Sachal Sarmast, one of the great mystics of Sindh, is known as the second Mansoor Hallaj because of his poetry and philosophy. Sachidino, Sachoo(the truthful) and Sachal Sarmast were all names given to Mian Abdul Haq Farooqi because of the radical sufi pursuits with which he challenged the rigid mindset of the clergy of his times. Also called 'shair-e-haft zaban' because he wrote poetry in seven languages - Sindhi, Urdu, Persian, Punjabi and Balochi among them - Sachal's time saw the decline of the Kalhora dynasty and the rise of the Talpur rule in Sindh. The clergy held tremendous power over the impoverished masses and the persecution of religious minorities was the order of the day. Sachal Sarmast revolted against the mullah order with his poetry and philosophy, based on the doctrine of Anal haq - I am the truth. Though his verses immortalized him, he was denounced as an infidel and sentenced to death - a decree that was never carried out due to his popularity in the court of Talpur rulers...Sachal belonged to the sufi sect whose doctrine was martyrdom.

Sachal's immediate disciples were the saints Bedil and Bekas, a father and son team from Rohri.

From "The Call of the Sufi" by Hassan Mujtaba Newsline August 1996.