Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (also referred to by the honorifics: Lakhino Latif, Latif Ghot, Bhittai, and Bhitt Jo Shah) (1689 – 1752) (Sindhi: شاه عبداللطيف ڀٽائي‎, Urdu: شاہ عبداللطیف بھٹائی‎) was a noted Sindhi Sufi scholar, mystic, saint, and poet, widely considered to be the greatest Muslim poet of the Sindhi language. His collected poems were assembled in the compilation Shah Jo Risalo, which exists in numerous versions and has been translated into English, Urdu, and other languages. His work has been compared frequently to that of the Persian poet Rūmī. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, described Shah Latif as a "direct emanation of Rūmī's spirituality in South Asia."

Bhittai's ancestry

According to most scholars, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's lineage goes back to the Hirat. He however used the term "Shah" as a surname. His elders had migrated to Sindh during the era of Timur.

Shah Abdul Karim Bulri (1600s), whose mausoleum stands at Bulri, about 40 miles from Hyderabad, a mystic Sufi poet of considerable repute, was his great, great grandfather. His verses in Sindhi are existent and his anniversary is still held at Bulri, in the form of an Urs.

Abdul Latif

Abdul Latif (Arabic: عبد اللطيف‎) is a Muslim male given name and, in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words Abd, al- and Latif. The name means "servant of the All-gentle", Al-Latīf being one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.

The letter a of the al- is unstressed, and can be transliterated by almost any vowel, often by e. So the first part can appear as Abdel, Abdul or Abd-al. The second part may appear as Latif, Lateef or in other ways. The whole name is subject to variable spacing and hyphenation.

It may refer to:

Males

Abdul Latif (cricketer)

Mohammad Abdul Latif (born 10 November 1939, Kamptee, Maharashtra, India), also known as Mohammad Abdul Latif Khan and M.A. Latif, is a former first-class cricketer for East Pakistan, a retired senior officer in the Bangladesh armed services, and a cricket administrator.

Playing career

A middle-order batsman and leg-spinner, Latif made his first-class debut for East Pakistan Greens in 1956–57. In his first five matches spread over four seasons he made only 66 runs and took two wickets.

In 1961–62 he captained East Pakistan in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Against Hyderabad he scored 109 and 49 and took 3 for 49 and 3 for 112 to play the leading part in East Pakistan's first victory in first-class cricket. Later that season he played for a Combined XI against the touring MCC in Bahawalpur, and was the only local player selected for a match in Dacca between the East Pakistan Governor's XI and the touring International XI. However, he achieved little in either match.

Latif top-scored with 81 for a President's XI against the Commonwealth XI in 1963–64. Captaining Dacca in the Ayub Trophy in 1964–65 he scored 155 not out in a victory over Rajshahi.

Abdul Latif (restaurateur)

Abdul Latif, FRSA (Bengali: আব্দুল লতিফ; 15 December 1954 – 20 January 2008) was a Bangladeshi-born British restaurateur and curry chef. He was well known for his dish "Curry Hell" introduced in 1987 – a curry reputedly so hot (Latif claimed it was "the world's hottest") that it was offered for free to patrons of his Newcastle restaurant who could finish the entire meal. The dish contained four times the amount of chilli found in a typical vindaloo.

Early life

Latif was born near the city of Sylhet, Sylhet District, Sylhet Division, East Bengal (now Bangladesh). In 1969, he arrived to the United Kingdom and settled in Manchester, however after a racist incident during a night, it persuaded Latif to move north to Newcastle. He was married to Neawarun, with whom he had four daughters and two sons.

Career

Latif's first job on Tyneside was as a waiter in a restaurant owned by a relative in Whitley Bay. In 1977, Latif established his restaurant, the Rupali, in the city centre of Newcastle. The restaurant was later renamed Curry Capital.