Sachal Sarmast: The Mystic Voice of Divine Unity
By Sahil Razvi, New Age Islam
11 February 2026
Sachal Sarmast was a great Sufi mystic whose poetry and teachings emphasized divine love, unity of existence, and self-transcendence. Rejecting dogma and ritualism, he inspired spiritual freedom, humanism, and interfaith harmony through his powerful mystical vision.
Main points:
· Sachal Sarmast was a renowned Sufi saint and poet of Sindh.
· He emphasized divine love over ritualistic religion.
· He wrote mystical poetry in multiple languages.
· His message promoted tolerance, self-realization, and spiritual freedom.
…
"How wonderfully my devotion to You has turned me from a beggar to a king. O how wonderstruck I am."
~Sachal Sarmast
Sachal Sarmast was a Sufi saint and poet of Sindh. He was born in 1739 in Daraza Sharif, near Ranipur in Khairpur district in Sindh province of Undivided India. His real name was Abdul Wahab Farooqui. Sachal was his nickname which he used in his poetry. Sachal is derived from Sachu which means truthful. Similarly, the name ‘Sarmast’ means ecstatic in Sindhi. Thus the name ‘Sachal Sarmast’ literally refers to a ‘truthful mystic’ or ecstatic saint. The name perfectly defined the personality of the great saint.
The father of Sachal Sarmast was Khawaja Salahuddin Farooqui, who died soon after the birth of Sachal Sarmat. In absence of his father, Khawaja Abdul Haq Farouqui, the uncle of Sachal took responsibility for his upbringing. He taught Sachal both religious and secular education and played an important part in his grooming. To put in other words, Khawaja Abdul Haq ended up being his teacher, spiritual leader, and also father-in-law.
Punjabi Poetry of Hazrat Sachal Sarmast
Aadam Thee Kar Aya
Aa Pandhi Kar Naal Asade
Akhiyan Baaz Ukaab Sohne Dian
Akhiyan Baaz Ukaab Sohne Dian
Akhiyan Ishq Te Ishq Ni Abru
Akhiyan Yaar Suhne Dian
Aman De Vich Rakh Yaar Suhne Di
Asadi Jaan Kun Lagri Hawa-e-Shams Tabrezi
Asan Ghariban De Naal Dilbar
Baanke Naian Sajan De Ghalib
Baanke Naian Sipahi Larde
Baat Birha Di Ehi Ehi Ajab Jehi (Kafi)
Bekhudi Vich Vahdat Wali
Des Asande Aaven
Dilbar Sanu Aivein Aakhiya
Ditha Main Rukhsar Sohne Da
Ghaziyan Nu Gham Keha Yaaro
Ghund Khol Deedar Vikhao
Haraf Halal Hekiro
Husn Walian Dian Kalma Charhian
Ih Sabh Sail Behar Da Hai
Ishq De Asrar Di Yaro
Ishq De Bajhon Biya Sabh Koor
Ishq Di Khabar
Ishq Keha Keha Aanda
Ishq Laga Ghar Visar Giyose
Ishq Thi Insan
Jani Jawab Na Denda
Jani So Teda Jamal
Karan Shaheed Mushtaqan Nu
Keha Shaq Gumaan Daniyan Ve
Khud Hi Ihoi Khud Hi
Kit Babul Te Kit Mahi
Kyon Darvesh Sadaain Sachal
La Nafi Da Kalma Sanu
Lokan Nu Khabar Kehi
Main Mandi Main Mandi
Main Talib Zuhd Na Taqwa Da
Mukh Mahtab Sajan Da Suniyan
Mulla Chhor Qitaban
Mushtaqan Kun Yaar Sohne Dian
Naal Dadhe De Yaari
Nangra Nimani Da Jivein Tivein Palna
Odun Rehbar Aaye
Palav Tusande Payan Main
Qaziya Kehe Masile Karindein
Roz Azal Khan Abad Taain
Roz Azal Ustad Asanu
Sher Akhin Shahzor Sohne Dian
Sohna Yaar Khirama Aaia
Sohne Dian Shahbaz Akhin
Soi Kam Kareeje
Suhna Saain Bakhsh Asan Nu
Suhna Yaar Hamesh Saade Naal Bhi
Suhne De Shala Bagh Husn Koon
Suhni Surat Yaar Suhne Di
Suhniyan Naal Na Hujt Kaai
Teda Darsan Paavna Ve
Tede Dar Medi Yaari
Val Val Vaal Sau Chhalle
Waqat Namaz Digar De Ditham
Zaari Sajan Lakh Zaari
Aap Kun Aap Dekhe Dakhale
Aape Shah Aap Gada
Eho Kamm Kareejai
Aashiq Theeve Aap Aapne Te
Bistami Kehi Baat Kahi
Rehna Ravi De Kinar
Taindian Chashman Keeta Choor
Vah Yaar Viche Bole
Aap Ko Aap Kitoi
Ik Dihare Murshad Mainu
Husn De Jo Harkare Charhde
Kehe Kaabe Kehe Kible
Shama Kanu Rukh Raushan Afzal
Masjid De Vich Kaan Tukkar De
Ishq De Munkir Aggun Na Hargiz
Qazi Main Sach Aakhan Tainu
Masjid Chhor Te Pakar Kinara
Khial Bazurgi Dhon Na Mainda
Siharfi
Akkhian Baaz Te Dil Murghabi
Yaar Tusan Kun Main Haal
Kehian Kehian Gaalhin
Ishq Tainde Di Main Maari
…
Couplets would spontaneously flow from his lips, which his disciples and fellow dervishes would immediately record. Sachal became widely known for his kalam and kafis, through which he conveyed profound spiritual messages in soul-stirring melodies. He preferred solitude and silence and never travelled beyond his native village, Daraza. His life was marked by simplicity in dress, lifestyle, and food habits; soup and yoghurt were among his favourite meals. He slept on a plain wooden bed and lived with humility. With long, soft flowing hair and deep, penetrating eyes, he possessed a striking spiritual presence. Sachal composed mystical poetry in several languages, including Arabic, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi, Urdu, Farsi (Persian), and Baluchi.
