Sultan Bahoo is one of the greatest Saints of Islam. His name rings the loudest bells of spirituality and awaken the souls embracing slumber. More than 140 books are at his credit and one is hopeful to get their access through his descendant Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen. Sultan Bahoo is best known for his Punjabi poetry called Abyat that carries the treasures of the Mohammadan heritage of Faqr. Infused with mystical powers of Divinity, one is enchanted by Risala Roohi Sharif. It is undoubtedly Bahoo’s masterpiece which engulfs the reader in a powerful spiritual experience. So much so, that it is often given as a wazeefa to the disciples of his Sufi order of Sarwari Qadri as well in other orders. It is not a myth that if the teachings of Sultan Bahoo are read with a sincerity of Intention and search of Truth, he enrobes the reader with the cloak of Faqr by the permission of the Mohammadan court.
It had been quite a matter of sadness that most work of the great Sultan of mystics was written in Persian. However, owing to the consistent and profound struggle of his heir, one is now accessible to his work in both Urdu and English language. The opportunity of gaining beneficence from Bahoo’s work has now extended to more people also through the publication set up by Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen which has physical as well as online presence.
In almost every book of Sultan Bahoo, one finds a specific repetition of the same subject with a brief addition attached every next time. These are the layers of spirituality he has provided for disciples at different levels of their journey towards the Truth. As he was at the peak of Faqr also being adorned with the unique rank and status of Sultan ul Faqr, he was aware of each and every feeling, station and realm of the spiritual world.
It would be extremely unwise to say that Sultan Bahoo’s poetry is what makes him so popular. Although his Sufi kalam in perhaps the most read in qawwali and otherwise yet his defining element was his association with the word and essence of Hoo (Allah). A prefix he was given by his mother even before he was born and one he attached after his every couplet. In all his works, one finds Bahoo obsessed with emphasizing the magnitude of the Divine love. Undoubtedly, his words are deep-rooted to the origin of man which is the essence of Allah known as Hoo. One would be foolish to even compare him to other poets or Suif writers as whatever he wrote was purely out of his mystical experiences as he was not given the luxury of formal education which amazingly is quite exemplary of Prophet Mohammad pbuh.
Likewise, the education or rather the spiritual knowledge and beneficence embedded in the work of Sultan Bahoo is unobtainable in any madrassa or university except of course in the khanqah of his heir and descendant Sultan-ul-Ashiqeen whereby Bahoo’s teachings are not only taught but also implemented.
Sultan Bahoo’s mastery in Islamic Sufism is due to his closeness to Allah and his utter regard for Prophet Mohammad pbuh who addressed him as Mustafa Sani and Mujtaba akhir Zamani to denote that the Mohammadan message would spread through him and he would guide his people.
The philosophy of Sultan Bahoo is to seek the perfect spiritual guide in order to reach Allah. It is the perfect spiritual guide who would grant the Ism-e-Allah Zaat for invocation (dhikr) and contemplation, he would train his disciples spiritually and transform their character and soul in the most cleansed form to prepare them to enter the Mohammadan Assembly from where closeness to Allah is bestowed.
This is the crux of his teachings
However, in every piece of writing or book, he focuses upon one aspect or another which someone directs to the absolute submission and unwavering loyalty towards the perfect spiritual guide as the key to the door of Faqr.
Below is a list of Sultan Bahoo books:
1.Abyat-e-Bahoo (Punjabi poetry); 2.Dewan-e-Bahoo (Persian Poetry); 3.Ain-ul-Faqr; 4.Majalisa-tul-Nabi; 5.Kaleed-ul-Tauheed (Kalan); 6.Kaleed-ul-Tauheed (Khurd); 7.Shams-ul-Arifeen; 8.Ameer-ul-Kaunain; 9.Taigh-e-Barhana; 10.Risala Roohi Sharif; 11.Ganj-ul-Asrar; 12.Mehak-ul-Faqr (Khurd); 13.Mehak-ul-Faqr (Kalan); 14.Asrar-e-Qadri; 15.Aurang Shahi; 16.Jamay-ul-Asrar; 17.Aqal-e-Baydar; 18.Fazal-ul-Laqa (Khurd); 19.Fazal-ul-Laqa (Kalan); 20.Miftah-ul-Arifeen; 21.Nur-ul-Huda (Khurd); 22.Nur-ul-Huda (Kalan); 23.Taufeeq-ul-Hidayat; 24.Qurb-e-Deedar; 25.Ain-ul-Arifeen; 26.Kaleed-e-Jannat; 27.Mohkim-ul-Fuqara; 28.Sultan-ul-Waham; 29.Deedar Bakhsh; 30.Kashf-ul-Asrar 31.Mohabbat-ul-Asrar; 32.Tarfa-tul-Ain or Hujjat-ul-Asrar (both titles belong to the same book).
‘Shams-ul-Arifeen’ is in fact a collection of selective topics of Sultan Bahoo’s books: Kaleed-ul-Tauheed, Qurb-e-Deedar, Majmua-tul-Fazal, Aqal-e-Baydar, Jamay-ul-Asrar, Nur-ul-Huda, Ain Numa and Fazal-ul-Laqa. Sultan Wali Mohammad, the second son of Sultan Bahoo, compiled it. Now, people count this as a book of Sultan Bahoo.
