Khwaja Ghulam Farid

Hazrat Khawaja Ghulam Farid (Urdu, Saraiki, Punjabi(Shahmukhi):حضرت خواجہ غُلام فرید,(Gurmukhi): ਹਜ਼ਰਤ ਖ਼੍ਵਾਜਾ ਗ਼ੁਲਾਮ ਫ਼ਰੀਦ, Hindi(Devanagari): हज़रत ख़्वाजा ग़ुलाम फ़रीद) or Khawaja Farid (1845-1901) is considered one of the most read and respected sufi poets in theIndian subcontinent. He belonged to Chishti-Nizami sufi order. He was born and died atChachran Sharif and was buried at Mithankot in district Rajanpur. He traveled to different cities and preached for Islam and peace.

He was the son of Khwaja Khuda Bakhsh. His mother died when he was five years old and he was orphaned at age twelve when his father died. He was educated by his elder brother, Fakhr Jahan Uhdi.

He was a scholar of that time and wrote several books. He knew Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Sindhi, Braj Bhasha, and Saraiki. He is great poet of Saraiki waseb. He also wrote some poems in Sindhi, Persian, and Braj Bhasha. He was an anti-imperialist poet. He opposed British rule in Bahawalpur. He said to ruler of Bahawalpur in his poem, "You rule yourself on your state and finish police station of British from your state." اپڑیں ملک کوں آپ وسا توں۔پٹ انگریزی تھانے

Works by Khawaja Ghulam Farid

Dewan-e-Farid in 1882 (Saraiki Poetry)

Dewan-e-Farid in 1884 (Urdu Poetry)

Manaqabe Mehboobia (Persian prose)

Themes of Poetry and Teachings

His poetry is full of love with Allah, Prophet Muhammad s.a, humanity and nature. He has used the symbolism of desert life of Rohi Cholistan and waseb at most places in his poetry.

The beloved's intense glances call for blood

The dark hair wildly flows The Kohl of the eyes is fiercely black

And slays the lovers with no excuse

My appearance in ruins, I sit and wait

While the beloved has settled in Malheer I feel the sting of the cruel dart

My heart the, abode of pain and grief A life of tears, I have led Farid

-one of Khwaja Ghulam Farid's poems (translated)

Faridiat

Faridiat : फ़रीदीयत (Devanagari), فریدیات (Shahmukhi) ਫ਼ਰੀਦੀਅਤ (Gurmukhi)) is a new topic about Khawaja Farid's life, poetry and his mysticism. There are several books and hundreds articles on this topic. There are also experts of Khawaja Farid as under

Maulana Noor Ahmed Faridi: He translated Dewan-Farid

Mehr Abdul Haq: His books are Lughat-Faridi and Piam-Farid and other

Christopher Shackle: His book is Teachings of Khaja Farid and other

Javed Chandio : A trend setter critic in Fareediat with six important books and many articles on the subject. He is currently the Incharge of Khwaja Farid Chair, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur(Pakistan).

Wahid Bakhish Sial: He translated Maqbees-ul-Majalis

Mujahid Jatoi: His book is 'Aa pahntum jeendian makay

Saeed Ahmed Sheikh: His book is Ustad Dileen de

Aziz-ur-Rahman Khan: He was the first who translated 'Dewan-i-Farid

Akram Qureshi: His book is Auzan Dewan-i-Farid

Aslam Metala: He wrote several books'one of its is Zauq-i-Farid

Some books on Faridiat

There are hundred books on this topic. Name of few books are under

Shackle Christopher :Teachings of Khawaja Farid Published : Bazm-i- Saqafat Multan

Shackle Christopher: Fifty poems of Khawaja Farid (Translation)Publisher: Bazm-i-Saqafat Multn

‘’Sheikh’’ Muhammad Saeed Ahmed: ‘’Ustad Deleenday’’edition 2000: Publisher: Jhoke Kitab Ghar bazaar Kutub firoshan androon bohar gate Multan

‘’Metla’’ Muhammad Aslam ‘’Zauq-I-Farid’’ edition 2001: Saraiki Adbi Majlis Bahawalpur

‘’Anwaar Ahmed’’ ‘’Khawaja Farid ke teen Rang’’ edition 1985:Bazm-I-Saqafat. Multan

‘’Qureshi’’ Muhammad Akram: ‘’Auozan Dewan Farid’’: edition 2005::Bazm-I-Saqfat Multan

‘‘Jatoi’’ Mujahid ‘’Atwar-I-Farid’’ edition 2003: Jhoke publisher Multan

‘’Jatoi’’ Mujahid ‘’Hiat-ul-Mahboob’’ edition 2005: Khawaja Farid foundation ‘’Mithankot’’

