Baba malang sahib

Muhammad Hussein Baksh, commonly known as Baba Malang Sahib, was born to Ghulam Muhammad and Churaan Bebe in 1921 in Hoshiarpur (Punjab) British India. He was the descendent of General Yaar Muhammad who was the son of a Sufi saint Shah Muhammad and one of the most faithful Commander-in-Chiefs of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore. He was the fourth in the line of succesion from Baba Jyoti Shah, the celebrated Sufi saint and poet of Punjab who belonged to the Chisti order of Sufis.

Hussain’s father was an extremely relegious person who sent him to the local ‘Madrassa’ (Islamic school), for learning Quranic education while his mother was a liberal Sufi lady. She was the student of the famous saint Maulvi Ghulam Rasool of Alampur Kotla (Hosiarpur). After her marrige she came to live in her husband's house near Nanda Chaur (Hoshiarpur) where she soon became the pupil of Baba Jyoti Shah, the outstanding Sufi saint and Sat-Guru of his time. She also use to visit Sant Baba Narayan Das, a contemporary and comrade of Baba Jyoti Shah. Hussain was called in home by his mother as Jyoti Saroop, a name given to him by Enayat Shah Zeldar. She died when Hussain was quite young.

After her death, in accordance with her will, Enayat Shah Zeldar, the ex-feudalist turned saint and the caliph of Baba Jyoti Shah, took the responsibility of teaching the young Hussain, but feeling himself too old and not up to the task, Baba Jyoti Shah assigned his disciple Baba Maoj Deen to be the new teacher of Hussain. It was Maoj Deen who first called Hussain a Malang, a term used for enlighted and dauntless Sufis and qalandars.

Maoj Deen was the friend of the famous poet Dr. Muhammad Iqbal. Once, Iqbal was sitting with Maoj Deen when Malang Hussain arrived. Maoj Deen said to Iqbal 'there comes my Shaheen'. Malang met Iqbal and both admired each other. Malang used to meet with Baba Sawan Singh and Sant Baba Narayan Das both of whom he respected as his Gurus.

In about 1934, the young Hussain moved to Lahore from Hoshiarpur. After spending four or fives years in Lahore Malang got a job with British Indian Railways in Lahore. Maoj Deen was also an employ of the Railways thus both were able to enjoy each other’s company. Maoj taught Hussain like a benevolent friend and comrade.

Malang Hussain had due respect in his heart for Maoj Deen and loved him more than he loved his father. To his way of thinking, his father gave him life but his teacher gave him the way to lead his life. Malang was the favourite disciple of Maoj Din. He was the ‘Shaheen of Maoj Deen’ who latter became his caliph.

Malang was a revoltionary Sufi. He had a close comradeship with revolutionary leaders like Dada Amir Haider, Massod Khadarpoosh and Dr. Aziz Shaheed. He also remained in touch with Maulana Bhashani and Mir Ghous Baksh Bazejo. He was a keen supporter of the proletariat revolution. To Comrade Dr. Aziz he was the "Incarnation of Karl Marx". Aziz and Dada used to call him "Our Guru". During the partition of British India, Malang's moral support was with Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose, the famous Indian revolutionaries.

Malang was one of the greatest humanists of his time. He was against the bloody partition of India in 1947, during which he risked his own life to save the lives of many Sikhs and Hindus from the hands of extremist Muslims, by helping them to reach safe destinations in India.

According to Baba Malang Sahib all human beings, and all other creatures too, belong to one class. He loved animals and birds so much that he never wore shoes or any item made of leather and never ate meat. He was a firm believer in Wahdat-ul-Wujood, the Sufi belief that God lies in everything and everyone and that the only truth within the universe is God (Naam), and that all things exist within God only.

Malang died on October 31, 1995 in Lahore due to a lung disease. He is buried in Mughalpura near his beloved teacher Maoj Deen.

Malang was always reluctant toward marriages beacuse of his deep inclination towards sufism but he married on the pressure of his murshid Baba Maoj Deen, whom Malang's father requested for that job. Malang had a daughter, Shamshad Begum, from his first wife and a son, Javed Ahmad, from his second wife. His both marriages proved unsuccessful.