SHAH ABDUL LATIF’S POETRY: A READING IN ECO-ISLAMIC MYSTIC POETICS

Abstract

This study investigates Shah Abdul Latif’s poetry dubbed as Shah-Jo-Risalo through the lens of ecocriticism. Shah-Jo-Risalo is a magnum opus in literature and a revered poetic compendium by a venerated Sindhi Islamic-Mystic poet Shah Abdul Latif. The Risalo envisions Latif’s exquisite mystical thoughts veiled in evocative Islamic-Poetic language. It is laden with Mystic-Philosophical thought; it reflects his observant eye on the natural world with a lofty flight of imagination and interfuses intricate relationships between human and non-human elements manifesting his environmental consciousness at par. Landscapes, waterscapes, flora and fauna are imbued with inherent value and metaphorical spiritual underpinnings. The undertaken study places Shah-Jo-Risalo within the ambit of eco-poetics and bespeaks how and in what ways his verses are pregnant with Islamic-Mystic thoughts rooted in the ecological reality of the time. In addition, this study delves into Bhittai’s poetic narrative Shah-Jo-Risalo to penetrate how his verses project human and non-human entities and the relationship between human-human and human-universe. In this connection, this study embraces a qualitative approach and explores selected verses that describe the geography and landscape of Sindh, highlighting the intrinsic values of the floras, fauna, mountains and waters symbolic of Islamic-Spiritual truths and interconnectedness between living and non-living, both entering into dialogues with each other. Close examination of the various surs in Bhittai’s poetry reveals constructive and destructive powers are in-built the natural world when examined in the light of an Eco critical lens. The study further unfolds that Bhittai captures natural beauty in his verses effectively and expresses powerfully the inherent meaning in nature, reflecting his eco-consciousness and promoting ecological awareness for a harmonious co-existence with the natural world. Moreover, Bhittai weaves spiritual strains of divine love and matchless poetic imagination transforming these humble characters from ancient folktales as a medium of expression to convey Islamic-Mystical insights.