Poetic Verbosity & Skepticism versus Prophetic Brevity & Realism
By Dr Basheer Ahmed Khan
Garden Grove, CA
Professor Rasheed Ahmed Siddiqi was a renowned critique of Urdu literature, a great satirical writer, Professor of Urdu, an important pillar of Aligarh Muslim University since its inception, and a good friend of Dr Zakir Hussain, third President of India. He was a great fan of Dr. Iqbal and used to visit him often to learn about the difficult aspect of his poetry.
In the obituary essay which he wrote on Allama Iqbal, Dr Siddiqi makes an interesting observation about Iqbal’s poetry and raises an important question. His observation is: Iqbal was a poet whose poetry teaches angels the reality of passions of man about which they complained with God that man would fill the earth with mischief (Ch2 V30). Iqbal also teaches man to use the freedom endowed on him by his Creator responsibly to serve the purpose of his creation. Professor Siddiqi then poses this question: if Iqbal’s poetry is not scripture then how different is a poet from a prophet. He quotes this couplet of Iqbal in support of his observation (Ganjha e Giranmaya):
Sikhlai Farashton Ko Adam Ki Tadap Jisnay
Adam Ko Sikhatha Hai Aadab- e -Khudavandi
Dr Iqbal got his academic knowledge from the universities of London and Germany. He bequeathed love and emotions in abundance from Jalulddin Rumi (604-672 AH) by emotionally bonding himself with Rumi’s Masnavi. But his point of ultimate and universal reference was Qur’an and the life of Prophet Muhammad by his own admission. The following couplets point to this:
Ek Danish E Burhani, Ek Danish E Noorani
Hai Danish e Burhani Hairath Ki Firavani.
Is Paikar e Khaki Mein Ek Shai hai so Teri Hai
Mere liye Mushkil hai is Shai ki Nigahbani.
Meaning: There is an intellectual wisdom and there is a spiritual wisdom. The intellectual wisdom leads us to doubts because we are bombarded by the differing opinions which make it difficult for us to judge the correct from the wrong. In the second couplet he says: the one thing in his physical being which can lead him to correct understanding of issues is his spirit which belongs to Allah, and it is difficult for him to take care of it and nurture it properly to make it his guiding light.
The other day I was reading a ghazal by Dr Sir Muhammad Iqbal in which he complains to God about the shortness of life to understand its realities to fulfill the obligation of vicegerency placed on him. Following is the translation of the spirit of this ghazal into English, couplet by couplet. Transliteration of couplet is given first in italic followed by its meaning.
One of the pre-requisite of faith is that we love Allah the most (Ch2 V165). Bible also teaches us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22-37). Socrates said the same thing when he addressed the Roman Oligarchs: Men of Athens, I honor and love you, but I shall obey God rather than you (History of Western Philosophy). Unfortunately mankind, with a few exceptions in their love of self, is ignoring the love of God and His creations and destroying this world. Referring to this love Allama Iqbal says in the first couplet of his ghazal:
Kya Ishq Ek Zindagi e Mustha’aar Ka
Kya Ish Pa’yeda Se Na-Pa’yedar Ka
Meaning:
How can I show the extent of my love?
In carrying out the commands you give.
My life is limited by term.
And You are Eternal.
Woh Ishq Jiski Sham’aa Bujha De Ajal Ki Phoonk
Us Mein Maza Nahin Tapish-E –Intezar Ka
Meaning:
Even before I enjoy the excitement of wait
Trying to know You, and make You my Mate.
With death the lamp of my life fades.
Meri Bisath Kya Hai, Thab –o- Thabe Ek Nafas
Sho’aale Se Be Mahal Hai Ulajhna Sharar Ka.
Meaning:
My existence is a breath which is about to leave
I am insignificant shingle,
Before the raging fire, that is You.
Kar Pehle Mujhko Zindagi e Jav-Dan A’tha
Phir Zaukh O Shaukh Dekh Dil e Bay Kharar Ka
Meaning:
If You want to see the intensity of emotions
That causes turmoil in my heart
Give me a life that ever last.
Kanta Who They Ke Jiski Khatak La-Zaval Ho
Ya-rub Who Dard Jiski Kasak La-Zaval Ho.
Meaning:
I seek from You a thorn whose prick is eternal
A pain whose pleasure is eternal
(So that I can remain focused towards You and become worthy of Your mercy and love)
By complaining about shortness of lifeAllama Iqbal is not seeking eternity or divinity, the promise of which by Satan led Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree and got them evicted from paradise to a life of hardship on earth (Ch7 V20). He wanted a long life so that he could get companions to fulfill the role of vicegerency which his knowledge entailed. The following couplet of Iqbal confirms this:
Math’a e Bay Baha hai Dard o Soz o Aarzoo Mandi
Muqam e Bandagi Daykar Na loon Shaan e Khudavandi.
Meaning: This pain, this passion and this desire (to feel for the suffering of mankind and work to rectify it with all my weakness and incapacity) is such a great gift that I will not barter it to share sovereignty with God. To dream, desire, work and fail is more enjoyable to Iqbal than to do anything and everything by command “Be” and it happens.
Allama Iqbal seeks eternity not to gain divinity and sovereignty but to bring more people to his line of thinking to work together to solve problems of mankind. The following couplets of his Persian poetry elaborate this.
Man Misal e Lala e Sehra Hastham
Darmiyan e Anjuman Tanha Hastham
Meaning:
Like a flower in the desert, I am alone.
In the din of lively gatherings, I am alone.