Sachal Sarmast's core philosophy centred on Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existence), the Sufi doctrine that everything is a manifestation of the Divine, there is no real separation between Creator and creation. He taught that God is everywhere and, in every phenomenon, appearing to witness His own manifestation.
His teaching consisted of:
“You can really become a man or woman when ‘I’ and ‘you’ are meaningless to you. You will then disengage yourselves from the bitter state of the ego, and instead be engaged in the Beloved’s Name. Be aware of the true nature of everything. Realize the Divine Light and do human service. Your love should not be for worldly belongings and attractions. Be ever temporary. Rather, adopt truth, purity and courage, for these are the divine qualities, and are ‘everlasting’. Create brotherhood and peace on earth. Help the needy and the suffering beings, and be one with the Eternal One, because if a drop is out of water, its life is very short. But when a drop loses its identity in the ocean, it still keeps on flowing and becomes immortal. Entire extermination of the lower self means an eternal life of the Supreme Self.”
As he went further and drank deeply the wine of eternal unity, he transcended the outer limits and then proclaimed thus:
“For many years I was a strict religious man. I counted the beads of rosary regularly. I was fully occupied in the mosque and sacred writings. I passed many years in penance and austerity. I spent most of my time in abstinence, discipline and chanting the divine Names. Everybody appreciated me a lot for doing so. But one day I happened to be in the presence of Master Abdul Haq and abandoned everything excepting eternal union. He dipped me into the Ocean of Unity and filled my heart with the treasure of divine pain. He blessed me with the excessive love and sainthood and gladdened my barren heart with the eternal joy.”
Some of his poetry.
You by yourself, know what is in your form!
Why chant ‘Allah Allah’? Find Allah within you.
You listen, you see, Allah’s word is witness,
There is no doubt, O Sachal! that the Lord is One!
He stressed divine love (ishq-e-haqiqi) as the true path to spirituality, far superior to formal religion or rituals. Love transforms the seeker, leading to self-realization and union with the Divine. He urged direct seeking of truth, rejecting blind conformity, even to saints' paths, and encouraged ripping away illusions (the "veil") to see reality.
Influenced by figures like Mansur Hallaj (with echoes of "Anal Haq", "I am the Truth"), Sachal boldly expressed non-dual awareness, promoting tolerance, humanism, and interfaith harmony.
His poetry is ecstatic, mystical, and often sung today. Here are a few translated excerpts:
Friend, this is the only way (translated by Ivan M. Granger)
Friend, this is the only way
to learn the secret way:
Ignore the paths of others,
even the saints’ steep trails.
Don’t follow. Don’t journey at all.
Rip the veil from your face.
We are, what are we?
We are, what are we?
We know not, what we are!
For a moment we are blessed,
For a moment we are accursed,
Some moment we pray and fast,
Some moment we are free...
Sachal, we are only
That eternally
What other contracts can we make here?
From his famous lines echoing unity:
Those who fly too high, like moths drawn toward His dwelling, seeking union in His home, are consumed. Their bodies fade away and their souls...
His verses often use love metaphors (the Beloved as God) and celebrate ecstatic union, rebellion against dogma, and the joy of truth.
Sachal's shrine in Daraza remains a place of pilgrimage, where his poetry continues to inspire spiritual seekers with its timeless message of love, unity, and direct experience of the Divine.
Many sayings attributed to mystic thought express the idea of divine unity, self-transcendence, and the dissolution of ego. One such saying emphasizes that God is present everywhere and within every phenomenon, suggesting that existence itself is a manifestation of the Divine and that creation is a means through which the Divine witnesses itself. Another statement highlights moral courage and spiritual authenticity, asserting that the brave speak the truth regardless of acceptance, reject false friendships, and recognize no beloved other than the reality perceived in everyday existence. Similarly, the idea that “He is, and you are not” reflects the mystical call to annihilate the ego and merge into the unity of existence, symbolized as a sea of oneness. Some attributed sayings go further by challenging religious and ideological boundaries, urging seekers to transcend rigid labels such as faith, disbelief, Islam, or religion in pursuit of direct truth and spiritual realization. Finally, expressions of self-realization affirm a non-dual awareness, where the individual declares an unchanging identity beyond societal judgments, reflecting the mystical insight that true existence lies beyond external definitions and distinctions.
Three days before his death, he withdrew into a small secluded space, where he finally became one with the Truth on the 14th day of Ramadan in 1829, at the age of ninety. The shrine of Sachal Sarmast is located about 40 kilometres southwest of Khairpur in Sindh, Pakistan. It lies in Daraza, near the N-5 Highway and the Gambat–Ranipur Road.
…
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/sachal-sarmast-mystic-voice-divine-unity/d/138814
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism