PEARLS

FROM

A STREAM
(A study of Allamah Mohammad Iqbals poetry)

VOLUME-X

CONTENTS
INQILAB: INDIVIDUAL LEVEL - INSPIRATION NATURE ...........5

The Himalayas ...

5

The Colourful Rose 14..

The Cloud on the Mountain 18..
The Candle and the Moth 22...
The Sun 25.
The Candle 28
The Morning Sun 37
The Crescent 43...
Man and Natures Assemblage 45.
The Message of Dawn 51..
The Moon 54...
The Fire-Fly 57.
The Morning Star Venus 62
The Cloud 68
The Child and the Candle 70...
On the banks of the Ravi 74.
The Morning Star Venus 78
On seeing a Cat in the lap of Someone .
80

The Star 83...

The Two Stars 86...............
The Motor Car 89.
2

 The Princess of Flowers ...

91

The Flower
93

Flight 95
INQILAB: INDIVIDUAL LEVEL INSPIRATION HUMANS .......97

Mirza Ghalib 97.

The Tomb-Stone of Saiyyad 102
Lament of Separation 106.
Nawab Mirza Khan Dagh 111...
Swamy Ram Tirath 117.
The Human Race 119...
The Poet 121..........
Urfi 124.
Humayun ..
128

In Memory of Mother of Blessed Memory

.
129

INQILAB: INDIVIDUAL LEVEL INSPIRATION-HISTORY155

Bilal R.A. 155.

The Travelers Request 159...
Fatimah Daughter of Abd Allah 1912 .......
165

The Siege of Adrianpole 168 .

Anu Bakr Siddiq R.A. 171 .
Bilal R.A. 176 .
3

 An Ancient of the Battle of Yarmuk

178...

Ghazal 181 ..
Quatrain 182 ...
Ecstasy 183 ..
A Letter From Europe 192
INQILAB: INDIVIDUAL LEVEL INSPIRATION BEST
OF HUMANS 195

In Audience with the Holy Prophet S.A.W.

195 ...

The Hospital of Hijaz 200 ...

Ghazal 202 ..
Quatrains 206 ...
Ghazal 208 ..
Seeing Prophets (S.A.W.) Garb at Qandhar
209 .............


INQILAB
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
INSPIRATION NATURE
The perseverance and optimism in the quest for the ultimate truth that
could lead to change for better can be sustained by inspiration from
wherever it could be drawn. The drawing of inspiration is not possible
without being blessed with an observing eye and discerning mind constantly
in search of the Truth.
Human beings, the best of Gods creations can draw inspiration from
anything. This universe is like a boundless art gallery of Gods diverse
creations unmatched in grandeur, majesty, splendour, elegance and beauty
each pointing towards the Creator.
So, everything in the universe possesses something that could inspire
the Man and that is why Allah has frequently urged him to ponder about
everything that he sees around him. The Nature as it unfolds itself to eyes
and ears of the Man in the form of sights and sounds is full features that
could be characterized as sources of inspiration.
An ordinary-looking creation like a spider can inspire a king enabling
him to regain his lost kingdom. The king got what he wanted; a kingdom.
Those who are in search of ultimate Beauty would find a lot to inspire them
to sustain their effort relentlessly enabling them to accomplish their mission.
The vigilant eye of Allamah Iqbal enabled him to draw inspiration from
various creations and fellow human beings. He put across his observations
through poetry for others to benefit by drawing inspiration. In this chapter
only the poetical works related to Natures creative wonders, other than the
human beings, are included, as usual starting with poems from Bang-e-Dara.
THE HIMALAYAS
5

Dr Khalil writes: This poem belongs to the first period of Allamah

Iqbal's poetic and intellectual evolution, which ended at the time of his
departure to Europe in 1905 for higher studies. This period is considered to
be the period of Allamah Iqbal's nature poetry. Himalah is the opening
poem of Bang-i-Dara. It eulogizes the physical beauty and geographical
importance of the Himalayan Range. Though mountains are equated with
natural beauty all over the world, and the beauty of many mountain regions
has been extolled by poets and other intellectuals alike, the Himalayas stand
out as a shining star in the galaxy of the world's mountain ranges.
The Himalayas form an extensive mountain range which stretches
across the northern side of the Indian Sub-continent from Kashmir to Assam,
between the valleys of the Indus and Brahamaputra Rivers. It is bout 2,400
km. long and 160-240 km. wide and joins the Karakorums and the Hindu
Kush Ranges. It is the highest mountain range in the world and includes
some of the world's highest peaks
The word Himalaya is derived from the Sanskrit word Himachal,
meaning the Abode of Snow. The name reflects the long range of
permanently snow covered peaks, which are among the highest in the world
and form a continuous wall of shimmering silver. Words cannot describe the
beauty of this mountain range. It must be seen to be appreciated. A hundred
divine epochs would not suffice to describe the marvels of the Himalayas,
says a Sanskrit proverb.
Allamah Iqbal, a native of the Indo-Pakistan Sub-continent was of
Kashmir origin. Kashmir, which is a part of the Himalayan Range, and in
itself is beauty par excellence, must have inspired him with a special love.
However, his object in writing this poem was not merely to sing the praises
of this mountain tract. Being an arif, the beauty of God's countenance as
reflected in His creation had become manifest to his insight. He was moved
by the beauty and the grandeur of the Himalayas. To him the Himalayas
were one of the innumerable master pieces of the Creative Power and
Artistry of God
I myself had the good fortune of living and working in the sylvan
beauty of the Himalayas for about twenty years of my life and of sharing the
feelings of Sadi, when he says: The leaves of green trees in the wise man's
perception. Every leaf is an encyclopedia of the Creator's cognition. Modern
knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the plant leaf attests to these
attributes.
Himalah :
6

!

Ay Himalah! Ay faseel-e-kishwar-e-Hindustan;
choomta hai teyri paishani ko jhok kar aasman.
O Himalah! O rampart of the realm of India!
Bowing down, the sky kisses your forehead.

Tojh mein kochh paida naheen deirinah rozi kay nishan;
tou jawan hai gardish-e-shaam-o-sehar kay darmiyan.
(Lambi omar.)

Your condition does not show any signs of old age;

you are young in the midst of day and night's alternation*.
(*The alternation of the day and night is what produces time. This verse also
alludes to the relative recentness of the Himalayas in terms of geological
ages. This range came into existence 5-10 million years ago in the Pliocene
epoch.)

Eik jalwah thha Kalim-e-Toor-e-Seina kay leay;
tou tajali hai sarapa chashm-e-beina kay leay.
(Deikhhney waali ankhh.)

The Kalim of Toor-e-Seina witnessed but one Effulgence

for the discerning eye you are an embodiment of Effulgence.

Imtihan-e-deidah-e-zahir mein kohistan hai tou;
pasban apna hai tou, diwar-e-Hindustan hai tou.
(Ankhh.) :
7

To the outward eye you are a mere mountain range;

in reality you are our sentinel, you are India's rampart.

Matlaa-e-awwal falak jiss ka ho woh diwan hai tou;
sooey khalwatgah-e-dil daaman kash-e-insan hai tou.
(Daaman khhainchney wala.)

You are the diwan whose opening verse is the sky.

You lead Man to the solitudes of his heart's retreat.

Barf ney baandhi hai dastaar-e-fazilat teyrey sar;
khandah-zann hai jo kullah-e-mehr-e-Alam taab per.
(Bertari ki pagrri.(

)
)Dunya ko roshan karney waaley sooraj ki topi.)
(Hundistan kay aksar maidani allaqon kay rehney waalon ko sooraj
kabhi bhi Koh-e-Himaliyah kay oopar nazar naheen aata
kiyuonkeh yek paharr Shomaal mein hai,
laikan Allamah Sialkot kay reheney waaley thhey
8

aur Himaliyah iss shehar kay ain Mashriq mein waaqia hai.)
Snow has endowed you with the turban of honour*
which scoffs at the crown of the world-illuminating sun.
(*The successful completion of education in the institutions of higher
learning in the Muslim world culminates in a turban being conferred on the
scholar as an insignia of his academic degree. It corresponds with the cap
and academic hood in the Western world.)

Teyri omar-e-raftah ki ekk aan hai ehad-e-kohan;
wadiyuon mein hein teri kaali ghhataein khaimah zann.
Antiquity is but a moment of your bygone age;
dark clouds are encamped in your valleys.

Chotiyan teyri suriya sey hein sargarm-e-sakhon;
tou zamin per aur pehnaey falak teyra watan.

:
(Duo sitarey jo bohat door hein.(
)Asman ki wosaat.)

Your peaks are matching with the Pleiades in elegance;

though you are standing on earth your abode is sky's expanse.

Chashmah-e-daaman tera aeinah siyal hai;
daaman-e-mouj-e-hawa jiss kay leay romaal hai.
(Behney wala; rawan.)

The stream in your flank is a fast flowing mirror,

for which the breeze is working like a kerchief.



Abr kay haathon mein rahwar-e-hawa kay waastey;
taazianah dey diya barq-e-sar-e-kohsar ney.
(Hawa ka ghhorra.(

)Korra.):
The mountain top's lightning has given a whip
in the hands of cloud for the ambling horse.

Ay Himalah koeyi baazi-gah hai tou bhi, jissey;
dast-e-qodrat ney banaya hai anasar kay leay.

:
(Khheil ki jagah; khheil ka maidan.)
O Himalah! Are you like a theater stage
which nature's hand has made for its elements?

Haaey kaya fart-e-tarab mein jhoomta jaata hai abr;
feil-e-bey zinjir ki surat orra jaata hai abr.
)

Bey hadd khoshi mein.)

Haathi.) :
Ah! How the cloud is swaying in excessive joy;
the cloud like an unchained elephant is speeding.

Jonbash-e-mouj-e-nasim-e-sobh gehwarah bani;
jhoomti hai nashah-e-husti mein her gul ki kali.

10

(Hawa ki lehar ki rawani.( :

)Jhoola.)

Gentle movement of the morning zephyr is acting like a cradle;

every flower bud is swinging with intoxication of existence.

Yuon zoban-e-burg sey goya hai oss ki khamshi;
dast-e-gulchein ki jhattak mien ney naheen deikhhi kabhi.
(Pattah.) :

:
(Phhool chonaney waaley ka haath.)
The flower bud's silence with the petal's tongue is saying
I have never experienced the jerk of the florist's hand.

Kaeh rehi hai meyri khamoshi he afsanah mera;
konj-e-khalwat khanah-e-qodrat hai kashanah mera.

(Thhikana; ghhar.) :

Silence itself is relating the tale of mine;

the corner of nature's solitude is the abode of mine.

Aati hai nadi faraaz-e-koh sey gaati hoeyi;
kausar-o-tasnim ki moujon ko sharmati hoeyi.
(Paharri ki bolandi.) :
The brook is melodiously descending from the high land
putting the waves of Kawthar* and Tasnm* to embarrassment.
(*Kawthar and Tasnm: They are two fountains in Paradise.
11

The name includes their streams also.)

Aeinah-sa shahid-e-qodrat ko deikhhlati hoeyi;
sung-e-reh sey gah bachti, gah takraati hoeyi.

:
(Qodrat ki khoobsurti; morad hai maashooq.)
As if showing the mirror to Nature's beauty;
now evading now rowing against the rock in its way.

Chhairrti jaa iss iraaq-e-dilnashin kay saaz ko;
ay mosafir dil samajhta hai teri awaaz ko.
(Mousiqi ka eik raag.) :
Play in passing this orchestra of beautiful music
O wayfarer! The heart comprehends your music.

Laila-e-shabb khholti hai aa-kay jabb zolf-e-rasa;
daaman-e-dil khhainchti hai aabsharon ki sada.
(Morad hai kaali raat.)

When the night's Lailah unfurls her long hair;

the sound of water-falls allures the heart.

Woh khamoshi shaam ki jiss per takallom ho fida;
woh darakhton per tafakkar ka saman chhaya hoa.
(Goftgoo.) :

12

That silence of the night whose beauty surpasses speech.

That state of silent meditation overshadowing the trees.

Kanpta pherta hai kaya rung-e-shafaq kohsar per;
khoshnuma lagta hai yeh ghazah terey rokhsar per.

:
(Chehray per istimaal ka powder.)
That dusk's beauty which shivers along the mountain range;
very beautiful looks this rouge on your cheeks.

!

Ay Himalah! Daastan oss waqt ki koeyi sona;
maskan aabaey insan jabb bana daaman tera.
(Rehney ki jagah.( :
)Insan kay baap dada.) :
O Himalah! Do relate to us some stories of the time
when your valleys became abode of Man's ancestors*.
(*This refers to the antiquity of the Himalayas in archaeological times.
Kashmir was an inhabited area at the time of the Indus Valley civilization in
the third millennium B.C. It also alludes to the tradition that the Hindu sages
wrote the Vedas in the Himalayas under the inspiration of its beauty.)

Kochh bata oss seidhi saadhi zindagi ka majra;
dagh jiss per ghazah-e-rung-e-takallof ka nah thha.
Relate something of the life without sophistication
which had not been stained by the rouge of sophistication.

13

Han deikhha dey ay tasawwar pher woh sobh-o-shaam tou;

dourr peichhay ki taraf ay gardish-e-ayam tou.
O Imagination! Bring back that period
O Vicissitudes of Time speed backwards*.
(*This is an outpouring of the poet's heart in which he yearns for the revival
of the Islamic civilization, of which the Asian civilization was a precursor
and a part.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE COLORFUL ROSE
Though outwardly this poem is a piece of natural poetry it contains,
as is usual with Allamah Iqbal, his basic philosophy... The poem says that
though the beautiful rose, as an object of beauty in the creation of God, is a
joy for ever, it is devoid of the feelings of longing for comprehension of the
Truth, which faculty is the gift of God specially endowed upon Man. Man
should appreciate, enjoy and respect the beauty of the cosmos and should
not create chaos therein by interfering with, abusing or damaging the same
for satisfaction of his material needs. This longing, or the continuous search
for the Truth created in the poet's heart, which in fact should exist in every
Muslim's heart would eventually illuminate the world and would train the
human intellect and guide it into spiritual channels instead of leaving it as an
unbridled steed as at present.
Gul-e-Rungein :

Tou shanasaey kharash oqdah-e-moshkil naheen;
ay gul-e-rungin terey pehloo mein shaid dil naheen.
(Waaqif; jananey wala.( :

:
)Woh gothhi jissey soljhana aasan nah ho.(
)Rungon bhara phhool.)

You are not familiar with the hardships of solving enigmas

14

O Beautiful Rose!
Perhaps you do not have sublime feelings in your heart.

Zaib-e-mehfil hai, sharik-e-shorish-e-mehfil naheen;
yeh faraghat bazm-e-husti mein mojhey hasil naheen.
(Mehfil ki zeenat.(

)Forsat; mohlat.)

Though you adorn the assembly yet do not participate in its struggles;
in life's assembly I am not endowed with this comfort.

Chaman mein mien sarapa soz-o-saaz-e-aarzoo;
aur teyri zindagani bey godaz-e-aarzoo.
(Naram; ghholna.)

In this garden I am the complete orchestra of Longing

and your life is devoid of the warmth of that Longing.
(Longing: Or ardent desire is one of the important planks of `Allamah
Iqbals philosophy. However, this longing is not for the material things of
life or the satisfaction of physical desires, which is found in all living things.
What distinguishes Man from other creation and entitles him to the honor of
being Gods vicegerent on earth is the longing for more elegant goals and
more sublime desires than mere indulgence in material pleasures. His
longing is a limitless ocean of search for knowing the Truth and the Purpose
of the creation of God, knowledge of His Essence, and fixing of high ideals
for life, such as struggle in the cause of God.)

Torr leyna shakh sey tojh ko mera aein naheen;
yeh nazar ghair az nigah-e-chashm-e-surat bein naheen.
To pluck you from the branch is not my custom;
15

this sight is not different from the sight of the eye

which can only see the appearances.

!

Aah! Yeh dast-e-jafa joo ay gul-e-rungin naheen;
kis tarah tojh ko yeh samjhaon keh mien gulchein naheen.
(Rungon bhara phhool.( :
)Phhool chonaney wala.)

Ah! O colorful rose this hand is not one of a tormentor;

how can I explain to you that I am not a flower picker.

Kaam mojh ko deidah-e-hikmat kay oljhairron sey kaya;
deidah-e-bulbul sey mein karta hon nazarah tera.
(Tadbir waali ankhh.) :
I am not concerned with intricacies of the philosophic eye,
like a lover I see you through the nightingale's eye.
(Bulbul, or Nightingale: This is a special Persian bird found in gardens and
proverbially engaged in melodious music round flowers. It is imagined to be
and is described as an ardent lover of flowers in Persian and Urdu literature,
especially poetry.)

Suo zobanon per bhi khamoshi tojhey manzoor hai;
raaz woh kaya hai terey seinay mein jo mastoor hai.
(Chhopa hoa.)

In spite of innumerable tongues* you have chosen silence.

What is the secret which is concealed in your bosom?

16

(*This alludes to the anatomy of the rose flower, whose petals are
innumerable, look like tongues and also add to its beauty, which proclaims
the artistry of its Creator in spite of the apparent silence of the flower.)

Meyri surat tou bhi ekk Riaz-e-Toor hai;
mien chaman sey door hon tou bhi chaman sey door hai.
Like me you are also a leaf from the garden of Toor;
far from the garden I am, far from the garden you are.

Motmain hai tou, parishan misl-e-boo rehta hon mien;
zakhmi-e-shamshir-e-zouq-e-jostjoo rehta hon mien.

:
(Talash kay shoq ki talwar ka zakhmi.)
You are content but scattered like fragrance
I am wounded by the sword of love for search I am.

Yeh perishani meri samaan-e-jamiat nah ho;
yeh jigar sozi chiragh-e-khanah-e-hikmat nah ho.

:
(Sakoon aur tasali ka sabab.(

:
)Aql-o-daanish kay ghhar ka chiragh.)
This perturbation of mine a means for fulfillment could be;
this torment a source of my intellectual illumination could be.

17

Natawaani he meri sarmayah-e-qowwat nah ho;

rashk-e-jaam-e-Jam mera aeinah-e-hairat nah ho.
(Jamshaid badshah ka piyalah.)

This very frailty of mine the means of strength could be;

this mirror of mine envy of the cup of Jam* could be.
(*This is the legendary cup of the Persian emperor Jam in which he
could see whatever he wanted to see wherever he wanted to see.)

Yeh talash motsil-e-shamaa jahan afroz hai;
tuosan-e-idraak insan ko kharam aamoz hai.
)Aql.) :

(Ghhorra.(

This constant search is a world-illuminating candle

and teaches to the steed of human intellect its gait.
(This last stanza expresses Allamah Iqbal's strong hope that his present
condition may be the means of attaining his objective which is described
in the stanza.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE CLOUD ON THE MOUNTAIN
This short and beautiful poem shows that the cloud, which is
commonplace to the un-initiated person, is at once a source of happiness and
benevolence of God and a guide towards Him for the initiated.
Abr-e-Kohsar :

Hai bolandi sey falak-bos nashiman meyra;
abr-e-kohsar hon gul-paash hai daaman meyra.

:
18

)Aasman ko choomney wala yaani bohat boland.(

)Phhool barsaaney wala.) :
Elevation bestows the sky's nearness to my abode;
I am the mountain's cloud, my skirt sprinkles roses.

Kabhi sehra, kabhi gulzar hai maskan meyra;
shehar-o-veranah mera, behar mera, bun mera.
Now the wilderness, now the rose garden is my abode,
city and wilderness are mine, ocean is mine, forest is mine.

Kissi wadi mein jo manzoor ho sona mojh ko;
sabzah-e-koh hai makhmal ka bachhona mojh ko.
If I want to return to some valley for the night;
the mountain's verdure is my carpet of velvet.

Mojh ko qodrat ney sikhhaya hai dor-e-afshan hona;
naaqah-e-shahid-e-rehmat ka hodi khwan hona.
(Moti bakhhairna.( :
)Oontni.) :
Nature has taught me to be a pearl spreader to chant
the camel song for the camel of the Beloved of Mercy.

Ghum zaddaey dil-e-afsordah-e-dehqan hona;
raunaq-e-bazm-e-jawanan-e-gulistan hona.
To be the comforter of the dispirited farmer's heart;
19

to be the elegance of the assembly of the garden's trees.

Bun kay gaisoo rokh-e-husti peh bikhhar jaata hon;
shanah-e-moujah-e-sarsar sey sanwar jaata hon.
(Hawa ka jhonka.)

I spread out over the face of the earth like the locks;
I get arranged and adorned by the breeze's.

Door sey deidah-e-ummeid ko tarsaata hon;
kissi basti sey jo khamosh gozar jaata hon.
I tantalize the expecting eye from a distance
as I pass silently over some habitation.

Siar karta hoa jiss dum labb-e-joo aata hon;
baaliyan nehar ko gardaab ki pehnaata hon.
(Nadi kinarey.) :
As I approach strolling towards a brook's bank;
I endow the brook with ear rings of whirlpools.

Sabzah-e-mazraa-e-naukhaiz ki ummeid hon mien;
zaadah-e-behar hon pervardah-e-khurshid hon mien.
(Naeyi oggi hoeyi khheiti.( :

20

)Jo samandar sey paida hoa ho.)

I am the hope of the freshly grown field's verdure;
I am the ocean's offspring, I am nourished by the sun.

Chashmah-e-koh ko di shorash-e-qolzam mien ney;
aur parindon ko kiya mehav-e-tranam mien ney.
I gave ocean's tumult to the mountain spring;
I charmed the birds into thrilling chants.

Sar peh sabzey kay khharrey ho kay kaha qom mien ney;
ghonch-e-gul ko diya zouq-e-tabassom mien ney.
(Othh; khharra ho.) :
I pronounced Rise* standing by the verdure's head;
I conferred the taste for smile to the rose-bud.
(This is an allusion to the miracle of Ibn-e-Maryam (A.S.) in which, he used
to raise the dead to life by pronouncing Qum bi Idhnillah (Rise with the
permission of God) Just as he used to raise the dead to life with the
permission of God so does the rain from cloud raise the apparently dead
vegetation to life with the permission of God: The Holy Quran 78:14-16.)

Faiz sey meyrey namoonay hein shabastaanon kay;
jhonparray daaman-e-kohsar mein dehqanon kay.

:
(Amir lougon kay sonay ki jagah.)
By my benevolence farmers' huts on the mountain side
are converted into bed chambers of the opulent.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
21

THE CANDLE AND THE MOTH

This poem, though simple in language, is charged with mystic
thought The commonplace phenomena of Gul-o-Bulbul (the association
of the flower and the nightingale), and Sham`a-o-Parwanah (the candle
and the moth) have always been symbolic of the lover-beloved relationship
in Persian and Urdu poetry. However, much of this poetry has long been
conventional and poems have been evaluated on the basis of their linguistic
beauty, innovative expressions and elegance of style without paying much
attention to the subject matter or the depth of thought expressed in the
poem
The world is heavily indebted to Islam and Muslims for
metamorphosing romantic poetry and sublimating it from amorous love to
that of Divine Love. God, the Holy Prophet S.A.W. and his descendants
became the beloved instead of human forms; thus, mundane, albeit natural,
human emotion was sublimated into pure and angelic form. Acts of worship
became changed from mere rituals to submission to the Will of God and fear
motivated exercises became sublimated to those of the Love of the highest
order (The Holy Quran 41:37). New forms of poetry, like hamd, naat,
sana, marsiah and new kinds of music, like qawwali , came into
existence for the expression of Man's Love for God, the Holy Prophet
S.A.W. and his descendants, as well as for other heroes and heroines of
Islam.
All the terminology conventionally used in amorous poetry, like wine,
cup, goblet, decanter, cup bearer and tavern acquired new meanings. In fact
mysticism itself changed from a vague, esoteric, occult concept into one of
concrete, systematic effort for the comprehension of the Ultimate Truth
about the Existence as well as the Essence of God, based on the feelings of
the heart of a true Lover of Him, rather than through dry and insipid
reasoning of the philosopher. A whole technique was developed for seeking
the Divine Light and for expressing human Love for the Divine Being. This
technique has borne the test of the criterion of repeatability required by the
scientific method. The new science acquired the name of Tasawwuf or
Sufism
In this poem the poet has sublimated the proverbial love of the moth for
the candle into the Love of a Mumin for God. The poem will become full of
meaning if read in this light.

22

Shamaa-o-Pervanah :

Pervanah tojh sey karta hai ay shamaa piyar kiyuon;
yeh jan-e-bey qarar hai tojh per nisar kiyuon.
O Candle! Why does the moth love you?
Why is this restless soul devoted to you?

Seimaab-waar rakhhti hai teyri adaa ossey;
adaab-e-ishq tou ney seikhhaey hein kaya ossey?

:
(Parah ki tarah bey qarar.)
Your charm keeps it restless like mercury.
Did you teach it the etiquette of Love?

Karta hai yeh tawaf teri jalwah-gah ka;
phhoonka hoa hai kaya teri barq-e-nigah ka?
It circumambulates the site of your manifestation.
Is it inspired with the fire of your lightning?

Azaar-e-mout mein issey aaram-e-jan hai kaya?
Shoalay mein teyrey zindagi-e-javidan hai kaya?
(Murney ka dokhh.) :
Do the woes of death give it the peace of life?
Does your flame possess the quality of eternal life?

23



Ghum khanah-e-jahan mein jo teyri zia nah ho;
iss toftah dil ka nakhal-e-tamanna hara nah ho.
(Jala hoa dil.(

)Aarzoo ka drakht.)

If you do not brighten this sorrowful world;

this burning heart's tree of Longing may not green up.

Girna terey hazoor mein oss ki namaz hai;
nanhey sey dil mein lazzat-e-soz-o-godaz hai.
Falling before you is the prayer of this little heart;
the taste for impassioned Love knows this little heart.

Kochh iss mein josh-e-aashiq-e-hosn-e-qadim hai;
chhota saa Toor tou yeh zara saa Kalim hai.
It has some zeal of the Primeval Beauty's Lover;
you are a small Toor, it is a small Kalim.

Pervanah, aur zouq-e-tamashey roshni;
keirra zara saa, aur tamanney roshni.
The moth and the taste for the Sight of the Light!
This small insect and the Longing for the Light!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)

24

THE SUN
(Translated from Gautier)

Aafrab (Tarjamah Giaytri)

!

Ay aaftab! Rooh-o-rawaan-e-jahan hai tou;
shirazah bund-e-kon-o-makan hai tou.

:
(Intizam-o-insaram karney wala.)
O Sun! The world's essence and motivator you are;
the organizer of the book of the world you are.

Bais hai tou wujood-o-adam ki namood ka;
hai sabz teyrey dum sey chaman hust-o-bood ka.

:
(Morad hai zindagi ka chaman.)
The splendor of existence has been created by you.
The verdure of the garden of existence depends on you.

Qaim yeh ansaron ka tamasha tojhi sey hai;
her shaey mein zindagi ka taqaza tojhi sey hai.
The spectacle of elements is maintained by you.
The exigency of life in all is maintained by you.

Her shaey ko teyri jalwah-gari sey sabaat hai;
25

teyra yeh soz-o-saaz sarapa hayat hai.

(Qaim; paeydari.)

Your appearance confers stability on everything;

your illumination and concord is completion of life.

Woh aaftab jiss sey zamaney mein noor hai;
dil hai, khird hai, rooh-e-rawan hai, shaoor hai.
(Aql.) :
You are the sun which establishes light in the world,
which establishes heart, intellect, essence and wisdom.

Ay aaftab, hum ko ziaey shaoor dey;
chashm-e-khird ko apni tajali sey noor dey.
O Sun! Bestow on us the light of wisdom;
bestow your luster's light on the intellect's eye.

Hai mehfil-e-wujood ka saaman traaz tou;
Yazdan saakinan-e-nashaib-o-fraaz tou.

:
(Morad hai amir aur gharib.)
You are the decorator of necessaries of existence' assemblage;
you are the Yazdan* of the denizens of the high and the low.
(*Yazdan: In the pre-Islamic Zoroastrian philosophy of Persia he is the god
of good and virtue as opposed to Ahraman, who is the god of evil and sin.)

26

Teyra kamal-e-husti her jaandar mein;

teyri namood silsalah-e-kohsar mein.
Your excellence is reflected from every living thing;
the mountain range also shows your elegance.

Her cheez ki hayat ka pervardigar tou;
zaidgaan-e-noor ka hai tajdaar tou.

:
(Noor sey paid honay waaley.)
You are the sustainer of the life of all;
you are the king of the light's children.

Ney ibtida koeyi nah koeyi intiha teri;
azad qiad-e-awwal-o-aakhar zia teri.
There is no beginning and no end of yours;
free of limits of time is the light* of yours
(*This does not mean that the sun is eternal in the theological sense, but that
it will last in the present form till the existence of the material universe in its
present form.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE CANDLE
The ordinary candle is a world unto itself in Persian and Urdu
literatures. It is taken as an emblem of a beloved as well as that of a lover. As
a beloved the moth circles round it and eventually dies in its love. As a lover
it is presented as weeping in the agony of separation from its beloved. In this
poem Allamah Iqbal has equated candle with Man as both are afflicted with
the agony of separation from the Creator and Beloved, i.e. God. There is,
27

however, one difference. Man is endowed with feeling, which raises him
above the candle and, in fact, above all creation.
This quality is a part of the attribute of Khudi, which has entitled Man
to be endowed with knowledge, on account of which God has ranked him as
the masterpiece of creation and His vicegerent on earth (The Holy Qur'an
2:30-34). Endowed with this attribute Man was transferred from Paradise to
earth to witness the Jamal and Jalal of God as conveyed by the kaleidoscope
of His creation and as communicated to Man through his qualities of
knowledge and perception. However, this world is the temporary abode of
Man and he has been charged with the mission of maintaining its beauty and
protecting it from disturbances in the physical as well as spiritual spheres. To
attain this goal he has been charged with the responsibility of struggling for
the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. This commissioning of
Man has been repeated at several places in the Holy Qur'an, reference to
which has been provided previously.
The Allamah says in this poem that the possession of feeling has
endowed Man with compassion which is a very elegant quality. However,
deceptive perception has made Man a captive of discrimination of race and
colour, which has resulted in his losing the joy of the universal peace which
can be achieved only through the acknowledgment of the Universal Unity of
God as well as that of Man and Love of both.
Shamaa :

Bazm-e-jahan mein mien bhi hon ay shamaa dardmand;
faryaad dar girah sift-e-danah-e-sapand.

