Abyat-e-Bahoo

Translation

Those who study to satisfy the rulers what use is such educational toiling Hoo

Butter could never be achieved by sour milk’s boiling Hoo

Tell that chandura by plucking sprouts what do you achieve Hoo

If you console single broken heart ‘Bahoo’ years worth of worshiping you will receive Hoo

Commentary by M. A. Khan

Those who study in order to gain nobility from rulers will go to waste because it was not done to please Allah but to please his creation. Chandura is unwise bird who plucks sprouts and destroys it before the plant bears crop. In the path of marifat, do not waste your efforts by accessing only worldly desires from this world and not wait for its reality which is marifat of Allah. These worldly desires are like sprouts. If you console broken heart by having it engaged in the remembrance of Allah and take out all else besides Allah from it, because the heart is the dwelling of Allah. Then you will obtain years worth of worshiping. It is to please Allah. In poetry or prose Hazrat Sultan Bahoo’s objective was spirituality and one will observe that in his literature he has addressed only people in quest of Allah Almighty. If poem is looked at from the social point of view then we can assess the intellectual incidents, it seemed that universally majority of people acquiring the religious knowledge was merely for sake earning few coffers and they didn’t have any broader objectives. Hazrat Sultan Bahoo cautions that if someone acquires knowledge in order to please kings and nobles so that they could be rewarded by them what spiritual or worldly benefit such person will acquire? Because purpose of acquiring knowledge should be for the betterment of humanity and other creation outwardly and inwardly recognition of Divine essence.  Such person who acquires education merely for publicity and wealth from him public cannot benefit or it could have any kind of impact upon his inner universe. In the middle two verses Hazrat Sultan Bahoo gave example of such kind of greedy scholars such as: sour milk can be boiled as much as you can but one will not be able to extract butter from it. It means that knowledge acquired with the desire of wealth doesn’t benefit individually of overall socially.  From such seedling the sustenance is acquired if a crop destroying bird digs it out impatiently and eats it he is actually damage to himself. Chandura is a seedling and shoots destroying bird. Hazrat Sultan Bahoo is telling that bird if in greed he didn’t pluck out the seedling impatiently and that same seedling would have grown into a plant and that would have provided him more food. It means that if learned scholars don’t make wealth as their main aim. This knowledge would have bestowed them far more than their greed. Like someone Urdu poet said about Socrates “In this glass there wasn’t any poison otherwise Socrates would have died. Socrates pursued his knowledge without the greed of wealth or fame and that kept him alive up to now.

In the last verse of the poem Hazrat Sultan Bahoo says that from such knowledge it is better that a person serves the broken hearted people that equates the worship of many years. It could be taken as serving the public, such as once in the company of prophet of Islam poor companions (Allah be pleased with them) were sitting it was scorching hot and they were saturated in sweat,

When writing poems or prose Hazrat Sultan Bahoo mostly had spiritual objectives in their mind and therefore by studying their books it is observed that they were only addressing talibs of Divine master. If this poem is analysed from the social point of view and one finds academic tragedy in the era of Hazrat Sultan Bahoo. According to that this is a universal tragedy that majority of people acquire knowledge for the desire of acquiring few coins they didn’t have greater objective in back of their mind. Hazrat Sultan Bahoo by cautioning them and says that if someone acquires knowledge to please kings and to gain reward and respect and what is its benefit outwardly and spiritually? Because apparently the purpose of acquiring knowledge is for the betterment of humanity and other creations and in the innermost recognition of Divine essence. A person who attains education merely for publicity and to earn wealth it doesn’t have any benefit for the creation or can delve into his inner universe.

In the middle two lines Hazrat Sultan Bahoo has give two example of greedy scholar

By boiling sour milk so much butter cannot beget, it merely means that knowledge acquired by being obedient to desire for wealth cannot benefit individual or the society.

The sprout that provides better provisions if crop destroying bird eats it up he is actually causing loss for himself. Chandura is a bird that destroys shoots from seeds. Hazrat Sultan Bahoo addresses it and states that if it hadn’t hasted in avarice and allowed the shoot to grow it would have provided better crop.  It means that scholars must not make wealth the objective of their acquiring education this knowledge shall provide them far better life and wealth than avarice. Such as regarding Socrates an Urdu poet had said that “in that bowl there wasn’t any poison on the contrary Socrates would have died”

 Socrates had developed knowledge without desire of publicity or wealth and that has kept him alive up until now. At the last line Hazrat Sultan Bahoo stated that from such knowledge it is better that a person serve grieved human beings that is better rewarding deed than worship of many years of worship. It can be taken that purpose of the knowledge according to Hazrat Sultan Bahoo is to help and serve the inhabitant of this universe. Such as once in the court of prophet of Islam ﷺ some poor companions (Allah be pleased with them) were sitting and in scorching  heat they were saturated with perspiration. A tribal leader from Madhr tribe came and said ostentatiously you know that I am tribal leader and how can I embrace you religion in this state when this kind of people are sitting around you who smell body odder. If you like leaders like us to join than you will have separate yourself from smelly people. On the contrary to what he had said the aim of religion of Islam is to help and console people in state of pain and sorrow. Allah Almighty sent a verse in the Quran, “O prophet! Keep yourself with those poor people who call their Sustainer in the morning and in the evening and they seek His pleasure and don’t turn your gaze away from them.