Shah Hussain

Shah Hussain
Born	1538 Lahore, Mughal Empire, now Punjab, Pakistan
Died	1591 (aged 53) near Ravi River, Lahore, Mughal Empire, now Punjab, Pakistan
Resting place	Durbar Madho Lal Hussain, Baghbanpura, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Occupation	Sufi poet

Shah Hussain (1538–1591) was a Punjabi Sufi poet who is regarded as a Sufi saint. He was the son of Sheikh Usman, and belonged to the Dhudhi clan of Rajputs. He was born in Lahore, India. He is considered to be a pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. Shah Hussain is also often known as Shah Hussain Faqir - Faqir meaning Dervish ( mendicant ) and Shah means King. So due to his extremely humble Sufi personality, people called him The Dervish King, a person who was a King and a Dervish at the same time.

Shah Hussain's love for a Brahmin boy called "Madho" or "Madho Lal" is famous, and they are often referred to as a single person with the composite name of "Madho Lal Hussain". Madho's tomb lies next to Hussain's in the shrine.

His tomb and shrine is located at the Baghbanpura precincts, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens Lahore, Pakistan. His Urs (annual death anniversary) is celebrated at his shrine every year during the "Mela Chiraghan" ("Festival of Lights").

Hussain's poetry consists entirely of short poems known as Kafis. A typical 'Hussain Kafi' contains a refrain and some rhymed lines. The number of rhymed lines is usually between four and ten. Only occasionally is a longer form adopted. Hussain's Kafis are also composed for, and the singing of them have been set to music based on Punjabi folk music. Many of his Kafis are part of the traditional Qawwali repertoire. His poems have been performed as songs by Kaavish, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Ghulam Ali, Hamid Ali Bela, Amjad Parvez, Junoon and Noor Jehan, among others. "It may be asserted that poetry is often written to be sung. And all poetry carries, through manipulation of sound effects, some suggestion of music".

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