:
(Jiss ki girah mein faryaad ho yaani faryaadi.(

:
)Hermal ka danah jiss ka rung kala hota hai.)
O Candle! I am also an afflicted person in the world assembly;
constant complaint is my lot in the manner of the rue.*

28

(*Rue: A perennial evergreen shrub (Ruta graveolens, family Rutaceae)

whose seed explodes when put in the fire. This property is shown in Persian
and Urdu poetry as an expression of distress and lament and the restlessness
it produces.)

Di ishq ney hararat-e-soz-e-daron tojhey;
aur gul farosh-e-ashk-e-shafaq gon kiya mojhey.

:
(Shafaq ki manind sorkh.)
Love gave the warmth of internal pathos to you;
it made me the florist selling blood-mixed tears.*
(* The expression is used to show extreme distress.)

Ho shamaa-e-bazm-e-aish keh shamaa-e-mazar tou;
her haal ashk-e-ghum sey rehi humkinar tou.
Whether you be the candle of a celebrating assembly or one at the grave;
in every condition associated with the tears of sorrow you remain.

Yakk bein teri nazar sift-e-aashiqan-e-raaz;
meyri nigah-e-mayah-e-ashoob-e-imtiaz.
(Eik deikhhney waali.( :

:
)Farq aur imtiaz rakhhney ki bimaari yaani kumzori.)
Your eye views all with equity like the Secret's (Gods) Lovers.
My eye is the pride of the tumult of discrimination.

29

Kaabey mein, bott-kadey mein hai yaksan teri zia;

mein imtiaz-e-Deir-o-Haram mein phhansa hoa.
Your illumination is alike in the Kabah and the temple;
I am entangled in the temple and the Haram's discrimination.

Hai shaan aah ki terey dood-e-siyah mein;
poshidah koeyi dil hai teri jalwah-gah mein?
Your black smoke contains the sigh's elegance.
Is some heart hidden in the place of your manifestation?

Jalti hai tou keh barq-e-tajali sey door hai;
bey dard terey soz ko samajhey keh noor hai.
You burn with pathos due to distance from Tajallis* Light.
Your pathos the callous ones consider your light.
(*Manifestation of God or His Powers or Attributes.)

Tou jal rehi hai aur tojhey kochh khabar naheen;
beina hai aur soz-e-daron per nazar naheen.
Though you are burning you are unaware of it all;
you see but do not encompass the internal pathos.

Mien josh-e-iztiraab sey seimaab-waar bhi;
aagah-e-iztiraab dil-e-bey qarar bhi.
I quiver like mercury with the excitement of vexation

30

as well I am aware of vexations of the restless heart.

Thha yeh bhi koeyi naaz kissi bey niaz ka;
ehsaas dey diya mojhey apney godaz ka.
This was also the elegance of some Beloved,
which gave me perception of my own pathos.

Yeh aaghi meri mojhey rakhhti hai dey qarar;
khwabidah iss sharar mein hein aatish kadey hazaar.
(Waaqfiyat.) :
This cognition of mine keeps me restless*,
innumerable fire temples are asleep in this spark.
(*This verse and the two following mean that Man's Khudi is the source of
the proper perception of the phenomena mentioned in these verses, which
constitute the working of the universe. Unless Man recognizes his high
position in the creation of God as his vicegerent, he cannot appreciate the
beauty and harmony of the universe.)

Yeh imtiaz-e-rifaat-o-pasti issi sey hai;
gul mein mehak, sharab mein musti issi sey hai.
Discrimination between high and low is created by this alone!
Fragrance in flower, ecstasy in wine is created by this alone!

Bostan-o-bulbul-o-gul-o-boo hai yeh aaghi;
asal-e-kashakash-e-mun-o-tou hai yeh aaghi.
(Khhaincha taani.) :
31

Garden, nightingale, flower, fragrance this Cognition is

Root of the struggle of 'I and you' this Cognition is.

' '
Sobh-e-azal jo hosn hoa dilistan-e-ishq;
awaaz-e-kon hoeyi tapash aamoz jan-e-ishq.

:
(Ishq ka dil leyney wala.)
At creation's dawn as Beauty became the abode of Love;
the sound of Kun* taught warmth to the spirit of Love.
(*God created the whole universe by just one command of Kun.)

''

Yeh hokam thha keh gulshan-e-kon ki bahaar deikhh;
eik ankhh ley kay khwab-e-perishan hazaar deikhh.
The command came Beauty of Kun's garden to witness;
with one eye a thousand dreadful dreams to witness.*
(*This alludes to the time of creation of Man. At this time Man was
endowed with Khud which elevated his status as well as burdened him with
myriad of responsibilities.)

Mojh sey khabar nah poochh hijab-e-wujood ki;
shaam-e-fraq sobh thhi meri namood ki.
Do not ask me of the nature of the veil of being;
the eve of separation was the dawn of my being.

32

Woh dinn gaey keh qiad sey mien aashna nah thha;
zaib-e-drakht-e-Toor mera aashiyanah thha.
Gone are the days when unaware of imprisonment I was
that my abode the adornment of the tree of Toor was.

Qiadi hon aur qafas ko chaman jaanta hon mien;
ghorbat kay ghumkadey ko watan jaanta hon mien.
(Morad hai yeh dunya.)

I am a prisoner but consider the cage to be a garden.

This exiles hovel of sorrow I consider the homeland.*
(*This alludes to the several verses of the Holy Qur'an which describe the
Command of God to the denizens of the transcendental universe to prostrate
before Adam (A.S.) Allamah Iqbal derives his philosophy of the superiority
of Man or Khudi from these verses. In this verse he refers to the fall of Man
by forsaking his Khudi.)

Yaad-e-watan fasordgi-e-bey sabab bani;
shouq-e-nazar kabhi, kabhi zouq-e-talab bani.
Memories of the homeland a needless melancholy became:
Now the desire for sight, now longing for search became.

!

Ay shamaa! Intihaey faraib-e-khayal deikhh;
masjood-e-saakinan-e-falak ka maal deikhh.

:

(Woh jiss ko falak per rehney waalon ney sajdah kiya, yaani insan.)
O Candle! Look at the excessive illusion of thought.
33

Look at the end of the one worshipped by celestial denizens.*

(*Creation of the visible universe was for the fulfillment of the Will of God,
to exhibit his Creative Power, culminating in the creation of Man, whose
climax was the specimen of what Allamah Iqbal calls Insan-i-Kamil (the
Perfect Man) in the person of the Holy Prophet S.A.W. Man has lost his high
status by losing Khudi.)

Mazmon fraq ka hon, suriya nishan hon mien;
aahung-e-tabaa-e-naazim-e-kon-o-makan hon mien.
(Awaaz.) :
Theme of separation I am, the exalted one I am.
Design of the Will of the Universes Lord I am.

Baandha mojhey jo Oss ney tuo chahi meri namood;
tehrir kar diya sar-e-diwaan-e-hust-o-bood.

:
(Honay nah honay ka qissah, morad hai yeh dunya.)
He desired my display as He designed me
when at the head of Existence Diwan He wrote me.

Gohar ko mosht-e-khak mein rehna pasand hai;
bundash agar sost hai, mazmon boland hai.
The pearl likes living in a handful of dust;
style may be dull the subject is excellent.

Chashm-e-ghalat nigar ka yeh saara qasoor hai;
34

alam-e-zahoor jalwah-e-zouq-e-shaoor hai.

Not seeing it rightly is the fault of short-sighted perception;
the universe is the show of effulgence of taste for Cognizance.*
(*This means that Man has lost his way to Divine knowledge by being
enslaved by the acceptance of only what he sees If Man looks at the
universe as required by the Holy Quran he will realize that the whole
purpose of creation of the universe was to create Man.)

Yeh silsilah zaman-o-makan ka, kamand hai;
touq-e-golooey hosn tamasha pasand hai.

:
(Chhat per charrhney kay leay istimal honay waali rassi.(

:
)Gallay mein daalney wala pattah.)
This network of time and space is the scaling ladder of the Universe.
It is the necklace of the neck of Eternal Beauty.

!
Manzil ka ishtiaq hai, gom kardah-e-rah hon; ay shamaa!
Mien aseer-e-fraib-e-nigah hon.
(Nazar kay fraib ka qiadi.) :
I have lost the way, Longing for the goal I am;
O Candle! Captive of perceptions illusion I am.*
(*This means that Man has lost his way to Divine knowledge by
accepting only what he can see.)

Siyaad aap, halqah-e-daam-e-sitam bhi aap;
baam-e-Haram bhi, taer-e-baam-e-Haram bhi aap.
35

(Chhat per baithha parindah.) :

I am the hunter as well as the circle of tyrannys net!
I am the Harams roof as well as the bird on Harams roof.*
(*Allusion to Man being the center and,
in fact, the very purpose of creation of the universe.)

Mien hosn hon keh ishq sarapa godaz hon;
khholta naheen keh naaz hon mien ya niaz hon.
Am I the Beauty or head to foot the melting love am I?
It is not clear whether the beloved or the Lover am I?

Han, aashnaey labb ho nah raaz-e-kohan kaheen;
pher chhirr nah jaaey qissah-e-daar-o-rasan kaheen.
(Phhansi ka phhanda.) :
I am afraid the old secret may come up to my lips again:
Lest story of suffering on the Cross may come up again.*
(*This alludes to the crucifixion and also refers to the willingness of Ibrahim
(A.S.) in obedience to the Command of God. The allusion can be extended
to innumerable other persons who have sacrificed their lives in the cause of God in
various ways just for His Love.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE MORNING SUN
This apparently nature poem is of much higher import than its name
shows and is full of mystic meaning. The sun which is the Great Luminary
in the human view is not equal to even a speck of dust at Mans door.
However, Man owes this greatness to two attributes, viz., belief in
the Tawhid-i-Insaniyat (Unity of Mankind) and Tawhid-i-Ilah (Unity of
36

God). Man is investigating and trying to understand the nature of both since
his inception on the earth. The essence of the poem is contained in the last
six verses.
Aaftab-e-sobh :

Shorash-e-maeykhanah-e-insan sey bala-ter hai tou;
zeenat-e-bazm-e-falak ho jiss sey woh saghar hai tou.

:
(Morad hai dunya ka shor shraba.)
Far from the ignoble strife of Man's tavern you are;
the wine-cup adorning the sky's assemblage you are.

Ho dor-e-gosh-e-aroos-e-sobh woh gohar hai tou;
jiss peh seimaey ofaq nazan ho woh zaiwar hai tou.

:
(Sobh kay kaan ka jhomka.(
)Ofaq ki paishani.)

The jewel which should be the pearl of the morning's bride's ear you are;
the ornament which would be the pride of horizon's forehead you are.

Sofah-e-ayam sey dagh-e-madaad-e-shabb mita;
aasman sey naqsh-e-baatil ki tarah kokab mita.
(Raat ki siyahi.)

The blot of night's ink from time's page has been removed!
The star from sky like a spurious picture has been removed!

37



Hosn teyra jabb hoa baam-e-falak sey jalwah gar;
ankhh sey orrta hai yakk dum khwab ki maey ka asar.
When from the roof of the sky your beauty appears;
effect of sleep's wine suddenly from eyes disappears.

Noor sey maamoor ho jaata hai damaan-e-nazar;
khholti hai chashm-e-zaahir ko zia teyri magar.
Perception's expanse gets filled with light,
though opens only the material eye your light.

Dhoondti hein jiss ko ankhhein woh tamasha chahiay;
chashm-e-baatin jiss sey khhol jaaey woh jalwah chahiay.
The spectacle which the eyes seek is desired;
the effulgence which would open the insight is desired.

Shouq-e-azadi kay dunya mein nah niklay howsaley;
zindagi bhar qiad zinjir-e-taaloq mein rehey.
The desires for freedom were not fulfilled in this life.
We remained imprisoned in chains of dependence all life.

Zir-o-bala eik hein teyri nigahon kay leay;
aarzoo hai kochh issi chashm-e-tamasha ki mojhey.
(Oopar neichay.) :

38

The high and the low are alike for your eye,
I too have longing for such a discerning eye.

Ankhh meyri aur kay ghum mein sarashk abad ho;
imtiaz-e-millat-o-aein sey dil azad ho.
(Aansoon ka ghhar.(

:
)Quom aur sharaa ka farq.)
May my eye shedding tears in sympathy for others' woes be!
May my heart free from the prejudice of nation and customs be!

Bostah rung-e-khasoosiyat nah ho meyri zoban;
noa-e-insan quom ho meyri, watan meyra jahan.

:

(Khasoosiyat kay rung mein bundhi hoeyi,
yaani taasob rakhhney waali.)
May my tongue be not bound with discrimination of colour!
May mankind be my nation, the whole world my country be!

Deidah-e-baatin peh raaz-e-nazm-e-qodrat ho ayan;
ho shanasaey falak shamaa-e-takhiyal ka dhoan.
May secret of Nature's organization clear to my insight be!
May smoke of my imagination's candle rising to the sky be!

39

Oqdah-e-azdaad ki kaawish nah tarrpaey mojhey;

hosn ishq angaiz her shaey mein nazar aaey mojhey.
(Moshkil baat; moimah.)

May search for secrets of opposites not make me restless!

May the Love-creating Beauty in everything appear to me!

Sadmah aa-jaaey hawa sey gul ki patti ko agar;
ashk bun kar meyri aankhhon sey tappak jaaey asar.
If the rose petals get damaged by the breeze;
may its pain dropping from my eye as a tear be!

Dil mein ho soz-e-mohabat ka woh chhota-sa sharar;
noor sey jiss kay milay raaz-e-haqiqat ki khabar.
May the heart contain that little spark of Love's fire!
The light of which may contain the secret of the Truth.

Shahid-e-qodrat ka aeinah ho, dil meyra nah ho;
sar mein joz hamdardi-e-insan koeyi souda nah ho.
(Maashooq.)

May my heart not mine but the Beloved's mirror be!

May no thought in my mind except human sympathy be!

Tou agar zehmat kash-e-hungamah-e-alam naheen;
yeh fazilat ka nishan ay nayyar-e-azam naheen.
(Barra sitarah yaani sooraj.) :
40

If you cannot endure the hardships of the tumultuous world;

O the Great Luminary that is not the mark of greatness!

Apney hosn-e-alam ara sey jo tou mehram naheen;
humsar-e-yakk zarrah-e-khak dar-e-Adam naheen.
As you are not aware of your world-decorating beauty;
you cannot be equal to a speck of dust at the Man's door!

Noor masjood-e-malak garm-e-tamasha he raha;
aur tou mannat pazir-e-sobh-e-farda he raha.
(Morad hai mohtaaj.) :
The light of Man eager for the Spectacle ever remained*
and you obligated to the tomorrow's morning ever remained.
(*Man always had the elevated status of searching for the secrets of the
Existence and the Essence of God, but you have remained in need of waiting
for the morning every day to be able to rise and gain eminence. This shows
the superiority of Man over the sun.)

Aarzoo noor-e-haqiqat ki hamarey dil mein hai;
Laila-e-zouq-e-talab ka ghhar issi mehmal mein hai.
Longing for the Light of the Truth is only in our hearts;
abode of Lailah of desire for search is only in this litter.

Kis qadar lazzat kashood-e-oqdah-e-moshkil mein hai;
lotf-e-sadd hasil hamari saai-e-bey hasil mein hai.
(Gothhi soljhana.( :
41

)Nakaam koshish.) :
Opening of the difficult knot, Oh what a pleasure it is!
The pleasure of universal gain in our endless effort is!

Dard-e-istifhaam sey waaqif tera pehloo naheen;
jostjooey raaz-e-qodrat ka shanasa tou naheen.
(Sawaal.) :
Your bosom is unacquainted with the pain of investigation.
You are not familiar with searching of the secrets of Nature.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE CRESCENT
This poem is the expression of the spontaneous feelings of a lover of
God's creation at the sight of the crescent on the waters of the River Nile. It
shows how an arif sees and enjoys the beauty of God's creation and derives
inspiration from it. The climax of these feelings is reached in the last verse.
Mah-e-Nau :

Toot kar khurshid ki kashti hoeyi gharqab-e-Neil;
eik tokarra teyrta pherta hai rooey aab-e-Neil.
(Pani ki sitah.)

The sun's boat is broken and drowned in the Nile,

but a piece is floating about on the water of the Nile.

Tasht-e-gardon mein tapakta hai shafaq ka khoon-e-naab;
nishtar-e-qodrat ney kaya khholi hai fasad-e-aaftab.

42

(Aasman ka thhaal, morad hai aasman.(

)Khalis khoon yaani sorkhi.( :

:
)Sooraj kay khoon ki naali.)
The twilight's pure blood drips into the sky's basin;
has the lancet of Nature drawn the sun's blood?

Charakh ney baali chora lee hai aroos-e-shaam ki;
Neil kay pani mein ya machhli hai seim-e-kham ki.
) Dulhan.( :

(Aasman.( :

)Khalis chaandi.) :
Has the sky stolen the ear-ring of the evening's bride?
Or has the fragile cord in the Nile's waters strolling?

Qaflah teyra rawan bey mannat-e-bang-e-dara;
gosh-e-insan sonn naheen sakta teri awaaz-e-paa.

:
(Ghheinti ki awaaz kay ehsan kay baghair.(
)Paon.) :) Kaan.( :
Your caravan is afoot without help of bell's call;
the human ear cannot hear your foot-steps' sound.

Ghhatney barrhney ka saman aankhhon ko dikhhlata hai tou;
hai watan teyra kidhar, kis deis ko jaata hai tou.
43

You show the spectacle of rise and fall to the eyes:

Where is your home? To which country are you going?*
(*This alludes to the fact that the creation of God is for the equitable use of
the entire humanity and not for a particular country. This is what is included
in the concept of the super-national Islamic State.)

Saath ay siyarah-e-saabat numa ley chal mojhey;
khaar-e-hasrat ki khalish rakhhti hai abb bey kal mojhey.

:

(Woh siyarah jo harkat karta hai
magar mehsoos hota hai keh khharra hai.)
O star-like planet take me with yourself,
the prick of Longing's thorn keeps me restless.

Noor ka talib hon, ghhabrata hon iss basti mein mien;

:
tiflak-e-seimab-paa hon maktab-e-husti mein mien.
(Aisa bachah jo eik jagah chian sey nah thhehray.)
I am seeking light; I am weary in this habitation.
I am the restless child in the existence's school.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
MAN AND NATURE'S ASSEMBLAGE
This poem deals with the status of Man in the Universe. The first
eleven verses represent the old, pre-Islamic philosophies and the last nine

44

verses illustrate the theory of Khudi or the elegant status of Man The
climax is reached in the last verse.

Insaan aur bazm-e-qodrat

Sobh-e-khurshid-e-drakhshan ko jo deikhha mien ney;
bazm-e-maamoorah-e-husti sey yeh poochha mien ney.
(Chamakta hoa sooraj.(

:
)Zindagi ki basti yaani dunya.)
As I looked at the bright sun in the morning
I asked the assemblage of Existence' habitation:

Pertav-e-mehr kay dum sey hai ojala teyra;
seim-e-siyal hai pani terey daryaon ka.
(Sooraj ki roshni.( :
)Behti hoeyi chaandi.) :
You owe your light to the reflection of the sun;
the water of your rivers looks like flowing silver.

Mehr ney noor ka zaiwar tojhey pehnaya hai;
teyri mehfil ko issi shamaa ney chamkaya hai.
The sun has adorned your face with light's jewelry;
this very candle has illuminated your assemblage.
45


''
Gul-o-gulzar terey khold ki tasweerin hein;
yeh sabhi Surah Wa al-Shams ki tafseerin hein.
(Jannat.) :
Your roses and rose gardens are pictures of Paradise;
all these are the commentaries of Surah Wa al-Shams*
(*This is an early Makkan Surah. It shows the beauties of Nature and brings
home to Man the need for realizing his spiritual responsibilities. It ends with
a stern warning to those who do not heed the teachings of the Holy Quran
about the Hereafter.)

Sorkh poshaak hai phhoolon ki, drakhton ki heri;
teyri mehfil mein koeyi sabz, koeyi laal peri.
The dress of your flowers is red, of your trees is green;
they exist in your garden like green and red fairies.

Hai terey khaimah-e-gardon ki talaeyi jhalar;
badliyan laal sei hein ofaq per jo nazar.
The frill of your tent becomes golden
as the red clouds appear over the horizon.

Kaya bhali lagti hai aankhhon ko shafaq ki laali;
maey gulrung khom-e-shaam mein tou ney daali.
(Shaam ka piyalah.)

46

How pleasing to the eye is the red colour of the evening's twilight
as if you have poured rose-coloured wine in the evening's jar.

Rotbah teyra hai barra, shaan barri hai teyri;
pardah-e-noor mein mastoor hai her shaey teyri.
Your rank is elegant, your grandeur is high;
everything yours is concealed in the light's veil.

Sobh ekk geet sarapa hai teri sitwat ka;
zir-e-khurshid nishan takk bhi naheen zolmat ka.
(Roab, dabdabah.) :
The morning head to foot is a song of your majesty;
not even a trace of darkness is there under the sun.

Mien bhi aabad hon iss noor ki basti mein magar;
jal gaya pher meri taqdir ka akhtar kiyuonkar?
In this habitation of light is my abode also;
why then is the star of my destiny burnt down?

Noor sey door hon zolmat mein griftar hon mien;
kiyuon seih roz seih bakht, seih kaar hon mien?
I am far from light and imprisoned in darkness.
Why am I so unfortunate, unlucky and sinning?

47



Mien yeh kehta thha keh awaaz kaheen sey aaeyi;
baam-e-gardon sey woh ya sehan-e-zamin sey aaeyi.
As I was saying this a voice from somewhere came;
from the sky's roof or the earth's expanse it came.

Hai terey noor sey wabastah meri bood-o-nabood;
baghban hai teri husti pey gulzar-e-wujood.
(Hona nah hona.)

My existence is dependent on your light.

Your personality is the gardener of Universe' garden.

Anjuman hosn ki hai tou, teri tasweer hon mien;
ishq ka tou hai sahifah, teri tafseer hon mien.
(Aasmani kitab.)

You are the assemblage of beauty, your picture I am.

You are the Scripture of Love, your commentary I am.

Meyrey bigarrey hoay kaamon ko banaya tou ney;
baar jo mojh sey nah othha woh othhaya tou ney.
You have put my disordered affairs in order.
You have shouldered the burden which I could not bear.*
(*This is an allusion to the Holy Qur'an 59:21, according to which, in his
capacity of being the custodian of the Holy Qur'an, Man has exhibited
higher strength and fortitude than the mountains which are proverbial for
their height, strength and firmness.)
48



Noor-e-khurshid ki mohtaj hai husti meyri;
aur bey mannat-e-khurshid chamak hai teri.
My existence depends upon the light of the sun
and your splendor is not indebted to the sun.

Ho nah khurshid tuo veran ho gulistan meyra;
manzil aish ki jaa, naam ho zindan meyra.
(Qiad-khanah.) :
Without the sun my rose garden would be desolate;
instead of happiness prison would be my name.

!

Aah! Ay raaz-e-ayan kay nah samajhney waaley;
halqah-e-daam-e-tamanna mein oljhney waaley.
(Khwahishat ka jaal.)

Ah! The one who does not understand the open secret!
The one prone to be entangled in the desires' net.

Haaey ghuflat keh teri ankhh hai paband-e-majaaz;
naaz zaiba thha tojhey, tou hai magar garm-e-niaz.
Alas insensible! Confined to the material is your eye;
Naz behooved you, but prone to Niyaz is your eye.

Tou agar apni haqiqat sey khabardar rehey;
49

nah seih roz rehey pher nah seih kaar rehey.

If aware of your reality you would be;
neither unlucky nor sinning you would be.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE MESSAGE OF DAWN
(Adapted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
While the original poem by Longfellow is only a poetic description of
the coming to life of the world in the morning this adaptation goes much
deeper. This poem is the explanation of the role of the light of knowledge in
removing the darkness of ignorance by acquiring the knowledge of the
unseen spiritual world... The poem also explains the role of time in
controlling the activities of daily life.

:
Payam-e-sobh (Makhoz az Longfellow)

Ojala jabb hoa rokhsat jabin-e-shabb ki afshan ka;
nasim-e-zindagi paigham laeyi sobh-e-khandan ka.

:

(Sitarey sey jo ouratin araish kay leay baalon mein lagati hein.)
When the sparkling of the night's forehead's decoration disappeared;
the zephyr of life with the news of the happy morning appeared.

Jagaya bulbul-e-rungin nawa ko aashiyaney mein;
kinarey khheit kay shanah hilaya oss ney dehqan ka.
It awakened the nightingale of flowery song in its nest.
It shook the shoulder of the farmer on the field's edge.

50



Talism-e-zolmat-e-shabb Surah al-Noor sey torra;
andhairey mein orraya taj-e-zar shamaa-e-shabistan ka.
It broke the spell of darkness of nights talisman with Surah al-Noor.*
It robbed the golden crown of bed-chamber's candle in the dark.
(*Allusion to the Holy Qur'an 24:35 It means that the real darkness of the
night, which is a metaphor for the lack of knowledge of the unseen spiritual
universe, is broken only with the Divine Light referred to in the above verse
of the Holy Qur'an)

Parrha khwabidgaan-e-deir per afsoon-e-bidaari;
Brahman ko diya paigham khurshid-e-drakhshan ka.
(Bottkhaney mein sonnay waaley.) :

It chanted the magic of awakening on those sleeping in the temple.

It gave the Brahman the tidings of the bright sun.

Hoeyi baam-e-Haram per aa-kay yuon goaya moazzan sey;
naheen khhatka terey dil mein namood-e-mehr-e-taaban ka?
Arriving at the mosque's roof it said to the Muadhdhin (Mouazzin):
Do you not fear appearance of the resplendent sun?

!
Pokari iss tarah diwaar-e-gulshan per khharrey ho kar;
chattak O ghonchah-e-gul! Tou moazzan hai gulistan ka.

:
(Ay phhool ki dodi khhil jaa.)
51

Climbing the garden's wall it cried this to the rose-bud:

Burst! You are the Mu'adhdhin of the morning O rose-bud.

Diya yeh hokm sehra mein chalo ay qaflay waalo;
chamkaney ko hai jugnu bun kay her zarrah biyaban ka.
It gave the command in the wilderness Move O Caravan!
Every dust speck will shine like fire-fly in the wilderness.

Sooey gor-e-ghariban jabb gaeyi zindon ki basti sey;
tuo yuon boli nazarah deikhh kar shehar-e-khamoshan ka.

:
(Gharibon ki qabar ki taraf.(

:
Chopp rehney waalon ka shehar yaani qabaristan.)
When it reached the cemetery from the living's habitation;
witnessing the spectacle of the cemetery it spoke thus:

Abhi araam sey laitey raho, mien pher bhi aaon gi;
sola don gi jahan ko khwab sey tum ko jagaon gi.
Remain lying in comfort still, come again shall I;
make the whole world sleep, wake you up shall I.
(Allusion to the morning of the Day of Resurrection).
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE MOON
This beautiful short poem is an eloquent expression of Allamah Iqbal's
philosophy of the elevated position of Man in the whole creation of God.

52

This elegance is conferred on Man by God, not due to his size, or brightness,
but due to his soul; which is the seat of the Love of God his Intellection of
the mysteries of creation and Khudi; or cognizance of his own position
through the blessings of the Holy Qur'an The climax, which is the purpose
of this poem, is reached in the last three verses.
Chaand :

Meyrey veraaney sey koson door hai teyra watan;
hai magar daryaey dil teyri kashash sey moujzan.
(Leharin leyta hoa.)

Though miles away from my abode is your homeland;

tumultuous like the sea is my heart with your attraction.

Qasad kis mehfil ka hai? Aata hai kis mehfil sey tou?
Zard-roo shaid hoa runj-e-reh-e-manzil sey tou.

:
(Manzil kay lambay safar ki zehmat.)
Where do you intend to go? From where are you coming?
Perhaps you have become pale from the journey's hardships.

Aafrinash mein sarapa noor, zolmat hon mien;
iss seih rozi peh laikan teyra hum qismat hon mien.
(Padaish kay lehaaz sey.( :
)Bud-nasibi.) :
In creation you are embodiment of light, of darkness I am;
in spite of this misfortune akin to you in destiny I am.

53



Aah! Mien jalta hon soz-e-ishtiyaq-e-deid sey;
tou sarapa soz-e-dagh-e-mannat-e-khurshid sey.
Ah! Ablaze I am from the heat of longing for God's Sight;
embodiment of pathos are you from obligation of sun's sight.

Eik halqah per agar qaim teri raftar hai;
meyri gardish bhi missal-e-gardish-e-porkar hai.

