Abyat-e-Bahoo


اللہ پڑھیوں پڑھ حافظ ہویوں ناں گیا حجابوں پردا ھُو
پڑھ پڑھ عالم فاضل ہویوں بھی طالب ہویوں زر دا ھُو
سیئے ہزار کتاباں پڑھیاں پر ظالم نفس نہ مردا ھُو
باجھ فقیراں کِسے نہ ماریا باھُوؒ ایہو چور اندر دا ھُو

Translation

You memorized the Quran but the “veils” were not lifted - Hoo,

You became a scholar even then you seek riches - Hoo,

You studied thousands of books but the tyrant “Nafs” did not perish - Hoo,

Nobody could kill this inner thief Bahoo, except the “Faqeer” - Hoo.

Commentary by M. A. Khan

By memorising word of Allah’s Quran and becoming Hafiz (the one who memorised the Quran), the veils from the heart not removed because these are physical actions. With the study over a time, one becomes learned scholar but objective for study is to accumulate wealth, one kept the love and desire of material in ones heart. By studying many hundreds and thousands of books, one cannot kill ones base self (nafs) and worldly desires, but on the contrary it becomes even stronger. Besides the people of spiritual excellence (faqeer: People who do not have love and passion in their heart for wealth and worldly material) they kept their heart empty from all else besides passionate divine love. Ardent love burns everything besides beloved.

HAFIZ

Who memorizes the whole Quran.

VEILS OF DARKNESS

Selfishness - life full of violations of laws of Allah (SWT) and Sharia of Prophet (SAWW)

TYRANT NAFS

Capricious heart-soul or censorious soul- evil-self

Quran Kareem refers (a) Nafs Al-Ammara.bissu (12:53) the inciting soul has strong tendency towards evil, which misguides men easily. (b) Al-Nafs-al-Lawwama = a stage between evil-self and purified contended self. It is more towards purity of the heart which ultimately leads to the contented soul - Al-Nafs-al-Mutmainna (29:27) Allah (SWT) welcomes such a soul to paradise gracefully.