Qadir Bux Bedil

Faqir Qadir Bux Bedil (Sindhi: فقير قادر بخش بيدل‎) (1873–1815) better known by his nom de plume Bedil (one bereft of heart) was a Sufi poet and scholar of great stature. After Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Sachal Sarmast, two stars that shone on the firmament of Sindhi poetry and who could measure up to them in excellence, were the father and son – Bedil and Bekas. They wrote poetry in Sindhi and Persian.

Early life

Bedil was born to a very pious family of Rohri. His father Khalifo Muhammad Mohsun was a disciple of Sayed Mir Janullah Shah Rizwi who was a great saint of his time, highly venerated and was chief of forty cardinals of Sufi Shah Inayat Shaheed of Jhok Shareef. Thus Bedil was brought up in such an enlightened environment under the guidance of Mir Sahib.

It is narrated in the book Diwan-e-Bedil by Abdul Hussain Musavi that the midwife came and announced the news of the birth of child to father who was sitting in the gathering with Sufi Januallah Shah. She said, "You have been blessed with a child but alas, his one foot is physically twisted." Upon hearing this father said," He is not physically handicapped by one foot. In fact, he is the flag of Rohri city." His father's statement proved true many years later. On his birth he was named Abdul Qadir but he preferred to be called Qadir Bux.