Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (1690 – 1752 CE) was a Sufi mystic and poet who lived in Sindh, located in what is now Pakistan. ‘Bhittai’ is an honorific recalling his retreat to a sand-hill (a ‘bhit’) where he lived for the last ten years of his life and where he is now buried. His poems are compact verses, intended to be sung, and he is considered one of the finest poets in the Sindh language. ‘The land of Kak’ refers to a magical location in which the dazzling, mysterious Kak Mahal, or Palace of Kak, is the center of a Sindh folktale.

If you are seeking Allah,
Then keep clear of religious formalities.
Those who have seen Allah
Are away from all religions!
Those who do not see Allah here,
How will they see Him beyond?

Let us go to the land of Kak
Where love flows in abundance,
There are no entrances, no exits,
Everyone can see the Lord!

There is no light nor day
Every one can see the Lord!
Those who love the Lord
The world cannot hold them.
Palaces do not attract them,
Nor women nor servants
Nothing binds them:
The renouncers leave everything behind.

A message came from the Lord:
A full moon shone,
Darkness disappeared.
A new message came from the Lord:
It does not matter what caste you are.
Whoever come, are accepted.

Where shall I take my camel,
All is Light…
Inside there is Kak, mountain and valley,
The Lord and the Lord: there is nothing but the Lord.

Translation by D. H. Butani