Ik alif teray darkar
(Only an Alif is what you need)
I’lmon bus kareen o yaar…
(Stop seeking all this knowledge my friend)
Parh parh sheikh mushaikh sadaawein
(The preachers blurt out what they read)
Be-ilmaan nu lut lut khawein
(They rob the ignorant)
Tenu kita hirs khwar
(They have made you greedy [for rewards])
Bus kareen o yaar
(Stop this my friend)
I’lmon bus kareen o yaar
(Stop seeking all this knowledge my friend)
Parh parh ilm te faazil hoya
(You read to become all knowledgable)
Te kaday apnay aap nu parhya ee na
(But you never read yourself)
Bhaj bhaj warna ay mandir maseeti
(You run to enter your mosques and temples)
Te kaday mann apnay wich warya ee na
(But you never entered your own heart)
Larna ay roz shaitaan de naal
(Everyday you fight satan)
Te kadi nafs apnay naal larya ee na
(But you never fight your own conscience)
Bulleh Shah asmaani ud-deya pharonda ay
(Bulleh Shah you try grabbing that which is in the sky)
Te jera ghar betha unoon pharya ee na
(But you never get hold of what sits inside your own house)
