Te kadi nafs apnay naal larya ee na

Yet pride is a battle you have not won

Bulleh Shah asmaani ud-deya pharonda ay

You grab for a star you can control

Te jera ghar betha unoon pharya ee na

Yet fail to grasp the light in your soul.

Bas kareen o yaar Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar

Let the race end, my friend,stop trying to be the one who knows

Ik Alif teray darkaar

For ‘God is One’ you need to know.

Bas kareen o yaar Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan 

End the race, my friend. God is All we need! God is All!

Main jaanaa Jogi de naal

Follow the wandering dervish!

Jo naa jaane haq ki taaqat rab na devey us ko himat 

If you deny the power of all that’s true, God will not grant strength to you

Hum mnn ke darya mein doobey

We are lost in this river of self

Kaisi nayya? Kya manjhdhaar?

No boat or streams are of any help

Bas kareen o yaar

End the race, my friend

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar

Stop trying to know it all, my friend

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan

God is All we need! God is All!


 This has also been performed at Coke Studio by the very famous Saeein Zahoor and Noori, you can listen to it here.

Thank you for stopping by :)

The True Spirit of Ramadan?

With the Holy Month of Ramadan approaching, we witness a number of people engaged in preparations. Yes, preparations. Sadly these preparations usually revolve around all worldly things. Some people are busy planning Aftar parties, some are found to be preparing large quantities of food items for Sehri and Aftari and others are just to busy to be bothered about anything at all. We would often hear a number of people exclaiming, ‘Oh this time I’m going to throw the biggest Aftar party in my friends’ circle’ or ‘I wish I knew how many Aftar parties I have to attend this Ramadan so I could’ve got a new dress for each of them’. Do we ever hear people saying that, ‘This Ramadan I would seek forgiveness for all my sins and abstain from doing them in future’ or that ‘Instead of wasting my money on Aftar parties this Ramadan I would rather be feeding the poor.

Have we? Unfortunately we haven’t.

We have lost the true spirit of Ramadan. We have deliberately forgotten the real meaning of this Holy month. Today what Ramadan means to us is a month when we stay hungry during the day and party in the evening. It is a month when we can sleep hibernate during the day and stay up all night. It is a month when we can diet and be rewarded for it.

Today the question that I ask you all is that why do we, Muslims, Fast during the month of Ramadan? According to the teachings of Islam this practice is intended to help Muslims learn self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. To help Muslims understand the agony of the poor and helpless who bear food deprivation for days. Fasting doesn’t simply apply to being hungry and thirsty from sunrise to sunset but it also implies to abstain from all bad deeds and performing all righteous deeds through out this period.

It is the month in which the devils are chained, the doors of Hell are closed and the doors of Heaven are opened. It is that month in which Quran was revealed. It is the month of piety and forgiveness. This Ramadan let us all seek forgiveness for sins. Let us all feed the poor and needy instead of organizing grand Aftar parties. Let us all pledge to live this month in its true spirit and give up all ill practices which corrupt the true spirit.

Ramadan Mubarak!