Baba Bulleeh Shah's life and poetry

Baba Bulleeh Shah's life

Baba Bulleh Shah is considered by many to be the greatest Sufi poet of all time. His poetry has been translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Arabic, and other languages.

His Life Story

Born in 1839 in India, he was named after his father, who died when he was young. He grew up in poverty and had little formal education. However, he learned how to read and write at age 12. At 16, he became a disciple of Pir Sahib (the leader of the Sufis) and began writing poetry. In 1858, he married and moved to Lahore, where he continued to write poetry. He also started teaching children and adults.

His most famous work is The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

This book contains 365 quatrains written by him. It has been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, and Urdu.

Who was he?

Born in India, Baba Bulleh was born as Mirza Ali Akbar Khan (1839 – 1897). His father died when he was young, so his mother sent him to live with her brother, Maulvi Abdul Karim. At age 12, he went to live with his uncle, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas, where he learned Islamic studies. In 1857, he moved to Delhi to study at Aligarh Muslim University. There, he met other poets and writers, such as Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, and others. After graduating from university, he returned to Lahore, Pakistan, where he worked as a teacher. He also started writing poetry.

His most famous poem is "Bulleh Shah"

Bulleh Shah's most famous poem is called "Bulleh Shah" and it is written in Persian. It means "The King of Kings." This poem has been translated into English by William Crooke.

Who Was Baba Bulleh?

Born in India, Baba Bulleh was a Sufi Muslim mystic. His father died when he was young, so his mother sent him to live with relatives. He became interested in Islamic philosophy at age 13 and began writing poetry. At age 17, he went to Mecca and stayed there for three years. After returning home, he married and had two sons. In 1869, he moved to Lahore where he continued to write poetry. He also started teaching students how to read and write poetry. He died in 1897.