Muhammad Hussain Baksh (محمد حسین بخش) (1921-1995),
commonly known as Malang (ملنگ), was a famous Sufi saint and humanist of
Punjab, Pakistan. He was born to Ghulam Muhammad and Churaan Bebe in 1921 in
Hoshiarpur, Punjab. He was the descendent of Yaar Muhammad who was the son
of celebrated Sufi Shah Muhammad and was one of the most faithful and
sincere Generals of Tippu Sultan, the enlightened ruler of Mysore.
The father of Hussain was extremely religious person who use to send him to
a local Madrassa (Islamic school) for learning Quran while the mother was a
liberal Sufi lady. She use to take Hussain with her when ever she visits her
Murshids (pious teachers), namely, Jyoti Shah and Enayat Shah, the two
outstanding Sufi Saints of their time. She died when Hussain was quite
young. After her death and according to her will, Enayat Shah took the
responsibility of teaching the young Hussain. But he was too old and thus he
made his disciple Maoj Deen the new teacher of Hussain who named him Malang,
a term used for enlighted Sufis and qalandars. Maoj Deen was so renowned for
his piousness that the famous poet Dr. Muhammad Iqbal once came to meet him
and soon they became close friends. Once Iqbal was sitting with Maoj Deen
when Malang Hussain arrived. While referring to Malang, Maoj Deen said to
Iqbal 'there comes my Shaheen'. Malang met Iqbal and both admired each
other.
In around 1935, Malang came Lahore, from Hoshiarpur, in search of a job.
Maoj Deen too lived in Lahore. After spending four to fives years in Lahore,
Malang got a job in the Mughalpura Railway. Maoj Deen was also in Railway
and was respected in whole domain not only for his piousness but also for
his high education. He was one of the most educated and enlightened people
of the city. Enayat Shah introduced Malang with Maoj Deen. Maoj taught
Malang like a benevolence friend and comrade. Malang had due respect in his
heart for Maoj Deen and love him more than his father. To him, his father
gave him life but his teacher gave him the way to led life. Malang was the
most favourite disciple of Maoj Din. He was the 'Shaheen of Maoj Deen'.
Malang was against every type of oppression and exploitation. He was against
caplitalism, and imperialism. For common people he was just a Sufi with no
link with politics or economics but the worker-leaders, who met him,
referred him as 'the incarnation of Marx'. Nodoubt, Malang was a great
admirer of Karl Marx. Once he said,"Nodoubt, the mission of all awakened and
enlightened men, ever born on this Earth, is same (and they all should be
read) but the person who has not read Karl Marx,read nothing" and at another
place he referred Marx as a "Sufi of Europe".
Malang was a great patriot and, thus, he strongly opposed the partition of
his motherland (1947), the united India. He was a firm supporter of Bhagat
Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose’s cause. To him, through the partition we
can't get independence; only revolution can give us independence.
Malang was a great humanist of all times. At the time of the partition of
the British India, he saved the lives of many non-Muslims from the hands of
extremist Muslims and helped them to reach India. To him 'humanity is the
best religion'. According to him all human beings,and all creatures, belong
to one class and we should love every creature. He so much loved animals and
birds that he never ate meat and never wore leather made shoes. He had firm
believe in the Wahdat-ul-Wujood, the patheistic mysticism and use to say 'my
God lies in everyone'.
This great but forgotten man of history died on October 31, 1995 in Lahore,
Pakistan due to lung disease. He died but his mission, to serve humanity and
to oppose oppression, will never die. |