Shah Inayat Rizvi
Encyclopedia
Shah Ïnayatullah (c. 1613 – c. 1701), Shah Inayat or Inat, was a 17th-century Sindhi Sufi Poet
from Nasarpur, Sindh
, Pakistan
.
in Sindh
province. Some time during the 14th–16th centuries, Ïnayatullah's ancestors settled at Nasarpur, in the present Hyderabad District. His father, Shah Nasruddin, was a respectable religious man who in his advanced age left the Suhrawardiyyah order of Sufis, to which the Rizvi Syeds traditionally belonged, to became a follower of Shah Khairuddin of Sukkur
. According to family tradition, it was due to the blessings of Shah Khairuddin that Shah Ïnayatullah was born to Shah Nasruddin when he was at an advanced age. The birth date of the poet is not recorded, but it may be inferred that he was born during the decade of the saint's death (between 1613–1623)..
In accordance with the family tradition of the Syeds in Sindh, Shah Ïnayatullah would have received his basic education in a local madrasah
, but internal evidence from his poetry shows his advanced knowledge of Persian
, Arabic and Islamic philosophy
. Additionally, there is ample proof of his intimate knowledge of music, the Sufi saints, the life of villagers in Sindh and their folk-ways and folk-tales, and of various places, particularly in the Sindh region and the adjoining country of Kutch. He seems to have travelled far and wide in these areas.
idiom and employed the classical forms of Sindhi bait and waee or kafi in his poetry. Yet he heralded a new era in the domain of Sindhi poetry by combining the poetic contents of the age-old bardic tradition and the more cultivated spiritual thought of the Sufi-saint poets. Prior to this, Sindhi poetry had been nurtured by country bards and professional minstrels to commemorate the valour of heroes in wars or the munificence of the generous in peace, and to entertain the people by composing and singing their fold tales and pseudo-historical romances. It was also employed by the Sufis and the saints as a medium to express their spiritual ideas and experiences or convey their personal approval or disapproval of the deeds of contemporary individuals.
According to the family accounts, from childhood Miyun Shah Inat was fond of music and would sit listening to the musicians and the professional minstrels in the village assemblies. By birth he belonged to an orthodox Syed family and was conversant with the spiritual contents of the poetry of his predecessors. Combining the two traditions, he forged a new line as a saint-poet of the people singing about their heroes in war and peace and their traditional tales and romances as well as about the traders, weavers, and monsoon rains on which the prosperity of the people depended. He also dealt with the spiritual themes of love and hope, and composed verses in praise of the saints and selfless devotees in the search of God.
The volume of his poetry that has survived pertains to twenty-two main topics covering all the above themes, each a chapter by itself, headlined in the extant manuscripts as "SURUD", indicating the specific mode in which each one was to be sung. Thus, a background of musical tradition is implicit in the poetic compositions of Miyun Shah Inat, though due to a long lapse of time the conceptual pattern of music is lost to us and only the text has survived.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
from Nasarpur, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Early life
He belonged to a branch of the Rizvi Syed family, which originated from BukkurBukkur
Bukkur is an island located in Rohri, Sukkur District, Pakistan.Named Bakar by the pious Sayed Muhammad Maki in the seventh century of Hijri, this island is a limestone rock, oval in shape, long by wide, and about in height. According to the Superintendent of Land Records and Registration,...
in Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
province. Some time during the 14th–16th centuries, Ïnayatullah's ancestors settled at Nasarpur, in the present Hyderabad District. His father, Shah Nasruddin, was a respectable religious man who in his advanced age left the Suhrawardiyyah order of Sufis, to which the Rizvi Syeds traditionally belonged, to became a follower of Shah Khairuddin of Sukkur
Sukkur
Sukkur, or Sakharu , formerly Aror and Bakar, is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. However, the word Sakharu in Sindhi means "superior", which the spelling of the city's name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the...
. According to family tradition, it was due to the blessings of Shah Khairuddin that Shah Ïnayatullah was born to Shah Nasruddin when he was at an advanced age. The birth date of the poet is not recorded, but it may be inferred that he was born during the decade of the saint's death (between 1613–1623)..
In accordance with the family tradition of the Syeds in Sindh, Shah Ïnayatullah would have received his basic education in a local madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
, but internal evidence from his poetry shows his advanced knowledge of Persian
Iranian philosophy
Iranian philosophy or Persian philosophy can be traced back as far as to Old Iranian philosophical traditions and thoughts which originated in ancient Indo-Iranian roots and were considerably influenced by Zarathustra's teachings...
, Arabic and Islamic philosophy
Islamic philosophy
Islamic philosophy is a branch of Islamic studies. It is the continuous search for Hekma in the light of Islamic view of life, universe, ethics, society, and so on...
. Additionally, there is ample proof of his intimate knowledge of music, the Sufi saints, the life of villagers in Sindh and their folk-ways and folk-tales, and of various places, particularly in the Sindh region and the adjoining country of Kutch. He seems to have travelled far and wide in these areas.
Poetry
Shah Ïnayatullah was a classical poet in as much as he used the classical SindhiSindhi literature
Sindhi literature is very rich and is generally considered to be among the world's oldest. Its writers have contributed extensively in various forms of literature both in poetry and prose.- Sufi literature and poetry :...
idiom and employed the classical forms of Sindhi bait and waee or kafi in his poetry. Yet he heralded a new era in the domain of Sindhi poetry by combining the poetic contents of the age-old bardic tradition and the more cultivated spiritual thought of the Sufi-saint poets. Prior to this, Sindhi poetry had been nurtured by country bards and professional minstrels to commemorate the valour of heroes in wars or the munificence of the generous in peace, and to entertain the people by composing and singing their fold tales and pseudo-historical romances. It was also employed by the Sufis and the saints as a medium to express their spiritual ideas and experiences or convey their personal approval or disapproval of the deeds of contemporary individuals.
According to the family accounts, from childhood Miyun Shah Inat was fond of music and would sit listening to the musicians and the professional minstrels in the village assemblies. By birth he belonged to an orthodox Syed family and was conversant with the spiritual contents of the poetry of his predecessors. Combining the two traditions, he forged a new line as a saint-poet of the people singing about their heroes in war and peace and their traditional tales and romances as well as about the traders, weavers, and monsoon rains on which the prosperity of the people depended. He also dealt with the spiritual themes of love and hope, and composed verses in praise of the saints and selfless devotees in the search of God.
The volume of his poetry that has survived pertains to twenty-two main topics covering all the above themes, each a chapter by itself, headlined in the extant manuscripts as "SURUD", indicating the specific mode in which each one was to be sung. Thus, a background of musical tradition is implicit in the poetic compositions of Miyun Shah Inat, though due to a long lapse of time the conceptual pattern of music is lost to us and only the text has survived.