:
(Eik he daairah mein ghhoomna.)
If your motion established in an orbit is;
my motion also like that of a compass is.

Zindagi ki reh mein sargardan hai tou, hairan hon mien;
tou farozan mehfil-e-husti mein hai, sozan hon mien.
You are diligently pursuing your life's path, so am I!
You are lighted in existence' assembly, so alight am I.

Mien reh-e-manzil mein hon, tou bhi reh-e-manzil mein hai;
teyri mehfil mein jo khaamoshi hai, meyrey dil mein hai.
In the midst of my journey I am, in the midst of your journey you are.
Similar to the silence of my heart, silent in your assembly you are.

54

Tou talab-khoo hai tuo meyra bhi yehi dastoor hai;

chaandni hai noor teyra, ishq meyra noor hai.
A seeker you are and the same custom is mine.
Moon light is your light, Love is the light mine.

Anjuman hai eik meyri bhi jahan rehta hon mien;
bazm mein apni agar yakta hai tou, tunha hon mien.
(Nomayan, monfarid.)

In the world of my residence with an assembly I also am;

if unique in your assembly you are, unique like you I am.

Mehr ka pertau terey haq mein hai paigham-e-ajal;
mehav kar deyta hai mojh ko jalwah-e-hosn-e-azal.

(Sooraj ki roshni.( :

)Mout ka paigham.) :
The light of the sun as the message of death to you is;
annihilated in the Eternal Beauty's effulgence my heart is.

!

Pher bhi ay mah-e-mobin! Mien aur hon tou aur hai;
dard jiss pehloo mein othhta ho woh pehloo aur hai.
(Roshan chaand.) :
Still, O shining moon! I am different, you are different;
the bosoms which are afflicted by the pathos are different.

55

Garchih mien zolmat sarapa hon, sarapa noor tou;

sainkarron manzil hai zouq-e-aagehi sey door tou.
Though the embodiment of darkness I am, embodiment of light you are.
Hundreds of stages away from the taste of Intellect you are.

Jo meri husti ka maqsad hai, mojhey maaloom hai;
yeh chamak woh hai, jabin jiss sey teri mehroom hai.
I know what the purpose of my existence is.
This is the luster of which your forehead devoid is
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE FIRE-FLY
This short poem in three parts, different in cadence, deals with
important mystic concepts through the common-place fire fly. The first part
extols the beauties of the insect in different ways, and presents it as a
reflection of the creative power of God. The next two parts show how the
creativity of God appears in all His creatures throughout the universe,
examples of which have been taken only from the common creatures and
phenomena familiar to the denizens of the earth, to make the subject easily
intelligible to the common man. The essence of the poem is the twin concept
of Tawhid-i-Ilah (The Unity of God) and Tawhid-i-Insaniyat (The Unity of
Mankind). This is mentioned in the last two verses. The coherence in the
diversity of the universe points to the Unity of the Creator in the plurality of
the universe.

Jugnu :

Jugnu ki roshni hai kashanah-e-chaman mein;
ya shamaa jal rehi hai phhoolon ki anjuman mein.

56

(Bagh ka sehan.)

The fire-fly's light is shining in the garden's abode;

or a candle is lighted in the assembly of flowers?

Aaya hai aasman sey orr kar koeyi sitarah;
ya jan parr gaeyi hai mehtaab ki kiran mein.
Has some star flown down from the sky?
Or has a moon's ray been brought to life?

Ya shabb ki sultanat mein dinn ka safir aaya;
ghorbat mein aa-kay chamka, gomnaam thha watan mein.
(Ailchi.) :
Or the emissary of the day has come to the night's kingdom?
Has become prosperous in foreign land was unknown in homeland?

Tukmah koeyi gira hai mehtaab ki qaba ka;
zarrah hai ya nomayan sooraj kay pairhan mein.
(Button.) :
Has some button fallen from the cloak of the moon?
Or some speck has become prominent in the sun's shirt?

Hosn-e-qadim ki yeh poshidah ekk jhalak thhi;
ley aaeyi jiss ko qodrat khalwat sey anjuman mein.
(Porana hosn.) :

57

Was it the concealed glimpse of the Eternal Beauty,

which was brought by Nature out of solitude into the assembly?

Chhotey sey chaand mein hai zolmat bhi roshni bhi;
nikla kabhi gehan sey, aaya kabhi gehan mein.
Darkness as well as light is in this little moon;
now it is out of eclipse, now it is in eclipse.

Pervanah ekk patanga, jugnu bhi ekk patanga;
woh roshni ka talib, yeh roshni sarapa.
The moth is an insect, as the fire-fly is an insect;
the former needs light, the latter is light's embodiment.

Her cheez ko jahan mein qodrat ney dilbari di;
pervaney ko tapash di, jugnu ko roshni di.
Nature gave beauty to everything in the universe.
It gave agitation to moth; it gave light to fire-fly.

Rungin nawa banaya morghaan-e-bey zoban ko;
gul ko zoban dey kar taalim-e-khaamshi di.
(Soreeli awaaz.)

It gave flowery music to the speechless bird.

Having given tongue to the rose* taught it to be silent.
(*This is a beautiful metaphor for the petals of the rose flower.)

58



Nazarah-e-shafaq ki khoobi zawal mein thhi;
chamka kay iss pari ko thhorri sei zindagi di.
The beauty of twilight's spectacle was decaying;
brightening up this fairy, a short life it gave.

Rungin kiya sehar ko, baanki dulhan ki surat;
pehna kay lal jorra shabnam ki aarsi di.
It gave colour to the dawn like a beautiful bride;
clothing it in red dress gave it the mirror of dew.

Sayah diya shajar ko, pervaaz di hawa ko;
pani ko di rawani, moujon ko bey kali di.
It gave shade to the tree, gave flight to the wind.
It gave flow to water, gave restlessness to waves.

Yeh imtiaz laikan ekk baat hai hamari;
jugnu ka dinn wohi hai jo raat hai hamari.
This distinction but is a way of our thinking;
the fire-fly's day is the same as our night.

Hosn-e-azal ki paida her cheez mein jhalak hai;
insan mein woh sakhon hai, ghonchay woh chattak hai.
The Eternal Beauty's reflection is present in everything.

59

It is speech in man. It is blooming in the flower bud.

Yeh chaand aasman ka shaer ka dil hai goya;
wan chaandni hai jo kochh yan dard ki kasak hai.
(Takleef.)

This moon in the sky is the poet's heart so to say.

It is moonlight there what here the prick of pathos is.

Andaaz-e-goftgoo ney dhokay diay hein vernah;
naghmah hai booey bulbul, boo phhool ki chehak hai.
The manners of speech have deceived us, otherwise song
is nightingale's fragrance; flower's fragrance is its song.

Kasrat mein ho gaya hai wahdat ka raaz makhfi;
jugnu mein jo chamak hai woh phhool mein mehak hai.
(Chhopa hoa.) :
Concealed in plurality is the secret of the Unity.
What is fire-flys brightness is flowers fragrance.

Yeh ikhtilaf pher kiyuon hungamon ka mehal ho;
her shaey mein jabb keh penhan khamoshi-e-azal ho.

(Shor-o-ghoghah ka moqam.)

Why should this difference be occasion for dissensions?

60

When the Primeval Days silence be concealed in everything.

(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE MORNING STAR VENUS
This poem, in three parts, is yet another one in which Allamah Iqbal
has established the superiority of Man above all else in the universe. In
common parlance, and particularly in Urdu and Persian literature, denizens
of the spiritual world are considered superior to those of the terrestrial
world Allamah Iqbal has presented the view of the Holy Quran in which
Man has been designated to be superior to all in his capacity of being the
Vicegerent of God on earth.
Venus, the morning star, is considered to be very beautiful on account
of its brilliance and visibility from the earth early in the morning and also
early in the evening. For this reason it is called Zahrah, i.e. the bright
one. In this poem Venus expresses its desire to be not only a denizen of the
earth but be the one in close association with Man

Sobh ka Sitarah

Lotf-e-humsayagi-e-shams-o-qamar ko chhorron;
aur iss khidmat-e-paigham-e-sehar ko chorron.
Should I abandon the pleasure of sun's and moon's company?
And should I abandon this service of conveying dawn's message?

Meyrey haq mein tuo naheen taaron ki basti achhi;
iss bolandi sey zamin waalon ki pasti achhi.
For me the height of the world of stars is not good;
for me lowliness of earth's denizens is better than this height.

61



Aasman kaya, adum abad watan hai meyra;
sobh ka daaman-e-sadd chaak kafan hai meyra.
What is the sky? Is the uninhabited homeland of mine?
The tattered skirt of the morning is my shroud?

Meyri qismat mein hai her roz ka murna jeina;
saqi-e-mout kay haathhon sey saboohi peina.

:
(Sharab jo sobh kay waqt pei jaati hai.)
My destiny is dying and being born every day.
Drinking morning draft of wine from the hand of death's cup-bearer.

Nah yeh khidmat, nah yeh izzat, nah yeh rifaat achhi;
iss ghharri bhar kay chamakney sey tuo zolmat achhi.
)Tareeki.) :

(Bolandi.( :

This service, this honor, this elegance is not good;

darkness is better than this ephemeral illumination.

Meyri qodrat mein jo hota, tuo nah akhtar banta;
qaar-e-darya mein chamakta hoa gohar banta.
(Darya ki gehraeyi.) :
If I had the power, I would have never become a planet.
I would have become the shining pearl in the ocean's depth.

62



Wan bhi moujon ki kashakash sey jo dil ghhabrata;
chhorr kar behar kaheen zaib-e-goloo ho jaata.
(Gallay ki zeenat.) :
There also if I would have become weary of the waves' struggle;
leaving the ocean I would have become some neck's decoration.

Hai chamakney mein maza hosn ka zaiwar bun kar;
zeenat-e-taj-e-sar-e-banoey Qaisar bun kar.

) ( :

(Qaisar (kissi badshah) ki malkah kay taj ki zeenat.)
The pleasure of brightness is in being some beauty's ornament;
in being the ornament of the crown of the princess of Caesar.
(Caesar: This is the generic title of the emperors of the Roman Empire.
They are proverbial for their immense power and wealth of that time.)

Eik pathhar kay jo tokarrey ka nisaba jaaga;
khatam-e-dast-e-Sulaiman (A.S.) ka nagin bun kay raha.

)( :
(Sulaiman (A.S.) kay haath ki angoothhi.)
As the fortune of a piece of stone gained ascendancy;
it did not stop short of being jewel of Sulaiman's ring.
(Sulaiman A.S. a true prophet is also famous for his wealth, power and glory.
The signet ring refers to the stone of his ring which was an emblem of his
sovereignty. This verse shows that a mere piece of stone gained elegance by
being the stone of the ring of a man.)
63



Aisi cheezon ka magar dehar mein hai kaam shikast;
hai gohar-haey gran mayah ka injaam shikast.
(Qimati moti.) :
But breaking is the end of such things in the world.
Breaking is the end of the invaluable pearls.

Zindagi woh hai keh jo ho nah shanasaey ajal;
kaya woh jeina hai keh ho jiss mein taqazaey ajal.
(Mout.) :
Real life is the one which is not acquainted with death.
What good is the life in which there is demand of death?

Hai yeh anjaam agar zeenat-e-alam ho kar;
kiyuon nah gir jaaon kissi phhool peh shabnam ho kar.
If this is the end of being the decoration of the universe:
Why should I not fall as dew on some flower?

Kissi paishani kay afshan kay sitaron mein rahon;
kissi mazloom ki aahon kay shararon mein rahon.
I should live as shining specks in the decoration of someone's forehead;
I should live in the sparks of some oppressed person's sighs.

Ashk bun kar sar-e-mozzgan sey attak jaaon mein;
64

kiyuon nah oss beewi ki aankhhon sey tapak jaaon mein.

As tear I be entangled in the eye lashes of someone:
Why should I not drip from the eyes of that lady?

Jiss ka shohar ho rawan, ho kay zirrah mein mastoor;
sooey maidan-e-wagha, hobb-e-watan sey majboor.
(Chhopa hoa.(

)Larraeyi ka maidan.)

Whose husband, clad in the chains-armour is departing

to battlefield, compelled by the love of the homeland!

Yaas-o-ummeid ka nazarah jo deikhhlati ho;
jiss ki khamoshi sey taqrir bhi sharmati ho.
(Mayuosi.) :
Who may be exhibiting hope and despair's spectacle;
whose silence may be putting speech to embarrassment?

Jiss ko shohar ki raza taab-e-shakibaeyi dey;
aur nigahon ko haya taqat-e-goyaeyi dey.
(Sabar ki himmat.( :
)Bolney ki taqat.) :
To whom pleasing the husband may give the strength for patience
and to whose eyes' modesty may give the power to speak.

65



Zard rokhsat ki ghharri; aariz-e-gulgon ho jaaey;
kashash-e-hosn ghum-e-hijr sey afzon ho jaaey.
(Phhoolon jaisa rokhsaar.)

Whose rosy cheeks at departure's time may be turned pale;

attraction of whose beauty by separation's sorrow may be enhanced.

Laakhh woh zabt karey per mein tapak he jaon
saaghar-e-deidah-e-num sey chhalak he jaaon.

:
(Aansoon sey bhari ankhh.)
However hard she may control but still I may drip;
I may spill over from the cup of the tearful eye.

Khak mein mil kay hayat-e-abdi paa jaaon;
ishq ka soz zamaney ko dikhhata jaaon.
After mixing with dust I may get eternal life and departing,
I may show warmth of Love to the world.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE CLOUD
Abr (Baadal) :

Othhi pher aaj woh poorab sey kaali kaali ghhata;
siyah posh hoa paharr Sarban ka.
66

 :
(Bhimbar, Azad Kashmir mein eik paharr ka naam.)
Today dark clouds have appeared from the east again;
Mount Sarban* has become covered with darkness again.
(*This is a hill in Bhimbar, now in Azad Kashmir... The poem is a
spontaneous outburst of his feelings after witnessing some rain storm.)
However, according to Urdu commentary by Asrar Zaidi Sarban is a
mountain near Abottabad and the poem was written there.

Nehan hoa jo rokh-e-mehr zir-e-daaman-e-abr;
hawaey sard bhi aaeyi sawar tuosan-e-abr.
(Baadal ka ghhorra.)

As the sun's face became hidden under the clouds;

cool breeze also came riding on the steed of clouds.

Garj ka shor naheen hai; khamosh hai yeh ghhata;
ajib maey-kadah-e-bey kharosh hai yeh ghhata.
There are no thunder claps, silent are these clouds;
strange in its tranquillity is this tavern of dark clouds.

Chaman mein hokm-e-nishat-e-madaam laaeyi hai;
qabaey gul mein gohar tankaney ko aaeyi hai.
(Hamaishah ki khoshi.) :
It has brought everlasting joy's message for the garden.
It has come to stitch pearls to the jacket of rose.

67

Jo phhool mehr ki garmi sey suo chalay thhey, othhay;

zamin ki goud mein jo parr kay suo rehey thhey, othhay.
The flowers which were fading by sun's heat freshened up;
those which were sleeping in the earth's bosom woke up.

!
Hawa kay zor sey obhra, barrha, orra baadal;
othhi woh aur ghhata, lo! Baras parra baadal.
With the wind's force the cloud rose, advanced and flowed;
some dark clouds rose up, the clouds burst open into rain!

Ajib khaimah hai kohsar kay nehaalon ka;
yehin qayam ho wadi mein pherney waalon ka.
The camp of the mountains' trees is wonderful;
strollers in valleys should stay among its trees.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE CHILD AND THE CANDLE
Dr Khalil wrote: This apparently simple poem is highly charged with
sophisticated Tasawwuf and so is very difficult to understand. It is based on
the theories of Wahdat al-Wujood and Wahdat al-Shuhood... The poem,
which belongs to the pre-1905 period, is based on the former as is apparent
from part three. In the poem Light manifestation of God, and Beauty
means the Existence of God. Consequently, I have written both these words
in capitals.

Bachah aur shamaa

Kaisi hairani hai yeh ay tiflak-e-pervanah khoo;
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shamaa kay shoalon ko ghharriyuon deikhhta rehta hai tou.

:
(Pervaney ki khaslat wala bachah.)
O Child with moth-like nature! How strange that
you keep gazing at the flame of the candle for hours?

Yeh meri aaghosh mein baithhey hoay jonbash hai kaya;
roshni sey kaya baghal giri hai teyra modaa?
What is this movement, when you are in my lap?
Are you intending to embrace the light?

Iss nazarey sey tera nanha saa dil hairan hai;
yeh kissi deikhhi hoeyi shaey ki magar pehchan hai.
Though your tiny heart is surprised at this spectacle,
but this is recognition of some object already seen!*
(*This is the first hint in the poem that the candle's light is the same
light as the Light of God seen by Man on the Primeval Day.)

Shamaa ekk shoalah hai laikan tou sarapa noor hai;
aah iss mehfil mein yeh oriyan hai tou mastoor hai.
(Zahir, brahnah.) :
The candle is but a flame, you are the Light embodied.
Ah! In this assembly that is manifest, you are concealed.*
(*Allusion to the manifest glow of the candle
in the transparent mantle of glass and the veiled Light of God
in the opaque earthen mantle of human body.)
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Dast-e-qodrat ney issey kaya jaaney kiyuon oriyan kiya;
tojh ko khak-e-tirah kay fanoos mein penhan kiya.
(Siyah yaani tareek matti.) :
It is not known why the Nature's hand made it manifest!
And concealed you in the dark soil's mantle.

Noor teyra chhop gaya zir-e-niqaab-e-aagehi;
hai ghobar deidah-e-beina hijab-e-aagehi.
Your light has been concealed under the veil of Intellect!
The veil of Cognition is a mere mist to the wise eye!
(This and the remaining verses mean that God (His Beauty) is present in the
multitudes of worldly objects mentioned in those verses. He can be
discerned by the discerning eye with the help of Khudi. The Holy Qur'an

also teaches us to understand God from the objects of the universe and
Man's own self, which is Khudi. The power of Khudi distinguishes Man
from and makes him superior to the rest of the creation of God. However,
Knowledge or Intellect conceals Khudi and with it the Light of God fades
away from Man's eyes. This Light dawns only when Man throws away the
earthly mantle of Intellect and activates the Love of God)

Zindagani jiss ko kehtey hein framoshi hai yeh;
khwab hai, ghuflat hai, sarmusti hai, bey hoshi hai yeh.
What is called life really a mirage it is;
a dream, a swoon, an ecstasy, oblivion it is.

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Mehfil-e-qodrat hai ekk daryaey bey payaan hosn;
ankhh agar deikhhey tuo her qatrey mein hai toofan-e-hosn.
The Nature's assembly is the Beauty's boundless ocean;
for the discerning eye every drop is the Beauty's storm.

Hosn, kohistan ki haibat-naak khamoshi mein hai;
mehr ki zuo-gastari, shabb ki seih poshi mein hai.
(Roshani phhailana.) :
Beauty is in the frightening silence of the mountain;
in shedding of sun's light, and in night's darkness.

Aasman-e-sobh ki aeinah poshi mein hai yeh;
shaam ki zolmat, shafaq ki gul froshi mein hai yeh.
It is in the morning sky's mirror-like glitter;
in the night's darkness and in the twilight's floridity.

Azmat-e-deirinah kay mit-tay hoay aasar mein;
tiflak-e-na-ashna ki koshash-e-goftar mein.

:
(Nah jananey wala; bhola bhala bachah.)
It is in the disappearing relics of the old magnificence;
in the small child's effort to commence speaking.

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Saakinan-e-sehan-e-gulshan ki hum aawazi mein hai;

nanhey nanhey taeron ki aashiyan saazi mein hai.
It is in the harmony of the denizens of the rose-garden;
in the nest-building efforts of the tiny little birds.

Chashmah-e-kohsar mein, darya ki azadi mein hosn;
shehar mein, sehra mein, veraaney mein hai.
In the mountain stream, in the ocean's freedom is Beauty;
in the city, the forest, the wilderness, the habitation is Beauty.

Rooh ki laikan kissi gom-gashtah shaey ki hai hawus;
vernah iss sehra mein kiyuon nalan hai yeh misl-e-jaras.
(Ghhanti.) :
The soul but longing for some lost object is;
or else why is it lamenting in wilderness like a bell?

Hosn kay iss aam jalway mein bhi yeh bey taab hai;
zindagi iss ki misal-e-maahi bey aab hai.
:
(Pani sey baahar machhli ki tarah.)
It is restless even in this general splendour of Beauty;
its life is like a fish out of water.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
ON THE BANKS OF THE RAVI
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Ravi is one of the five major rivers forming the Indus Basin and the
region of the Punjab. It passes through Lahore and is a part of its life. In this
poem Allamah Iqbal is describing one of his frequent visits to the river bank.
After describing the river's beauty and serene environment he passes on to
the realm of higher thoughts. In the sixth and seventh verses he recapitulates
a glimpse of the departed glory of Muslims during the Mughal rule in India,
when Lahore was the capital of the Mughal Empire for a considerable time
during the reign of Emperor Noor al-Din Jahangir (1569-1627, reigned
1605-27). However, the main lesson of the poem is contained in the last two
verses, according to which death is not the end of human life but only a
change of place and form. Extending this philosophy to the life of nations
these verses mean that the decline and fall of the Mughal Empire is not the
end of Muslims and their glory would return if they work for it again
Kinar-e-Ravi :

Sakoot-e-shaam mein mehav-e-sarood hai Ravi;
nah poochh mojh sey jo hai kaifiyat merey dil ki.

:
(Morad hai leharon ka dhima shor.)
In the evening's serenity the Ravi melodious is:
Do not ask me what the condition of my heart is.

Payam sajday ka yeh zir-o-bum hoa mojh ko;
jahan tamaam sawad-e-Haram hoa mojh ko.

:
(Leharon ka oopar neichay hona.(
)Haram kay hum aahung.) :
This became message of prostrations rise and fall to me;
the whole world became precincts of the Haram to me.

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Sar-e-kinarah aab-e-rawan khharra hon mein;
khabar naheen mojhey laikan kahan khharra hon mein.

(Behtay pani kay kinarey per.)

I am standing at the bank of the running water;

however, I do not know where I am standing.

Sharab-e-sorkh sey rungin hoa hai daaman-e-shaam;
leay hai pir falak dast-e-raashah daar mein jaam.
(Kanpta hoa haath.) :
The red wine has coloured the skirt of the evening.
The aged sky is holding wine cup in its trembling hand.

Adum ko qaflah-e-roz taiz gaam chala;
shafaq naheen hai, yeh sooraj kay phhool hein goya.
The day's fast moving caravan is advancing to its end.
The evening's twilight is the sun's flower so to say.

Khharrey hein door woh azmat fazaey tunhaeyi;
manaar khwab geh-e-shehswar-e-Choghtaeyi.

:
(Tunhaeyi ki azmat barrhaney waaley.(

:
)Sonnay ki jagah; morad hai mazar.(
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 :

)Morad hai Jahangir badshah jiss ka maqbarah
Ravi kay kinarey sey nazar aata hai.)
In the distance those solitary structures are standing;
they are the minarets of the Mughal emperors' tombs.

Fasanah-e-sitam-e-inqilab hai yeh mahal;
koeyi zaman-e-salf ki kitab hai yeh mahal.
(Gozra hoa zamanah.) :
This place is the tale of revolutions tyranny.
This place is some book of the bygone age.

Moqam kaya hai sarood-e-khamosh hai goya;
shajar, yeh anjuman-e-bey kharosh hai goya.
This place is a silent orchestra so to say;
not trees! But it is a serene assembly so to say.

Rawan hai seinah-e-darya peh ekk safinah taiz;
hoa hai mouj sey mallah jiss ka garam staiz.
(Kashti.( :
)Kaam mein taizi.) :
A fast moving boat is sailing on its surface;
whose sailor is fighting fiercely with the waves.

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Sobak rawi mein hai misl-e-nigah yeh kashti;
nikal kar halqah-e-hadd-e-nazar sey door gaeyi.

:
(Aisi taiz raftari jiss mein shor nah ho.)
This boat is in fast speed like the sight;
getting out of sight, it has gone far away.

Jahaz-e-zindagi-e-Adami rawan hai yuonhi;
abud kay behar mein paida yuonhi, nahan hai yuonhi.
The ship of Mans life is sailing in the same way:
it is present as well as hidden in eternitys sea.

Shikast sey yeh kabhi aashna naheen hota;
nazar sey chhopta hai laikan fana naheen hota.
It never gets acquainted with defeat;
it is concealed from sight but is not effaced!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE MORNING STAR VENUS
This short poem carries the message that Mans good deeds would last
for ever, even after the sun and the stars would cease to exist, i.e. even after
the Day of Judgment.
Akhtar-e-sobh

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Sitarah sobh ka rota thha aur yeh kehta thha;

mili nigah magar forsat-e-nazar nah mili.

:
(Sobh kay sitarey ki zindagi bohat kum hoti hai.)
The dawns star was weeping and saying this:
I got the eye but not the leisure for Sight.

Hoeyi hai zindah dum-e-aaftab sey her shaey;
aman mojhi ko teh-e-daaman-e-sehar nah mili.
Everything has come to life through the suns energy;
only I did not get protection under the mornings skirt.

Bisaat kaya hai bhala sobh kay sitarey ki;
nafas hobab ka, tabindagi shararey ki.
(Pani ka bolbolah.) :

(Haisiyat.( :

After all what is the capacity of the dawns star:

It is like bubbles breath, like the sparks brightness.

!
Kaha yeh mein ney keh ay zaiwar-e-jabin-e-sehar;
ghum-e-fana hai tojhey! gonbad-e-falak sey otar.

:
(Sobh kay maathhey ka zaiwar, tikka.)
I said O beautiful jewel of the dawns forehead;
do you have fear of death? Come down from the sky.

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Tapak bolandi-e-gardon sey humreh-e-shabnam;
merey riaz-e-sakhon ki faza hai jan perwar.
(Goftar (shaeri) ka bagh.) )( :
Drop down from the skys height with the dew;
my poetrys field will be invigorating to you.

Mien baghban hon, mohabat bahaar hai iss ki;
bana misal-e-abud paidar hai iss ki.
(Bonyaad.) :
I am the gardener, Love is its bloom;
its foundation is firm like eternity.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
ON SEEING A CAT IN THE LAP OF SOMEONE
In this poem also Allamah Iqbal uses a common object like a cat in
somebodys lap for explaining a mystic truth. This mystic truth is the
universality of the Love of God in everything in the universe. This concept
is contained in the first verses of Surahs 59 , 61, 62 and 64 of the Holy
Quran, according to which everything in the universe is so intoxicated with
the Love of God that either it spontaneously declares His praises and Glory
or is about to do so.

---Ki goud mein billi deikhh kar

Tojh ko dozdeidah nigahi yeh sikhha di kis ney;
ramz aaghaz-e-mohabat ki bata di kis ney.

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 :
(Chori chori nigahon sey deikhhna.)
Who has taught you this glancing with shyness?
Who has taught you the riddle of Loves initiation?

Her adaa sey teyri paida hai mohabat kaisi;
neili aankhhon sey tapakti hai zakawat kaisi.
(Aqlmandi.) :
Love comes out of each grace of yours.
Wit is dripping from the blue eyes of yours.

Deikhhti hai kabhi onn ko kabhi sharmati hai;
kabhi othhti hai, kabhi lait kay so jaati hai.
You see him sometimes, you shy away sometimes.
Rise up sometimes, lie down and sleep sometimes.

Ankhh teyri sift-e-aeinah hairan hai kaya;
noor-aagehi sey roshan teri pehchan hai kaya.
Is your eye bewildered like the mirror?
Are you recognized by the glow of knowledge?

Maarti hai innhein pohanchon sey, ajab naaz hai yeh;
chhairr hai, ghossah hai ya piyar ka andaaz hai yeh?
You strike him with wrists, this is a strange playfulness!
Is it aversion or anger? Or a way of Love it is?
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Shokh tou ho-gi tuo goudi sey otaarein gay tojhey;
gir gaya phhool jo seinay ka tuo maarein gay tojhey.
You will be removed from the lap if you will be naughty.
You will be beaten if the flower on the breast will fall.

Kaya tajasos hai tojhey, kis ki tamannaeyi hai;
aah kaya tuo bhi ossi cheez ki soudaeyi hai.
(Talash.) :
What are you longing for? What are you seeking?
Ah! Are you also in Love with the same thing?

Khaas insan sey kochh hosn ka ehsaas naheen;
surat-e-dil hai yeh her cheez kay baatin mein makin.
(Basa hoa; rehaish pazeer.)

The feeling for Beauty is not special to Man:

Like the heart it is present in everything.

Shishah-e-dehar mein manind-e-maey naab hai ishq;
rooh-e-khurshid hai; khoon-e-rug-e-mehtaab hai ishq.
(Dunya.( :
)Khalis sharab.( :

:

)Poray chaand ki rug ka khoon yaani roshan aur thhanda.)
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In the flask of time Love is like the pure wine.

Love is the suns spirit, and the blood in moons veins.

Dil-e-her zarrah mien poshidah kasak hai oss ki;
noor yeh woh hai keh her shaey mein jhalak hai oss ki.
(Halki halki dard.) :
Its pain is concealed in every specks core;
this is the light which is reflected in everything.

