Waris Shah was born into a reputed Syed family, a descendant of Islamic prophet Muhammad. His father's name was Gulshar Shah. Waris Shah acknowledged himself as a disciple of Pir Makhdum of Kasur. Waris Shah's parents are said to have died when he was young, and he probably received his education at the shrine of his preceptor. After completing his education in Kasur, he moved to Malka Hans, a village twelve kilometers north of Pakpattan. Here he resided in a small room, adjacent to a historic mosque, now called Mosque Waris Shah. His mausoleum is a place of pilgrimage today, especially for those in love.

He was a consummate artiste, deeply learned in Sufi and domestic cultural lore. His verse is a treasure-trove of Punjabi phrases, idioms and sayings. His minute and realistic depiction of each detail of Punjabi life and the political situation in the 1700s, remains unique. Waris Shah also sublimated his own unrequited love for a girl (Bhag Bhari) in writing romance.

Many verses of Waris Shah are widely used in Punjab in a moral context. One of the more popular is

"Waris Shah; Naa adataan jaandiyan ne, Bhavein katiye pora pora ji"

(Waris Shah says: A man never abandons his habits, even if he is hacked to pieces)

Waris Shah is also called Shakespeare of the Punjabi language because of his great poetic love story, Heer Ranjha. Some critics say that through this story of romantic love, he tried to portray the love of man for God (the quintessential subject of Sufi literature).

Waris Shah's Heer Ranjha is taught in many universities, including Punjab University, Lahore and Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, as a great legendary love story and classic example of Punjabi language writing.

These are the opening lines from Waris Shah's rendering of Heer:

Ishq kita su jag da mool mian

Pehlaan aap hi rabb ne ishq kita