Hashim (poet)

Hashim Shah
Hashim Shah
Native name	ہاشم شاہ
Born	1735 or 1752; Jagdev Kalan, Amritsar, Punjab
Died	1843 (aged 108) or 1823; Ajnala village Jagdev Kalan in Amritsar district, Punjab
Notable work	Sassi Punnu, Sohni Mahiwal, and Shirin Farhad
Relatives	Muhammad Sharif (father); Rajni Mai (mother)

Hashim Shah (Punjabi ہاشم شاہ (Shahmukhi), ਹਾਸ਼ਿਮ ਸ਼ਾਹ (Gurmukhi); b. 1735 d. 1843) was a Punjabi writer and Sufi^[1] poet, best known for his story Sassi Punnun (or Sassi Panhu). His family migrated from Holy city Madina to Punjab, India, where they began living at Jagdev Kalan, the biggest village in Ajnala tehsil, Amritsar district. Hashim Shah was born in Jagdev Kalan in 1735 or 1752 and lived in that village his entire life.^[2] He wrote three stories "Kissa Kaw" named Sassi Punnu, Sohni Mahiwal, and Shirin Farhad.

Hashim, besides following the family tradition of hikmat (physician), copunselling and Piri-Muridi, also worked as a carpenter for sustenance. He left the profession of carpentry when Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his courtiers extended their patronage to Hashim. Thereafter, he devoted his entire life to spiritual attainments and composing Sufistic (mystic) poetry.

Hashim Shah's poetry is unique in its own right. Credited as one of the best poets of his era many books have been written about him by his followers. His poetry has a certain style reverberating with description and sometimes sadness. The way he has narrated Sassi Punnu speaks for the depth in his words and the immense aptitude he had.

Sufism^[3] ran in Hashim's family. He, his father and grandfather practised piri-muridi. He took Sufism as an established belief. His Punjabi poetry reverberates with mysticism of high order and can be allegorically interpreted for Love Divine.

Hashim died in Ajnala, 1843 or 1823 and was buried in Tharpal village in Narowal District where every year Urs was held on or about 21st of Jeth (end May – early June).

In his poetic compositions his prosody is Punjabi though his vocabulary abounds in Hindi, Persian and Arabic words He has written the following books:

Qissa Shirin Farhad
Qissa Sohni Mahiwal
Qissa Sassi Punnun
Gyan Prakash
Dohre

References

^ Singh, Dr Gurmeet (2021-09-11). Sufi Poet Hashim Shah Punjabi Literature. K.K. Publications. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
^ "ਹਾਸ਼ਮ - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪੀਡੀਆ" [Hashim]. punjabipedia.org (in Punjabi). Retrieved 2022-08-21.
^ CHOPRA, Mr R. M. (2023-04-07). GREAT SUFI POETS OF THE PUNJAB. Anuradha Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-91873-77-6. Retrieved 2024-01-02.

Great Sufi Poets of The Punjab by R. M. Chopra, (1999), Iran Society, Kolkata.
^[1]

^ Hanif, N. (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia Hashim Shah ہاشم شاہ. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7625-087-0. Retrieved 2024-01-02.

[1] Singh, Dr Gurmeet (2021-09-11). Sufi Poet Hashim Shah Punjabi Literature. K.K. Publications. Retrieved 2024-01-02.

[2] "ਹਾਸ਼ਮ - ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪੀਡੀਆ" [Hashim]. punjabipedia.org (in Punjabi). Retrieved 2022-08-21.

[3] CHOPRA, Mr R. M. (2023-04-07). GREAT SUFI POETS OF THE PUNJAB. Anuradha Prakashan. ISBN 978-93-91873-77-6. Retrieved 2024-01-02.

[4] Hanif, N. (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia Hashim Shah ہاشم شاہ. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7625-087-0. Retrieved 2024-01-02.

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Authority control databases
International	VIAF
Other	IdRef