Muslim poet who wrote marsiya for sons of Guru Gobind Singh finds space at Central Sikh Museum

The ceremony to unveil the portraits was conducted by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghubir Singh. “Allah Yaar Khan Yogi has expressed the sacrifices of the sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in poetic form as Shahidan Wafa and Ganji-e-Shahidan, which is an inspiration for the Sikh Sangat,” said Jathedar. Jogi wrote two compositions, ‘Shahidan-e-Wafa’ describing the sacrifice of younger sons Sahibzada Jorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fathe Singh, and the second one ‘Ganj-e-Shahidan’, depicting the valour of the elders sons Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh in the battle of Chamkaur.

Born in 1870 in Lahore, Jogi was also a hakeem. The poem ‘Shahidan-e-Wafa’ was written in 1913. It consists of 110 stanzas and a total of 660 lines. In 1915, he penned the poem ‘Ganj-e-Shahidan’. Jogi also traveled and sung his poems with a resonating voice, stirring the souls of people.

During the last phase of his life, he resided in Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore. He was proficient in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian, holding a high degree of expertise in classical literature. He passed away in 1956.

“He also faced opposition from some groups in Muslim community for singing and writing marsiya for sons of Guru Gobind Singh. He was labeled as an infidel and prohibited from ascending the steps of the mosque for 30 years,” said Chetan Singh, former director of Bhasha Vibhag.