Like all great poets, he knows that it is the tragedy that nurtures the soul. From the forest and deserts of Sindh to hills and streams and cattle, from rulers to women, nothing escapes his keen eye. With a keen observation of people and hardships they suffered, Shah Latif depicted the common people and the common world around him. With a tender heart in love with the Creator, he sang paeans of Him but never forgot His creation. As a poet, he was deeply rooted in the world around him. Like all Sufis, his approach was humanistic, his message universal and his point of view unbiased. Later, on disciples' request he allowed them to collect his poetry, the famous 'Shah jo risalo'.

In true Sufi spirit, he never bothered to write down his verses and had it not been for his disciples (who would learn his poetry by heart), it would have been really difficult to trace his works.Once some of his disciples collected his verses and presented to him the manuscript while he was meditating by the famous lake he threw it into the water.

A Sufi in true sense of the word and very pious, Shah was unassuming and unpretentious, a trait that has been the hallmark of Islamic mysticism. Studying Shah Latif's life and his poetry makes one feel that he was a sensitive, gentle and kind soul. The word 'latif' literally means fine, delicate, tender, subtle, elegant, light, gentie, benevolent, etc. However, taking the literal meaning of the word 'latif' into account would also help understand both the poetry and the person. Here 'Latif', of course, means Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai (1689/90-1752), one of Sindh's foremost Sufis and poets, who commands great respect not only of the lovers of Sindhi poetry and his devotees but also of scholars of different languages. KARACHI: Syed Mazhar Jameel in his book 'Mukhtasar tareekh-i-zaban-oadab: Sindhi' has quoted Ali Nawaz Vafai as saying 'Latif is Sindh, Sindh is Latif'.

Sindhi musicians performing at Bhittai's shrine.