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The Teachings and Poems of Khwaja Ghulam Farid: Selections from the Maqabis-ul-Majalis and Diwan-e-Farid

Ghulam Farid(Auth.) · Christopher Shackle (Trans.)
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Khwaja Ghulam Farid (1845-1901) is celebrated as one of the finest as well as one of the last of the great Sufi poets of Pakistan. He is particularly revered in his home territory of Bahawalpur for the matchless lyrics which he composed in his native Siraiki.

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The Teachings and Poems of Khwaja Ghulam Farid: Selections from the Maqabis-ul-Majalis and Diwan-e-Farid
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Translator
Christopher Shackle
Description

About The Book

Thanks largely to the matchless collection of mystical hymns in the local language of Siraiki, Khwaja Ghulam Farid (1845-1901), of Chacharan in the former princely state of Bahawalpur, continues to enjoy an enormous local reputation. In each area of Pakistan, there is one great figure of the literary past who has achieved the status of a patron saint and a symbol of local identity; and in the Siraiki-speaking area, this figure is unquestionably Ghulam Farid. Comprised of a collection of both his teachings and poems, the present translation brings the wider public direct access to one of the greatest figures in the literary and spiritual past of Pakistan.

The Teachings, recorded first-hand by the Khwaja’s devoted disciple Rukn ud-Din, capture the unblurred vividness of the Khwaja talking to his disciples in a way that leads the mind gradually and seamlessly into the world of classical Islam. Through these lessons, the Khwaja proves himself to be a scholar with wide intellectual interests as well as a spiritual dignitary of the firmest orthodoxy.

A master of the poetic form of the kafi, the present work also exposes the reader to the Khwaja’s sensitivity to beauty and magical ability to handle language through poems which appeal to the emotions as much as they convey religious teaching and profound mystical awareness. The blend of traditional Sufi allegories with the Khwaja’s refreshing originality results in the kind of all-embracing poetic language which can perhaps emerge only once in the history of any given literature.

This book is the third installment of the Malfuzat series: Wise Words of Sufi Saints.

About the Contributor(s)

About the author

Ghulam Farid: Khwaja Ghulam Farid rahimahullah (1845-1901) was one of the most celebrated Sufi poets and saints of the Chishti order in the Punjab. He was born in the Bahawalpur region and settled at Chachran Sharif in the Cholistan desert, where his shrine remains a major center of devotion. Composing predominantly in Siraiki and Punjabi, his poetry is suffused with themes of divine love, longing for the Prophet ﷺ, and the mystical dimensions of Islamic spirituality. His principal poetic work, the Diwan-i-Farid, is regarded as a masterpiece of Siraiki literature. His spiritual teachings were also recorded in the Maqabis-ul-Majalis, a collection of his sayings and discourses, selections from which appear in 'The Teachings and Poems of Khwaja Ghulam Farid' (BEB007). He was a khalifa in the Chishti-Sabiri lineage and drew thousands of disciples during his lifetime. His legacy remains deeply embedded in the spiritual and literary culture of the Indus Valley region.

About the translator

Christopher Shackle: Christopher Shackle is Emeritus Professor of the Modern Languages of South Asia at SOAS, University of London, where he built a distinguished career as one of the leading academic specialists on the languages and literatures of the Indian subcontinent. His scholarly expertise centers on the Siraiki language, on which he has produced significant academic works, as well as on the broader landscape of South Asian literary traditions. His translation work has brought major Sufi poets to English-language audiences: his rendering of the poetry of Bullhe Shah from Punjabi and of Shah Abdul Latif from Sindhi have both been published by Harvard University Press. He also translated selections from the Maqabis-ul-Majalis for 'The Teachings and Poems of Khwaja Ghulam Farid' (BEB007), extending his translation work to the Siraiki mystical tradition.

Specifications
EAN 13 / ISBN 9780995496095
Publisher Beacon Books
Author Khwaja Ghulam Farid
Pages 232
Translator Christopher Shackle
Year Published 2018
Size W-6.1 in | H-9.2 in | D-0.5 in
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