Kaheen samaan-e-musarat; kaheen saaz-e-ghum hai;
kaheen gohar hai, kaheen ashk, kaheen shabnam hai.
It causes happiness somewhere, and sorrow somewhere;
it is pearl somewhere, tear somewhere, dew somewhere
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE STAR
Dr Khalil writes: This short and apparently simple nature poem contains
the very important subject of the origin, nature and end of matter. It has been
controversial since the time of Aristotelian logic whether matter is
hadith or qadim. Sophisticated arguments exist on both sides. However, far
from solving the problem they have left the readers confused and arguing
with each other. This is one of the enigmas for comprehending which
Divine guidance is needed. The Holy Quran states that (i) matter is no
eternal but has been created by God, is constantly changing in form and is
being re-created, and (ii) though matter has not been destroyed since its
creation it will be destroyed on the Last Day. (The Holy Quran 10:4; 14:48;
17:49; 21:104; 27:60-66; 29:19-20; and 35:16.) The climax of the thesis is
reached in the last verse of the poem. Allamah Iqbal has dealt with this
matter in several poems.
The constant appearance of new forms of life at all taxonomic levels of
plants and animals and the constant appearance of new stars, constellations
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and galaxies testify to the correctness of the first verse. Similarly, the
constant movement of matter along fixed orbits from the sub-atomic
elementary particles to the planets, stars, constellations and galaxies
supports the second verse.
Sitarah :

Qamar ka khouf keh hai khatrah-e-sehar tojh ko;
maal-e-hosn ki kaya mil gaeyi khabar tojh ko?
(Anjaam.) :
Are you afraid of the moon or the dawn?
Are you conscious of the end of beauty?

Mataa-e-noor kay lott jaaney ka hai dar tojh ko;
hai kaya haraas-e-fana surat-e-sharar tojh ko?
(Mitt jaaney ka khouf.) :
Are you afraid of being robbed of lights wealth?
Are you afraid of annihilation like the spark?

Zamin sey door diya aasman ney ghhar tojh ko;
misal-e-mah orrhaeyi qabaey zar tojh ko?
(Chaandi ka libaas.) :
The sky has settled you far from the earth;
it has wrapped you in golds mantle like the moon.

Ghazab hai pher teri nanhi sei jan darti hai;
tamaam raat teri kanptay gozarti hai.
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It is outrageous that your feeble life is still in fear;

your whole night passes in trembling with fear.
(The reply to the questions in the first three verses is obviously in the
negative. In that case the fourth verse expresses surprise at the conditions
stated in it. The amazement is satisfied in the last four verses according to
which all creation, irrespective of its beauty and station in the universe is
ephemeral and is destined to die or be annihilated.)

!

Chamkaney waaley mosafir! Ajab yeh basti hai;
jo ouj eik ka hai, doosarey ki pasti hai.
(Bolandi.) :
O shining traveler! This habitation is strange;
the rise of one leads to the fall of the other.

Ajal hai lakhhon sitaron ki ekk waladat-e-mehr;
fana ki neind maey zindagi ki musti hai.

:
(Sooraj ki pidaish yaani sooraj ka nikalna.)
The birth of one sun is the death of a myriad stars;
annihilations sleep is the ecstasy of lifes wine.

Widaa-e-ghoncha mein hai raaz-e-aafrinash-e-gul;
adum, adum hai keh aeinah-daar-e-husti hai.
(Rokhsati.( :
)Phhool ki pidaish.) :
Flower buds departure is the secret of flowers birth.
Is annihilation lifes end, or is the equivalent of life!
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Sakon mohaal hai qodrat kay kaarkhaney mein;
sabaat ekk taghiyar ko hai zamaney mein.
Quiescence is difficult in the universe;
only change is permanent in the universe.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE TWO STARS
This and the previous poem, named Star are complementary to each
other. Stars are the units or building blocks of the universe. They are marvels
of the creation of God. The history of astronomy shows that the marvels and
mysteries of the universe have always baffled mankind. The greatest marvel
of the universe is its organization and the coherence of the celestial bodies
which constitute it. This is created by the mutual attraction of stars or gravity
divinely conferred upon them. Allamah Iqbal has frequently alluded to this
phenomenon in his works, often as a lesson to the Muslim Ummah to
acquire the virtue of mutual love among its constituents to create and
maintain the coherence and continuity of the Islamic society, commented
Dr Khalil.
Just as the universe is a coherent and well-organized entity the Holy
Quran, which is another marvel of the creation of God, is also a masterpiece
of logical order of its constituents. Though the Holy Quran was revealed to
the Holy Prophet S.A.W. over a period of 23 years, its compilation and
organization in the present form was done by the Holy Prophet S.A.W.
himself under Divine guidance. Comprehensive overview of the Holy
Quran shows that its surahs (chapters) and ayat (verses) within
the surahs are not haphazardly arranged as alleged by Islams enemies due to
ignorance or prejudice. Indeed these parts follow a distinct logical order,
which is more helpful to its study than chronological order, which is often
suggested by western scholars.
Allamah Abd Allah Yusuf Alihas very ably shown this orderly
arrangement as well as logic in his Introduction to the relevant surahs. He
has recognized 14 groups of surahs and has shown how these groups are
arranged in a logical sequence and how the surahs in each group are
similarly arranged. These groups are; Surahs 1-7; 8-16; 17-21; 22-25; 26-28;
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29-32; 33; 34-39; 40-46; 47-49; 50-56; 57-66; 67-94; and 95-114. Perusal of
Introductions to the first surah of each group clarifies the above assertion. In
addition to these groups certain surahs are arranged in pairs. In
such surahs the continuation of the subject matter is shown or suggested by a
cue-word, e.g. surahs 33-34, 45-46, 52-53.
The poem under study alludes to the last of the three pairs referred to
above. In these surahs the continuity is shown by the word star in the last
verse of surah 52 corresponding to stars in the first verse of surah 53.
Consequently, this pair of surahs is called Zahrawatain or The Two
Bright Ones. The central theme of surah 52 (Al-Toor or The Mount) is that
the Revelation of the Holy Quran, as that of the previous scriptures, is in
accord with all the signs of God, and that the here-after is irresistible and we
must prepare for it. The theme of Surah 53 (Al-Najm or The Star) is that as
God is the source of all things, including Revelation, the latter is not an
illusion. Illusion is in the minds of those with weak or no Aiman. The central
theme of these two surahs is expressed in the poems last verse, i.e. the
destruction of the universe in its present form is inevitable and that all those
existing in this universe in company will separate and will be
severally responsible for their deeds.
Duo Sitarey :

Aaey jo Quran mein jo sitarey;
kehney laga eik, doosarey sey.
As two stars came together in the Holy Quran;
one started saying this to the other:

Yeh wasl madam ho tuo kaya khoob;
anjaam kharaam ho tuo kaya khoob.
(Mostaqil milaap.( :
)Chalna.) :
How excellent if this union together be permanent!

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How excellent if the end be walking together!

Thhorra saa jo meharban falak ho;
hum duonon ki eik he chamak ho.
If the sky becomes slightly favourable;
we two will be with similar glow.
(Under the influence of Greek thought the sky was considered to influence
the happenings on the earth as well as the destinies of its denizens. Though
after the advent of Islam, this is no longer believed it continues to be so
expressed in Urdu and Persian literature.)

Laikan yeh wisal ki tamanna;
paigham-e-fraaq thhi sarapa.
) Jodaeyi.) :

(Milaap.( :

But this longing for the union

proved completely a message of the end of the union.

Gardish taaron ka hai moqadar;
her eik ki rah hai moqarar.
Revolution is the destiny of the stars;
for each its special orbit is fixed.

Hai khwab sabaat aashnaeyi;
aein jahan ka hai jodaeyi.
The permanence of union is a mere dream;
the rule of the universe is separation!
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(Allusion to the fact that stars do not occur in pairs but all of them cohere
together as components of the universe. Similarly, the soorahs of the Holy
Quran constitute a coherent whole and so should the Muslim Ummah be.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE MOTOR CAR
In this poem Allamah Iqbal teaches high thinking through simple
objects or incidents. The names of persons are irrelevant to the lesson.

Kaisi pattay ki baat Jogindar ney kal kehi;
motor hai Zulfikar Ali Khan ki kaya khamosh.
How rightly Jogender said this yesterday:
The car of Zulfiqar Ali Khan is so quiet.

Hungamah aafrin naheen oss ka kharaam-e-naaz;
manind-e-barq taiz, missal-e-hawa khamosh.
(Shor machaney waali.) :
Its elegant and graceful pace is not noisy;
fast like lightning, like breeze it is quiet.

Mien ney kaha, naheen hai yeh motor peh monhisr;
hai jaadah-e-hayat mein her taiz-paa khamosh.
(Zindagi ka raastah.( :
)Taiz chalney wala.) :
I replied: This is not restricted to car;
in the path of life every fleet footed is quiet.
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Hai paa shikastah shaiwah-e-faryaad sey jaras;
nekhat ka carvan hai missal-e-saba khamosh.

:
(Tootay hoay paaon.(
The bell is footless from its habit of lamenting;
the caravan of fragrance like zephyr is quiet.

Mina madaam shorash-e-qolqol sey paa beh gul;
laikan mizaaj-e-jaam kharaam aashna khamosh.

)Bhari hoeyi sorahi sey sharab nikaalney ki awaaz.(

:
)Chaltey rehney ka aadi.)
The decanter always walks on embers* due to gurgling,
but the nature of the gentle-moving wine-cup is quiet.
(*Walking on embers or fire is an expression to indicate
walking under difficult conditions.)

Shaer kay fikr ko per pervaaz khaamshi;
sarmayah-daar-e-garmi-e-awaaz khaamshi.

:
(Awaaz ki garmi ka sarmayah.)
To the poets thoughts the wings for flight are silence;
the wealth of the voices warmth lies in silence!
88

(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE PRINCESS OF FLOWERS
Through this short poem Allamah Iqbal conveys the lesson that moral
and ethical elegance can be achieved only through developing empathy with
the people who are suffering. This lesson is emphasized in the two last
verses.

Phhoolon ki Shehzadi

Kali sey kaeh rehi thhi eik dinn shabnam gulistan mein;
rehi mien eik modat ghonchah-haey bagh-e-rizwan mein.
One day the dew in the garden was saying to the flower bud:
I lived for a long time among the flower buds of Paradise.

Tumharey gulistan ki kaifiyat sarshar hai aisi;
nigah firdous dar daaman hai meyri chashm-e-hairan mein.

:
(Daaman mein bahisht leay hoay.)
The condition of your garden is so elegant;
the Paradises sight is concealed in my bewildered eye.

Sonna hai koeyi shehzadi hai hakam iss gulistan ki;
keh jiss kay naqsh-e-paa sey phhool hon paida biyaban mein.
(Pairon kay nishan.) :
I have heard that some princess is the ruler of this garden

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with whose foot-prints the wilderness would produce flowers.

Kabhi saath apney oss kay aastan takk mojh ko tuo ley chal;
chhopa kar apney daaman mein barung-e-mouj-boo ley chal.
(Khoshboo ki lehar ki tarah.) :

Some day take me with you up to her palace;

take me concealed in your skirt like fragrance.

Kali boli, sarir-ara hamari hai woh shehzadi;
drakhshan jiss ki thhokar sey hon pathhar bhi nagin bun kar.
(Takht ko zeenat bananey waali.) :
The flower bud said: On the throne is that princess of ours
by whose kick even stones become resplendent jewels.

Magar fitrat teri aftandah aur begum ki shaan onchi;
naheen momkin keh tou pohnchay hamari hum-nashin bun kar.
(Haqir; pust.) :
But your nature is bright and princess rank is elegant.
It is not possible that you reach her in company with me.

Pohnch sakti hai tou laikan hamari shahzadi takk;
kissi dokhh dard kay maarey ka ashk-e-aatishin bun kar.

:
(Jala deyney wala ansoo.)
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However you can reach up to our princess

by becoming the hot tear of some afflicted person.

Nazar oss ki payam-e-Eid hai ehal-e-mehram ko;
bana deyti hai gohar ghum-zaddon kay ashk-e-pehum ko.
(Lagatar behney waaley ansoo.)

Her glance is the message of Eid to the Muharrams people;

turns the continuous tears of afflicted people into pearls.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE FLOWER
In this beautiful and apparently nature poem Allamah Iqbal gives the
lesson of contentment and self-sufficiency. Verses 4 onwards are very
important.
Phhool :

Tojhey kiyuon fikr hai ay gul dil-e-sadd chaak bulbul ki;
tou apney pairhan kay chaak tuo pehley rafoo kar ley.
(Morad hai Musliman.) :
O flower! Why do you care for the nightingales wounded heart!
First you should darn the slits of your own shirt!

Tamanna aabroo ki ho agar gulzar-e-hasti mein;
tou kanton mein olajh kar zindagi karney ki khoo kar ley.
If you long for respect in the rose garden of existence;
you should get accustomed to living entangled in thorns!

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Sanobar bagh mein azad bhi hai, paa beh gill bhi hai;
innhi pabandiyuon mein hasil azadi ko tou kar ley.
(Eik jagah khharra.) :
The juniper in the garden is free as well as chained to the soil;
you should acquire freedom within these constraints!

Tunak bakhshi ko istaghna sey paigham-e-khajalat dey;
nah reh mannat kash-e-shabnam nigon jaam-o-saboo kar ley.
(Maamooli bakhshash.(
)Oondha.) :

:
)Bey niazi.) :

With contentment give message of embarrassment to miserliness:

Do not remain obliged to dew, you should empty the cup and the bottle!

Naheen yeh shaan-e-khod daari, chaman sey torr kar tojh ko;
koeyi dastaar mein rakhh ley, koeyi zaib-e-goloo kar ley.
It does not befit self respect that being picked from the garden
you should be put in some turban or pinned to some collar!

Chaman mein ghoncha-e-gul sey yeh kaeh kar orr gaeyi shabnam;
mazaq-e-jor-e-gulchein ho tuo paida rung-o-boo kar ley.

:
(Phhool chonaney wala.)
The dew disappeared from garden saying to the flower bud:

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If you love gardeners oppression, you should create beauty.

Agar manzoor ho tojh ko khazan na-ashna rehna;
jahan-e-rung-o-boo sey, pehley qataa-e-aarzoo kar ley.

(Dunya ki goonagon dil-faraibiyan.)

If you want to remain unacquainted with autumn;
first you should abandon the desire for the beautys world.

Issi mein deikhh, mozmer hai kamal-e-zindagi teyra;
jo tojh ko zeenat-e-daaman koeyi aeinah-roo kar ley.
(Yaani mehboob.) :
Look, in this alone is concealed your lifes perfection!
If you should be the decoration of some beautys robe!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
FLIGHT
Pervaaz :

Kaha drakht ney ekk roz morgh-e-sehra sey;
sitam peh ghumkadah-e-rung-o-boo ki hai bonyaad.
The tree said to a bird of the desert one day:
Creation is founded on the principle of injustice;

Khoda mojhey bhi agar baal-o-per ataa karta;
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shagoftah aur bhi hota yeh alam-e-eijaad.

For the Creation could have been so much more pleasant
if I had also been granted the gift of flight.

Diya jawab ossey khoob morgh-e-sehra ney;
ghazab hai, daad ko samajha hoa hai tou didaad.
The bird gave him a good reply:
Woe! You regard justice to be injustice;

Jahan mein lazzat-e-perwaaz haq naheen oss ka;
wujood jiss ka naheen jazb-e-khak sey azad.
He is not entitled to fly in this world,
whoever is not free from earth-rootedness.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
11th December, 2013

INQILAB
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
INSPIRATION HUMANS

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Most men and women are often inspired by the fellow human beings
for the simple reason that when they see them excelling in various spheres of
human activities, they run out of excuses of their presumed limitations. The
encounter with sources of inspiration begins at home and parents are
obviously the first source.
And then there are brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, friends and
playmates, teachers and class fellows, business partners and colleagues and
this spectrum keeps expanding with the increase in curriculum of activities.
One can be inspired by many personalities simultaneously depending upon
the variety of goals he intends achieving.
Allamah Iqbal was also inspired by many in his life the mention of
whom has been made in his poetry. These personalities included those of his
time and of not too distant past, especially belonging to the Indian
Subcontinent.
In this chapter, however, only those sources of inspiration are included
for whom poems are exclusively devoted. These poems are produced in the
same order in which these appear in Bang-e-Dara except the one written in
the memory of his mother. That poem marks the culmination of this chapter.
MIRZA GHALIB
Dr Khalil wrote: This elegy is a tribute to the genius of Mirza Asad
Allah Khan Ghalib The poem also provides a glimpse of Allamah Iqbals
feelings of love for Delhi as an emblem of the glory of the Muslim
civilization in the Indian Sub-continent, which reached its zenith during the
reign of Shahjahan (1592-1666, reigned 1627-58), the famous Mughal
Emperor of India and the builder of the Taj Mahal

Fikr-e-insan per teri hasti sey yeh roshan hoa;
bey per morgh-e-takhiyal ki rasaeyi taa-koja.
(Kahan takk.) :
Through you the secret was revealed to the human intellect
that innumerable enigmas are solved by human intellect.
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Thha sarapa rooh tou, bazm-e-sakhon paikar teyra;
zaib-e-mehfil bhi raha mehfil sey penhan bhi raha.
You were the complete soul; literary assembly was your body.
You adorned as well as remained veiled from the assembly.
(This is an allusion to the lack of recognition of Ghalib's genius at the court
of Bahadur Shah, the last Mughal Emperor of India. It also means that,
though you adorned the literary assemblies and were bodily visible, your
real self could not be seen except by those with insight.)

Deid teyri ankhh ko iss hosn ki manzoor hai;
bun kay zindagi her shaey mein mastoor hai.
Your eye is longing to witness that veiled Beauty
which is veiled in everything as the pathos of life.
(This refers to the Sufi concept of Wahdat al-Wujood according to which
everything in the universe is God in different forms.)

Mehfil-e-hasti teri brabt sey hai sarmayahdar;
jiss tarah nadi kay naghmon sey sakoot-e-kohsar.

:
(Saarungi, eik tarah ka baja.)
The assemblage of existence is rich with your harp
as mountain's silence by the brook's melodious harp.

Teyrey fardous-e-takhiyal sey hai qodrat ki bahaar;
teyri kisht-e-fikr sey ogtay hein alam-e-sabzahwar.

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(Soch ki khheiti.) :
The garden of your imagination bestows glory on the universe
from the field of your thought worlds grow like meadows.

Zindagi mozmer hai teyri shokhi-e-tehrir mein;
taab-e-goyai sey junbash hai labb-e-taswir mein.
(Chhopi hoeyi.) :
Life is concealed in the humour of your verse
picture's lips move with your command of language.

Notq ko suo naaz hein teyrey labb-e-eijaz per;
mehav-e-hairat hai suriya rifaat-e-pervaaz per.
(Bolna, goyai.( :

:
)Woh labb jiss ki baatein moajazah hon.)
Speech is very proud of the elegance of your miraculous lips;
Thurayyah is astonished at your style's elegance.

Shahid-e-mazmon tasadaq hai terey andaaz per;
khandah-zun hai ghonchah-e-Dilli gul-e-Shiraz per.
(Moskarata hoa.( :
)Morad hai Mirza Ghalib.(

)Morad hai Hafiz Shirazi.) :

Beloved of literature itself loves your style:
Delhi's bud is mocking at the rose of Shiraz.
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(This is an allusion to Muhammad Shams al-Din Hafiz,

who was an eminent Persian poet of Iran and lived in Shiraz.)

!

Aah! Tou ujarri hoeyi Dilli mein aarmidah hai;
Gulshan-e-Weimar mein teyra hum nawa khwbidah ahi.
(Aaram paaey hoay.(

:
)Asharah hai Germany kay shaer Goethe ki taraf.)
Ah! You are resting in the midst of Delhis ruins;
your counterpart is resting in the Weimar's* garden.
(*German poet Goethe who is buried in Weimar, Germany.)

Lotf-e-goyaeyi mein teyri humsari momkin naheen;
ho takhiyal ka nah jabb takk fikr-e-kamil hum-nashin.
Matching you in literary elegance is not possible
till maturity of thought and imagination are combined.

Haaey! Abb kaya ho gaeyi Hindustan ki sarzamin.

Ah! Ay nazarah aamoz nigah-e-noktah bein.
(Deidar dikhhaney wala.) :
Ah! What has befallen the land of India!
Ah! The inspirer of the super-critical eye!

Gaisooey Urdu abhi mannat pazir-e-shanah hai;

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shamaa yeh soudaeyi-e-dil sozi-e-pervanah hai.

:
(Pervaney ka dil jalaney kay leay pagal.)
The lock of Urdu's hair still craves for combing
this candle still craves for moth's heart-felt pathos.

Ay Jahan Abad, ay gehwarah-e-ilm-o-honar;
hein sarapa nalah-e-khamosh teyrey baam-o-dar.
(Dilli ka porana naam.(

)Jhola.( :
)Chhatein aur darwazey.) :
O Jahanabad*! O cradle of learning and art
your entire super-structure is a silent lament.
(*Abbreviation for Shahjahanabad, which is the original name of Delhi
after its construction under the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan.)

Zarrey zarrey mein terey khwabidah hein shams-o-qamar;
yuon tuo poshidah hein teyri khak mein laakhhon gohar.
(Moti.) :
The sun and the moon are asleep in every speck of your dust;
though innumerable other gems are also hidden in your dust.

Dafan tojh mein koeyi fakhar-e-rozgar aisa bhi hai?
Tojh mein penhan koeyi moti-e-aabdar aisa bhi hai?

:
99

(Zamaney yaani dunya kay leay bais-e-fakhar.)

Does another world-famous person like him also lie buried in you?
Does another gem like him also lie concealed in you?
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE TOMB-STONE OF SAIYYID
Dr Khalil wrote: Saiyyid or Sir Saiyyid is the popular name of Sir
Saiyyid Ahmad Khan This poem is the spontaneous expression of the
sentiments which must have been created in the heart of Allamah Iqbal when
he visited the grave of Sir Saiyyid Ahmad Khan in the yard of the Central
Mosque of the Muslim University, Aligarh. The poem contains the advice
which the deceased would have given to the poet if both had met in actual
life. The poem is an indication of the reverence of Allamah Iqbal for Sir
Saiyyid Ahmad Khan. The advice contained in this poem applies to any
sincere leader.

Saiyyid ki Lauh-e-Turbat

Ay keh teyra morgh-e-jan taar-e-nafas mein hai aseer;
ay keh teyri rooh ka taer qafas mein hai aseer.
O you whose life is confined in the material world.
O you whose soul is imprisoned in the cage.

Iss chaman kay naghmah pairaon ki azadi tuo deikhh;
shehar jo ujrra hoa thha oss ki abadi tuo deikhh.
Look at the freedom of this garden's warblers.
Look at the prosperity of those once desolate.
(This and the following verse allude to the beginning of the renaissance of
the Indian Muslims resulting from the efforts of Sir Saiyyid Ahmad Khan.)

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Fikr rehti thhi mojhey jiss ki woh mehfil hai yehi;
sabr-o-istiqlal ki khheiti ka hasil hai yehi.
This is the congregation with which I was concerned.
This is the reward of patience and perseverance.

Sung-e-turbat hai mera garvidah-e-taqrir deikhh;
chashm-e-baatin sey zara iss lauh ki tehrir deikhh.
(Qabar per laga pathhar.( :
)Taqrir ka shaidaedyi.(

)Takhti.) :
My tomb-stone is ardently desirous of speech, look!
At this tomb-stone's inscription with insight look!

Modaa teyra agar dunya mein hai taalim-e-Deen;
tark-e-dunya quom ko apni nah sikhhlana kaheen.
If your aim in the world is din's education;
never teach your nation world's abdication.

Waa nah karna firqah bundi kay leay apni zoban;
chhop kay hai baithha hoa hungamah-e-mehshar yahan.
Do not use your tongue for sectarianism;
Resurrection Day's tumult for booty is stalking.

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Wasl kay asbaab paida hon teri tehrir sey;
deikhh koeyi dil nah dokhh jaaey teri taqrir sey.
Your writings should pave the way for unity.
Beware! No heart should be hurt by your speech.

Mehfil-e-nau mein porani daastanon ko nah chhairr;
rung per jo abb nah aain onn fasanon ko nah chhairr.
In the new congregation do not start old tales;
do not start again what are now unacceptable tales.

Tuo agar koeyi modabbar hai tuo sonn meyri sada;
hai dilbari dast-e-arbaab-e-siyasat ka assa.
(Tadbir karney wala.( :
)Siyasi loug.) :
Listen to my advice if you are any statesman:
Courage is your support if you are a leader of men.

Arz-e-matlab sey jhejhak jaana naheen zaiba tojhey;
naik hai niyat agar teyri tuo kaya perva tojhey.
Hesitation in expressing your purpose does not behoove you;
if your intentions are good you should not fear anything.

Bundah-e-Momin ka dil beim-o-riya sey pak hai;
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qowwat-e-farman rawa kay saamney bey baak hai.

(Hichkachahat aur dikhhawa.) :
The Mumin's heart is clear of fear and hypocrisy.
The Mumin's heart is fearless against the ruler's power.

Ho agar haathon mein teyrey khaam-e-moajiz raqam;
shishah-e-dil ho agar teyra missal-e-jaam-e-Jam.

:
(Aisa qalam jiss ki tehrir eik moajazah ho.)
If your hands do hold the miraculous pen;
if your heart's cup is clear
like the cup of Jam and his cooperators.
(Jam: This is the legendary wine-cup of a pre-Islamic Persian emperor,
Jamshd, in which he could see the world.)

Pak rakhh apni zoban, talmeez-e-Rehmani hai tou;
ho nah jaaey deikhhna teyri sada bey aabroo.

:
(Khoda ka shaakir, morad hai Khoda sey faiz paaney wala.)
You are a Divine pupil! Keep your tongue immaculate!
Beware! Lest your prayer's call remains unanswered!

Sonnay waalon ko jaga dey shear kay eijaz sey;
khirman-e-baatil jala dey shoalah-e-awaaz sey.
(Dhair.) :
With the miracle of your verse awaken those sleeping;
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burn down falsehood's produce with the flame of your call.

(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
LAMENT OF SEPARATION
(In Memory of Arnold)
This short poem is the outburst of affection and reverence which
Allamah Iqbal had for his teacher and mentor, Sir Thomas Arnold.

( )
Nalah-e-Fraq (Arnold ki yaad mein)

Jaa basa Maghrib mein aakhar ay makan teyra makin;
aah Mashriq ki pasand aaeyi nah oss ko sarzamin.
O house! Your resident is now residing in the West.
Ah! The land of the East was not liked by him.

Aa-gaya aaj iss sadaqat ka merey dil ko yaqin;
zolmat-e-shabb sey ziaey roz-e-forqat kum naheen.
Today my heart is convinced of this truth:
The light of the separation's day is darker than night.

''
"
Taa Zaaghosh-e-widaash dagh-e-hairat cheidah astaz;
humcho shamaa koshtah dar chashm nigah khwabidah ast.

[Jabb sey meyri nigah ney jodaeyi ki aaghosh sey
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hairani kay dagh chonay hein;

meyri ankhh bojhi hoeyi shamaa ki tarah suo gaeyi hai.]
As from his departure's breast the scar is picked up;
sight is asleep in my eyes like the extinguished candle.

Koshtah-e-ozlat hon, abadi mein ghhabrata hon mien;
shehar sey souda ki shiddat mein nikal jaata hon mien.
(Tunhaeyi pasand.) :
I am fond of seclusion, I hate the habitation.
I run away from the city in excruciation of love.

Yaad-e-ayyam-e-salf sey dil ko tarrpata hon mien;
beher taskin teyri jaanib dourrta aata hon mien.

:
(Gozray hoaon ki yaad.)
I make the heart restless from the olden days' memory;
for satisfaction I come ardently running towards you.

Ankhh go manoos hai teyrey dar-o-diwar sey;
ajnabiyat hai magar paida meyri raftar sey.
Though the eye is familiar with your nook and corner,
still some strangeness is apparent from my speed.

Zarrah meyrey dil ka khurshid aashna honay ko thha;
aeinah toota hoa alam-noma honay ko thha.
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 :
(Sooraj sey faiz paaney wala.)
My heart's speck was just to be acquainted with the sun.
The broken mirror was just to expand into the universe.

Nakhal meyri aarzoon ka hara honay ko thha;
aah kaya jaaney koeyi mien kaya sey kaya honay ko thha.
The tree of my longings was just going to green up.
Ah! What does any one know what I was going to be!

Abr-e-rehmat daaman az gulzaar-e-mun barcheid-o-raft;
andkay ber ghonchah-haey aarzoo baareid-o-raft.

[Rehmat kay baadal ney meyrey bagh sey
daaman samaita aur chala gaya;
thhorri dir kay leay woh aarzoon ki kaliyuon
per barsa aur chhat gaya.]
Mercy's cloud gathered up its skirt from my garden and departed;
rained a little over the flower buds of my desires and departed.

Tou kahan hai ay Kalim zaroah-e-Seinaey ilm;
thhi teri mouj-e-nafas baad nishaat-afzaaey ilm.
(Kingrah yaani bolandi ya choti.(

:
106

)Khoshi barrhaney waali hawa.) :

Where are you! O Kalim of the pinnacle Sina of learning!

Your breath was the breeze promoting the joy of learning.

Abb kahan woh shouq-e-reh paimaeyi-e-sehraey ilm;
teyrey dum sey thha hamarey sar mein bhi soudaey ilm.
Gone is that zeal for walking in the vast expanse of learning!
In my intellect also you were the inspirer of love of learning.

Shor-e-Laila koo keh baaz aaraish-e-souda konad;
khak-e-majnon ra ghobar-e-khatar-e-sehra konad.

