Sultan Bahu (ca. 1630–1691 CE) was a Sufi mystic and poet of the Punjab. His first teacher was his mother, who urged him to study with a Sufi master, Hazrat Shah Habib Gilani, but little is known for sure about his life.  He is said to have written perhaps a hundred books, although many of them have been lost now.  Sultan Bahu founded what is called the Sarwari Qadri Order, whose followers focus upon sincere devotion toward God. He is best remembered for his poetry, which is lovingly sung by qawwals, or devotional musicians, throughout Pakistan and India.

Love’s Disease

They’re not Hindu or Muslim.
They do not pray in mosque or temple.
Yet they receive the Light of God
And are immersed in beautiful visions.
These madmen are truly sane.
They are lost in God’s domain.
I would give my life for these
Who are blessed with Love’s disease.

Where God Is

God is not up there, my friends,
Nor in the Kaaba does He reside;
He is not in learned books,
Nor inside the minaret He hides.
He is not in Ganga, Jamuna,
Nor He in Benares resides.*
Don’t get lost in searching for Him.
Find yourself a truthful guide!

Tr. Mahmood Jamal

*These are sacred places of worship for Hindus. Ganga is the river Ganges, and Benares is now called Varanassi.