Poetry has long been one of the most effective mediums for expression. It is a powerful way to convey the innermost feelings of the heart to others. Qiblah Wāṣif Ṣāḥib once said, “When a restless heart composes a poem, it brings peace to millions of other restless hearts.” Even in ancient times, remarkable poetry has been found. In early Arabic poetry, poets used takhaluṣ (pen names). The takhaluṣ not only serves the purpose of identifying the poet but also preserves the integrity of both the poet’s work and the name embedded within the poetry. This ensures that the poetry is recognized with its poet and remains in the world even after them.

Dātā Ṣāḥib, Ḥaḍrat ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān al-Hujwīrī, wrote in the preface of his renowned work Kashf al-Maḥjūb that he inscribed his name on the book so that it could be known by his name and to prevent a false claimant from ascribing it to themselves. He mentioned an incident where someone borrowed his complete dīwān (poetic collection) and, upon returning home, erased Ḥaḍrat’s name and replaced it with their own, falsely attributing the work to themselves. Thus, the takhaluṣ in poetry serves this important purpose as well.

In ancient times, people were often known by the name of their region or residence. Great generals, nobles, and traders would attach their city or region’s name to their own. Poets also adopted this tradition. From the Ḥāfiẓ of Shīrāz and Shaykh Saʿdī to Walī Dakkanī, Dāgh Dehlavī, Akbar Allahābādī, and Majīd Lāhaurī, this practice continued. Some poets chose their pen names based on their connection to a particular personality, while others added their profession or trade to their name, such as ʿUmar Khayyām and Manṣūr Ḥallāj. Many poets used a part of their own name as their takhaluṣ, and some even adopted multiple pen names.

Ḥaḍrat Bū ʿAlī Qalandar, may Allah’s mercy be upon him, used “Bū ʿAlī” as well as “Sharaf” as his takhaluṣ, since his real name was Shaykh Sharaf al-Dīn. Similarly, Mirzā Asadullāh Khān Ghālib used both “Asad” and “Ghālib” as his pen names. Some poets chose the first part of their name as their pen name, such as Mīr Taqī adopting “Mīr” and Ḥakīm Mūmin Khān using “Mūmin.”

How Wāṣif ʿAlī Wāṣif Became His Name

Some time before the birth of Qiblah Wāṣif Ṣāḥib, his great-grandfather, Malik Ghawth Muḥammad, saw in a dream that a grandson as radiant as the moon would be granted to his son, Malik Muḥammad ʿĀrif. He was instructed to name this child “Muḥammad Wāṣif.” However, he did not disclose the name to the family members. On the day Wāṣif Ṣāḥib was born, the family playfully instructed the midwife to inform Malik Ṣāḥib that a girl had been born. Upon hearing the news, Malik Ghāwth Ṣāḥib immediately exclaimed, “I have seen the child’s name written on the Throne as ‘Muḥammad Wāṣif’; how could it be a girl?” And thus, his name was chosen as Muḥammad Wāṣif.

During his school and college years, he was called Malik Muḥammad Wāṣif. At the time when he was spiritually illuminated, an elder visited him and said, “How long will you hide yourself? The time has come for God’s creation to benefit from you.” This elder proclaimed, “I am a witness to how and to what extent Wāṣif Ṣāḥib has been bestowed with divine grace.” Finally, addressing Wāṣif Ṣāḥib, he said, “You are indeed the Wāṣif of ʿAlī.” From that moment on, his name became Wāṣif ʿAlī, and once the poetry began to flow, he became known as Wāṣif ʿAlī Wāṣif.

Poetry Without the Pen Name

While composing poetry, Wāṣif Ṣāḥib maintained his humility and the desire to remain hidden. In many of his Urdu and Punjabi poems, he did not include his pen name at the end. If we were to collect such poems, we would find approximately fourteen instances where his name does not appear at the end. His longest poem, Dūr kī Āwāz (“The Distant Call”), is considered a masterpiece, and it ends without a takhaluṣ:

Ānē wālē kamāl kē din haiñ

ʿAẓmat Dhū al-Jalāl kē din haiñ
Translation:
“The days of excellence are approaching,
The days of the majesty of the Almighty are near.”

Similarly, in his naʿt Baʿd az Khudā Buzurg Tuʾī (“After God, You are the Greatest”), no pen name is present. The same is true in the manqabat in praise of Mawlā ʿAlī (karamallāhu wajhahū), titled Lāfatā. The final verse of the poem in honor of Imām Ḥusayn ʿalayhi al-salām is:

Al-Salām ayyā gōhar ʿAyn ʿAlī

Dīn-i Payġhambar kē ʿunwān-i jalī
Translation:
“Peace be upon you, the pearl of the Eye of ʿAlī,
The bright title of the Prophet’s religion.”