[Abb Laila ka awaizah kahan?
Abb oss kay hosn ka charcha kahan hai
keh woh pher diwangi ki aaraish karey,
yaani pher diwangi paida karey,
pher majnon bun kar ilm kay sehra mein
ossi tarah chakkar lagain
jiss tarah gard-o-ghobar chakkar lagtay hein.]
Where is Lailah's fervor, so as to decorate Love again;
may make the dust of Majnun mixed with wilderness again.

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Khhol dey ga dasht-e-wehshat oqdah-e-taqrir ko;
torr kar pohnchon ga mien Punjab ki zinjir ko.
The wilderness of solitude will open the fate's knot;
I shall reach you after breaking the chains of the Punjab.

Deikhhta hai deidah-e-hairan teri tasweer ko;
kaya tasali ho magar girwidah-e-taqrir ko.
The bewildered eye looks upon your picture,
but how can one searching for speech be happy?

''
"
Taab-e-goyaeyi naheen rakhhta dehan tasweer ka;
khaamshi kehtay hein jiss ko, hai sakhon tasweer ka.
No power to speak the picture's mouth has;
silence is the speech which the picture has.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
NAWAB MIRZA KHAN DAGH
This poem is an elegy for Nawab Mirza Khan Dagh written at the time
of his death. It pays tribute to the literary genius of Dagh and shows the
reverence and love of Allamah Iqbal for him.

Azmat-e-Ghalib hai ekk modat sey paiwand-e-zamin;
Mahdi Majrooh hai shehar-e-khamoshan ka makin.

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(Zamin mein mili hoeyi.( :

)Qabaristan.) :
The grandeur of Ghalib has remained buried since long;
Mahdi Majrooh* is the cemetery's resident since long.
(*Mir Mahdi Majrooh, Dehalvi; an eminent poet of India.)

Torr daali mout ney ghorbat mein minaey Amir;
chashm-e-mehfil mein hai abb takk kaif-e-sehbaey Amir.
(Sharab ka nashah.) :
Death broke the decanter of Amir* in a strange country,
the assembly's eye still has the ecstasy of the wine of Amir.
(*Munshi Amir Ahmad and Amir Ahmad Minaeyi Lakhhnavi;
eminent poets of India.)

!

Aaj laikan humnawa! Sara chaman maatam mein hai;
shamaa-e-roshan bojh gaeyi, sakhon maatam mein hai.
However, today O Companion! The whole garden is mourning!
Lighted candle is extinguished, literary assembly is mourning!

Bulbul-e-Dilli ney bandha iss chaman mein aashiyan;
hum nawa hein sabb anaadil bagh-e-husti kay jahan.
(Bulbulein.) :
The Delhi's nightingale made its nest in such a garden;
where all the world's nightingales are singing in a chorus.

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 !

Chal basa dagh aah! Miyat iss ki zaib-e-dosh hai;
aakhari shaer-e-Jahan Abad ka khamosh hai.
(Kandhon ki zeenat.) :
Ah Dagh has gone! His bier is on our shoulders.
The last poet of Jahanabad is finally silent.

Abb kahan woh baankpan, woh shokhi-e-tarz-e-biyan;
aag thhi kafoor-e-piri ki jawani ki nehan.
(Borrhapay ka kafoor morad hai safaid baal.)

:
Gone is that smartness! Gone is that humor of style!
The fire of youth was veiled in the old age's camphor.*
(*Camphor is characterized with coolness. This verse is a very artistic
expression of the fact that Dagh's thinking was a judicious mixture of
the fervor of youth tempered with the coolness of mature age.)

Thhi zoban-e-dagh per jo aarzoo her dil mein hai;
Laila-e-maani wahan bey pardah, yan mehmal mein hai.
Every heart has the longing which the language of Dagh had;
this Lailah was unveiled there, she is behind the veil here.

Abb saba sey kon poochhey ga sakoot-e-gul ka raaz;
kon samajhey ga chaman mein nalah-e-bulbul ka raaz.
Who will ask zephyr now the secret of silence of the rose?

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Who in the garden will understand the secret of nightingale's wailing?

Thhi haqiqat sey nah ghuflat fikr ki pervaaz mein;
ankhh taer ki nashiman per rehi pervaaz mein.
In his elegant imagination he was not unaware of reality:
The bird's eye remained focused on the nest even in flight.

Aur deikhhlain gay mazmon ki humein baarikiyan;
apney fikr-e-noktah ara ki falak paimaiyan.

:
(Bareek soch paida karney waaley.(

:
)Aasman takk orranein.)
Others will show us the subtleties of linguistic thought;
the elevated elegance of the sagacity of their thought.

Talkhi-e-duoran kay naqshay khhainch kar rolwain gay;
ya takhiyal ki naeyi dunya humein deikhhlain gay.
They will make us cry painting the picture of time's vicissitudes;
or will show us the new world of their imagination.

Iss chaman mein paida hon gay bulbul-e-Shiraz bhi;
sainkarron saahir bhi hon gay, sahib-e-eijaz bhi.
(Moajizah dikhhaney wala.) :
Nightingales of Shiraz also will be born in this garden;
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there will be hundreds of magicians and masters of miracles.

Othhein gay Azar hazaron shear kay bottkhaney sey;
maey palain gay niay saqi niay paimaney sey.
Thousands of Azars will rise from the temple of poetry.
The new cup-bearers will serve wine from the new goblets.
(Azar: Father of Ibrahim A.S. famous for making stone idols.)

!
Likhhi jaain gi kitab-e-dil ki tafseerin bohat;
hon gi ay khwab-e-jawani! Teyri taabirin bohat.
Many commentaries of the book of Love will be written;
there will be many interpretations of the youths' dreams.

Hoo bahoo khhainchay ga laikan ishq ki tasweer kon?
Othh gaya navok fagan, maarey ga dil per teer kon?
(Teer andaaz.) :
However, who will draw the exact picture of Love?
The master having departed; who will enchant the heart?

!
Ashk kay daaney zamin-e-shear mein bota hon mien;
tou bhi rou ay khak-e-Dilli! Dagh ko rota hon mien.
I am sowing the seeds of tears in the soil of verse.
You also cry O Delhi's soil! I am crying for Dagh!

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Ay Jahan Abad, ay sarmayah-e-bazm-e-sakhon;

ho gaya pher aaj paamal-e-khazan teyra chaman.
Ah! O the Ka'bah of the literateur's religion;
your garden has been ruined by autumn today.

Woh gul-e-rungin tera rokhsat missal-e-boo hoa;
aah khaali Dagh sey kashanah-e-Urdu hoa.
That colourful rose of yours has departed like fragrance;
that is, the abode of Urdu has become deprived of Dagh.

Thhi nah shaid kochh kashash aisi watan ki khaak mein;
woh meh-e-kamil hoa penhan Dakkan ki khak mein.
Perhaps not much attraction was in the homeland's soil;
that full moon has set in the soil of the Dakkan.

Othh gaey saqi jo thhey, maeykhanah khali reh gaya;
yaadgar-e-bazm-e-Dehli eik Hali reh gaya.
The cup-bearers have left; the tavern has become deserted;
only Hali the memorable personality of Delhi's assembly has been left.

Aarzoo ko khoon rolwati hai bidaad ajal;
maarta hai teer tareeki mein siyaad-e-ajal.
The tyranny of death makes longing shed tears of blood;
the archer of death shoots out arrows in the dark.

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Khhol naheen sakti shikayat kay leay laikan zoban;
hai khazan ka rung bhi wajah-e-qayam-e-gulistan.
However, the tongue cannot open in complaint;
autumn's style is also a prelude to garden's existence.*
(*This and the next verse are very artistic expression of logic
and coherence in the working of the universe. Life without death
is tasteless as the spring without autumn is tasteless.)

Eik he qanoon-e-alam gir hein sabb asar;
booey gul ka bagh sey, gulchin ka dunya sey safar.
The one universal law creates all such results:
Exit of fragrance from the garden,
that of the gardener from the world
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
SWAMY RAM TIRATH
This poem has a personal reference to a very close friend of Allamah
Iqbal, named Swami Rim Tirath (1873-1906) and was written at the time of
the latters death when Allamah Iqbal was in England. Swami Ram Tirath
had a very brilliant career and passed all public examinations from High
School to M.A. in Mathematics in the first division. He worked in different
capacities during the period 1895-99 at the American Mission High School
at Sialkot and Foreman Christian College at Lahore. He also worked at the
latter institution as Alexander Fellow for a short period. He soon resigned
and devoted himself to the study, practice, and teaching of the Hindu Vedant
philosophy. One component of it is oath of celibacy. The Swami could not
keep this oath when he went to the United States for preaching. He soon
returned to India without his family and died by drowning in 1906, while
bathing in River Ganga at Hardwar, one of the Holy places of Hindus. It is
said to be an act of atonement for his sin of marriage.

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The poem pays tribute to him, calling him a drop which united with the
ocean in a way similar to the union of Man on death with God, according to
the Vedant philosophy. The poem also deals with the broader share
of Tawhid and ardent Love of God. It explains how the secrets of the
universe are disclosed to Man through this Love, which can be exercised
without the intermediation of religious bureaucracy and institutions, like
temple, church etc. Such institutions divide humanity into classes which
discriminate against each other. The true Love of God, represented by The
Temple of God is above all these considerations.

Hum baghal darya sey hai ay qatrah-e-bey taab tou;
pehley gohar thha, bana abb gohar-e-nayaab tou.

:
(Moti jo mil nah sakkey.)
O Impatient drop! You are in the bosom of the sea;
you were a pearl earlier,
now you are an invaluable pearl.

Aah khhola kis adaa sey tou ney raaz-e-rung-o-boo;
mien abhi takk aseer hon imtiaz-e-rung-o-boo.

:
(Kainat kay zahiri imtiazaat ka bheid.)
Ah! How gracefully you opened the secrets of life;
I am still a prisoner of the discriminations of life.

Mitt kay ghogha zindagi ka shorash-e-mehshar bana;
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yeh shararah bojh kay aatish-e-Azar bana.

The lifes clamour on destruction became the Last Days tumult;
the spark on being extinguished became Azars fire temple.
(Azar: Father of Ibrahim A.S. was a master sculptor and idol maker in
Chaldea. Though he was not connected with the pre-Islamic fire temples of
Iran this expression confers special excellence, in the material sense, on
fire temples.)

' '' '
Nafi-e-husti ekk karishmah hai dil-e-aagah ka;
La kay darya mein nehan moti hai illallah ka.
(Husti ko mita deyna.) :
The denial of Existence is the Loves gesture of the informed heart;
in the river of La is concealed the pearl of Illallah.
(This alludes to the Kalimah-i-Tawhid. The first part of theKalimah, La is
the negation and denial of everything except God and is the prelude to the
second partIllallah which is what the Kalimah accepts and testifies.)

Chashm-e-nabeina sey makhfi maani-e-anjaam hai;
thham gaeyi jiss dum tarrap, seimaab seim-e-khaam hai.

:
(Parah khalis chaandi bun jaata hai.)
The meaning of the end is hidden from the unsightful eye:
Mercury is only raw silver, when its restlessness stops.

Torr deyta hai bott prasti ko Ibrahim-e-ishq;

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hosh ka daaro hai goya musti-e-tasnim-e-ishq.

:
(Bahisht ki eik nehar ka naam.)
The Ibrahim of Love is the destroyer of the idol of existence.
The ecstasy of Tasnim* of Love is the cure of awareness.
(This verse is highly mystical. Tasnm is one of the streams of Paradise.
Ecstasy denotes perfection of Love and the ecstasy produced by the water
of Tasnm is the perfection of the Love of God. This perfection is the cure
for the awareness which is an impediment to ecstasy resulting from the Love
of God.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE HUMAN RACE
This short poem is an inducement to the human race to be active in the
pursuit of the goals and objectives which would elevate their moral and
ethical status over and above those of inanimate objects like the narcissus
and the juniper. One of such goals is the Longing and the Love of God.

Insan :

Manzar chamanistan kay zeba hon keh nazeba;
mehroom-e-amal nargis majboor-e-tamasha hai.
The sights of the garden may or may not be beautiful;
the narcissus, unable to act, forced to watching is!

Raftaar ki lazzat ka ehsaas naheen iss ko;
fitrat he sanobar ki mehroom-e-tamanna hai.
It does not appreciate the pleasure of movement;
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the very nature of juniper devoid of longing is!

Taslim ki khoogar hai jo cheez hai dunya mein;
insan ki her qowwat sargarm-e-taqaza hai.
(Aadi.)

Whatever is in the world is accustomed to submission;

every power of Man busy in pressing for his Longing is!

Iss zarrey ko rehti hai wosaat ki hawus her dum;
yeh zarrah naheen, shaid simta hoa sehra hai.
This speck remains incessantly ambitious of expansion;
not a speck but perhaps the constricted wilderness he is.

Chahey tuo badal daaley haiyat chamanistan ki;
yeh husti dana hai, beina hai, tawana hai.
(Shakal.) :
If he wills he can change the face of the garden;
this entity wise, clear-sighted and powerful is.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE POET
In this short and sweet apparently nature poem Allamah Iqbal
describes the invigorating nature of the clouds and the spring breeze. It

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acquires this quality by engaging itself in continuous effort. In the next

stanza he says that a righteous poet can also rejuvenate his nation by his
works and message. The message is the usual message of Allamah Iqbal
given in the second hemistich of the second verse, i.e. continuous effort in
the cause of Truth.
Shaer :

Jooey srood aafrin aati hai kohsar sey;
pei kay sharab-e-lalah gon maeykadah-e-bahaar sey.

:
(Naghmah paida karney waali nadi.(

:
)Sorkh yaani ziyadah nashah waali sharab.)
The melodious brook is coming down from the mountain;
after drinking red wine from the taverns spring.

Must maey kharaam ka sonn tuo zara payam tou;
zindah wohi hai kaam kochh jiss ko naheen qarar sey.
Just listen to the message of the ecstatic stroller;
only he is living who unconcerned with resting is.

Pherti hai waadiyuon mein kaya dokhtar-e-khosh kharaam-e-abr;
karti hai ishq baaziyan zabzah-e-marghazar sey.

(Naaz sey chalney waali baadil ki baiti, yaani nadi.)

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In the valleys the clouds elegant daughter is roaming;

exhibiting her love for the greenery of the meadow is.

Jaam sharab-e-koh kay khom-kadey sey orraati hoeyi;
pust-o-boland kar kay taey khheiton ko jaa pilaati hai.

:

(Paharron kay sharab khaney ki sharab,
yaani chashmon ka pani.)
Stealing away the cup of wine from mountains tavern;
passing throughout ups and downs suckling the fields is.

Shaer-e-dil nawaz bhi baat agar kehey khhari,
hoti hai oss kay faiz sey mazraa-e-zindagi hari.

:
(Zindagi ki khheiti.)
If the affectionate poet also exhibits the truth;
lifes cultivation greens up from his bountiful ways.

Shaan-e-Khalil (A.S.) hoti hai oss kay kalaam sey ayyan;
karti hai iss ki quom jabb apna sheaar-e-Azari.

:
(Azar yaani bott prasti ka tariqah.)
Khalils glory is evident from his verse;
when his nation exhibits the Azars ways.

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Ehal-e-zamin ko noskhah-e-zindagi dawaam hai;
khoon-e-jigar sey tarbiyat paati hai jo sakhonwari.
(Morad hai shaeri.) :
For earths inhabitants is the recipe of eternal life;
the literature which is nurtured in sincere ways.

Gulshan-e-dehar mein agar jooey maey sakhon nah ho;
phhool nah ho, kali nah ho, sabzah nah ho, chaman nah ho.
If the book of literatures wine in the worlds garden does not exist;
the flower, the bud, the verdure, even the garden will not exist.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE POET
SAIYYID MUHAMMAD JAMAL AL-DIN URFI SHIRAZI
Saiyyid Muhammad Jamal al-Din Urfi Shirazi (1555-91) is a famous
Persian poet of India. Though he was born and brought up at Shiraz in Iran
he moved to Lahore in India in 1586 on account of lack of appreciation by
the Safavid kings of Iran and jealousy of his contemporary poets... The
prominent characteristics of Urfis thought are zeal and fervor as well as self
respect, which are the very characters in Allamah Iqbal's poetry. Hence, the
Allamah was very much influenced by the Urfis poetry and often used his
thought.

Mehal aisa kiya taamir Urfi kay thakiyal ney;
tassadaq jiss peh hairat khanah-e-Sina-o-Farabi.

:
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(Naamwar falsafi aur tabeeb Bu Ali Sina.(

:

)Mashoor Musliman falsafi Abu Nasr Farabi
jo Turkistan kay moqam Farab mein paida hoa.)
The imagination of Urfi has created a mansion,
which has became the envy of Sina* and Farabi** (Both at the end)
(*Abu Husain Ibn Abd Allah Ibn Hasan Ibn A1i Ibn Sina (Avicenna of the
West) (980-1037): He was born at Afshinah near Bukharah, Turkistan. He
obtained his early education at Bukharah, where he showed signs of genius
from the very beginning and was well versed in Quranic learning. He
studied from Abu Abd Allah al-Natili, who was a leading philosopher then.
Later he studied on his own. At the age of 17 he had full knowledge of
medicine, geometry, logic, astronomy, physics and metaphysics. In medicine
he earned ever-lasting reputation, and attracted leading physicians of his day
to himself for consultation. His extraordinary intelligence and innovative
thinking created much jealousy among his contemporary intelligentsia. This
made his career very chequered. Though he is most famous as a physician he
has made outstanding and lasting contributions to philosophy, logic, occult
sciences, mathematics, astronomy, music, poetry, ethics, and geology. His
valuable discoveries in many sciences were the fore runners of important
later discoveries. Though he made monumental contributions to all the
above sciences his greatest contribution was to medicine and philosophy
His medical books remained the chief treatises on medicine in Europe and
Asia from the 12th to the 17th century and are still used in the Muslim
countries in the so called system of Greek medicine (which is really Islamic
medicine on account of the great contributions of Muslims to it). Thus Ibn
Sina was the master of sciences, philosophy and metaphysics and the father
of several of the sciences. His views on matter placed him in conflict with
religious scholars and Sufis like Imam Ghazali. Among the many tributes
that Western scientists and historians have paid to Ibn Sina is the naming of
a genus of tropical trees called Avicenna which has many species
Allamah Iqbal has mentioned him in his works in connection with the
controversies of Intellect and Intuition. In spite of his great respect for Ibn
Sina for his learning and originality Allamah Iqbal considers his attributes
inadequate for comprehension of the Truth)
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(**Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Tarakhan Nasr Farabi (870-950): He is

one of the greatest giants of the intellectual world of the middle ages. He
was born at Farab in Turkistan. After obtaining his early education in Farab
and Bukharah he settled in Baghdad where he lived for 40 years (901-42).
His intellectual interests were philosophy, music and poetry. After traveling
through Damascus and Egypt he settled down in Halab (Aleppo) where he
lived till his death. There he received the patronage of Hamanite ruler Saif
al-Dawlah and stayed at his court along with another intellectual, Mutanabbi
(Abu Tayyib Ahmad Bin Al Husain Al-Mutanabbi (915-55).
He had full command over Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish
languages but could speak another 65. He was a Sufi but was a genius and
had encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy, logic, politics, occult sciences,
sociology, psychology, political science, metaphysics, mathematics and
medical science. He was a prolific writer and left over a hundred books, out
of which only 15-20 exist, including several treatises on Plato and Aristotles
theories
He interpreted numerous dogmas and religious concepts and offered rational
explanations of such intricate thoughts as prophecy, inspiration, heavens,
destiny and the Arsh. He is considered as the founder of philosophical
theology, which was later explained more fully by Fakhr al-Din Razi
Allamah Iqbal has referred to al-Farabi in his long poem; Tulo-i-Islam (The
Renaissance of Islam); in which he says that the renaissance of Islam is so
much shrouded in Divine mystery that even a scholar of al-Farabis caliber
cannot understand it.)

Fazaey ishq per tehrir ki oss ney nawa aisi;
mayassar jiss sey hein aankhhon ko abb takk ashk-e-anabi.

:
(Morad hai khoon sey aloodah rungin ansoo.)
On the subject of Love he wrote such music by
which red tears are still available to eyes.

Merey dil ney yeh ekk dinn oss ki torbat sey shikayat ki;
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naheen hungamah-e-alam mein abb samaan-e-bitaabi.

One day my heart made this complaint at his grave:
Tunes of restlessness no longer come from worlds assembly.

Mizaaj-e-ehal-e-alam mein taghiyar aa-gaya aisa;
keh rokhsat ho gaeyi dunya sey kaifiyat woh seimabi.
(Tarrap, bey qarari.)

The disposition of the worlds people has changed so much

that such condition of restlessness has gone from the world.

Foghan-e-neim shabb shaer ki baar-e-gosh hoti hai;
nah ho jabb chashm-e-mehfil aashnaey lotf-e-bey khwabi.
:
(Kaanon per bojh yaani nagawar.)
The midnight wailing of the poet is offensive to the ear,
when assemblys eye be unaware of pleasure of sleeplessness.

Kissi ka shoalah-e-faryaad ho zolmat-roba kiyuonkar;
gran hai shabb praston per sehar ki aasman taabi.

:
(Andhaira door karney wala.(

:
)Andhaira pasand karney waaley jaisey chamgaadarr.)
How can somebodys flame of lament remove darkness?
When the mornings light is unwelcome for nightly worshipers.

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Sada turbat sey aaeyi:
Shikwah-e-ehal-e-jahan kum go,
nawa ra talkh-ter mi-zann cho zouq-e-naghamah kumyaabi;
hudi ra taiz-ter mi-khwan cho mehmal ra gran beini.

[Qabar sey sada aaeyi: Dunya waalon ka gillah kum kar;
agar naghmey ki lazzat sard parrti nazar aaey
tuo saaz ko zor zor sey baja;
naaqah ki posht per kajawah bhari ho
aur naaqah ki raftar sost ho jaaey
tuo hudi kay traaney taiz kar dey.]
Call came from grave: Reduce complaint against worlds people,
strike the tune harder if the taste for music has become low.
Sing the Hudi faster if the camels litter has become heavy.
(Hudi: The marching song that camel drivers used to sing while marching
in the days of caravans.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
HUMAYUN
(Mister Justice Shah Din Marhoom)
This short poem is a tribute to the qualities of the head and heart of an
eminent personality of the Indian Sub-continent.
125

( )
!

Ay Humayun! Zindagi teyri sarapa soz thhi;
teyri chingari charagh-e-anjuman afroz thhi.
O Humayun! Your life was full of warmth;
your spark was an assembly-enlightening lamp.

Garchih thha teyra tun-e-khaki nazaar-o-dardmand;
thhi sitarey ki tarah roshan teri tabaa-e-boland.
Though your earthly body was slim and weak;
your elegant disposition was bright like a star.

Kiss qadar bey baak dil iss natwan paikar mein thha;
shoalah-e-gardon naward ekk mosht-e-khakistar mein thha.

:
(Aasman ko lapait mein ley laaney wala shoalah.)
How fearless a heart in this frail body was!
A universal flame in this handful of dust was!

Mout ki laikan dil-e-dana ko kochh pervah naheen;
shabb ki khaamoshi mein joz hungamah-e-farda naheen.
But the intelligent heart was not at all afraid of death!
In nights silence there is nothing except morrows affairs!

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Mout ko samajhey hein ghafil ikhtitaam-e-zindagi;
hai yeh shaam-e-zindagi, sobh-e-dawaam zindagi.
The imprudent ones consider death is the end of life:
This apparent evening of life is the morning of perpetual life!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
IN MEMORY OF MOTHER OF BLESSED MEMORY
This poem was written in Europe at the time of the death of Allamah
Iqbals mother. It is not only an expression of his grief on this sad incident
but is also an expression of the philosophy of life and death and the grief
created by them In spite of realizing that everything in the universe is
subject to the Will and Command of God the news of his mothers death was
too hard to bear. He reminisces his whole life and recapitulates some
memorable events of his domestic life. He explains with several examples,
that death is a transitory phase in existence and is not designed to annihilate
a person. The last verse of stanza 8 is important. By comparing man with
stars he presents the Islamic concept of mans superiority over the rest of
creation. The last two verses of stanza 10 are important. Though time
mitigates all grief the loss of his mother has caused him so much grief that
time cannot reduce it. The poem ends in a supplication to God for his
mother.

Waalidah Marhoomah ki Yaad Mein

Zarrah zarrah dehar ka zindaani-e-taqdir hai;
pardah-e-majboori-o-bey chaargi-e-tadbir hai.
(Taqdir ka qiadi.) :
Every particle of the universe is a prisoner of destiny;
prudence is a cover for helplessness and compulsion.

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Aasman majboor hai, shams-o-qamar majboor hein;
anjam-e-seimaab-paa raftar per majboor hai.

:
(Parah ki tarah bey qarar sitarah.)
The sky, the sun and the moon all are helpless;
the fast moving stars are compelled to moving.

Hai shikast anjaam ghonchey ka saboo gulzaar mein;
sabzah-o-gul bhi hein majboor-e-namoo gulzaar mein.

:
(Zahir honay per majboor.)
Breaking is the end of flower buds pitcher in the garden;
the gardens verdure and flowers are also compelled to grow.

Naghmah-e-bulbul ho ya awaaz-e-khaamosh zamir;
hai issi zinjeer-e-alamgir mein her shaey aseer.

:
(Zamir ki khaamosh awaaz.(

:
)Zinjeer jiss ney dunya ko jakrra hoa ho.)
It may be nightingales song or conscience silent call;
everything is chained in the same universal chain!

128

Ankhh per hota hai jabb yeh sirr-e-majboori ayan;

khoshk ho jaata hai dil mein ashk ka sial-e-rawan.
(Bey chaargi ka bheid.( :

:
)Aansoon ka behta hoa sialaab.)
When this secret of helplessness becomes evident to the eye;
the turbulent flood of tears in the heart dries up.

Qalb-e-insani mein raqs-e-aish-o-ghum rehta naheen;
naghmah reh jaata hai, lotf-e-zir-o-bum rehta naheen.
(Otaar charrhao.) :
The dance of pleasure and grief does not remain in the human heart;
the song remains but the pleasure of treble and bass does not remain.

Ilm-o-hikmat rehzann-e-samaan-e-ashk-o-aah hai;
yaani ekk almaas ka tokrra dil-e-aagah hai.
(Heeray ka tokrra.) :
Knowledge and wisdom are robbers of tears and sighs,
wealth that is the intelligent heart is a piece of diamond!

Garchih meyrey bagh mein shabnam ki shadabi naheen;
ankhh meyri mayah-daar ashk-e-anaabi naheen.
(Khooni ansoo.) :
Though the dews freshness does not exist in my garden;
my eye is not enriched with the red tears.

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Jaanta hon aah! Mien alaam-e-insani ka raaz;
hai nawaey shikwah sey khali meri fitrat ka saaz.
(Insan kay dokhh dard.) :
Ah! I am aware of the secret of human afflictions,
but my natures orchestra is unaware of complaints song.

Meyrey labb per qissah-e-nairungi-e-duoran naheen;
dil meyra hairan naheen, khandan naheen, giryan naheen.
(Zindagi kay nashaib-o-fraaz.(

)Routa hoa.)

:) Hansta hoa.(

The story of vicissitudes of time does not come on my lips;

my heart is not astonished, not laughing, not crying.

Per teri tasweer qasid-e-giriyah-e-pehum ki hai;
aah yeh tardeed meyri hikmat-e-mohkam ki hai.

:

(Aisa ailchi jiss ka paighaam lagatar ronay ka sabab banney.)
But, O messenger, your picture is one of constant wailing.
Ah! This is the contradiction of my firm wisdom!

Giriyah-e-sarshar sey boniyad-e-jan paindah hai;
dard kay irfan sey aql-e-sungdil sharmindah hai.
130

(Lagatar rona.) :
Lifes foundation becomes lasting with overflowing wailing;
the hard hearted Intellect is embarrassed with the knowledge of pathos.

Mouj-e-dood-e-aah sey aeinah hai roshan mera;
gunj-e-aab aawurd sey maamoor hai daaman mera.
(Aah kay dhoin ki mouj.(
)Pani ka laya hoa khazanah.)

My mirror is bright with the wave of sighs smoke;

my skirt is full with the treasure of tears.

Hairati hon mien teri tasweer kay eijaz ka;
rokh badal dala hai jiss ney waqt ki pervaaz ka.
The miracle of your picture has surprised me,
which has completely changed the flight of time.

Rafatah-o-hazir ko goya paa bapaa oss ney kiya;
ehad-e-tifali sey mojhey pher aashna oss ney kiya.
As if it brought the past and present together;
it acquainted me again with the age of infancy.

Jabb terey daaman mein palti thhi woh jan-e-natwan;
baat sey achhi tarah mehram nah thhi jiss ki zoban.

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When that feeble soul was being nurtured by your side,

whose tongue was not adequately familiar with talking.

Aur abb churchay hein jiss ki shokhi-e-goftar kay;
bey baha moti hein jiss ki chashm-e-gohar-bar kay.

:
(Moti barsaaney waali ankhh.)
And whose linguistic spice is now the subject of conversation;
the pearls of whose jewel-shedding eyes are priceless.

Ilm ki sanjeedah goftari, borrhapay ka shaoor;
dunvi aizaz ki shoukat, jawani ka gharoor.
The learnings serious discourses, the shrewdness of old age;
the dignity of worldly honours, the pride of young age:

Zindagi ki ouj-gahon sey otar aatey hein hum;
sohbat-e-maadar mein tifal-e-saadah reh jaatey hein hum.
(Bolandiyuon.) :
We descend from the positions of dignity in life;
we descend as a simple child in the lap of the mother.

