Iqbal Nama

Rotaract Club of Karachi Metropolitan Iqbal Nama

Dr. ALLAMA IQBALDr. ALLAMA IQBALDr. ALLAMA IQBALDr. ALLAMA IQBAL

POET OF EASTPOET OF EASTPOET OF EASTPOET OF EAST

A Project of

Rotaract Club of

Karachi Metropolitan


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Alama Iqbal was an heir to a very rich literary, mystic, philosophical and religious

tradition. He imbibed and assimilated all that was best in the past and present Islamic

and Oriental thought and culture. His range of interests covered Religion, Philosophy,

Art, Politics, and Economics, the revival of Muslim life and universal brotherhood of

man. His prose, not only in his national language but also in English, was powerful. His

two books in English demonstrate his mastery of English. But poetry was his medium

par excellence of expression. Everything he thought and felt, almost involuntarily

shaped it into verse.

His first book Ilm ul Iqtisad/The knowledge of Economics was written in Urdu in 1903.

His first poetic work Asrar-i Khudi (1915) was followed by Rumuz-I Bekhudi (1917).

Payam-i Mashriq appeared in 1923, Zabur-i Ajam in 1927, Javid Nama in 1932, Pas cheh

bayed kard ai Aqwam-i Sharq in 1936, and Armughan-i Hijaz in 1938. All these books

were in Persian. The last one, published posthumously is mainly in Persian: only a small

portion comprises Urdu poems and ghazals.

In short, the personality of Allama Iqbal has left indelible marks in history. He tried to

awaken the Muslims of India through his philosphy, poetry and politics. He gave the

idea of independence to the Muslims of India. Iqbal died on 21st April, 1938. He was

buried infront of the "Badshahi Mosque" in "Huzori Bagh."

The Rotaract Club of Karachi Metropolitan will observe Iqbal day with zeal and fervour

to pay tribute to the great philosopher and poet, Allama Mohammad Iqbal, on his

127th birth anniversary; with a message of peace and prosperity.

I would like to Thank Rtr. Irfan Memon for his dedication and commitment in bring out

this issue with a hope that you will like the poetry presented in this special issue to pay

tribute to our great poet.

Regards

Rtr. Raza Tabish Farooqui

President

Rotaract Club of Karachi Metropolitan

Club Theme 2009-2010 “Changing Lives”


EDITOR’S MESSAGE

9th November, the birth date of a legend Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal was born whose philosophical and spiritual ideologies gave new patterns of thinking to the entire human race. At this occasion I want to spread his message across the globe. The idea behind this issue is to let the people living in different parts of the world realise that Pakistan is a country with rich culture and literature. Dr. Allama Iqbal is one of the numerous intellectual personalities which this part of the world has given birth to. I would like to thank Rtr. Raza Tabish Farooqui (President 09/10) for all the support and efforts in making this idea works for real. Special thanks to Rtr. Nishat Maryam Rasheed for her support in selecting the poetical works of Dr. Allama Iqbal and ideas to compose this issue.

Regards,

Rtr. Irfan Memon

Director Publications &

Jnt. Director Club Services

Rotaract Club of Karachi Metropolitan


Introduction of Poet

Dr. Iqbal (1877-1938) is one of the preeminent writers of the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. Indeed, the attention he has received from numerous writers, translators, and critics from Western as well as Islamic countries testifies to his stature as a world literary figure. While his primary reputation is that of a poet, Iqbal has not lacked admirers for his philosophical thought. He has in fact been called “the most serious Muslim philosophical thinker of modem times.” The frequently used appellation of “poet-

philosopher” is thus well deserved. Iqbal’s poetry and philosophy do not exist in isolation from each other; they are integrally related, his poetry serving as a vehicle for his thought.

Educational Background

Iqbal was born in Sialkot, in the present-day province of the Punjab in Pakistan, on 9th November 1877, where he received his early education. For higher education Iqbal went to Lahore in 1895, where he completed his MA in philosophy in 1899. He had already obtained a degree in law (1898). In 1905, Iqbal left for study at Cambridge. His choice of Cambridge was probably dictated by the fact that Cambridge was reputed for the study not only of European philosophy but also of Arabic and Persian. In his three years of stay abroad, Iqbal obtained a BA from Cambridge (1906), qualified as a barrister at London’s Middle Temple (1906), and earned a PhD from Munich University (1908).

