کتھے مہر علی کتھے تیری ثنا Who is (the humble) Meher Ali to chant thy praises; Pir Meher Ali Shah was a famous Sufi poet. Most of his poetry is in the Persian and the Punjabi languages, with a few poems and couplets written in Urdu. The following poem, "Aj Sik Mitraan Di", is the most well-known of his writings.

Ya Rasulullah Ya Rasulullah Ya Rasulullah
الصلوۃ والسلام علیک یا سیدی یارسول اللہ
وعلٰی آلک واصحابک یا سیدی یا حبیب اللہ
الصلوۃ والسلام علیک یا سیدی یا نور من نور اللہ
وعلیٰ الک واصحابک یا سیدی یا خیر خلق اللہ

الصلوۃ والسلام علیک یا سیدی یا شفیع المذنبین
وعلیٰ الک واصحابک یا سیدی یا رحمۃ اللعٰلمین
اَلّٰھُمَّ صَلِّی عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلٰی آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَبْارک وَصَلَّم —

کتھے مہر علی کتھے تیری ثنا
Who is (the humble) Meher Ali to chant thy praises;

Pir Meher Ali Shah was a famous Sufi poet. Most of his poetry is in the Persian and the Punjabi languages, with a few poems and couplets written in Urdu. The following poem, "Aj Sik Mitraan Di", is the most well-known of his writings.

اج سک متراں دی ودھیری اے

Why is my heart sadder today than ever before?

کیوں دلڑی اداس گھنیری اے

Why is my heart sadder today than ever before?

لوں لوں وچ شوق چنگیری اے

Why does longing penetrate every tissue of mine?

اج نیناں لائیاں کیوں جھڑیاں

And why are the eyes shedding tears like a shower of rain?

الطیف سری من طلعتہ

His shining face appeared to me in a vision,

والشذ و بدی من وفرتہ

And fragrance emanated in profusion from His tresses;

فسکرت ھنا من نظرتہ

I fainted from the sight of these visions;

نیناں دیاں فوجاں سر چڑھیاں

The hordes of his eyes overpowered me.

مکھ چند بدر شعشانی اے

His face shines like the full moon;

متھے چمکدی لاٹ نورانی اے

A brilliant light radiates from his brow;

کالی زلف تے اکھ مستانی اے
مخمور اکھیں ہن مدھ بھریاں

His hair is black, and his eyes are bewitching and intoxicated.

دو ابرو قوس مثال دسن

His two eye-brows are like cross-bows,

جیں تھیں نوک مژہ دے تیر چھٹن

Hurling darts of pointed eye-lashes (in all directions);

لباں سرخ آکھاں کہ لعل یمن

His lips are red like rubies of Yemen;

چٹے دند موتی دیاں ہن لڑیاں

His white teeth like a string of pearls.

اس صورت نوں میں جان آکھاں

I am not sure whether I should call his face the essence of life;

جانان کہ جان جہان آکھاں

Or life of the entire universe;

سچ آکھاں تے رب دی شان آکھاں

The truth is that it is (like) the glory of God,

جس شان تو شاناں سب بنیاں

From which all other (worldly) glories originated,

Note : This refers to the Holy Prophet's well-known hadith:

"Allah created (everything from my light, and I am from the Light of Allah"]

ایہہ صورت ہے بے صورت تھیں

This face (of the Prophet) emerged from the Faceless One (i.e., Allah);

بے صورت ظاہر صورت تھیں

The Faceless One manifests Himself through this face.

بے رنگ دسے اس مورت تھیں

The Colourless (Reality) has been revealing itself through this image,

وچ وحدت پھٹیاں جد گھڑیاں

Ever since Unity exploded into Diversity.

دسے صورت راہ بے صورت دا

It is this face (of the Holy Prophet) that guides (mankind) to the path of Faceless One (i.e., Allah);

توبہ راہ کی عین حقیقت دا

Nay (not the path only but) to the Ultimate Reality Itself.

پر کم نہیں بے سوجھت دا

However, understanding this (secret) is beyond the capacity of the simpleton;

کوئی ورلیاں موتی لے تریاں

Only the select few succeed in discovering and capturing the Pearl (of Truth).

ایہا صورت شالا پیش نظر

May this Face (of the Holy Prophet) remain before my eyes,

رہے وقت نزع تے روز حشر

In my last moments (of life) and on the Resurrection Day!

وچ قبر تے پل تھیں جد ہوسی گذر

Then (also) in my grave, and at the time of crossing the (razor-sharp) Bridge (on the Judgment Day as a test to separate the virtuous ones from the sinners);

سب کھوٹیاں تھیں سن تد کھریاں

Only then shall the fake ones become pure (in the sight of Allah).

یعطیک ربک داس تساں

Thou (O Holy Prophet) hast been blessed (by Allah) with the promise to grant thy desire (in full);

فترضی تھیں پوری آس اساں

And we (thy humble followers) have full faith in Allah's assurance that thou shalt be happy with the Bounty of Allah.

[Note: Reference here is to verse 5 of Surah XCIII of the Holy Quran: "And presently (i.e., in the Hereafter, as also in this world) thy Lord shall grant unto thee (O Prophet ! rich and abundant reward) so that thou shalt be well-pleased].

لج پال کریسی پاس اساں

The Gracious One (we hope) shall declare us successful (in the test of earthly life);

واشفع تشفع صحیح پڑھیاں

Because we have correctly understood the Divine words: "Intercede and thy intercession shall be accepted". [Note: Here the reference is to the Prophet's divinely inspired hadith (hadith-e-Qudsi)in which Allah reassures the Prophet with the words i.e., his intercession for the forgiveness of sinning believers shall be accepted by Allah on the Judgment Day].

لاہو مکھ تو مخطط برد یمن

Be gracious enough to remove from thy face the sheet of Yemen (O Prophet !),

من بھانوری جھلک دکھلاو سجن

And grant us a glimpse of thy endearing face.

اوہا مٹھیاں گالیں الاو مٹھن

Repeat once again those sweet words,

جو حمرا وادی سن کریاں

Which thou hadst uttered in the valley of Hamra.

حجرے توں مسجد آو ڈھولن

Come (once again) from thy cell to Mosque,

نوری جھات دے کارن سارے سکن

For everyone longs for a glimpse of thy image full of light;

دو جگ اکھیاں راہ دا فرش کرن

(And) denizens of both the worlds (i.e., this world and the Hereafter) are laying their eyes in thy path -

سب انس و ملک حوراں پریاں

Human beings, angels, the houris and the fairies.

انہاں سکدیاں تے کرلاندیاں تے

For the ones yearning and pining (for a glimpse of thine);

لکھ واری صدقے جاندیاں تے

Who are ready to sacrifice (their lives) for thy sake;

انہاں بردیاں مفت وکاندیاں تے

For these slaves ready to sell themselves out without any price (in thy path);

شالا آون وت وی اوھ گھڑیاں

May those moments of bliss come back once again!

سبحان اللہ ما اجملک
ما احسنک ما اکملک

Glory to Allah, who created thee (O Holy Prophet!) in the most beautiful, the best, and the most perfect mould.

کتھے مہر علی کتھے تیری ثنا

Who is (the humble) Meher Ali to chant thy praises;

گستاخ اکھیں کتھے جا اڑیاں

How (presumptuous and) impudent his eyes are to aspire to the heights of thy love! —