Few of the couplets composed by Qalander Baba Auliya are presented for the interested readers along with their brief interpretations by his able student Khwaja Shamsuddin` 'Azeemi.

 

Qalander Baba Auliya, in his Rubiyat has highlighted many subjects concerning spiritualism. Sometimes he mentions the true nature of man and his thinking approach; at places he sings the songs of praise for the Lord Creator. He also tells us about this mortal life and the ways it should be spent in total submission to the laws of God. Mostly he invites his readers to be heedful of the Will of God and wants him to be aware of the true realities.

 

My limitations don't allow me to say and share

Would've been better if Adam remained

a particle of dust Starting from a speck of dust he reaches the death

How long could he withstand the betrayal of dust?

 

Explanation:

 

Man is ignorant of the secrets of Nature, Purpose of his creation. Every particle of dust is carrying the image of man, who starts heading towards annihilation and extinction soon after coming into being. And thus, the eternal cycle of life and death is making man capable of sustaining the disloyalty of the world. This law of growth is underlying the creative formulae.

Just a word that became a story

A city turned into a wilderness

Time reflected in many forms, Azeem

I turned into dust, the dust into winecup

Explanation:

 

Who can have the true idea of the greatness of God Almighty? He is the One whose one word made the entire universe come into being; the limitless universe that contains inestimable systems and realms. When this one word came into action Angelic Realms, countless galaxies and planets came into existence.

 

How very aptly the secret is disclosed that it is just a. word of God that is making each and everything appear and happen. Survival and annihilation are just the two sides of the same one coin.

 

Using the simile of wine cup he is referring to man's actual role of benefiting others and quenching their thirst.

 

No idea as to where from I come No idea where would I end I know only that I know naught Who knows, losing might be finding!

 

Explanation:

 

I do not know from where I have come, nor that where I am heading for. This is the state of man's knowledge. And, if this is the state of our knowledge, how can we dive into the limitless ocean of the knowledge. For having the real knowledge, we have to know that who has created us, where we were before appearing in this world and where we would go after death and what are the ways of life in the hereafter?

 

In dust is buried the man of dust,

A figure made of a handful of dust

The wine-cup serving the thirsty

Will be made of the same dust.

 

Explanation:

 

God made Adam from clay so every human being is also made of clay .and this the reason that we return his remains to the dust..

 

The beautiful and pretty face that attracts everybody, in actual fact, is made up of the particles r: of dust. This is the same dust from which the wine cups are prepared and the wine drinkers have wine in the same cup that has a common origin. This is the artistry of Nature that it makes so much variety of forms and figures. There are signs for those who want to know and understand God.

 

Abandoned the flowing springs of wine,

Left the birds chirping amongst flowers,

Strange is the nature of man

When couldn't do more, left the Heaven

 

Explanation:

 

What to say of' man's nature, he left the flowing brooks of wine in the Heaven, ignoring the sweet songs of chirping birds among the enchanting flowers. He has such a composition that he cannot stay in one state. Even a place like Paradise couldn't withhold him.

 

He has the ever changing nature that does not allow him to stay and stale. He wants change every second. Change is second nature be it for good or bad.

 

Every breath is a sip of wine for me

Every state of mine, a sip of wine for me

What madness, frenzy or Qalandri,

This one sip is actual partner for me

Explanation:

 

Man thinks that every breath that he inhales is like a sip of wine and for his pleasure seeking nature the entire 'world is like a sip of wine. When one thinks like this he might not be appearing in his senses and is engrossed in his own state of feelings tad thoughts that reveal the true meanings of life upon him.

 

It all depends upon the person whether he stays in that state of raptness or is lost and goes astray.

 

When the body would be without life

Your stay would be in a couple of yards

Would take few days to disappear you

Someone else will come to stay instead

Explanation:

When the soul would leave the body, this body will be put in a grave and that too might not be available. After sometime, your body would disintegrate and disappear even from there and someone else might be buried in the same place.

 

This is the moral of the story of man's life that nothing is permanent in this world.

Hostile world, just a moment

World is confined in a moment

You have been granted a moment

World passes by passing moment

Explanation:

 

It takes only a moment to deceive and trick. This entire world is confined in a single moment. In this momentary world man is granted only a small amount of time to live in. If this short life is spent in gossip and useless things, it would pass uselessly.

 

Therefore get up and do something and Advance towards your goal and fulfill the purpose of your creation otherwise repentance would be your fate unavoidable.

 

World is an artwork of magic

What to say, what this world of ours is?

Our creation is a clay toy,

And this entire world is a toy of clay

Explanation:

 

This world is nothing more than an artwork of illusive magic. It casts such an enchanting spell that man fails to understand it properly.

 

When we ponder deeply we come to .the conclusion that this world is a toy of clay, which is predestined for breakage and disintegration.

 

What's the outcome of a sip?

What difference would it make?

0' the wine-server, serve me free!

Who knows, I have another breath?

Explanation:

 

Life spent here in this world is no more than a sip of wine. It does not make any difference whether one gets it or not. I am desirous of that wine, which could liberate me from the confines of time and space. So serve me that wine which could free me from the bondages and constraints of all sorts.