His Work

Asrar-i Khudi 1915 Javid Namah (1932)

Rumuz-i Bikhudi (1918) Musafir (1936)

Bang-i Dara (1924) Zarb-i Kalim (1937)

Zabur-i ‘Ajam (1927) Armaghan-i Hijaz 1938


THE

MORNING SUN

INTRODUCTION

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

Man’s door. However, Man owes this greatness to two attributes, viz.,

belief in the Unity of Mankind Unity of 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.

Far from the ignoble strife of Man's tavern you are

The wine-cup adorning the sky's assemblage you are

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

The blot of night's ink from time's page has been removed!

The star from sky like a spurious picture has been removed!

When from the roof of the sky your beauty appears

Effect of sleep's wine suddenly from eyes disappears

Perception's expanse gets filled with light

Though opens only the material eye your light

The spectacle which the eyes seek is desired

The effulgence which would open the insight is desired

The desires for freedom were not fulfilled in this life

We remained imprisoned in chains of dependence all life

The high and the low are alike for your eye

I too have longing for such a discerning eye

May my eye shedding tears in sympathy for others' woes be!

May my heart free from the prejudice of nation and customs be!


May my tongue be not bound with discrimination of color

May mankind be my nation, the whole world my country be

May secret of Nature's organization clear to my insight be

May smoke of my imagination's candle rising to the sky be

May search for secrets of opposites not make me restless!

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

If the rose petals get damaged by the breeze

May its pain dropping from my eye as a tear be

May the heart contain that little spark of Love's fire

The light of which may contain the secret of the Truth

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

May no thought in my mind except human sympathy be!

If you cannot endure the hardships of the tumultuous world

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

As you are not aware of your world-decorating beauty

You cannot be equal to a speck of dust at the Man's door!

The light of Man eager for the Spectacle ever remained

And you obligated to the tomorrow's morning ever remained

Longing for the Light of the Truth is only in our hearts

Abode of Lailah of desire for search is only in this litter

Opening of the difficult knot, Oh what a pleasure it is!

The pleasure of universal gain in our endless effort is!

Your bosom is unacquainted with the pain of investigation

You are not familiar with searching of the secrets of Nature


THE MESSAGE OF

DAWN (Adapted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

INTRODUCTION

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.

When the sparkling of the night's forehead's decoration disappeared1

The zephyr of life with the news of the happy morning appeared

It awakened the nightingale of flowery song in its nest

It shook the shoulder of the farmer on the field's edge

It broke the spell of darkness of night’s talisman with Surah al-Nor 2

It robbed the golden crown of bed-chamber's candle in the dark

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

It gave the Brahman the tidings of the bright sun

Arriving at the mosque's roof it said to the Mu’adhdhin3

"Do you not fear appearance of the resplendent sun ?"

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

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


It gave the command in the wilderness "Move O Caravan"!

"Every dust speck will shine like fire-fly in the wilderness"

When it reached the cemetery from the living's habitation

Witnessing the spectacle of the cemetery it spoke thus

"Remain lying in comfort still, come again shall I

Make the whole world sleep, wake you up shall I 4

Explanatory Notes

1. Allusion to the departing of the stars at the night's end.

2. 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

3. Mu’adhdhin- The person who calls Muslims to prayers. Adhan is his call.

4. Allusion to the morning of the Day of Resurrection when all those sleeping in

their graves will be awakened (the Holy Qur’an 7:187; 18:99-101).


THE OCEAN WAVE INTRODUCTION

Dynamism is one of the important subjects in ‘Dr. Iqbal's teachings. “Ocean

waves" is one of the metaphors he uses for dynamism, as in this poem. The

poem shows how restless a dynamic person is when he is deprived of the

opportunities for action. This is shown in the climax of the poem in the last

verse.

