Urs of Mian Muhammad Bakhsh today

RAWALPINDI:  The annual Urs of renowned Punjabi poet Mian Muhammad Bakhsh will be held on Zilhaj 7 (September 10) at Kheri Sharif, Mirpur.

He was born in 1830 and died in 1907. According to a research paper written by Prof Saeed, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh never married and devoted his life towards contributing the great mystical thoughts in the language of masses.

He composed his most famous work Mathnawi Saiful Malook at the age of 33 in 1279/1863. Astonishingly, it took him to write this marvelous piece of literature just one year. Its text contains approximately 9,249 couplets.

Mian Muhammad Bakhsh wrote eighteen books, 17 in Punjabi and one in Persian. Before writing his major work Mathnawi Saiful Malook, he wrote small Qissas in poetic form like Qissa Sohni Mahiwal, Qissa Sheikh Sanaan, Qissa Shah Mansur, Qissa Sakhi Khavas Khan and Qissa Shireen Farhad.

Later he also wrote Tuhfah-e-Miraan, Neyrang-e-Ishq, Tuhfah-e-Rasuliyah, Mirza Sahibaan, Gulzar-e Faqr, Hidayatul Muslimeen, Panj Ganj, Tazkara Muqeemi, Chithi Heer, bara maah, a few Si-harfis and Shajrajaat among others. There is a collection of his Punjabi letters also recently published in the form of a book “Chithyan Mian Muhammad Bakhsh”. This book includes most of the letters which he wrote to Malik Muhammad Thekedar of Jhelum.  

Mian Muhammad Bakhsh was a great admirer of Persian Sufi Poet Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi and he himself is popular as the Rumi-e-Kashmir for the love received by the people of Kashmir, and we find the same intensity of love for him, from all over Punjab, irrespective of caste, creed and sect or religion.  Even in Hazara & Peshawar, Saiful Malook along with Heer of Peer Waris Shah was among favorite books of the Hindko speaking people since in those times, Urdu wasn’t widespread.