‘’Akhtar’’ Shabir Hassan: ‘’Farid Shanasi’’ edition 2001: Bazm-I-Saqafat Multan

‘’Feroz’’ Abu Saeed Muhammad Anwar ‘’Ghauhar Shab-I-Chiraz’’ edition third 1999 Saraiki Adbi Majlis Bahawalpur

‘’Chadhri’’ Hanif: ‘’Mutalea Farid Ka aik nia Rukh’’ edition2002: Saraiki Research center .B, Z.University Multan

‘’Chandio’’Javed:’’Khawaja Farid’’ edition 1999:Saraiki Adbi Majlis Bahawalpur

‘’Junejo’’Abdul Jabbar’Dr: ‘’Mera ishq bhi too’’: edition 2002 Bazm-I-Saqafat Multan

‘’Iqbal’’ Khalid: ‘’Bhag Suhag Farid’’ edition 2006: Sujak Adbi Sangat Shadan lund Dera Ghazi Khan

‘’Taunsvi’’ Tahir ‘Dr: ‘’Mutalea-Farid ke das saal’’ edition 2001: Book man Nila Gunbad Lahore

‘’Metla’’Aslam:’’Mahram Raz Deleeday’’ edition 2005: Bazm-I-Saqafat: Multan

‘’Metla’’ Aslam ‘’Zikr-I-Farid’’ edition 1994: Metla Publications: Tehsil Jahanian Khaniwal

’’Durani””Jamila:’’Khawaja Ghulam Farid _Shakhs and Shaer’’ edition 1996:Becon Books Gulgasht Multan

’’Chandio’’ Javed ‘’Armughan Khawaja Farid’’ edition 2001: Bazm-I-Saqafat Multan

’’Alam’’ Khursheed: ‘’Pakistan mein Mutalea Farid ki Rewayat’’ edition 1999: Saraiki Adbi Board Multan

Legacy

Many religious and educational institutions are named after him. Many streets, towns and shops are also named after him.

Government Khawaja Farid College, Rahimyar Khan, Pakistan

Government of Pakistan issued a memorial stamp on Khwaja Ghulam Farid' centenary in 2001

Khwaja Ghulam Farid Award is awarded by the Government of Pakistan in literature [see Ismail Ahmedani

Khawaja Farid, A Mystic and Spirtual Poet

Khawaja Ghulam Farid, the top most spiritual poet in Siraiki Language, was born in 1845 A.D. at Kot Mithan, in a family of Arab settlers who had come to this country along with the Arab forces.

Maulana Khuda Bux had two sons, Khawaja Farid-ud-Din and Khawaja Fakhar-ud-Din. It is said that when Khawaja Ghulam Farid was a child, Maulana Muhammad gave him the first lesson of the first alphabet "ALIF" and asked him to say "ALIF". He repeated the same again and again till every-one present there was enveloped by a trance. Some qawali singers were invited and they too recited the same word on their musical instruments. The trance remained in sway for a considerable time.

Khawaja Farid's mother died when he was only four years of age. He was looked after by his eider brother. At the age of eight, he had committed to memory the whole of the holy Quran. Thereafter Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan took the child to his palace at Ahmad Pur Sharqia for imparting him religious knowledge by some renowned scholar. At the age of thirteen, Khawaja Farid became the disciple of Khawaja Fakhar-ud-Din, his elder brother. When he crossed 28 years of his age Khawaja Fakhar-ud-Din died. He left for Ruhi where the remained for about eighteen years. It was a typical wilderness but suitable for a recluse saint. It was very beneficial for connection with Kot Mithan or Chachar. About this wilderness of Ruhi, we often read in his lyrics. He performed Haj Baitullah in 1876.

Khawaja Farid was conversant with seven languages Viz, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Multani, Sindhi, Hindi and Sansakrat. He led a life of purity and was utterly devoted to the righteous path of the Holy Prophet of Islam. May his soul ever rest in peace.

The lyrics of Khawaja Farid speak of the sadness of his separation from God and Muhammad, the beloved of Allah. He never reckoned himself away from his goal. But at times he felt a great separation and so he cried, groaned and sang in his ecstacy of the love which united him to his creator but with a veil in between them. The body acts as a most obedient slave, the sould gives life to the body and the spirit infuses the mechanical power in man. All these faculties he utilised only for the sake of Allah to approach Him, the only Goal for the man to attain.

The spiritual yearing, purification and elevation depends on so many factors which have been explained by saints and spiritualists. The shortest way to the creator is Love and Khawaja used this Method of attaining sublimation. All the attributes of Allah, we know are the off- shoots of Love. Khawaja Farid expressed this love in his fine verses.

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