Sham’aa Ra Thanha Thapeedan Sah’l Neest
Aah Ek Parvana e Mun Ahl Neest
Meaning:
For a lamp to light is no delight
When no moth encircling it is worth its light
Intezar e Ghamgusar e Tha Kujaa
Justaju e Raazdar e Tha Kujaa
Meaning:
How long should I wait for the one to share.
The secrets that my bosom bears
Dar Jahan Yarab Hareem e Mun Kujaa Asth
Toor e Sinayam, Kaleem e Mun Kujaa Asth.
Meaning
Where is my friend in this universe?
I am alone in the Mount of Sinai
Where is the One who spoke to Moses?
Iqbal seeks eternal pain as described in the last couplet of the ghazal translated earlier so that he can attract the mercy of God in his endeavors. My poet friend late Shakeel Mazhari has said about this pain thus: God loves and responds to the cry of the heart when it is anguished at the suffering of self and society and this cry of an anguished heart is a form of worship:
Mujhko Dil se Badi Akheedat Hai
Iska Dukhna Bhi Ek Ebadath Hai
Nabi SA has warned us: Beware of the cry of the anguished heart of an oppressed for there is no barrier between it and God, and Iqbal seeks eternal pain for this reason.
So much about the poetry of a very responsible poet and his motivation and intention behind it; now let us see what scriptures talk about long life and the pain of living it.
Qur’an says: Blessed is the One Who holds sovereignty and has control over everything. He created life and death to test who amongst us is best in his actions. He has all power (to stop us from doing evil) but He is forgiving (to give us a chance to repent and reform to the extent that He has destined for each one of us, Ch67, V1-2). Like every competitive exam which ends after the prescribed time and the result is declared later, our life also has to end at its appointed time (Ch1 V4) so that neither suffering nor success is permanent during the test, but it comes later after (death when the result of the test is declared(Ch41 V21-26). The adage that death and taxes are the only two certain things confirms this.
If we were given long lives we would return to our wicked ways again with vehemence by learning about how to escape the consequences of our evil deeds (Ch32 V12, Ch2 V251). Noah (PBUH) lived for 950 years and went dismayed with a handful of followers. On the other hand Jesus (PBUH) prophetic mission lasted for a little over 30 years from his birth to his disappearance and he has a huge following. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his prophetic life of 23 years brought a change into the world to be recognized as the most influential man (Michael Hart). He preferred death to eternity so that the rest of mankind makes headway in the journey of life by following his footsteps.
Most people want long life to reach the position of financial and political power in the hope of changing the world for the better and their effort only adds to the problems of the world is evident to everyone now. On the other hand, when Allah wills He will achieve great results from small but worthy people. David (PBUH), a young and frail young lad from a poor family, killed Goliath with his catapult to give safety to children of Israel in the Promised Land. On the other hand, the powerful kingdom that was left by Solomon (PBUH) was lost by his successors. God’s mission on this earth is not dependent on the longevity or otherwise of individuals or on their power and strength. God has His own program for it. Scriptures have chronicled the stories of prophets to dispel despair that is generated by our limitations.
Life is full of challenges and difficulties (Ch90 V4). Our responsibility in it is to keep ourselves and our family from doing wrong (Ch66 V6), and to be conscious of God in the limits of our capacity in our actions (Ch64 V16). We must get a perfect understanding of right and wrong before we undertake the arduous task of promoting what is good and forbid what is wrong (Ch3 V110) in accordance with our capacity and sphere of our responsibility otherwise we will create chaos in the hope of bringing order (Ma’ariful Qur’an Vol 2 P137-145). The prophetic message can be summarized in this saying: Most people would succeed in small things if they are not bothered by impossible ambitions. Poets and writers who have great ambitions overlook limitations. Poets who ignore their limitation either die young with great pain due to substance abuse or create societal chaos.
About seeking eternal pain to remain conscious of Allah, Allah asks us to beseech that we are not put into trials which are beyond our capacity (Ch2 V 286). Nabi SA asked us to pray for safety and forgiveness from Allah: Allahumma Inni Asaluka AlAafwa wa AlAafia. Surely we are afflicted with pain in life but this is not a punishment from Allah but a wakeup call for us to understand and rectify our mistakes. Allah is not harsh on His creation (Ch41 V46).
While Iqbal wants long life and eternal pain to empathize with suffering mankind and work to correct the situation, Faiz Ahmed Faiz who also got his religious education from the same teacher as Iqbal, is stoic when he says in the following couplets that the fight between the exploiters and the exploited has been going on and will go on and there is no point either in complaining about it to God or desiring to understand Him or meet Him.
Yunhi Hamesha Ulajhthi Rahi Hai Zulm Say Khalkh
Na Unki Jeet Nai Hai Na Apni Haar Nai
Isi Sabab Say Falak Ka Gila Nahin Karthe
Tere Firakh May Hum Dil Bura Nahin Karthay
Thoughts are like butterflies. Prophets catch them without distorting or killing them, while poets disfigure and even destroy them in the process of catching them. Ambivalence and verbosity is the hallmark of poetry because a poet expresses his evolving thoughts in poetry depending on the circumstances of his life. Brevity, clarity and conviction are the essence of scriptures because they are revealed on to their clean hearts and unbiased minds by the One who is the fountainhead of all knowledge. Poets like Iqbal and Milton who keep their connection with spirituality and morality with which their creator has created them expound the message of prophets to an extent. Others with all their false claims of knowledge and lofty ideals only bring darkness to our lives by taking us on a road that leads to it.
Back to Pakistanlink Homepage