Bey takalof khandah-zann hein, fikr sey azad hein;
pher ossi khhoay hoay firdous mein abad hein.
(Hanstay hoay.) :
We are laughing informally, we are free from care;
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we are once more living in the same lost paradise.

!

Kis ko abb ho ga watan mein aah, meyra intizar;
kon meyra khat nah aaney sey rehey ga bey qarar.
Ah! Who will now be waiting for me in the homeland?
Who will become restless by not getting my letter?

Khak-e-marqad per teri ley kar yeh faryaad aaon ga;
abb doa-e-neim shabb mein kis ko yaad aaon ga.
(Aadhi raat ki doa.) :
I will come to your grave carrying this lament!
To whose thoughts will I come in the midnight prayers?

Tarbiyat sey teyri mien anjam ka hum qismat hoa;
ghhar merey ajdaad ka sarmayah-e-izzat hoa.
With your up-bringing I became fortunate like stars;
the house of my ancestors became a source of pride.

Daftar-e-husti mein thhi zarrein warq teyri hayat;
thhi sarapa Deen-o-dunya ka sabaq teyri hayat.
(Sonehri warq.) :
Your life was written in gold letters in the existence book;
your life was a full lesson of secular and religious education.

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Omar bhar teyri mohabat meyri khidmat gar rehi;
mien teri khidmat kay qabil jabb hoa tou chal basi.
Your love remained in my service for your whole life;
when I was able to serve you, you did not survive.

Woh jawan, qamat mein hai jo surat-e-saroo boland;

:
teyri khidmat sey hoa jo mojh sey barrh kar behrahmand.
(Saroo kay drakht ki tarah; morad hai barrha bhai.(
)Khosh nasib.) :
That youth who equals the slender cypress in stature,
* who became more fortunate in serving you than me.
(*Allusion to his brother, which extends up to the end of this stanza.)

Kaarobar-e-zindgani mein woh hum pehloo mera;
woh mohabat mein teri tasweer, woh baazo mera.
That constant companion of mine in the business of life;
that picture of yours in love that source of my strength.

Tojh ko misl-e-tiflak-e-bey dast-o-paa rota hai woh;
sabar sey na-ashna sobh-o-masa rota hai woh.

:
(Bey bus bachay ki manind.(
134

 :
)Sobh-o-shaam.)
He is crying like a helpless infant for you;
he is crying with impatience from morning till evening.

Tokhm jiss ka tou hamari kisht-e-jan mein bou gaeyi
shirkat-e-ghum sey woh olfat aur mohkam ho gaeyi.
)Khheit.) :

(Beij.( :

The love whose seed you planted in our lifes field;

by the grief of separation that love became more firm.

Aah yeh dunya, yeh maatam khanah-e-berna-o-pir;
Adami hai kis talism-e-dosh-o-farda mein aseer.
(Jawan aur boorrhay.( :

:
)Mostaqbil aur maazi ka jaadoo.)
Ah! This world, this mourning place for the young and old!
In what a strange ever-changing prison man is imprisoned!

Kitni moshkil zindagi hai, kis qadar aasan hai mout;
gulshan-e-husti mein manind-e-nasim arzan hai mout.
(Hawa ki tarah sasta.) :
How difficult it is to live! How easy it is to die!
In the existence garden death is cheap as breeze!

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Zalzaley hein, bijliyan hein, qehat hein, alaam hein;
kaisi kaisi dokhtaraan-e-maadar-e-ayyam hein.
(Zamaney ki baitiyan.) :
There are earthquakes, thunderbolts, famines, afflictions:
How diverse the daughters of the mother of time are!

Kalbah-e-aflaas mein, doulat kay kashaney mein mout;
dasht-o-dar mein, shehar mein, gulshan mein, veeranay mein mout.
(Gharib ki jhonparri.) :
In poor mans hovel, in rich mans mansion is death.
In forest, house, city, garden, wilderness is death.

Mout hai hungamah araa qolzam khaamosh hai;
doob jaatey hein safinay mouj ki aaghosh mein.
(Samandar.) :
Death is tumultuous in the silent ocean;
boats are drowned in the lap of death.

Ney majaal-e-shikwah hai, ney taaqat-e-goftar hai;
zindagani kaya hai, ekk touq-e-goloo afshaar hai.
(Shikayat ki taaqat.) :
Neither there is ability to complain, nor power of speech;
life is nothing but a yoke choking the throat.

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Qaaflay mein ghair faryaad-e-dara kochh bhi naheen;
ekk mataa-e-deidah-e-ter kay sawa kochh bhi naheen.

:
(Aansoon sey bhigi aankhhon ki doulat.)
In the caravan nothing but bells wailing exists;
nothing except the valuable weeping eye exists!

Khatam ho jaaey ga laikan imtihan ka dour bhi;
hein pas-e-neh pardah-e-gardon abhi aur bhi.
However, this period of trial will also come to its end;
behind the skys nine orbits there are other orbits also.
(Allusion to the nine planets of the suns solar system
and existence of other systems beyond it.)

Seinah chaak iss gulistan mein lalah-o-gul hein tuo kaya;
nalah-o-faryaad per majboor bulbul hein tuo kaya.
What if the tulips and roses in this garden are afflicted?
What if nightingales are compelled to wail and complain?

Jhaariyan jin kay qafas mein qiad hai aah-e-khazan;
sabz kar dey gi onnhein baad-e-bahaar-e-javidan.

:
(Hamaishah ki bahaar ki hawa.)
The bushes, which are burnt by the sighs of the autumn,
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will green up when the breezes of the invigorating spring flow.

Khoftah khak pey seper mein hai sharar apna tuo kaya;
aarzi mehmal hai yeh mosht-e-ghobar apna tuo kay.
(Soya hoa.( :
)Morad hai khaki jism.( :
)Morad hai rooh.( :
)Waqti thhikanah.( :
)Morad hai khaki jism.) :
What if our spark is asleep in the dust of the shield?
What if this handful of dust is our temporary abode?

Zindagi ki aag ka anjaam khakistar naheen;
tootna jiss ka moqadar ho yeh woh gohar naheen.
(Raakhh.) :
The end of the fire of life is not in the ashes!
This is not the jewel whose destiny is breaking!

Zindagi mehboob aisi deidah-e-qodrat mein hai;
zouq-e-hifz-e-zindagi her cheez ki fitrat mein hai.
(Qodrat ki nigah.( :

:
)Zindagi ki hifazat ki lagan.)
Life is such a beloved in the eye of Nature;
lifes preservation is in everythings nature.
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Mout kay haathhon sey mit sakta agar naqsh-e-hayat;
aam yuon iss ko nah kar deyta nizaam-e-kainat.
(Zindagi ki tasweer.) :
If the deaths hand could efface lifes picture;
the system of the universe would not have made it so common.

Hai agar arzan tuo samjho ajal kochh bhi naheen;
jiss tarah sonnay sey jeenay mein khalal kochh bhi naheen.
)Mout.( :

(Sasti.( :

)Rokawat.) :
If it is cheap then think that death is nothing;
just as there is no break in living by sleeping.

!

Aah ghafil! Mout ka raaz nehan kochh aur hai;
naqsh ki paidaari sey ayan kochh aur hai.
Ah! O imprudent one! Deaths hidden secret is something different!
The instability of the picture exhibits something different!

Jannat nazarah hai naqsh-e-hawa balaey aab;
mouj-e-mozter torr kar taamir karti hai habaab.
(Jannat ka nazarah.( :
)Bulbulah.) :

)Pani ka bulbulah.(

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The picture of wind over water is sights paradise;

by break in the restless wave it makes the bubbles.

Mouj kay daaman mein pher oss ko chhopa deyti hai yeh;
kitni bidardi sey naqsh apna mita deyti hai yeh.
It conceals it again in the skirt of the wave!
How mercilessly it demolishes its own picture.

Pher nah kar sakti habaab apna agar paida hawa;
torrney mein oss ko yuon hoti nah bey perva hawa.
If the wind could not create its bubble again;
the wind would not have broken it so carelessly.

Iss rawash ka kaya asar hai hiyat-e-taamir per;
yeh tuo hojjat hai hawa ki qowwat-e-taamir per.
(Taamir ki surat.( :
)Dalil, saboot.) :
What is the effect of this custom on the form of creation?
This is the proof of the power of wind over creation.

Fitrat-e-husti shaheed-e-aarzoo rehti nah ho;
khoob-ter paikar ki oss ko jostjoo rehti nah ho.
(Zindagi ki sarisht.( :
)Jism.) :

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If the existence nature be not in search of longing

it would never be in search of the better form!

Aah seimaab-e-perishan, anjam-e-gardon froz;
shokh yeh chingariyan, mamnoon-e-shabb hai jinn ka soz.
(Raat ka ehsaanmand.)

Ah! The restless mercury, the sky brightening stars;

the heat of these sparks is obligated to the night.

Aql jiss sey sar beh zaano hai woh modat onn ki hai;
sargozasht-e-noa-e-insan eik saat onn ki hai.

:
(Ghhotnon per sar rakhhey.)
Their antiquity is bewildering to the Intellect;
the history of the human race is a mere moment for them.

Pher yeh insan, aan sooey aflaak hai jiss ki nazar;
qodsiyuon sey bhi maqasad mein hai jo pakizah-ter.
(Aasman ki taraf.(

)Farishton.) :
Then this Man whose vision is directed to the celestial world;
who is more immaculate in his goals than qudsis.*
(*They are the angels surrounding the Divine Throne.)

Jo misal-e-shamaa roshan mehfil-e-qodrat mein hai;
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aasman ekk noqtah jiss ki wosaat-e-fitrat mein hai.

(Fitrat ka phhailao.)

Who is lighted up like a candle in the assembly of Nature,

in the expanse of whose nature celestial world is a mere dot.

Jiss ki nadaani sadaqat kay leay bitaab hai;
jiss ka naakhon saaz husti kay leay mizraab hai.
(Sitaar bajaney ka aalah.) :
Whose ignorance is restless to know the Truth,
whose nail is the plectrum to the harp of existence.

Shoalah yeh kum-ter hai gardon kay shararon sey bhi kaya;
kum baha hai aaftab apna sitaron sey bhi kaya.
(Kum qimat.) :
Is this flame inferior than the skys sparks even?
Is our sun less precious than the stars even?

Tokham-e-gul ki ankhh zir-e-khak bhi bey khwab hai;
kis qadar nashv-o-numa kay waastey bey taab hai.
(Phhool ka beij.) :
The eye of flowers seed is awake even under the soil:
How restless for growth and development the seed is!

Zindagi ka shoalah iss daaney mein jo mastoor hai;

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khod numaeyi, khod fazaeyi kay leay majboor hai.

(Chhopa hoa.( :

:
)Apney aap ko zahir karna.)
The flame of life which is concealed in this grain
is under compulsion for self-assertion and growth.

Sardi-e-marqad sey bhi afsoordah ho sakta naheen;
khak mein dab kar bhi apna soz khho sakta naheen.
(Qabar ki sardi.)

Even with the graves cold it cannot become dispirited;

even by being buried under soil it cannot become cold!

Phhool bun kar apni turbat sey nikal aata hai yeh;
mout sey goya qabaey zindagi paata hai yeh.
)Zindagi ka libaas.) :

(Qabar.( :

Becoming a flower, it comes out of its grave

that is it gets the robe of life from its death.

Hai lehud oss qowwat-e-aashoftah ki shirazahbund;
daalti hai gardan-e-gardon mein jo apni kamand.
(Perishaan taaqat.( :
)Jamaa karney wala.) :
Grave is the organizer of its scattered powers,

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which is throwing its rope-ladder round skys neck.

Mout tajdid-e-mazaq-e-zindagi ka naam hai;
khwab kay parday mein bidaari ko ekk paigham hai.

:
(Zindagi ko pher sey shoroa karney ka shaghal.)
Death is the name of the renewal of lifes taste;
behind the veil of sleep it is a message of awakening.

Khoogar-e-pervaaz ko pervaaz mein dar kochh naheen;
mout iss gulshan mein joz sanjidan-e-per kochh naheen.

:
(Orrney sey pehley parindon ka per toulna.)
The one accustomed to flight is not afraid of flight!
Death in this garden is nothing but readying for flight!

Kehtey hein ehal-e-jahan dard-e-ajal hai la-dawa;
zakham-e-forqat waqt kay marhum sey paata hai shafa.
(Jodaeyi ka zakham.) :
People say that the pain of death is incurable;
separations wound is cured with times salve.

Dil magar, ghum murney waalon ka jahan abad hai;
halqah-e-zinjir sobh-o-shaam sey azad hai.

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 :
(Morad hai waqt ki qiad.)
But the heart where the grief of the dead ones is living
is free from the loop of the chain of morning and evening.

Waqt kay afson sey thhamta nalah-e-maatam naheen;
waqt zakhm-e-taigh-e-forqat ko koeyi marhum naheen.
(Jaadoo.( :

:
)Jodaeyi ki talwar ka zakham.)
Mournings wailing does not stop with the spell of time;
time is no salve for the wound of separations sword.

Sar peh aa-jaati hai jabb koeyi moseebat naaghan;
ashk-e-pehum deidah-e-insan sey hotay hein rawan.

:
(Lagatar aansoon ka behna.(
)Insan ki ankhh.) :
When some sudden calamity befalls us;
tears come out of the eyes constantly.

Rabt ho jaata hai dil ko nalah-o-faryaad sey;
khoon-e-dil behta hai aankhhon ki sarashk abad sey.
(Aansoon ki basti.) :
The heart becomes accustomed to wailing and complaint;
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the hearts blood drips from the tearful eyes.

Adami taab-e-shakibaeyi sey go mehroom hai;
iss ki fitrat mein yeh ekk ehsaas-e-na-maaloom hai.
(Sabar ki taaqat.) :
Though Man is deprived of the power of patience;
this sub-conscious feeling always exists in his nature.

Johar-e-insan adum sey aashna hota hai;
ankhh sey ghaib tuo hota hai. fana hota naheen.

:
(Insan ki rooh.)
The essence of Man does not become annihilated;
he disappears from sight but is not annihilated.

Rakht-e-husti-e-khak, ghum ki shoalah afshaani sey hai;
sard yeh aag iss lateef ehsaas kay pani sey hai.
The baggage of life is dust with the flame of grief;
this fire is cooled with this subtle feelings water.

Aah, yeh zabt-e-foghan ghaflat ki khaamoshi naheen
aagehi hai yeh dil aasaeyi, framoshi naheen.
(Aql, shaoor.( :
)Dil ki taskin.) :
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Ah! This control of wailing is not negligence silence;

this consolation is awareness, it is not forgetfulness!

Pardah-e-Mashriq sey jiss dum jalwah-gar hoti hai sobh;
dagh-e-shabb ka daaman aafaq sey dhoti hai sobh.
(Dunya ka daaman.) :
When the dawn manifests itself from the east
it washes away the nights stain from the worlds skirt.

Lalah-e-afsordah ko aatish qaba karti hai yeh;
bey zoban taer ko sarmust nawa karti hai yeh.
(Aag ka libaas.) :
It clothes the melancholy tulip in red garb.
It makes the silent bird intoxicated with music.

Seinah-e-bulbul kay zindan sey sarood azad hai;
sainkarron naghmon sey baad-e-sobh-e-dum abad hai.
(Naghmah.( :
)Sobh sawairey ki hawa.)

The song is freed from the nightingales breast.

The morning breeze is so full of hundreds of tunes.

Khoftgaan-e-lalah zar-o-kohsar-o-roodbar;

147

hotay hein aakhar aroos-e-zindagi sey humkinar.

(Soay hoay.( :
)Zindagi ki dulhan.) :
Those who in rose beds, mountains and brooks were sleeping;
at long last in the morning the bride of life are embracing.

Yeh agar aein-e-husti hai keh ho her shaam sobh;
marqad-e-insan ki shabb ka kiyuon nah ho anjaam sobh.
(Qabar.) :
If the law of life is that every night dawn be!
Why the end of Mans grave should not his dawn be!

Daam-e-seimin takhiyyal hai mera aafaq gir;
kar liya hai jiss sey teyri yaad ko mien ney aseer.

:
(Takhiyyal ka chaandi jaisa jaal.)
The net of my silvery imagination is universal
in which I have imprisoned your remembrance!

Yaad sey teyri dil-e-dard aashna maamoor hai;
jaisey Kaabay mein doaon sey faza maamoor hai.
The affliction stricken heart is filled with your memory
as in the Kabah the expanse is filled with supplications!

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Woh fraiz ka tasalsal naam hai jiss ka hayat;
jalwah-gaahein oss ki hein laakhhon jahan bey sabaat.
(Faani dunya.) :
The sequence of Divine commands which is called life;
its manifestations are covering myriad of unstable worlds.

Mokhtalif her manzil-e-husti ki rasm-o-rah hai;
aakhrat bhi zindagi ki eik joolan gah hai.
(Taizi dikhhaney ki jagah.) :
The ways of every stage of life are different.
Hereafter also is a marshaling place of life!

Hai wahan bey hasili kisht-e-ajal kay waastey;
saazgar aab-o-hawa tokham -e-amal kay waastey.
(Kochh hasil nah hona.( :
)Mout ki khheiti.) :
Nothing is available there to the deaths field,
but the climate is favorable for actions seed.

Noor fitrat-e-zolmat ka zindaani naheen;
tung aisa halqah-e-afkaar-e-insani naheen.

:
(Insan ki aql ka dairah.)

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The light of nature is not imprisoned in bodys darkness;

the expanse of the human thought is not so narrow.

Zindagani thhi teri mehtab sey tabindah-ter;
khoob-ter thha sobh kay taarey sey bhi teyra safar.
Your life was brighter than even the moon.
Your journey was better than even that of the morning star.

Misl-e-aiwan-e-sehar marqad frozan ho tera;
noor sey maamoor yeh khaki shabastan ho tera.

:
(Sobh kay mehal ki tarah.)
May your grave be bright like the dawns mansion!
May this dusty bed-chamber of yours be light-filled!

Aasman teyri lehud per shabnam afshani karey;
sabzah-e-naurastah iss ghhar ki nigahbani karey.

:
(Tazah ogi hoeyi ghhaas.)
May the sky be spraying dew on your grave!
May the freshly grown grass be guarding this house!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
16th December, 2013

150

INQILAB
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
INSPIRATION HISTORY
History is record of human activities. Seeking inspiration from history
also means seeking inspiration from those human beings who lived before
us. Allamah Iqbal in his poetry referred to Muslim history quite frequently in
this context, but herein only those poems are included which relate to a
specific event or a personality. As usual the chapter begins with poems from
Bang-e-Dara in the same sequence in which these appear in the book.
BILAL (R.A.)
This short poem is an eloquent and sincere tribute of' Allamah Iqbal to
Hazrat Bilal R.A.

Chamak othha jo sitarah terey moqadar ka;
Habash sey tojh ko othha kar Hijaz mein laya.
As the star of your destiny ascended to shine;
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it lifted and brought you from Abyssinia to Hijaz.

Hoeyi issi sey terey ghum-kadey ki abadi;
teri ghulami kay sadqay hazaar azadi.
This alone made inhabited your desolate house
better than a thousand freedoms is your slavery.

Woh aastan nah chhota tojh sey eik dum kay leay;
kissi kay shouq mein tuo ney mazay sitam kay leay.

)( :
(Choukhhat, Baargah; morad hai Baargah-e-Rasool Pak S.A.W.)
That threshold not even for a moment you could leave;
in some one's Love all torments you bore cheerfully.

Jafa jo ishq mein hoti hai woh jafa he naheen;
sitam nah ho tuo mohabat mein kochh maza he naheen.
The oppression befalling in Love is not oppression;
if there is no torment, there is no pleasure in Love.

Nazar thhi surat-e-Salman (R.A.) adaa shanaas;
sharab-e-deid sey barrhti thhi aur piyaas teri.
(Adaa bhanpnay waali.) :
Full of Intellection like Salman was your insight;
the wine of sight used to increase your thirst.

152

(Salman Abu Abd Allah Farisi (R.A.) The famous Companion of the Holy
Prophet S.A.W. He was of Persian origin. Early in his life he left his home
in search of the Truth. First he accepted Christianity, studied its literature
deeply and persevered through all the hardships he had to encounter. He was
caught by an Arab tribe and sold to a Jew. Later, the Holy Prophet S.A.W.
purchased him and set him free. Salman accepted Islam after the emigration
of the Holy Prophet S.A.W. to Madinah Munawwarah)

Tojhey nazarey ka misl-e-Kalim (A.S.) souda thha;
Uwais (R.A.) taaqat-e-deidar ko tarasta thha.
Like Kalim you were in search of the Sight.
Uwais was tantalized for the power of Sight.
(Uwais Qarani (R.A.) was a contemporary of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) and
had accepted Islam. He could not achieve his life-long ambition and longing
of being a Companion of him. This was so because he could not leave his
home town of Qaran in Najd due to the blindness of his old mother. The
Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) had knowledge of him and used to say that he felt
breeze of God's Beneficence from Yemen. The Holy Prophet's (S.A.W.) love
for Uwais is shown by the fact that he made him the inheritor of his shirt.
Umar (R.A.) and Ali (R.A.) went to meet him in Qaran after the death of the
Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). Later Uwais moved to Kufah and attained
martyrdom in the battle of Siffin where he was in the camp of Ali (R.A.) He
is one of the most eminent sufis, often placed second to Ali (R.A.) He was
fully absorbed in the Love of God and the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.), but his
longing to see the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)Allamah Iqbal has referred to
him in many places in his works.)

Madina teyri nigaghon ka noor thha goya;
terey leay tuo yeh sehra he Toor thha goya.
Madinah was the light for your eyes so to say;
for you this wilderness was the r so to say.

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Teri nazar ko rehi deid mein bhi hasrat-e-deid;
khonak dillay keh tapeid-o-dummay niya saiyad.

[Khosh nasib hai woh dil jo mosalsal tarrapta raha
aur eik lamhay kay leay bhi oss ney araam nah paya.]
Your longing for Sight continued
even after witnessing the Sight.
The cold heart warmed up but its breath
did not rest even for a moment.

Giri woh barq teri jaan-e-nashakaiba per;
keh khandah-zann teri zolmat thhi dast-e-Mosa (A.S.) per.
(Bey sabar.( :

) ( :
)Morad hai Hazrat Bilal (R.A.) ki kaali rungat.)
Such a lightning struck your impatient soul
that your darkness was scoffing at the Musa's palm.

Tapash z-shoalah gariftand-o-ber dil-e-tou zadund;
chih barq jalwah bakhashaak hasil-e-tou zadund.

)(


[Teyra dil shoalay ki manind thha aur ishq-e-Rasool (S.A.W.)ney
154

tojh ko woh soz ataa kiya jo teyra sarmayah-e-hayat bun gaya.]

They captured warmth from the flame and struck it on your heart.
What a lightning of Effulgence
they struck on motes of your efforts!

Adaey deid sarapa niaz thhi teyri;
kissi ko deikhhtay rehna namaz thhi teyri.
The charm of your longing for the Sight
was the embodiment of supplication.
The continuous sighting of someone was your prayer.

Azan azal sey terey ishq ka taranah bani;
namaz iss kay nizaray ka ekk bahanah bani.
Since eternity the Adhan was the anthem of your Love.
Prayer was the subtle pretext for the Sight.

Khosha woh waqt keh Yasrib moqam thha oss ka;
khosha woh dour keh deidar aam thha oss ka.
Happy was the age when Yathrib was his abode!
How happy was the time when common was his Sight!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE TRAVELER'S REQUEST
At the tomb of Hazrat Mehboob Elahi of Delhi
Khwajah Nizam-Din Mahboob Ilahi is one of the Sufis and saints
whom Allamah Iqbal held in great reverence... Allamah Iqbal was a frequent
visitor of the saint's tomb. This poem is a spontaneous expression of his
155

feelings when he visited the tomb in 1905 just before leaving for Europe for
higher studies. He requests the saint for supplication to God to grant him all
the virtues of a Mumin and a safe return home to remain under the loving
care of his parents. This should be the ambition and desire of every Mumin.

Iltijaey mosafir

Beh dargah-e-Hazrat Mahboob Elahi, Dehli

Farishtey parrhtey hein jiss ko woh naam hai teyra;
barri janab teyri, faiz aam hai teyra.
What angels recite is your exalted name:
Your threshold is exalted, your munificence is gernera.

Sitarey ishq kay teyri kashash sey hein qaim;
nizam-e-mehr ki surat nizam hai teyra.

:

(Shamsi nizam jiss mein siyarey
sooraj kay gird ghhoomtey hein.)
The stars are stable by the attraction of your Love.
Your system is like the system of the sun.

Teyri lehud ki ziarat hai zindagi dil ki;
Masseih-o-Khizar (A.S.) sey ooncha moqam hai teyra.
The pilgrimage to your tomb is life for the heart.
Your status is higher than those of Masih and Khidar.
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Nehan hai teyri mohabat mein rung-e-mehboobi;
barri hai shaan, barra ehtiram hai teyra.
(Chhopa hoa.) :
The Beloveds Nature is veiled in your Love.
High is your dignity, exalted is your veneration.

Agar siyah dilum, dagh-e-lalah zaar tou-um;
wgar koshadah jabeinum, gul-e-bahaar tou-um.

[Meyra dil agar siyah hai tuo samajhna chahiay
keh teyrey lalah zaar ka dagh hon;
agar mien khandah paishani hon
tuo teyri bahaar ka phhool hon.]
If my heart has a stain the stain is of your love;
but if cheerful I am, I am the rose of your spring.

Chaman ko chhorr kay nikla hon misl-e-nikhat-e-gul;
hoa hai sabar ka manzoor imtihan mojh ko.
(Phhool ki khoshboo.) :
Leaving the garden I have come out like the rose of your fragrance.
I am determined to go through the test of perseverance.

157

Chali hai ley kay watan kay nigaar khaney sey;

sharab-e-ilm ki lazzat kashan kashan mojh ko.
(Jaldi jaldi.) :
I have started with zeal from the homelands tavern.
The pleasure of the wine of knowledge is speeding me up.

Nazar hai abr-e-karam per, drakht-e-sehra hon;
kiya khoda ney nah mohtaaj-e-baghban mojh ko.
I am gazing at the mercys cloud, I am the wilderness tree;
with the Mercy of God I am not in need of the gardener.

Falak nashin sift-e-mehr hon zamaney mein;
teri doa sey ataa ho woh nardban mojh ko.
(Seirrhi.) :
May I be living elegantly in the world like the sun!
May I be bestowed with that ladder by your blessings!

Moqam hum-safaron sey hoa iss qadar aagay
keh samajhey manzil-e-maqsood-e-carvan mojh ko.
May I be so far ahead of the fellow travelers
that I may be regarded as the destination by the caravan!

Meri zoban-e-qalam sey kissi ka dil nah dokhhay,
kissi sey shikwah nah ho zir-e-aasman mojh ko.
May my pen not hurt anybodys feelings!
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May I have complaint against none under the sun!

Dilon ko chaak karey misl-e-shanah jiss ka asar;
teri janab sey aisi milley foghan mojh ko.
(Kangi ki tarah.) :
Whose effect may penetrate the hearts like a comb;
may I receive such a clamour from your threshold!

Banaya thha jissey chon chon kay khaar-o-khas mien ney;
chaman mein pher nazar aaey woh aashiyan mojh ko.
(Kaantay aur ghhaas phhoos.) :
The nest I had made by picking up bits and pieces;
may I see the same nest in the garden again!

Pher aa rakhhon qadam-e-maadar-o-pidar peh jabein;
kiya jinnhon ney mohabat ka raazdan mojh ko.

:
(Maan baap kay qadmon peh paishani.)
May I come back to put my forehead at my parents feet;
whose efforts made me the confidante of love.

Woh shamaa bargeh-e-khandaan-e-Murtazvi;
rehey ga misl-e-Haram jiss ka aastan mojh ko.
That candle of the audience of the Holy Prophets descendants;
whose threshold I will always consider like the Haram.
159

(This and the next two verses refer to his teacher Mir Hasan.)

Nafas sey jiss kay khholi meyri aarzoo ki kali;
banaya jiss ki marawwat ney noktahdan mojh ko.
Whose breath opened the flower bud of my longing
by whose benevolence I became sagacious.

Doa yeh kar keh Khodawand-e-aasman-o-zamin;
karey pher oss ki ziarat sey shaadman mojh ko.
Pray to the terrestrial and the celestial worlds Lord
that I may again become happy with paying homage to him.

Woh meyra Yousuf-e-Saani woh shamaa-e-mehfil-e-ishq;
hoeyi hai jiss ki akhowat qarar-e-jan mojh ko.

:
(Morad hein Allamah kay barray bhai.)
That second Yusuf* to me, that candle of Loves assembly;
whose brotherly love has given souls tranquillity to me.
(*A person who is regarded to possess extraordinary beauty or who is loved
immensely is called the Second Ysuf. This rather enigmatic expression
refers in all probability to Iqbals elder brother.)

Jala kay jiss ki mohabat ney daftar-e-mun-o-tou;
hawaey aish ney paala, kiya jawan mojh ko.
Who in his love, destroying the book of you and I
has brought me up to my youth in the environment of happiness.
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Riaz-e-dehar mein manind-e-gul rehey khandan;
keh hai aziz-ter az jan woh jan-e-jan mojh ko.
May he remain happy in the world like rose;
whom I have always held dearer than my life.

