Bulleh Shah - The Punjabi Humanist

The first aspect of Bulleh Shah’s poetry and philosophy that strikes the reader is his bold and almost arrogant critique of the religious orthodoxy of his day; specifically the Islamic religious orthodoxy. His poetry is filled with direct attacks on anyone claiming control over religion, to the point of comparing mullahs to barking dogs and crowing roosters.

Punjabi Original:
Masjid dha de, mandir dha de, dha de jo kucch dainda
Par kisi da dil na dhain, Rab dilan vich rehnda..
Translation:
Tear down the mosque or the temple; you may break everything you can
But do not break a person’s heart, it is there that God resides


Punjabi Original:
Mulla tay mashaalchi dohaan ikko chit
Loukan karday chananan, aap anhairae vich
Translation:
Mullah and the torch-bearer, both from the same flock
Guiding others; themselves in the dark

Others which signify atheism:

The Mullas and Qazis show me the light

Leading to the maze of superstition.

Wicked are the ways of the world

Like laying nets for innocent birds

With religious and social taboos

They have tied my feet tight.
~

What a spark of knowledge is kindled 
I find that I am neither Hindu nor Turk.
I am a lover by creed;
A lover is victorious even when swindled.
~
Lumpens live in the Hindu temples
And sharks in the Sikh shrines.
Musclemen live in the Muslim mosques
And lovers live in their clime.
~
Burn the prayer mat, break the water pot,

Quit the rosary and care not for the staff.

~
The thugs with their mouths full of froth
Talk about life and death
Without making any sense.
With the fundamentalist, he is more severe :
If you wish to be a ghazi,
Take up your sword :
Before killing the Heretic
You must slaughter the swindler.

Despite this, when he was denounced as a heretic, Bulleh Shah shouted back:

A lover of God?

They'll make much fuss;

They'll call you a Heretic 

You should say -yes, yes.