Bulleh Shah’s Philosophy of Divine Love and Humanism: Sufism, Orthodoxy, and Vernacular Resistance in Eighteenth-Century Punjab
Keywords:
Bulleh Shah, Punjabi Sufism, Wahdat al-Wajud, Vernacular Mysticism, Religious HumanismAbstract
This article examines the philosophical and humanistic dimensions of Bulleh Shah’s thought within the socio-religious and political context of eighteenth-century Punjab. It argues that Bulleh Shah’s poetry represents not merely mystical devotion but a profound critique of religious orthodoxy, social hierarchy, and ritualistic formalism. Situating his ideas within broader debates between Islamic esotericism and exotericism, the study explores the tensions between Sufi metaphysics, particularly Wahdat al-Wajud, and reformist trends associated with orthodox scholars and revivalist movements in Mughal India. Through an analysis of Bulleh Shah’s Punjabi kafis, the article demonstrates how he employed vernacular language, symbolic metaphors, and Quranic references to articulate a philosophy grounded in divine love, self-purification, tolerance, and spiritual equality. The paper further contextualizes Bulleh Shah within the intellectual traditions of Punjabi Sufism, examining the influence of Shah Inayat Qadri and the broader syncretic culture of Punjab. It also investigates how colonial modernity and print culture transformed Bulleh Shah from an orally transmitted mystic poet into a canonical literary and philosophical figure. By engaging with contemporary scholarship on Sufism, post-structuralism, and discourse analysis, the article argues that Bulleh Shah’s philosophy transcended sectarian boundaries and challenged rigid constructions of religious identity. Ultimately, this study concludes that Bulleh Shah’s intellectual legacy continues to resonate because of its emphasis on human dignity, spiritual introspection, and resistance to dogmatic exclusivism in both historical and contemporary contexts.
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