My impatient heart keeps me relentlessly restless

Like mercury agitation is the essence of life to me

Wave is my name, the sea is fordable to me

The whirlpool's circle would never be a chain to me

My steed speeds in the water like wind

The fishing tackle has never caught my skirt

Sometimes I jump up due to attraction of the full moon1

Sometimes in excitement I strike my head on the shore

I am the traveller who loves destination

Someone should ask me why I always jump

Fleeing from the discomfort of the narrow river I am

Upset by separation from the ocean's vastness I am

Explanatory Note

1. Allusion to the rising of the ocean waves in the tide created by the full moon.


INTRODUCTION:

Though outwardly this poem is a piece of "natural poetry" it contains, as is

usual with ‘Allamah Iqbal, his basic philosophy of Khudâ or the pre-eminence

of Man in the God's creation. 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.

You are not familiar with the hardships of solving enigmas

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

Though you adorn the assembly yet do not participate in its struggles

In life's assembly I am not endowed with this comfort

In this garden I am the complete orchestra of Longing1

And your life is devoid of the warmth of that Longing

To pluck you from the branch is not my custom

This sight is not different from the sight of the eye which can only see the

appearances

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

I am not concerned with intricacies of the philosophic eye

Like a lover I see you through the nightingale's 2 eye

In spite of innumerable tongues 3 you have chosen silence

What is the secret which is concealed in your bosom?

THE COLORFUL ROSE


THE COLORFUL ROSE INTRODUCTION:

Though outwardly this poem is a piece of "natural poetry" it contains, as is

usual with ‘Allamah Iqbal, his basic philosophy of Khudâ or the pre-eminence of

Man in the God's creation. 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.

You are not familiar with the hardships of solving enigmas

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

Though you adorn the assembly yet do not participate in its struggles

In life's assembly I am not endowed with this comfort

In this garden I am the complete orchestra of Longing1

And your life is devoid of the warmth of that Longing

To pluck you from the branch is not my custom

This sight is not different from the sight of the eye which can only see the

appearances

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

I am not concerned with intricacies of the philosophic eye

Like a lover I see you through the nightingale's 2 eye

In spite of innumerable tongues 3 you have chosen silence

What is the secret which is concealed in your bosom?

Explanatory Notes

1. "Longing" or ardent desire is one of the important planks of `Allamah Iqbal’s 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 God’s 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. These thoughts exist

throughout his works and many poems in this book also contain them. This "longing" is a part

of the efforts for the cognition and development of the self, This is beautifully explained in his

book Asrr-i-Khudâ and has been explained by me in Chapter 3 under "Khudâ".

2. 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, specially poetry. Figuratively, it means the point

of view which, contrary to the discursive analysis, tries to look at the phenomena of beauty in

its integral status and with reference to a manifestation of the Divine Beauty.

3. This alludes to the anatomy of the rose flowers, 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.

4. Jam-i-Jam- This is the legendary cup of the Persian emperor J«m in which he could see

whatever he wanted to see wherever he wanted to see, as if in a mirror.

5. 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.

Explanatory Notes

1. "Longing" or ardent desire is one of the important planks of `Allamah Iqbal’s 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 God’s 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. These thoughts exist

throughout his works and many poems in this book also contain them. This "longing" is a part of

the efforts for the cognition and development of the self, This is beautifully explained in his book

Asr-i-Khudâ and has been explained by me in Chapter 3 under "Khudâ".

2. 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. Figuratively, it means the point

of view which, contrary to the discursive analysis, tries to look at the phenomena of beauty in its

integral status and with reference to a manifestation of the Divine Beauty.

3. 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.

4. Jam-i-Jam- This is the legendary cup of the Persian emperor J«m in which he could see

whatever he wanted to see wherever he wanted to see, as if in a mirror.

5. 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.

Like me you are also a leaf from the garden of ñër

Far from the garden I am, far from the garden you are

You are content but scattered like fragrance I am

Wounded by the sword of love for search I am

This perturbation of mine a means for fulfillment could be

This torment a source of my intellectual illumination could be

This very frailty of mine the means of strength could be

This mirror of mine envy of the cup of Jam 4 could be

This constant search is a world-illuminating candle

And teaches to the steed of human intellect its gait 5

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Iqbal Nama