 

Church, temple or the mosques,

Warning of hell by the preachers

How I wish, the world to know the Book

That was written, by the Teacher Yesterday

Explanation:

 

How long the preachers of temples, churches and mosques would continue to scare people from the torments of hell. How I wish that these people could know the real facts of the Mother Nature; the facts that have been revealed upon those servants of God, who neither have any fear nor do they grieve.

 

Arch of light upon the forehead

With ruby like lips and bright face

Dust turned them into dust

How many went under the dust

Explanation:

 

People with bright foreheads; illuminating with the signs of prostrations and hey had all the worldly beauty radiating from their faces, when they died and they were buried, the earth turned their remains into dust. We cannot reckon the number of people of such beauty and charms. Men walking on the surface of the earth, with might and pride, finally go down into the dust and the dust turns them all into dust. And, that might be the same dust which many others would be raising by their feet.

 

No one knows of their heads and crowns

Kings that collected ransoms from many

Air is telling the world Azeem

Their armies are the gust of dust now

Explanation:

 

People feared kings like Alexander, Caesar, Pharaohs, Nimrod and Shadad, and they collected ransom from other states and from the masses. They considered them masters and the creatures of God as their servants and slaves. Now, nobody knows about them. Where are they and their crowns or their armies that would storm the world and were a source of constant misery for the world?

 

One day the relics of their lofty palaces and forts would also be erased from the surface of the earth.

 

Life went by on earth in gloom,

Heavens destroyed every breath

May we be cheerful Azeem

In the world below

Explanation:

 

There exists another world that would reveal upon us after we would be dead. How unfortunate of us that we are not aware of that Unseen world. If we could have acted upon the command of Holy Prophet (PBUH), "Die before you are actually dead" and have acquainted ourselves with the world to come, we might have expected to have some relief over there as compared to the gloom and miseries of this world.

 

Every particle follows a typical growing

Be it the grass, cypress or pines

From the dust of man, when it comes

Birds find their way out

 

Explanation:

 

God has stated that He creates using specific quantities. Thus every creation, be it an individual or a species, due to its specific quantities is different from others. Prticles of dust appear to be the same but alternations of the quantities of these particles gives rise to ever new creation. Particles of the same one soil are taking the forms of grass, cypress or pines, hills and mountains and even the chirping birds. When these lifeless particles are touched with the breath of life, colors scatter all around and a new colorful world is seen emerging from these colors.

 

Adam is confined in lines

Adam is suffering in lines

But, upon the breaking of the lines

Trap of dust won't be able to stop him

Explanation:

 

Everything in this world is traveling upon the waves. These very waves on the one hand, are making life miserable and on the other the same lines or the waves are responsible for making the life easy and comfortable.

 

Each and every line that the Pen of Light draws is light. When the light fades the darkness prevails. Man is contended with this darkness and is seeking just a few drops of water from the ocean. When the trap of darkness would fall apart, the dust Would not be able to stop him. And, he would be free to plunge back into the ocean of light; his original source.

 

Scarcity of wine in the wine-shop

Month of fasting is wasted

The wine server calls

If no wine, face the winds

Explanation:

 

God has stated about Fasting, "I am the reward of fasting." That is to say, one who fasts for the sake of God He gets closer to God or God draws him closer to Himself. But our fasting, without having the realization of its original cause and purpose bears no fruit so the month of fasting is wasted. And, if we couldn't have a glimpse of Him even in the month of Fasting then obviously we would be suffering from the gusty winds of miseries throughout the year.

 

All will contemplate one day

Will sigh for that one day

Same is it, water or wine

We'll be a wine-cup, one day

Explanation:

 

Water or wine both are liquids and their creative process is also the same. The only difference is that the creative formulae are operative directly in the water and the wine is made of altering the same creative process but when the alteration takes place and the water of grapes is turned into wine, people starts fighting over it. Why do they not contemplate upon these things?

 

Here, everything is made of clay. Whether it is the wine or the cup of wine or we, when we will wither and eventually turn into dust, it might be a wine-cup that is made of our dust.

Wine cup knows not

It's been made of man's dust

So many times it was made and broken

An echo of how many breakings is the cup

 

Explanation:

 

Every creation of God is calling onto man, what is causing you to fall into the trap of the oblivion? This all is nothing but the clay that breaks, disperses and takes an ever new form. Why don't you accept the defeat at the hands of the clay? If you will accept the fact you will saved of the false vanity and pride and you will be humble before thy Creator.

 

Time favors you or not, bewail not

Don't resume that has passed,

Squander not The few breaths 'granted

 

Explanation:

 

Everything in this world is following a scheme. Nothing is good or bad in itself. One thing is a cause of pleasure for the one and the same is the same thing is the cause of distress for the other.

 

This is the world of meanings. Effects are related to with the ascribing of meanings to things, then why to waste time in fighting over these worldly things, which are not worthy to waste your breath. Take everything as it is and from God. God has said, "People with firmness of knowledge believe that everything is from God."