Bulleh Shah, an 18th-century Punjabi Sufi poet and mystic, is celebrated for his spiritually rich poetry that transcends religious boundaries. Born in Punjab, now part of India and Pakistan, he advocated for love, tolerance, and inner enlightenment. Bulleh Shah’s verses critique organized religion’s formalities and hypocrisy, emphasizing a direct, personal connection with the Divine. Despite facing persecution, he remained steadfast in his commitment to spiritual truth and social justice. His poetry, exploring themes of unity and humanity, resonates with people worldwide. Bulleh Shah’s tomb in Kasur, Pakistan, serves as a pilgrimage site for devotees seeking solace and spiritual guidance. His legacy as a symbol of love, peace, and spiritual liberation endures, inspiring generations on the path of divine truth and enlightenment, transcending linguistic, cultural, and religious barriers.

Bulleh Shah Quotes

01. “The moment I seized the secret of His love, duality vanished. My exoteric and esoteric states were cleansed. Now wherever I see, I see my Friend.”
— Bulleh Shah

02. “I know you are the First, You are the Last. I have no second thought beyond this. In wit and wisdom no one surpasses me. Bullah! Who is He that persists?”
— Bulleh Shah

03. “People said: “O Bullah! Go and sit in the mosque.” What avails it going to the mosque, says Bullha, if the heart had not said the prayer? What matters it being pure outside when from within dirt has not gone? Without a perfect teacher, says Bullah, your prayers are of no avail; the Lord is met from within me, but the people are searching Him elsewhere.”
— Bulleh Shah

04. “I know not who am I. I am neither Muslim, bird of the mosque, nor infidelity is my task. Neither am I righteous, nor sinful, nor am I Moses, nor Pharaoh. Nor am I filthy, pious, saint. I live neither in pleasure nor in anguish. I am neither aquatic nor of earth, nor of fire, nor an airy creature.”
— Bulleh Shah

05. “Your love made me dance recklessly. Your love dwells in the temple of my heart. I drank the cup of poison full to the brim. Rush to my rescue O my Saviour, lest I should die. O mother! Don’t prevent me from lovemaking. Is there anyone who can bring back my love? I have lost reason and wisdom and myself lost in the sailor’s arm.”
— Bulleh Shah

06. “O Comrade! Love is an attribute of God, but for people it is taunt.”
— Bulleh Shah

07. “The moment I learnt the lesson of Divine love, my heart feared the mosque and I found abode in His pavilion where thousands of songs (hymns) are being sung, i.e., every iota in the cosmos is singing His praise. His love remains new and afresh ever.”
— Bulleh Shah

08. “Listen to the story of Bulleh Shah, he has got hold of a pir and shall have salvation, My preceptor, Shah Inayat, he will take me across.”
— Bulleh Shah

09. “I am liberated, I am free, neither inflicted nor knowledgeable. I am neither Muslim nor polytheist, I stroll in the celestial realms, not interned anywhere. I walk in the holy tavern (wine-house) no concern with good or evil. What do you ask about the caste of Bulleh Shah? He exists no more.”
— Bulleh Shah

10. “At the time of initiation, Shah Inayat said: ‘O Bullah, the secret of God is this; on this side He uproots, on the other side He creates.'”
— Bulleh Shah

11. “He who calls me a Saiyid shall receive torment in Hell; he who calls an Araien (caste) shall have swings in heaven. O Bullha, if you want the pleasure of the Garden, become a disciple of the Araien.”
— Bulleh Shah

12. “Bulleh Shah stands for the Unity, so essential for human welfare regardless of religions and sects. He sees God installed in the heart of each individual, no matter to what religion he belongs.”
— Bulleh Shah

13. “Neither Hindu nor Muslim, let us sit to spin, abandoning pride. Neither a Sunni nor a Shia, I have taken the path of complete peace and unity. Neither am I hungry, nor satisfied, nor naked, nor covered. Neither am I weeping nor laughing nor deserted nor settled. Neither a sinner I, nor pious one. Bullah, in all hearts I feel the Lord.”
— Bulleh Shah

14. “Love made me forget fasting, Hajj, and prayers. When I got cognition of Him, I forgot logic and sarf-o-nahv (grammar) etc. Now touch the chord and sing His praise.”
— Bulleh Shah

15. “Without the Lord, there is none in heaven and earth. Carefully let your feet take the step as for a second time, you will not return.”
— Bulleh Shah

16. “You attained exoteric knowledge and became Shaikh and Mashaikh. You filled your belly with food full to the brim and slept a long sleep. When the time of departure arrived, you wept bitterly. You drowned in the sea, being not on either shore, i.e., totally helpless.”
— Bulleh Shah

17. “In whose heart He got abode, he proclaimed: ‘I am the Truth, I am the Truth.’ Such a person does not want ‘sing and song’; he, rather dances in ecstasy. O Bullah! I found the Real One, the falsehood vanished. I declared truth to the seekers of Truth, since the time, I witnessed the Divine Light.”
— Bulleh Shah

18. “Never again shall I bear pride (to be Saiyid) for my Beloved (God) O friend, tonight do stay in my house; undo the knots of your heart and laugh with me. (This, Bullah said, while singing, he saw Shah Inayat among his audience).”
— Bulleh Shah

19. “O Friend! Shun attaining more knowledge. Your need is just one word ‘Alif’. Exoteric knowledge is not counted here, nor fleeting life is dependable. Your need is just one syllable ‘Alif’.”
— Bulleh Shah

20. “You eat up the simple folk by fraud and making false promises to them. By gaining bookish knowledge, you have become a mullah, jurist. God is happy without such knowledge. Your greed is intensified each day and it had made you wretched.”
— Bulleh Shah

21. “Love is the foe of religious rite, it never thinks of creed and caste. The beloved dwells over-seas. Now His love has seized all of my perceptions.”
— Bulleh Shah

22. “By iterating Ranjha, Ranjha, I have become Ranjha myself. Call me now as Dhido Ranjha, not by the name of Heer. Ranjha dwells in my inmost being and I in Him and none else reside there. I am not, He only exists and He consoles Himself. Whatsoever seen in me, my faith and caste is the same. With whom I am knitted in love, transmuted me into His Love. Now you put aside your white mantle, put on beggar’s blanket. White mantle is stained easily, but blackened seldom accepts stain.”
— Bulleh Shah

23. “You say supererogatory prayers too much and repeat aloud Call to Prayer. On the pulpit of the mosque you make lofty speeches. The greed and appetitive desire has abased you.”
— Bulleh Shah