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Pioneer of the Punjabi kafi; remembered at Lahore's Mela Chiraghan
Shah Hussain was born in Lahore during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, into a family of weavers. He learned the Quran as a boy and studied under religious teachers, living for years as a strict and pious young man.
In his thirties he broke with outward religious convention, dressing in red (hence 'Lal Hussain') and following the path of the Malamati Sufis, who deliberately invited public blame to kill their own pride. He sang and danced in the streets of Lahore in spiritual ecstasy.
He formed a deep spiritual bond with a young Hindu named Madho, who became his disciple and companion. Madho was later buried beside him, and the shrine is known as 'Madho Lal Hussain'.
His kafis are humble and intensely personal, often spoken in the voice of a young woman longing for her beloved, a symbol of the soul's longing for God. He used images from spinning, weaving and village life, and stories such as Heer and Ranjha, to express divine love.
His shrine near the Shalimar Gardens hosts the Mela Chiraghan ('Festival of Lamps') each spring, one of Lahore's largest festivals, where devotees light lamps and fires. He paved the way for later Punjabi Sufi poets such as Sultan Bahu and Bulleh Shah.