Shagoftah ho kay kali dil ki phhool ho jaaey;
yeh iltijaaey mosafir qabool ho jaaey.
Blooming, my hearts bud may become a flower!
May this travelers request be accepted!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
FATIMAH DAUGHTER OF ABD ALLAH
(An Arab Girl who was martyred while Serving Water to the Fighters against
Infidels in the Battle of Tripoli, 1912)
In this poem Allamah Iqbal pays tribute to one of the martyrs in this
war. He is not only paying his tribute but is showing the high status of a
martyr in Islam. In this particular case an unknown girl was elevated to the
elegant rank of a shahid by giving her life in the cause of God.

1912


Arab larrki jo Trablas ki jung mein
ghaziyuon ko paani plaati hoeyi shaheed hoeyi 1912.

!

Fatimah tou aabrooey ummat-e-marhoom hai;
zarrah zarrah teyri mosht-e-khak ka maasoom hai.
161

(Woh ummat jiss per reham kiya gaya yaani Millat-e-Islamia.)

Fatimah! The honour of the blessed Ummah you are;
all specks of your handful of dust innocent are.

!

Yeh saadat, hoor-e-sehraeyi! Teri qismat mein thhi;
ghaziyan-e-Deen ko saqqaeyi teri qismat mein thhi.
(Pani pilana.) :
O nymph of wilderness this happiness in your destiny was;
serving water to fighters against infidels your destiny was.

Yeh jihad Allah kay rastay mein bey taigh-o-seper;
hai jissarat aafrin shouq shahadat kis qadar.

:
(Talwar aur dhaal kay baghair.)
This holy war in Gods cause without armaments is!
How courage-inspiring this desire for martyrdom is!

Yeh kali bhi iss gulistan-e-khazan manzar mein thhi;
aisi chingari bhi Ya-Rabb, apni khakistar mein thhi.
(Raakhh.) :
This flower-bud also in the autumn-stricken garden was!
O Lord! Such a spark also concealed in our ashes was!

162

Apney sehra mein bohat aahoo abhi poshidah hein;

bijliyan barsay hoay baadal mein bhi khwabidah hein.
In our wilderness many a deer still concealed is!
Many a lightning asleep even in the rained out clouds is!

!

Fatimah go shabnam afshan ankhh teyrey ghum mein hai;
naghmah-e-ishrat bhi apney nalah-e-maatam mein hai.
Fatimah! Though in your grief the eye shedding dew is!
The tune of pleasure also in our wailing of grief is.

Raqs teyri khak ka kitna nishat angaiz hai;
zarrah zarrah zindagi kay soz sey labraiz hai.

:
(Khosh kar deyney wala, musarat ka bais.)
How pleasing the dancing of your dust is!
Every speck full of the warmth of life is.

Hai koeyi hungamah teyri turbat-e-khamosh mein;
pall rehi hai eik quom-e-tazah iss aaghosh mein.
Some activity in your silent grave is;
a nation being reared in this lap is.

Bey khabar hon garchih onn ki wosaat-e-maqsad sey mien;
aafrinash deikhhta hon onn ki iss marqad sey mien.
Though unaware of the extent of their aims I am;

163

their re-birth from this grave discerning I am.

Tazah anjam ka fazaey aasman mein hai zahoor;
deidah-e-insan sey namehram hai jinn ki mouj-e-noor.
New stars appearing in the celestial space are;
whose light waves strange to the human eye are.

Jo abhi obharey hein zolmat khanah-e-ayyam sey;
jinn ki zuo na-ashna hai qiad-e-sobh-o-shaam sey.
Who just arisen from the dark house of time are;
whose lights unaware of limitations of day and night are.

Jinn ki tabani mein andaaz-e-kohan bhi, nau bhi hai;
aur teyrey kokab-e-taqdir ka pertau bhi hai.

(Moqadar kay sitarey ki chamak.)

In whose brightness the old as well as the new ways are
and also the shadows of stars of your destiny are.
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE SIEGE OF ADRIANOPLE
This poem relates particularly an incident of the siege of Idarnah
(Adrianople) in the Balkans The central theme and the purpose of the
poem is to state an important principle of Islamic warfare, which is stated in
the last two verses.
Mohasarah-e-Idarnah

164



Europe mein jiss ghharri Haq-o-baatil ki chhirr gaeyi;
Haq khanjar aazmaeyi peh majboor ho gaya.
When the struggle between Truth and falsehood began in Europe;
the Truth was compelled on wielding the dagger.

Gard-e-Saleeb gird-e-Qamar halqah-zun ho gaeyi;
Shakree hisar-e-Darnah mein mehsoor ho gaya.
(Morad hai Issaeyi fouj.(

)Morad hai Islami fouj ko ghhairey mein ley liya.(

)Morad hai Turk Sipah-salar Ghazi Shakree Pasha.)

The dust of the Cross circled round the Crescent;
Shakree became besieged in the fortress of Adrianople.
(Shakree: He was the commander of the army
of the Uthmaniyah Khilafah defending Adrianople.)

Moslim sipahiyuon kay zakhiray hoay tamaam;
rooey ummeid ankhh sey mastoor ho gaya.
Provisions of Muslim soldiers became exhausted;
the face of hope from the eye became concealed.

' '
Aakhar Amir-e-Askar-e-Turki kay hokam sey;
165

aein-e-jung shehar ka dastoor ho gaya.

(Fouji qanoon.)

At last by the Turkish army commanders orders

Martial Law was proclaimed the law of the city.

Her shaey hoeyi zakhirah-e-lashkar mein montaqil;
shahin gadaey danah-e-asfoor ho gaya.

:
(Chirriyuon kay danah ka mohtaaj.)
Everything was transferred to the army camps store;
the eagle became beggar for the grain of the sparrow.

Laikan faqih-e-shehar ney jiss dum sonni yeh baat;
garma kay misl-e-saaiqah-e-Toor ho gaya.

:
(Aasmani bijli ki karrak ki tarah.)
But when the Faqih of the city heard this news
he exploded with anger like the thunderbolt of Toor.

Zimmi ka maal lashkar-e-Muslim peh hai Haraam;
fatwah tamaam shehar mein mashhoor ho gaya.

:

(Zimmi: Woh ghair Muslim shehari jiss ki hifazat
ka zimmah othhaya gaya.)
166

Dhimmis wealth is forbidden for the Muslim army;

this edict was published throughout the whole city.
(Dhimmi: This is a non-Muslim who lives in an Islamic State and
pays Jizyah, which is a tax which exempts him from military service and
makes the Islamic government responsible for his protection and welfare.)

Chhooti nah thhi Yahood-o-Nisara ka maal fouj;
Muslim, Khoda kay hokam sey majboor ho gaya.
The army would not touch the Jews and Christians wealth;
the Muslim became compelled by the Command of God!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
ABU BAKR SIDDIQ R.A.
This poem refers to the events preceding and in preparation of the
Tabook Expedition undertaken by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) with thirty
thousand soldiers in October 631. The background has much detail, for
which some good commentary of Surah 9 or some book on Surah of the
Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) should be consulted The event referred to is the
one organized by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) for collection of funds and war
material for the expedition.

Ekk dinn Rasool-e-Pak (S.A.W.) ney ashaab sey kaha;
dein maal rah-e-Haq mein jo hon tum mein maaldar.
One day the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) to his companions appealed:
All who have wealth should give some in Gods cause.

Irshaad sonn kay fart-e-tarb sey Umar (R.A.) othhay;

167

oss roz onn kay pass thhey dirham kaeyi hazaar.

(Intihaeyi khoshi sey.)

On hearing this command Umar rose in intense happiness;

that day he had acquired several thousand dirhams.
(Dirham: This was the coin current in the Arab world at that time
and even at present in some countries.)

Dil mein yeh keh rehey thhey keh Siddiq (R.A.) sey zaroor;
barrh kar rakhhey ga aaj qadam meyra rahwaar.
(Ghhorra.) :
He was saying to himself that certainly
that day he would excel Siddiq by far that day.

Laaey gharz-keh maal Rasool-e-Amin (S.A.W.);
aisaar ki hai dast nigar ibtidaey kaar.
(Mohtaaj.) :
At last he brought the wealth before the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).
Starting the action is a prelude to the necessary sacrifice.

Poochha Hazoor Sarwar-e-Alam (S.A.W.) ney, ay Umar (R.A.);
ay woh keh josh-e-Haq sey terey dil ko hai qarar.
The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) asked him, O Umar!
To whom Gods Love is the solace of the heart!

Rakhha hai kochh aayal ki khatar bhi tou ney kaya?
168

Muslim hai apney khwaish-o-aqarab ka haq gozar.

(Ehal-o-aayal, biwi bachay.)

Have you kept anything for the family?

Muslim is responsible for familys rights.

Ki arz nisf maal hai farzand-o-zann ka haq;
baqi jo hai woh millat-e-baiza peh hai nisar.
(Baitey aur biwi.)

He exclaimed, Half wealth is the son and wifes share;

the rest is made a present to the Ummah in sacrifice.

Itney mein woh rafiq-e-nabawwat bhi aa-gaya;
jiss sey banaey ishq-o-mohabat hai ostwaar.
Soon after, that friend of prophethood also arrived;
on whom the foundation of Love is established.

Ley aaya apney saath woh mard-e-wafa sarisht;
her cheez, jiss sey chashm-e-jahan mein ho eitibar.
That man of proved loyalty brought with him
everything which is creditable in the worlds eye.

Milk-e-yamin-o-dirham-o-dinar-o-rakht-o-jins;
asp-i-qamar som-o-shotar-o-qaatar-o-hammar.

:
(Daahinay haath ki milkiyat yaani ghulam aur kaneez.(
169

(Chaand jaisey paaon wala ghhorra, yaani khoobsurat.(

)Khachar.( :) Oont.( :
)Gadha.) :
All that right hand possessed, in cash, kind,
chattel beautiful horses, camels, mules and donkeys.

Bolay Hazoor (S.A.W.), chahiay fikr-e-aayal bhi,
kehney laga woh ishq-o-mohabat ka raazdar.
The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said,
You also need to care for the family;
replied that secret-keeper of Love and Fidelity:

Ay tojh sey deidah-e-meh-o-anjam frogh gir;
ay teyri zaat bais takwin-e-rozgar.

:

(Chaand sitaron ki ankhhein roshani hasil karti hein.(
:

)Banana, wujood mein lana.)

O you who give light to the eyes of the moon and the stars;
who was made the reason for creation of the universe;
(Allusion to the Hadith-i-Qudsi according to which God would not have
created the universe if He had not intended to create the person of the
Holy Prophet S.A.W).

170



Pervaaney ko chiragh hai, bulbul ko phhool bus;
Siddiq (R.A.) kay leay hai Khoda ka Rasool (S.A.W.) bus.
Lamp to the moth, flower to the nightingale is sufficient;
for Siddiq only the Prophet of God (S.A.W.) is sufficient!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
BILAL (R.A.)
This is the second poem in this book paying tribute to S. Bilal R.A.
The poem has a comparison of the feebleness of materialistic power
represented by Sikandar (Alexander) and the strength of spiritual and moral
power represented by S. Bilal R.A. Alexander is shown to be Roman.
Firstly, Alexander is a Greek name and no Roman emperor by this name is
known. Secondly, reference to Porus and Dara in the third verse shows that
Alexander of Greece is meant. The word Rumi has been used because
Alexander was also the ruler of Asia Minor, which was later a part of the
Eastern or the Byzantine wing of the Roman Empire. Also, both Rome and
Greece were formidable powers in ancient history of Europe.

Likhha hai eik Maghrabi haq-shinaas ney;
ehal-e-qalam mein jiss ka bohat ehtiraam thha.
A righteous Western writer has written;
who was highly respected among the literateur:

Jolan geh-e-Sikandar-e-Rumi thha Aisia;
gardon sey bhi boland-ter oss ka moqam thha.
(Maidan-e-jung.)

:
171

Asia was the marshaling place of Sikandar of Rome;

his status was more elegant than even the sky.

Taarikh kaeh rehi hai keh Rumi kay saamney;
daawa kiya jo Porus-o-Dara ney, khaam thha.
History attests that in combat with the Romans
the claims of Porus and Dara were vain.

Dunya kay iss shehansheh-e-anjam sipah ko;
hairat sey deikhhta falak-e-neil faam thha.
(Sitaron jaisi fouj.)

At this emperor with the myriad-man army

the blue sky was looking with amazement.

Aaj Aisia mein oss ko koeyi jaanta naheen;
taarikh daan bhi ossey pehchanta naheen.
Today nobody knows him in Asia;
even the historian does not recognize him.

Laikan Bilal (R.A.), woh habshi zadah-e-haqir;
fitrat thhi jiss ki noor-e-nabawwat sey mostanir.
(Roshani hasil karney waali.)

But Bilal (R.A.), that humble person with Negroid origin,

whose nature had been brightened by the Prophethoods (S.A.W.) Light.

172



Jiss ka amin azal sey hoa seinah-e-Bilal (R.A.);
mehkoom iss sada kay hein shahensheh-o-faqir.
The call whose custodian the breast of Bilal since eternity,* became
subservient to which call emperors as well as the indigent became!
(*Allusion to Azan.)

Hota hai jiss sey aswad-o-ahmar mein ikhtilaat;
karti hai jo gharib ko hum pehloey amir.
(Kala aur gora.)

Which brings amity between the black and the red;

by which the poor and the rich are placed together.

Hai tazah aaj takk woh nawaey jigar godaz;
sadiyuon sey sonn raha hai jissey gosh-e-charkh-e-pir.

:
(Boorrhay aasman kay kaan.)
That heart-melting song is fresh till the present age;
which the old skys ear has been hearing for centuries.

Iqbal kis kay ishq ka yeh faiz-e-aam hai;
Rumi fana hoa, Habshi ko dawaam hai.
Iqbal! This general blessing is due to whose love?
The Roman has perished, the Negro is immortal!
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)

173

AN INCIDENT OF THE BATTLE OF YARMUK

This poem refers to the battle of Yarmuk waged during the Khilafah of
S. Umar Farooq R.A. (636) at Yarmuk against the Byzantine wing of the
Roman Empire The Roman army was a well trained, well equipped and
well organized body of 300,000 men. The Muslim army was hardly 46,000
men strong and was neither well equipped nor well trained. However, as the
story related in this poem states, every soldier in the Islamic army was full
of zeal for fighting in the cause of God. There was no pessimism and the
Islamic formula of ghazi or shahid (conqueror or martyr) operated. The
young man in the second verse was just a soldier and his conversation with
S. Abu Ubaidah R.A., the commander portrays the general spirit and zeal of
the whole army for fighting in whom even being slain in the cause of God
was considered supreme success.

Jung-e-Yarmuk ka eik Waaqih

Saff bastah thhey Arab kay jawanan-e-taighbund;
thhi montizar henna ki aroos-e-zamin-e-shaam.
(Mehendi; morad hai khoon.(

)Dulhan.) :
The armed Arab youth were arrayed for battle;
the bride of Syrias land was waiting for myrtle.*
(*This metaphor is used for the blood about to be shed in the battle.)

Ekk naujawan surat-e-seimaab moztarib;
aa-kar hoa amir-e-asakar sey hum kalam.

:
(Paarah ki tarah bey qarar.)

174

A young man who was restless like mercury

approaching the armys general started saying:

Ay Bu Ubaidah rokhsat-e-paikaar dey mojhey;
labraiz ho gaya merey sabar-o-sakon ka jaam.
(Larraeyi ki ajazat.)

O Abu Ubaidah* grant me permission to fight;

the cup of my patience and calm is full.
(Abu Ubaidah ibn-Jarrah was an eminent companion
of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) and was among those
who joined him early. He took part in the fateful Battle of Badr
and continued fighting for the cause of God all his life.
He is famous for his services to Islam during the
Khilafahs of Abu Bakr Siddiq R.A. and Umar Farooq R.A.)

Bey taab ho raha hon fraq-e-Rasool (S.A.W.) mein;
ekk dum ki zindagi bhi mohabat mein hai haraam.
I am becoming impatient in the Holy Prophets separation;
in his Love even a moments life has become hard.

Jaata hon mien Hazoor-e-Risalat panah (S.A.W.) mein;
ley jaaon ga khoshi sey agar ho koeyi payam.
As I am going to the Holy Prophets audience,
I shall gladly convey if there is any message.

175



Yeh zouq-o-shouq deikhh kay pornum hoeyi woh ankhh;
jiss ki nigah thhi sift-e-taigh bey niyaam.
(Nangi talwar.)

The generals eye, whose sight was like an un-sheathed sword,

noticing this zeal and fervor was moist with tears.

Bola amir-e-fouj keh woh naujawan hai tou;
piron peh teyrey ishq ka wajab hai ehtiraam.
The armys general exclaimed:
You are that young man the respect for
whose Love is binding on the elders.

Pori karey Khodaey Mohammad (S.A.W.) teri morad;
kitna boland teyri mohabat ka hai moqam.
May the God of Muhammad (S.A.W.) fulfill your wish!
How elegant is the stage of your Love!

Pohnchay jo baargah-e-Rasool-e-Amin (S.A.W.) mein tou;
karna yeh arz meyri taraf sey pas az salam.
When you arrive in the audience of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.),
present this petition with my sincere compliments:

Hum peh karam kiya hai Khodaey ghayoor ney;

176

pooray hoay jo waadey kiay thhey Hazoor (S.A.W.) ney.

The Exalted God has shown His Mercey to us;
have been fulfilled all the promises you had made to us.*
(This verse refers to the Holy Quran 2:155-157 read with 33:9-27.
Unfavorable circumstances and adversity test the mettle of a person,
and sort out the hypocrites from the sincere believers.
The attitude of the former is portrayed in 33:9-21
and that of the latter in 33:22-27, particularly 33:22.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
The poetical works hereafter have been taken from Bal-i-Jibril and
reproduced in the sequence in which these appear in the original book.
GHAZAL: PART TWO

***** (58) *****

Hai yaad mojhey noktah-e-Salman* khosh aahung;
dunya naheen mardan-e-jafakash kay leay tung.

(*Mehmood Ghaznavi kay dour ka shaer Masood Saad Salman.)

From Salman*, singer sweet, this subtle point I know:
That world is wide enough for those who courage show.
(*Iqbals note: Salman refers to Masud Saad Salman, the famous poet
of the Ghaznavid era who was probably born in Lahore.)

Cheetay ka jigar chahiay, shaheen ka tajassos;

177

jee sakktey hein bey roshni-e-daanish-o-Farang.

A man can live without the light of science and art;
but needs hawks zeal for quest and tigers reckless heart.

Kar bulbul-o-taoos ki taqlid sey toubah;
bulbul faqat aawaz hai, taoos faqat rung.
(Mor.) :
Desist from imitation of peacock and nightingale:
The one is only hue, the other chant and wail.
(Translated by Syed Akbar Ali Shah)
QUATRAIN

*****(30)*****

Yeh noktah mien ney seikhha Bu al-Hassan sey;
keh jan murti naheen murg-e-badan sey.
Chamak sooraj mein kaya baqi rehey gi;
agar bizaar ho apni kiran sey.
It was Abul Hassan who stressed the truth;
that the soul does not expire with the body's death.
How could the sun have any light at all,
if it spurns and loses its own beams?
(Translated by Syed Akbar Ali Shah)

178

ECSTASY
This poem was written in love for Rasool-e-Akram (S.A.W.) and
therefore it could have been included in next chapter, but it has been placed
here because of quite a few references to historic events.

()
Zouq o shouq
Inn Ashaar mein sey aksar Falastin mein likhhay gaey.
Most of these Verses Were Written in Palestine.

Daraigh aamdum z-aan hamah bostan;
tehi dast raftan sooey dostan.

[Monasib naheen lagta keh mein eik bagh sey
doston ki taraf khali haath jaaon.]
I could not go to my friends empty-handed
from an orchard! Saadi.

Qalb-o-nazar ki zindagi dasht mein sobh ka saman;
chashmah-e-aaftab sey noor ki nadiyan rawan.
The morning suns silver beams are absorbed in the sand;
the eyes are bathed in radiance; the mind is lost in thought.

Hosn-e-azal ki hai namood, chaak hai pardah-e-wujood;
dil kay leay hazaar sood eik nigah ka ziyan.
179

Eternal beauty is revealed, and lifes image unveiled;

the heart is softened in ravishment, the eyes are dazed by the sun.

Sorkh-o-kabood badliyan chhorr gaya sahaab-e-shabb;
Koh-e-Azham ko dey gaya run barung teelsan.
(Neila.( :
)Raat ka baadal.(

:



)Hijaz ka eik paharr jo Madinah Manawwarah kay shamaal mein
waaqia hai aur iss ka zikr Qassidah Bordah Sharif kay
doosarey shear mein bhi hai.(
)Reshami chaadar.)

The night clouds are drifting, in scattered colours on the hill;

the balmy air has bathed the trees, and the sand is soft as silk.

Gard sey pak hai hawa, burg-e-nakhil dhol gaey;
raig nawah-e-Kazamah naram hai misl-e-parniyan.

:
(Khhajoor kay drakht kay pattay.(

:


)Yeh Kazam sey hai jiss kay maani hein

180

ghossah ko thhanda karney wala;

yeh Madinah kay naamon mein sey eik hai.(
)Resham.) :
The rain storm has cleansed the air,
leafs of date-palm tree have been washed;
the sand dunes (of anger) in my heart have turned soft like silk.
(English translation by Naim Siddiqui in the case of this verse.)

Aag bojhi hoeyi idhar, tooti hoeyi tanaab odhar;
kaya khabar iss moqam sey gozarey hein kitnay carvan.
(Khaimay ki rassi.)

Ashes of a fire and ropes of tents is all that remains behind:

The only imprints that the caravans
have left behind as they marched.

Aaeyi sadaey Jibril (A.S.), teyra moqam hai yehi;
ehal-e-fraq kay leay aish-e-dawaam hai yehi.
I heard the angel Gabriel saying to me:
This indeed is your station
for those acquainted with the pleasure of separation,
this is the everlasting comfort.

Kis sey kahon keh zehar hai meyrey leay maey hayat;
kohnah hai bazm-e-kainat, tazah hein meyrey wardaat.
To whom should I say that the wine of life is poison to me:
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I have new experiences while the universe is decadent entire.

Kaya naheen aur ghaznavi kaargeh-e-hayat mein;
baithhay hein kabb sey montazir ehal-e-Haram kay Somnaat.
The temples reared by holy men are waiting to be demolished:
Is there no idol-breaker new-born; no Ghaznavi in the battlefield?

Zikr-e-Arab kay soz mein, fikr-e-Ajam kay saaz mein;
ney Arabi moshahidaat, ney Ajami takhiyalaat,
There is neither Arab passion, nor Ajami refinement,
in the deeds of the one, in the thought of the other.

Qaflah-e-Hijaz mein eik Hussain bhi naheen;
garchih hai taab-daar abhi gaisooey Dajlah-o-Foraat.
The regions of Euphrates have waited, and waited in vain,
for a martyr like Hussain, on a death-defying march.

Aql-o-dil-o-nigah ka morshid-e-awwalein hai ishq;
ishq nah ho tuo Sharaa-o-Deen bottkadah-e-tasawwaraat.
Love is the mentor of the eye, of the heart and reason;
faith without Love is a pantheon of fantasies.

Sidq-e-Khalil (A.S.) bhi hai ishq,
sabr-e-Hussain (R.A.) bhi hai ishq;

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maarkah-e-wujood mein Badr-o-Hunayn bhi hai ishq.

Love is Abrahams faith; Love is Hussains endurance;
Love is Badr and Hunayn, on the battlefield of life.

Ayah-e-kainat ka maani-e-dir yaab tou;
niklay teri talash mein qaflah-haey rung-o-boo.

:
(Woh matlab jo moshkil sey samajh mein aaey.(

:


)Zindagi ka qaflah;rung sey morad dunya daar loug
aur boo sey morad hein mardaan-e-Haq.)
Of this varied world thou art the meaning long sought:
Long sought by multitudes of men,
from every corner of the earth.

Jalwatiyan-e-madrassah kor nigah-o-mordah zouq;
khalwatiyan-e-maey kadah kum talab-o-tehi kadoo.

:
(Zahari aloom parrhney waaley.(
:

)Zikr-o-fikr mein magan rehney waaley.(

)Khali sorahi.)

The disciples in tile schools are insipid and purblind;

the esoteric few have an empty unseening soul.

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Mien keh meri ghazal mein hai aatish-e-raftah ka soragh;
meyri tamaam sargozasht khhoay hoaon ki jostjoo.
My song seeks to recapture the flame that has been lost:
To rediscover the great and noble souls of the past.

Baad-e-saba ki mouj sey nashv-o-numaey khar-o-khas;
meyrey nafas ki mouj sey nashv-o-numaey aarzoo.
As the breeze infuses life into the green earth,
my fire-breathing song infuses passion into men.

Khoon-e-dil-o-jigar sey hai meyri nawa ki perwarish;
hai rug-e-saaz mein rawan sahib-e-saaz ka lahoo.
It is my life-blood that nourishes my song;
the harpists blood streams in the strings of the harp.

Forsat-e-kashmaksh madeh ein dil-e-bey qarar ra;
yakk duo shikin ziyadah kon gaisooey taabdar ra.

( )!


[(Ay ishq-e-mehboob!)
Meyrey bey qarar dil ko kashmaksh sey mohlat nah dey;
apni por-paich zolf mein eik duo shikinein barrha dey.]
Let not this anxious heart of mine have a spasm to struggle;

184

bright are Thy tresses, brighten them even more.

(Note: The verses hereafter are devoted to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)
and wherever the reference is made to Rasool Pak (S.A.W.)
the first letter of the word is typed in capital.)

Louh bhi Tou, Qalam bhi Tou, Teyra wujood al-Kitaab.
Gonbad-e-aabginah rung Teyrey moheet mein habaab.

:

(Ilm-e-Elahi kay biyan kay leay istimaal honay waaley alfaaz hein.(
)Quran Pak.(

)Morad hai neila aasman.(

)Ghherao.( :
(Pani ka bulbolah.)

Thou writest my book of fate; Thou art my arbiter;

the starlit dome, in its expanse, is but a bubble in Thy Sea.

Alam-e-aab-o-khak mein Teyrey zahoor sey frogh;
zarrah-e-raig ko diya Tou ney taloa-e-aaftab.
(Rait ka zarrah.) :
The myriad-coloured earth is illumined by Thee;
Thou makest even a piece of sand as radiant as the sun.

Shoukat-e-Sanjar-o-Saleem Teyrey jalal ki namood;
faqr-e-Junaid-o-BaYazid Teyra jamal bey niqaab.

185

(Morad hai badshah.(

:
)Morad hai sahib-e-faqr dervaish loug.)
The majesty of kings is but a reflection of Thy power;
the sanctity of pious men is a mirror of Thy beauty.

Shouq Tera agar nah ho meyri namaz ka imam;
meyra qayaam bhi hijaab, meyra sajood bhi hijaab (pardah).
If my prayer is not inspired by a love of Thee,
my prayer is futile; my bowing to Thee is a pose.

Teyri nigah-e-naaz sey duonon morad pa gaey;
aql ghayab-o-jostjoo, ishq hazoor-o-iztiraab.
(Ghaib hona.) :
To my reason Thou didst give the quest born of Absence,
and to my love for Thee, Thy Presence and anxiety.

Tirah-o-taar hai jahan gardish-e-aaftab sey;
tabaa-e-zamanah tazah kar jalwah-e-bey hijaab sey.
(Tareeki aur andhaira.)

The earth is dark, benighted; revolving round the old sun,

bring the dawn of life to the earth, with Thy glimpse unveiled.

Teyri nazar mein hein tamaam meyrey gozashtah roz-o-shabb;

186

mojh ko khabar nah thhi keh hai ilm nakhil-e-bey ratab.

:
(Khhajoor ka woh drakht jo phhal nah dey.)
Thou knowest all about my past and my present;
I had not known that knowledge is a tree without fruit.

Tazah merey zamir mein maarkah-e-kohan hoa;
ishq tamaam Mustafa (S.A.W.), aql tamaam Bu Lahab.
That old battle was raged in my heart again, between love,
which is all good, and reason, which is all evil.

Gah baheelah mi-bord, gah bazor mi-kashad;
ishq ki ibtida ajab, ishq ki intiha ajab.

[Yeh kabhi ajeeb tadbiron sey kaam ley kar insan ko manzil-e-morad
per pohnchata hai aur kabhi zor-o-qowwat sey
khhainch kar ley jaata hai.]
Love has a strange beginning, and a strange end:
It snatches by excuses sometimes, and drags by force at others.

Alam-e-soz-o-saaz mein wasl sey barrh kay hai fraq;
wasl mein murg-e-aarzoo, hijr mein lazzat-e-talab.
In the world of passion, Absence is greater than Presence,

187

Absence is the pleasure of yearning, Presence is desires death.

Ain wisal mein mojhey houslah-e-nazar nah thha;
garchih bahanah-joo rehi meyri nigah-e-bey adab.
In fulfilment in the past, perception I had none;
though my audacious eye was looking for pretences.

Garmi-e-aarzoo-e-fraq, shorash-e-haey-o-hoo fraq;
mouj ki jostjoo fraq, qatray ki aabroo fraq.
The waves enduring quest, the rain-drops search to be a pearl,
the hearts eternal yearning, are all before fulfilme
(Translated by Naim Siddiqui)
A LETTER FROM EUROPE
In this short poem Allamah Iqbal pays tributes to his Morshid; Jalal-udDin Rumi.

Europe sey eik khat

Hum khogar-e-mehsos hein sahil kay khridar;
ekk behar-e-por ashoob-o-por asrar hai Rumi.

