Madhu Lal Hussian: A Curious Love Story
For a long time, the love story of Shah Hussain and Sheikh Madhu remained a mystery for me. Shah Hussain was a renowned sufi poet of his time and was considered to be the pioneer of Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. At an early age he excelled in Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, Persian, Logic, Mathematics, Medicine and number of other sciences. But during his time there was another source of fame for him. It was his love for a young Hindu boy. Their love story has perplexed many minds, including mine, and for answers I was tempted to visit their shrine.
Their shrine stand tall as an island challenging the ocean of ignorance, bigotry and double standards. Likewise, their graves are side by side as a symbol of eternal love and a challenge to a society full of taboos.
For understanding their love we have to dwell into the Sufi order which Shah Hussain followed and it was Malamattiya mystic order. The Malamattiya believed in the value of self-blame, that piety should be a private matter and that being held in good esteem will lead to worldly attachment. They concealed their knowledge and made sure that their faults would be known, reminding them of their imperfection. From here our basic understanding of their curious love arises. The whole world questioned their attachment and called them with different names, but to them it was not an issue, for them good esteem was never precious. A malamati offers the world different reasons to blame him, he challenges social order and established norms of the society because there lies a rebel in him. This was my understanding of their love but my visit to their shrine brought to me another more general but more appealing understanding.
“Rabba mere haal da mahram tu“
You (Oh God) are the only one who understands my feelings (and intentions).
A dervish was sitting inside their shrine. He was chanting Shah Hussain’s Kafi. There was a pain in his voice and he was so absorbed in his self as there was no one around him. As he was sitting in some cave, away from the hustle of the world. After a while, he noticed me sitting before him. After some pleasantries I asked him, “Why Shah Hussain fell in love with Madhu.” His answer emanated from sufi traditions giving me my secondary understanding of their love. He said Madhu was Shah Hussain’s spiritual companion. He said Shah Hussain was a guide leading Madhu to his sainthood. We see such examples of spiritual love and companion-hood in number of Sufi traditions and the most famous of all is the companionship of Rumi and Shamas.
Shah Hussain was born in Lahore in 1538 to a Dhudi Rajput family. Due to his very humble and mendicant behavior his name got a title added: Shah Hussain Faqir. His love for a Brahmin boy demonstrates us his openness toward other beliefs and the philosophy of universal love. A form of love which this world, at the moment, needs the most. The love which might bring us together in a releam where every ones existence is appreciated and celebrated. His love was so strong that he often is referred with a composite name ‘Madho Lal Hussain’. Their shrine speaks for the unity, as today, they are buried next to each other. Meela charagan marks an yearly festival of light reminding us of the universal love.
Such examples tell us that the problems of ignorance and intolerance faced by the world can only be tackled through Sufism because It holds the key for accepting polarities and disagreements with open arms. This is what we direly require for making this world a better place to live in.