In various ghazals, this trend continues. In Shab Chirāġh (“The Illuminated Night”), there are three ghazals (no. 26, 27, and 57) where no takhaluṣ is used. Similarly, in his Punjabi poem Bharē Bhrōlē (“Granaries of Abundance “), we see the same situation, such as on page 46 and again on page 78 in ghazal no. 24, where the final couplet reads:

Kēcẖ nūñ kar gaʾē kūcẖ pyārē

Sassī nūñ gal lāʾōn wālē
Translation:
“The dear one departed toward Kēcẖ,
Who once held Sassī in his tender embrace.”

Poems with the Pen Name “Wāṣif ʿAlī”

However, in other poems and ghazals, the takhaluṣ “Wāṣif” is present, though in certain interesting instances, “Wāṣif ʿAlī” is used instead. In Shab Chirāġh, the pen name “Wāṣif ʿAlī” appears in eight verses. In his famous poem Galīm Būzarī (“The Cloak of Būzarī”), the final couplet reads:

Faqr mil jāʾē jisē wuh hai walī

Kaun samjhāʾē tujẖē Wāṣif ʿAlī
Translation:
“Whoever receives faqr becomes a saint,
Who can make you understand, O Wāṣif ʿAlī?”

Similarly, in ghazal no. 20 from Shab Chirāġh (page 149), we find:

Wāṣif ʿAlī talāsh karē ab kahāñ tujẖē

Dūrī kō jab hai tujẖ sē taʿalluq qarīb kā
Translation:
“Where can Wāṣif ʿAlī now seek you,
When distance bears a closeness to you?”

Another couplet from his works where the full name “Wāṣif ʿAlī Wāṣif” is used:

Gadāyē ḥusn tū, man kamtarīn Wāṣif ʿAlī Wāṣif

Karam kardī kih bandah bēqarāram yā Rasūl Allāh
Translation:
“A humble beggar of beauty, the lowliest of the low am I, Wāṣif ʿAlī Wāṣif,
Extend your mercy upon me, for I am a restless servant, O Messenger of God (ṣallā -llāhu ʿalayhī wa-ʾālihī wa-sallam)!”

One of the most fascinating examples is a poem where his name appears three times:

Main miskīn purānā khādim kisī dar malī na dẖūʾī

Wāṣif yār nē naẓar jo kītī, Wāṣif, Wāṣif huʾī
Translation:
“As a humble, old servant, I found no refuge anywhere,
But when the beloved gazed upon me, all whispered my name, ‘Wāṣif, Wāṣif,’ in reverent air.”

In the poem Ganj Bakhsh Faiz-e-ʿĀlam, his pen name appears in the second-to-last couplet:

Wāṣif maskīn, chih gūyad īn maqām-i ḥayrat ast

Khājah-yi man, qiblah-yi man, guft qawl-i ḥaqq bajā
Translation:
“Wāṣif, the humble, what can he say? This is a station of bewilderment,
My Master, my Guide, said the word of Truth correctly.”

In one verse, his pen name appears as “Wāṣif Shāh”:

Ay thē Wāṣif Shāh na koʾī

Pal dī pal wasāh na koʾī
Translation:
“Here, there is no one like Wāṣif Shāh,
There’s no breath that lasts longer than a moment.”

In one ghazal, his name is present right from the opening verse, which begins:

Kyā milē Wāṣif kī mastī kā surāgh

Translation:
“How can one trace the intoxication of Wāṣif?”

In addition to poetry, he has expressed his name in various ways, such as “Wāṣif Bāṣafā” (“Wāṣif, the Pure”), “Wāṣif Bismil” (“Wāṣif, the Sacrificed”), and “Wāṣif Bādil” (“Wāṣif, with a Heart”). These pen names are used in the following verses:

Mērā nām Wāṣif Bāṣafā, mērā pīr Sayyid Murtazā

Mērā wird Aḥmad Mujtabā, main sadā bahār kī bāt hūñ
Translation:
” My name is Wāṣif—pure in essence, my guide is Sayyid Murtazā (may Allah honor his face).

My constant chant is Aḥmad Mujtaba (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), I am the voice of eternal spring, the echo of everlasting grace.”

Main Wāṣif Bismil hūñ, main rōnaq-i-maḥfil hūñ

Ik ṭūṭā huʾā dil hūñ, main shahr mēñ vīrānah
Translation:
“I am Wāṣif, the Sacrificed, I am the life of the gathering,
I am a broken heart, I am desolation within the city.”

Ṭūfān hūñ, sāḥil hūñ,

Raṣṭah hūñ kih manzil hūñ,
Main Wāṣif Bādil hūñ
Translation:
“I am the storm, I am the shore,
I am the path, or I am the destination,
I am Wāṣif, with a Heart.”

In one instance, he uses his name in such a way that it carries two meanings: it fulfills the need for a pen name, while also conveying the impression that the entire homeland becomes a reflection of the grandeur of the believer’s heart.

From this overview, one remarkable realization emerges: from the unity of his name, a wondrous world of multiplicity and manifestation is born. The time has come for this name to display its radiance in different languages, transforming as it crosses linguistic boundaries, while his ideas continue to appear in new forms and names.