“Ka’ba kā Shauq Hai na Sanam Khāna Chāhiye”: The Symbolism of Spiritual Transcendence in Bedam Shah Warsi’s Poetic Vision

Abstract

The article provides a close study of the literary and mystical meanings of Urdu ghazal "Ka'ba kā shauq hai na sanam khāna chāhiye" by Bedam Shah Warsi. It is discussed in the context of Sufi poetry and the qawwali tradition of the Indian subcontinent. Bedam Shah Warsi (1876-1936), who was the disciple of Haji Waris Ali Shah and famous for na'tiya and mystic verses, constructs the ghazal through the vision of divine love (ishq-e-haqīqī), which goes beyond Ka'ba and the idol-temple (sanam khāna). In this case, religious institutions are substituted for the union with the Beloved. The symbolism in the ghazal such as wine-cup (sāghar), goblet (paimāna), tavern and its spiritual leader (murshid-e-mai khāna), sin and mercy paradox and 'the prayer of love' (namāz-e-'ishq), indicates the inferiority of the rituals before divine relationship, that leads from exterior architectural structure of the faith to theophany. The study also pays attention on how Bedam has remodeled the classical style of Persian-Urdu poetry to convey the concept of longing, in which the door of the Beloved (dar-e-jānāna) transcends all sacred porches.