:

(Woh cheez jiss kay honay ka ehsaas hawas-e-khamsah sey ho jaey.(
)Toofani.) :
We venture not beyond the shores: Being to the senses confined.
188

But Rumi is an ocean, stormy, mysterious.

Tou bhi hai iss qaflah-e-shouq mein Iqbal;
jiss qaflah-e-shouq ka salar hai Rumi.
Iqbal! Thou, too, art moving in that band of men:
That band of men of passion, of which Rumi is the guide;

Iss asar ko bhi iss ney diya hai koeyi paigham?
Kehtey hein chiragh reh-e-ahraar hai Rumi.
(Hur ki jamaa; azad loug.)

:
Rumi, they say, is the guiding light for freedom;
has he, indeed, a message for the age we live in?

Jawab: Keh nabayad khord-o-jao humchon kharan;
aahoo-anah dar Khotan chur arghwan.

[Gadhon ki tarah ghhas aur jao khha kar

gozarah nah karna chahiay
balkeh heran ki tarah Khotan kay paharron mein
arghwaan churna chahiay.]
Reply: Eat not hay and corn like donkeys;

189

eat of thy choice like the musk-deer:

Her keh kah-o-jao khord qorban shawad;
her keh Noor-e-Haq khord Quran shawad.

[Jo ghhas aur jao khhata hai
woh bhairr bakkri ki tarah zibah kar diya jaata hai,
takeh dosron ki tun-perwari kay leay samaan mohiya ho sakkey;
jo Khoda ka noor khhata hai woh Quran bun jaata hai.]
He dies who eats hay and corn.
He who eats Gods light, becomes the Quran.
(Translated by Naim Siddiqui)
21st December, 2013

INQILAB
INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
INSPIRATION - BEST OF HUMANS

190

An individual gets maximum inspiration from a person whom one

loves. Allamah Iqbal is one of those who loved the Prophet Mohammad
(S.A.W.). Therefore, the Last Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.); the best of
humans was the real source of inspiration for the poet.
Allamahs love for Mustafa (S.A.W.) is reflected in entire poetry, but in
this chapter only some of those are included which are exclusively devoted
to the person whom he loved the most. To start with, two poems from Bange-Dara reproduced.
IN AUDIENCE WITH THE HOLY PROPHET S.A.W.
Dr Khalil write: This short poem, full of pathos, is the sincere outpouring of Allamah Iqbals heart-felt grief. It is an allegory of an audience
with the Holy Prophet S.A.W. It is usual with Allamah Iqbal, in common
with Khawajah Altaf Hussain Hali to present his feelings to the Holy
Prophet (S.A.W) at critical times and to request him for supplication to God
to alleviate the situation.
This poem was written in 1913 for the immediate problem of the
invasion of Libya by Italy, as is indicated by the last verse. However, it also
reflects the Allamahs feelings on the deplorable condition of the
Muslim Ummah throughout the world in the first two decades of the present
(twentieth) century. At that time the imperialist countries of Europe were
ransacking the whole world, pillaging the natural resources of the
defenseless nations of all countries outside Europe. Not stopping there they
obliterated the cultures and religions of the vanquished people in the
misplaced enthusiasm of making them civilized, and protecting them from
hell-fire. Their strategy consisted of forcing as well as enticing them into the
fold of Christianity, among other things, by their doctrine of vicarious
atonement of S. Issa A.S. In case of the Muslim countries there was an added
reason for enmity in their attempt to wreak vengeance of their repeated
defeats at the hands of Muslims in the Wars of Crusades over a long period
of time.
Tarabilus (Tripoli) is a port in Tripolitania, which is the northwestern
province of the present day Libya, extending from the Mediterranean to the
Sahara. It was invaded and conquered by Italy in 1911-12, when it was a part
of the Khilafah.
The machinations of the European imperialists against the
Islamic Ummah have been documented in many books which can be
191

consulted for details The bereavement of Muslims was caused not only by
the conquest of Muslim countries by Europeans but by the atrocities during
and after such conquests. All colonial countries have witnessed them. The
following few quotationsshow the seriousness of the matter:
(Shakib Arsalan (1869-1946) was a Druze Muslim, who fought
constantly against European powers throughout his life. - Author.)
His (Arsalans) commitment was most evident in his reaction to the
Italian invasion of Libya in October 1911, when he went to the battle-front
himself. This response although more direct than others was not
unrepresentative of reverberations which the Italian invasion produced
throughout the Arab Islam. In Tunisia there were open anti-Italian riots; in
Egypt a strong wave of pro-Uthmaniyah sentiment swept across all levels of
society. Fear of the systematic European campaign against Islam was
heightened by the fact that French forces had occupied Fez in the spring of
1911, initiating the final stages in the process that added Morocco to the
international system of protectorates. (p. 19)
The so-called International system of protectorates was
establishment of suzerainty of European powers. (Author)

the

In this earlier phase, which is our concern here, Arsalan was never
more outspoken than in his condemnation of General Grazianis
brutalization of the Cryenaican population. He wrote to Rida that when he
learnt of the deportations, executions, tortures and sexual humiliations
inflicted on the civilian population of Jabal al-Akhar I let my pen loose on
those dogs. In article after article, he enumerated the horrors committed by
the Italian forces and condemned Fascist Italy as being beyond the pale of
humankind... He told his readers that when the Italian forces captured the
oasis of Kufrah, they turned the Great Sanusi Zawiyyah into a tavern where
they drank toasts to the extermination of Muslims of Tripoli; and they threw
the Holy Qurans beneath their horses hooves and then used them to light
the fires of their cooking pots. (p. 100).
The Italian abuse of Islam and the population of Libya meant more
than the atrocities themselves. The real objective of the Fascist government
was the extermination of Islam from the entire region and replacing it with
Christian colonists. Arsalan saw the Fascists in Libya acting as Ferdinand
and Isabella had done toward the Moor of Spain. (pp. 100-101)
In reality one does not have to read any books to appreciate the serious
nature of the situation with reference to the relationships of the Western
world and their henchmen with the Islamic world. One has only to look
192

around in the present day world to witness the heart rending atrocities of the
Western nations and their proxies against the Islamic world. First sight
observation is worth a million books.

Hazoor Risalat Maab Mein

Gran jo mojh peh yeh hungamah-e-zamanah hoa;
jahan sey baandh kay rakht-e-safar rawanah hoa.
(Naqabil-e-bardaasht.( :
)Raastey ka samaan.) :
When I felt this ignoble strife of the world grievous;
packing up my goods and chattel I departed from the world.

Qayood-e-shaam-o-sehar mein basar tuo ki laikan;
nizam-e-kohan alam sey aashna nah thha.
Though I did pass life within limits of morning and evening;
I never got acquainted with the old system of the world.

Frishtay bazm-e-risalat mein ley gaaey mojh ko;
hazoor Ayah-e-Rehmat (S.A.W.) mein ley gaaey mojh ko.

)( :

(Rasool Pak (S.A.W.) jinn ki zaat-e-mobarak sarapa rehmat thhi.)
The angles took me to the assembly of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.):
They took me to the audience of the symbol of Gods Mercy.

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Kaha Hazoor (S.A.W.) ney, ay andleeb-e-bagh-e-Hijaz;
kali kali hai teri garmi-e-nawa sey godaz.
:
(Bulbul; apni taraf asharah hai.)
The Holy Prophet said O nightingale of the garden of Hijaz!
Each flower-bud of yours is melted with your musics warmth.

Hamaishah sar khosh jaam-e-wla hai dil teyra;
fataadgi hai teri ghairat sajood-e-niaz.

:
(Mohabat kay nashah mein choor.)

Your heart is always ecstatic with the wine-cup of Gods proximity;

your supplication is the envy of prostrations in Divine Love.

Orra jo pusti-e-dunya sey tou sooey gardon;
seikhhaeyi tojh ko malaik ney rifaat-e-pervaaz.
(Frishtay.( :
)Boland pervaazi.) :
In your flight from the lowly world to the celestial world;
the angels taught you the elegance of the flight.

Nikal kay bagh-e-jahan sey barung-e-boo aaya;
hamarey waastey kaya tohafah ley kay aaya?

194

(Khoshboo ki tarah.) :
You have come like fragrance out of the worlds garden
with what gift for me have come you?

!

Hazoor (S.A.W.)! Dehar mein aasoodgi naheen milti;
talash jiss ki hai woh zindagi naheen milti.
Sir! Satisfaction on the earth is not available;
the life I am searching for is not available.

Hazaron lalah-o-gul hein riaz-e-husti mein;
wafa ki jiss mein ho boo, who kali naheen milti.
Thousands of tulips and roses exist in the garden of existence;
the flower-bud with the fragrance of fidelity is not available.

Magar mein bazaar ko ekk aabginah laya hon;
jo cheez iss mein hai, Jannat mein bhi naheen milti.
(Shishah, sorahi.) :
But I have brought a lovers wine-glass as an offering;
whatever is in this even in paradise is not available.
(This verse and the next one refer to
Allamah Iqbals entire poetic works.)

Jhalkati hai Teri Ummat ki aabroo iss mein;
Tarablus kay shaheedon ka hai lahoo iss mein.
Glistens your Ummahs honour in this;
195

blood of Tripolis martyrs is in this.

(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
THE HOSPITAL OF HIJAZ
This short poem expresses the ardent love of Allamah Iqbal for God
and the Holy Prophet S.A.W. as well as for the Holy Land of Hijaz.

Shifakhanah-e-Hijaz

Ekk paishwaey quom ney Iqbal sey kaha;
khholney ko Jeddah mein hai shifakhanah-e-Hijaz.
A leader of the nation once said to Iqbal:
A hospital is about to open in Jeddah for Hijaz.

Hota hai teyri khak ka her zarrah bey qarar;
sonnta hai tou kissi sey jo afsanah-e-Hijaz.
Every speck of your dust becomes restless
as you hear from somebody the tale of Hijaz.

Dast-e-janon ko apney barrha jaib ki taraf;
mashhoor tou jahan mein hai devanah-e-Hijaz.

) ( :
((Chandah kay leay) mohabat bhara haath.)
Move your hand of Love towards your pocket;
you are world famous as the lover of Hijaz.

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Dar-al-Shifa hawali-al-Battha mein chahiay;
nabz-e-mareez punjah-e-Issa mein chahiay.
(Haspital.( :
)Makkah kay ird gird.)

The hospital in the suburbs of Battha* is needed

in the hands of Issa the patients pulse is needed.
(*This is another name of Makkah Muazzamah.)

Mien ney kaha keh mout kay parday mein hai hayat;
poshidah jiss tarah ho haqiqat-e-majaaz mein.
I said Life lies in the veil of death
as the Truth lies veiled in metaphors.

Talkhabah-e-ajal mein jo aashiq ko mil gaya;
paya nah Khizar ney maey omar-draaz mein.
What the Lover has obtained in the position of death;
Khizar could not obtain in the wine of eternal life.

!

Auron ko dein hazoor! Yeh paighaam-e-zindagi;
mien mout dhoondta hon zamin-e-Hijaz mein.
Sir, convey this message of life to others;
I am searching for death in the land of Hijaz.

197

Aaey hein aap ley kay shifa ka payam kaya;

rakhhtey hein ehal-e-dard Masiha sey kaam kaya.
Why have you brought the message of cure?
What concern do Lovers have with the Masiha.*
(*Allusion to Issa A.S. and his miracle of bringing the dead to life.)
(Translated by Dr M A K Khalil)
The ghazal reproduced below is chosen from Bal-e-Jibril.
GHAZAL: PART TWO

***** (1C) *****

1933

-



Aala Hazrat Shaheed Amir-ul-Mominin Nadar Shah Ghazi Rehmatullah
Alih kay lotf-o-karm sey November 1933 mein mosannaf ko Hakim Sanai
Ghaznavi Rehmatullah Alih kay mazar-e-moqadas ki ziarat nasib hoeyi
yeh chund afkaar-e-parishan jinn mein Hakim he kay eik mashoor qasiday
ki pairvi ki gaeyi hai, oss roz-e-saeed ki yaadgar mein sapord-e-qalam
kiay gaey:
Ma az pey Sanai-o-Attar Aamdaim.

[Hum Sanai aur Attar kay baad aaey hein.]
In November, 1933, Aala Hazrath Shaheed Ameer ul Momineen,
Nadir Shah Ghazi granted the author permission to visit the shrine of
198

Hakeem Sanai Ghaznavi. These verses were written in commemoration

of the event, in imitation of a famous panegyric by the poet.
These verses were written in commemoration of the event, in imitation of
a famous panegyric by the poet: We are coming after Sinai and Attar.
While God was addressed in the previous section, the addressee here
will be the humanity.

Ghulami kaya hai? Zouq-e-hosn-o-zebaeyi sey mehroomi;
jissey zeba kaeheen azad bandey, hai wohi zeba.
Slavery! Exile from the love of beauty:
Beauty! Whatever free men reckon so.

Bharosa kar naheen sakktey ghulamon ki baseerat per,
keh dunya mein faqat mardan-e-hur ki ankhh hai beina.
Trust no slaves eyes, clear sight and liberty go hand in hand.

Wohi hai sahib-e-imroz jiss ney apni himmat sey;
zamaney kay samandar sey nikaala gohar-e-farda.
His own resolves bestow the empire of Today on him who fishes tomorrows
pearl up from Times undertow.

Farangi shishah gar kay fun sey pathar ho gaey pani;
meri ikseer ney shishey ko bakhshi sakhti-e-khara.
(Pathar ki sakhti.) :

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The Frankish glassblowers arts can make stone run:

My alchemy makes glass flint-hard.

Rehey hein, aur hein Faroan meyri ghhaat mein abb takk;
magar kaya ghum keh meyri aastin mein hai yadd-e-baiza.
Pharaoh plotted and plots against me; but what harm?
Heaven lifts my hand, like Moses, white as snow.

Woh chingari khas-o-khashaak sey kis tarah dab jaaey;
jissey Haq ney kiya ho neistan kay waastey paida.
Earths rubbish-heaps can never quell this spark
God struck to light whole deserts, His flambeau!

Mohabat khwaishtan beini, mohabat khwaistan daari;
mohabat aastan-e-Qaisar-o-Kissra sey bey parwa.
Love, self-beholding, self-sustaining,
stands un-awed at the gates of Caesar or Khosro:

*
*

Ajab kaya mah-o-pervin merey nakhchir ho jaein;
keh ber fitraak-e-sahib-e-doulatey bostam sar-e-khod ra.
*Yeh misraa Mirza Saib ka hai
jiss mein lafzi taghiyar kiya gaya.

200


[Iss leay keh mien ney apna sar eik bohat barri
aur boland husti kay shikar bund mein baandh diya hai.]
If moon or Pleiades fall my prey, what wonder!
Myself bound fast to the Prophets saddle-bow!

Woh Danaey Sobal, Khatamur Rosal,
Moulaey koll S.A.W.) jiss ney;
ghobar-e-rah ko bakhsha farogh-e-Waadi-e-Seina.

:
(Sabeel yaani raastey ki jamaa.(

:
)Rasolon ka khatam yaani Aakhri Rasool S.A.W.)
He: Guide, Last Envoy,
Lord of All lent brightness of Sinai to our dust.

Nigah-e-ishq-o-musti mein wohi awwal, wohi aakhar;
wohi Quran, wohi Forqan, wohi Yaasin. wohi Tahaa.
Loves eyes, not slow to kindle, hail him Alpha and Omega:
Chapter, and Word, and Book.

Sinai kay adab sey mein ney ghuwwasi nah ki vernah;
abhi iss behar mein baqi hein laakhhon loloaey lala.
I would not go pearl-diving there, for reverence of Sinai;
but in these tides a million pearls still grow.
(Translated by V.G. Kiernan)
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Followings are the poetical works selected from Payam-e-Mashriq.

QUATRAINS

*****(15)*****

Z-aab-o-gill khoda khosh paikeray saakht;
jahaney az Iram ziba-terey saakht.
Walley saqi beh aan aatish keh daarad;
z-khak-e-mun jahan-e-deigarey saakht.

) (
)(

[Allah Taala ney pani aur matti sey
yeh khoobsurat kianat takhliq ki;
aisa jahan, jo bahisht sey ziyadah khoobsurat hai.
Magar Saqi (Janab Rasool-e-Pak S.A.W.)
ney apni aatish (ishq) sey;
meyri khak sey eik niya jahan paida kar diya.]
Of water and of clay a figure fine God wrought,
a world than Eden more divine.
And still the saki fashioned with his flame
another world out of this dust of mine.

202

(Translated by A.J. Arberry)

*****(71)*****

Tou khurshidi-o-mun siyyarah-e-Tou;
sarapa nooram az nazarah-e-Tou.
Z-aaghosh-e-Tou dooram na-tamamam;
Tou Qurani-o-mun siparah-e-Tou.

) (

[Tou sooraj hai aur mien teyrey gird
(chakkar laganey wala) siyyarah hon;
teyrey nazarey sey mein bhi sarapa noor bun gaya hon.
Tojh sey door hon namokamil hon;
Tou Quran hai aur mein teyra siparah hon.]
I am a circling planet; Thou my sun,
the light that bathes me by Thy glance is thrown:
Far from Thy bosom I imperfect am,
thou art the Book, one chapter I alone.
(Translated by M. Hadi Husain)
GHAZAL: PART TWO

203

*****(51)*****

Diyar-e-shouq keh dard aashnast khak aanja;
beh zarrah zarrah tawaan deidah jan-e-pak aanja.

) (

[Diyar-e-shouq (Madinah Munnawarah) ki khak dard aashna hai;
yahan kay zarrey zarrey mein
pakeezah zindagi deikhhi jaa sakti hai.]
In the abode of passion, where the dust is fraught with pain,
shineth in every atom there pure spirit without stain.

Maey moghanah z-mogh zaadgan nami geirand;
nigah mi shiknad shishah-haey taak aanja.

[Yahan moghzadon sey sharab naheen leytey;

nigah-e-Saqi-e-Kousar shishah-haey taak
sey bey niaz kar deyti hai.]
No Magian wine from Magian boy the revelers there take;
one glance of rapture and of joy each fragile glass doth break.

Yeh zabt-e-josh-e-janoon kosh dar moqam-e-niaz;
bahosh baash-o-maro ba qabaey chaak aanja.

204


[Yeh moqam-e-niaz hai, yahan qaba chaak nah kar;
hosh mein reh aur apney josh-e-janon per zabt rakhh.]
Let madness surge not in thee so when thou dost stand at prayer;
keep firm thy reason; do not go with shredded raiment there!
(Translated by A.J. Arberry)
SEEING PROPHETS GARB AT QANDHAR
This poem is from Masnavi Mosafir.

Qandhar, aan kishwar minuo sawaad;
ehl-e-dil ra khak-e-oo khak-e-morad.

[Qandhar, woh kishwar hai jo bahisht kay andaaz rakhhti hai;
iss ki khak ehl-e-dil kay leay maqsood-e-nigah hai.]
Qandhar, that place of paradisiac charm,
its dust the hearts desire of men of heart.

Rung-ha, boo-ha, mawa-ha, aab-ha;
aab-ha tabindah choon seimaab-ha.

[Wahan rung, khoshboo aur pani ki frawani hai;
wahan ka pani seimab ki tarah chamakta hai.]

205

These hues, scents, waters! These waters glittering like mercury!

Lalah-ha dar khalwat-e-kohsar-ha;
naar-ha yakh bastah andar naar-ha.

[Iss kay kohsar ki khalwat mein

gul-haey lalah khhilay hoay hein;
wahan anaar kay danay aisey sorkh hein
goya woh yakh bastah aag hon.]
Tulips in the coign of the mountains;
fires frozen within pomegranates.

Kooey aan shehar ast ma ra kooey dost;
saarban ber bund-e-mehmal sooey dost.

[Iss shehar ka koochah hamarey leay kooey dost hai;
saarban mehboob ki taraf jaaney kay leay mehmal baandh.]
Its streets the streets of the friend for us,
O camel-driver, set the litter for the beautiful one.

Mi-sareym deigar az yaraan-e-Najd;
az nawaey, naqah ra aaram beh wajd.

206


[Mien pher yaran-e-Najd kay naghmey gaata hon
aur inn naghmon sey naaqah ko wajd mein laata hon.]
I sing again of the mates of Najd
and bring the dromedary into ecstasy with my chant.

Az deir-e-moghaan aaeym bey gardish-e-sehbast;
dar manzil-e-La boodam az baadah-e-Illah must.

)( )(


[Deir-e-moghan (Maghrib) mein
sharab (rohaniyat) ka dour nah thha;
magar mien wahan sey must aaya hon,
iss manzil-e-La mein bhi mien baadah-e-Illa sey must raha.]
Az I come from the temple of Magians
intoxicated with the passing of wine.
I was inebriate with the wine of Illa (Affirmation)
in the state of La (Negation).

Danam keh nigah-e-oo zarf hamah kas beinad;
kard ast mera saqi az oshwah-o-aima must.

( )

207

[Mojhey maaloom hai keh saqi ki nigah

her eik ka zaraf deikhh leyti hai;
(chonanchih) oss ney mojhey naaz-o-adaa
he sey must kar diya hai.]
I know his eyes perceives the capacity of every person,
the saqi has made me ecstatic by his blandishment and beckoning.

Waqt ast keh bakoshaeym maeykhanah-e-Rumi baaz;
piraan-e-Haram deidam dar sehan-e-Kalisa must.

[Waqt aa-gaya hai keh mien

Rumi kay maeykhanah kay darwazey khhol don
kiyuonkeh mien ney Piraan-e-Haram ko
sehan-e-Kalisa mein must deikhha hai.]
It is time I should again open the tavern of Rumi.
I have seen the custodian of the Harem
intoxicated in the churchyard.

Ein kaar-e-hakimay neist damaan-e-Kalimay gir;
sadd bandah-e-sahil must yakk bandah-e-darya must.

208

[Yeh falsafi ka kaam naheen, kissi Kalim ka daaman thhaam;

eik bandah jo darya kay toofanon sey nabard aazma ho,
aisey sainkarron ashkhaas sey behtar hai
jo sahil per magan baithhey hon.]
It is not the work of a philosopher,
catch hold of the hem of a Moses, who conversed with God.
A hundred persons enrapt with the shore
and but one tipsy with the river.

Dil ra beh chaman bordam az baad-e-chaman afsord;
meerad bakhiyaban-ha ein lalah-e-sehra must.

[Mien apney dil ko chaman mein ley gaya,
tuo woh bagh ki hawa sey afsordah ho gaya;
iss gul-e-lalah ko jo sehra mein khosh rehta hai,
khiyaban mein ley gaya tuo wahan morjha gaya.]
I took my heart to the garden
where it became numb with the breeze it dies in a park,
this tulip stimulated by the desert.

Az harf-e-dil aawaizash asrar-e-Haram paida;
di kafir kay deidam dar Wadi-e-Batha must.

209


) (
[Kal mien ney eik aisey kafir ko Wadi-e-Batha mein sarmust deikhha
jiss kay dil-aawaiz alfaaz sey asrar-e-Haram zahar ho rehey thhey
(apney motaaliq kaeh rehey hein).]
From his delightful words, the secrets of the Harem shine out.
I saw a mini-infidel yesterday intoxicated in the valley of Batha;

Seina ast keh Faran ast Ya-Rabb chih moqam ast ein,
her zarrah-e-khak-e-mun chashmay ast tamasha must.

[Yeh Wadi-e-Seina hai ya Wad-e-Faran?

Ya-Rabb! Yeh kon sa moqam hai?
Yahan meyri khak-e-badan ka her zarrah
ankhh bun kar must-e-tamasha hai.]
Is this Sinai or Faran? O God, what is this place?
Each particle of my dust is an eye lost in beholding.

Khirqah-e-aan barzakh la yabghiyan;
deidmash dar noktah-e-li khirqtaan.

)(
' '


210


[Hazoor-e-Akram (S.A.W.) ki Hadis keh
meyrey duo pairhan hein eik faqr aur doosra jihad
kay noktah mein,
mien ney ayah-e-sharifah duo millay hoay darya
jo alag alag rehtey hein ki tashrih deikhhi.]
The garment of that Interstise that cannot be crossed;
I behold in his saying: For me two garbs: Continence and Jihad.

Deen-e-oo aein-e-oo tafsir-e-kol;
dar jabein-e-oo khat-e-taqdir-e-kol.

)(
)(

[Hazoor (S.A.W.) ka Deen aur aaein her cheez ki tafseer hai,
Aap (S.A.W.) ki jabein-e-mobarak mein
pori taqdir ki lakeer moujood hai.]
Both his Faith and system expositions of the whole;
on his forehead inscribed the destiny of all.

Aql ra oo sahib-e-asrar kard;
ishq ra oo taigh-e-johar dar kard.

)(
)(
[Aap (S.A.W.) he ney aql ko sahib-e-asrar kiya
aur Aap (S.A.W.) he ney ishq ko taigh-e-johardar kiya.]
Intellect made him knower of secrets
211

and love a matchless sword.

Carvaan-e-shouq ra oo manzil ast;
ma hamah yakk mosht khakaim oo dil ast.

)(
)(
[Aap (S.A.W.) he kay carvaan-e-shouq ki manzil hein;
hum sabb mosht-e-khak hein aur Aap (S.A.W.) dil hein.]
He is the destination of the caravan of ardour,
we are but a pinch of dust and he the heart thereof.

Aashkara deidnash asraey mast;
dar zamirash Masjid-e-Aqsa mast.

)(
)(
()
[Aap (S.A.W.) ki ziarat hamarey leay Miaraj hai;
Aap (S.A.W.) he kay zamir mein hamari Masjid-e-Aqsa hai
(Masjid Aqsa he sey Miaraj ka safar shoroa hoa thha).]
To see his outside is our Asra,
and in his inner self is our Aqsa.

Ummeid az pairahan-e-oo booey oo;
daad ma ra naarah-e-Allah Hoo.

212


[Aap kay pairhan sey Aap ki khoshboo aati hai;
iss ney humein naarah-e-Allah-Hoo ataa kiya.]
From his garment I sensed his perfume;
he gave us the shout of Allah-hu.

Ba dil-e-mun shouq bey perva chih kard;
baadah-e-por zor ba mina chih kard.

!
[Kaya kahon keh meyrey dil kay saath
shouq-e-bey perva ney kaya kiya;
taiz sharab ney sorahi ka kaya haal kiya!]
What did my reckless love do to my heart?
Whatever tempestuous wine to the flask.

Raqsad andar seinah az zor-e-janoon;
ta z-rah deidah mi-ayad baroon.

[Zor-e-janon sey meyra dil
seinay kay andar raqs karney laga;
yahan takk keh woh aankhhon kay raastey
aansoo bun kar tapkaney laga.]
It leapt in the breast because of wild rapture
till it rushed out of the eyes.

213



Goft mun Jibrilam-o-noor-e-mobin;
paish azein oo ra nadeidam ein chonin.

[Dil ney kaha, mien he Jibril hon,

mien he noor-e-mobin hon
iss sey pehley mien ney ossey kabhi
iss halat mein nah deikhha thha.]
It said: I am Gabriel and radiant light;
I never saw him like this before.

Shear-e-Rumi khwanad-o-khandeid-o-gireist;
Ya-Rabb ein devanah-e-farzanah keist?

[Woh Rumi kay shear parrhta

aur kabhi hansta aur kabhi routa;
mien ossey deikhh kar kehta keh Ya-Rabb
yeh devanah-e-farzanah kon hai?]
It recited lines from Rumi, laughed and wept,
O God! Who is this Sage gone wild?

Dar Haram ba mun sakhon zindanah goft;

214

az maey-o-moghzadah-o-paimanah goft.

[Jo Haram mein mojh sey sharab, jam
aur maey farosh ki rindanah baatein karta hai.]
It talked to me so volubly in the sanctuary,
talking of wine, Magian pages and wine cups.

Goftmash ein harf-e-bibaakanah cheist;
labb farou-bund moqam-e-khamshi ast.

[Mien ney apney dil sey kaha yeh bey baakanah goftgoo kaisi;
labb bund rakhh yeh khamoshi ka moqam hai.]
I asked it what audacious words these be;
close your lips for this is a solemn occasion.

Mun z-khoon-e-khwaish pervardam tera;
sahib-e-aah-e-sehar kardam tera.

[Mien ney apney khoon sey teyri perwarish kar kay
tojhey sahib-e-aah-e-sehar kiya hai.]
I have nurtured you with by blood
and made you fit for raising a morning sigh.

215

Bazyaab ein noktah ra ay noktah rus;

ishq-e-mardaan zabt-e-ahwaal ast-o-bus.

[Ay noktah-rus iss noktay ko pher sey samajh;
ishq-e-mardan zabt-e-ahwaal he ka naam hai.]
Note again this point you who understand,
the love of disciplined lovers is naught but restraint.

Goft aql-o-hosh azaar-e-dil ast;
musti-o-waraftgi kaar-e-dil ast.

[Oss ney kaha aql-o-hosh tuo dil kay leay mosibat hein;
dil ka kaam tuo musti-o-waraftgi hai.]
It said: Reason and restraint are a blight for the heart,
ecstasy and frenzy are its nature.

Naarah-ha zadd ta fataad andar sajood;

shoalah-e-awaaz-e-oo bood oo nabood.

[Woh naarey lagata hoa sajdey mein gir gaya;

yahan takk keh oss ki awaaz ka shoalah thha,
woh nah thha.]

It raised shouts upon shouts till it fell into prostration;

216

there was only the flame of its voice but itself no more!
(Translated by B A Dar)

25th December, 2013

217