At the age of around 20, he left home and traveled throughout Sindh and neighboring lands, and met many mystics and Jogis, whose influence is evident in his poetry.

Tuhfat al-Kiram and Maqalat al-shu'ara, written by Mir Ali Sher Qani Thattvi, a contemporary of Shah Abdul Latif, some fifteen years after the death of the poet, gives some basic details of his life.

The oral traditions were collected and documented in the late 19th century by Mirza Qalich Beg and Mir Abd al-Husayn Sangi.

[16] His ancestors traced their lineage back to the fourth caliph Ali and Fatima, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

[21] Bhittai spent the early years of his childhood in Hala Haweli, but the family then relocated to the nearby town of Kotri Mughal.

[22][23] According to Nabi Bakhsh Baloch, Bhittai was socialized in a religious culture dominated by Sayyid sages and in spaces dotted with graves and tombs of saints.

Her love, however, had a deep impact on young Bhittai and he left home wandering deserts and embarking on travel through Sindh and adjacent lands.

On his return east, he visited Lahut in Lasbela, and then travelled across to Dwarka, Porbandar, Junagadh, and several other places in the Kutch region.

His piety attracted a large following, which reportedly earned him the hostility of nobles and Noor Mohammad Kalhoro, the ruler of Sindh, who is said to have unsuccessfully tried to assassinate him by poisoning.

Bhittai starts off by addressing and asking Muhammad Muin about the opinion of the "Ulama-i-Kiram" regarding the word "Owaisi" which appears in some poems of the Sufis.

In the third question, Bhittai asks if the "Ulama (theologians)" are opposed to the perspectives of Faqr (asceticism) and Sulook (Sufi path) or not.

In the answer to the fifth question, he states that research in theology is good to clarify matters and ends off his letter response with his name and mention of himself as a unknowledgeable one.

[45] اڄ پڻ اتر پار ڏي، ڪارا ڪڪر ڪيس وڄون وسڻ آئيون، ڪري لعل لبيس پرين جي پرديس، مون کي مينهن ميڙيا Today clouds hang in the north like long black tresses To signal the rain, flashes of lightning have come like brides in scarlet clothes.

وڃجي سپريان جي ڳالهڙي، ڪنهن سان ڪين ڪجي لڪائي لوڪ کان، ڳجهڙي ڳوٺ نجي محبتيءَ ميهار جو، سور نه ڪنهن سلجي Use your eyes as your feet and go to him, oh go to him Do not speak about the beloved to anyone Hide him from everyone, and take him home in secret Do not reveal to anyone the pain caused by your beloved Mehar.

[b][50] Bhittai has emphasized that the Sufi should stick to Shari'ah and Ma'arifah (gnosis) in his poetry:[51][52] ڪرطريقت تڪيو،شريعت سڃاڻ هنئون حقيقت هيرتون، ماڳ معرفت ڄاڻ ھوء ثابوتي ساڻ ، ته پسڻان پالهو رهين ۔ Proceed on the path of Tariqat, Recognize the bounds of Shariat, Acquaint your heart with Haqiqat, Identify your goal as Marifat, Be in touch with the proof (Murshid), So that you do not go wayward.

During the later part of Bhittai's life, Nadir Shah Afshar sacked Delhi and made Sindh his tributary.

Bhittai also witnessed Ahmad Shah Durrani's attack on Delhi and his subjection of Sindh to Afghan rule.

[35] Bhittai's poetry was not written down during his lifetime, but was sung and memorized by his disciples during the musical sessions (Rag) that he used to hold.

The first partial English translation of the Risalo was published by H. T. Sorley in 1940, followed by Elsa Kazi, and Ghulam Ali Allana.

[16] Bhittai's poetry gives great indications and explicit words of what he believed in, regarding theological and religious matters.

In another excerpt from Sur Kalyan, he talks about the "4 companions", Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, he states: جوڙي جوڙَ جهَان جِي پاڻَ ڪِيائين پَروارِ حامِي ھادِي ھاشمِي سَردارين سردارِ، سُونهي صحابَن سَٿَ ۾ مَنجهہ مَسجِد مڻيادارِ، چارئي چڱا چوڌار، ھُوا ھيڪاندا حبيب سين.

[65] In another excerpt from Sur Kalyan, Bhittai talks about true lovers of God solely are Muslims, having been immersed in Allah and declared the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad.

[67][68] He will cover me, not leave me, the intercessor beloved, He will take along all the blind, disabled and those gone stray, He will pour medicine into mouth of the sick, He will take all the sinners across defiles, The light of God will not say no, He will grant his request, Here and there he is the support, hereafter also he will be the mainstay, The lord will offer holly wine, In awareness of his own self, the perfect one will show kindness, He will pitch tent for the sinners in the scorching sun on the Day of Judgment, The generous one will have those marked for hell pardoned, He will reach at the proper time and anoint all with musk, The mercy for all worlds will help all in difficulty, There the guide will hold Abdul Lateef by hand.

[70][71] The devious and accursed is bent upon mischief, The blind is harassing a weakling like me, Come, o Ali Shah, attack the infidel, Behead him the fire-worshipper.

It becomes clear that after this bay'ah to Sultan Ibrahim Shah Bukhari, the family remained Qadiri onwards.

"[47] Every Thursday evening, Bhittai's poetry is sung by traditional musicians and dervishes at the shrine in a typical ecstatic style.

One such story holds that when he was being taught the alphabet, he refused to learn anything beyond the letter Alif for it signifies the name of God (Allah) and there is nothing of value beyond it.

[35] Another story of this kind asserts that his followers presented him a written copy of the Risalo, which he threw away in the nearby Kirar lake after having read it.

The ceremony, which lasts for three days, features prayers, music, exhibitions, literary conferences, and horse races.

[91][92] A 16-foot-high statue of Bhittai was erected in front of the Bhit Shah rest house on the occasion of his 274th Urs in 2017.