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Sachal Sarmast Pakistan/India (1739 - 1829) Timeline Muslim / Sufi Poems by Sachal Sarmast Books - Links |
Sachal Sarmast was born Abdul Wahab in the Sindh region of what is today Pakistan. His father died when he was a young child, and Abdul Wahab was raised by his uncle, who also became his spiritual master.
His soul was deeply moved by music. Listening to music sent him into a state of rapture with tears pouring down his face.
Abdul Wahab married, but his young wife died two years later. He never remarried.
He took the name Sachal (Truth). Later people added Sarmast (Ecstatic Master) to his name in appreciation of his spiritual poetry. He is sometimes called Sachoo, The Truthful.
Sachal Sarmast lived a humble, ascetic life, preferring solitude, simple meals of daal and yogurt. It is said that he never left the village of his birth, yet he composed sacred poetry in seven different languages, poetry that is loved and sung to this day.
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Unfortunately, I haven't yet found a good single source of Sachal Sarmast's poetry in English. I've only discovered scattered verses translated on the Internet. We are waiting for a book of inspired translations of Sachoo.
Poems by Sachal Sarmast
- Friend, this is the only way
- I search in the streets, I cast my sights
- Neither did I roll rosary, nor did I ponder and pray
- 'Tis not in religion I believe
- We are, what are we?
- You by yourself, know what is in your form!
Recommended Books: Sachal Sarmast
Related Links
Sachal Sarmast: The Great Sufi Poet of Sindh
http://www.sachalsarmast.org/Home/sachal.html
A brief biography and several examples of Sachal Sarmast's poetry in English. Although limited, this is still one of the better pages I've found on the Internet.
Gulraj
http://yangtze.cs.uiuc.edu/~jamali/sindh/sufis/index.html
An online book exploring Sindh culture and mysticism, including Sachal Sarmast.
Sachal Sarmast
http://sachalsarmast.org
A Sufi website dedicated to Sachal Sarmast and his spiritual succesors. You can listen to audio samples of Sachal Sarmast's songs in their original language.
Sachal Sarmast
http://sufiblog.com/sachal-sarmast.html
A short biography online.
Sachal Sarmast Means a Truthful Mystic
http://iaoj.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/sachal-sarmast-means-a-truthful-mystic/
Another short biography.
Sachal Sarmast - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachal_Sarmast
A very short biography, but a source for several verses in English.
Sachal Sarmast
http://sachalsarmast.org/main.htm
A Sufi website devoted to Sachal Sarmast -- a short biography, photographs, lineage tables.
YouTube: Ith Naheen, Sanam Marvi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYKtKRRyf9Y
A lovely vocal rendition of one of Sachal Sarmast's poems by Sanam Marvi