For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
آزادیِ افکار – محمد اقبال
۱
جو دونیِ فطرت سے نہیں لایقِ پرواز
اُس مرغکِ بیچارہ کا انجام ہے افتاد
۲
ہر سینہ نشیمن نہیں جبریلِ امیں کا
ہر فکر نہیں طائرِ فردوس کا صیّاد
۳
اُس قوم میں ہے شوخیِ اندیشہ خطرناک
جس قوم کے افراد ہوں ہر بند سے آزاد
۴
گو فکرِ خدا داد سے روشن ہے زمانہ
آزادیِ افکار ہے اِبلیس کی ایجاد
आज़ादी-ए अफ़्कार – मोहम्मद एक़्बाल
१
जो दूनी-ए फ़ितरत से नहीं लाएक़-ए परवाज़
उस मुर्ग़क-ए बेचारा का अंजाम है उफ़्ताद
२
हर सीना नशेमन नहीं जिब्रील-ए अमीं का
हर फ़िक्र नहीं ताएर-ए फ़िरदौस का सय्याद
३
उस क़ौम में है शूख़ी-ए अंदेशा ख़तरनाक
जिस क़ौम के अफ़्राद हों हर बंद से आज़ाद
४
गो फ़िक्र-ए ख़ुदा-दाद से रौशन है ज़माना
आज़ादी-ए अफ़्कार है इब्लीस की ईजाद
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. mohammed iqbal (1877-1938) is one of the greatest, with his literary compositions, both in urdu and in faarsi. He went through many phases in his thinking and writing – starting with an inclusive, liberal stance to a reactionary, hubristic position. Sprinkled all over are self-reliance/Khudi, sufiyaana and socialist thoughts. This short poem, if intepreted as a broad philosophical approach, represents a elitist point of view, denigrating people of ‘low nature’. It also confines the use of Reason without giving an appropriate justification other than calling it the work of Satan.
1
jo dooni1-e fitrat2 se nahiN laa’eq-e parvaaz3
us murGhak4-e bechaara ka anjaam5 hai uftaad6 1.“adna”, lowly 2.nature 3.capable of flight 4.dimunitive, derogatory form of murGh – little bird 5.consequence 6.falling down
By ‘dooni-e fitrat – of a lowly nature’, does iqbal mean ‘low nature by birth’? Is it an influence of the caste system in India from a man who said, ‘ek hi saf meN khaRe ho gaye mahmood o ayaaz’? I am not sure. The little bird, which by its lowly nature is not capable of flight, is doomed to fall. Who the people of a lowly nature – either they are dumb by birth or they disagree with iqbal.
2
har seena nasheman7 nahiN jibreel-e amiN8 ka
har fikr9 nahiN taa’er-e firdaus10 ka sayyaad11 7.nest, home 8.Gabriel 9.thought, reason, philosophy 10.heavenly bird 11.hunter, one who captures
Every heart cannot be the abode of Jibreel (i.e.cannot receive the message of god). Every thought cannot capture this bird (angel) of heaven. Thus, only the elite or the chosen can fly/think.
3
us qaum12 meN hai shooKhi-e-andesha13 Khatarnaak
jis qaum ke afraad14 hoN har band15 se aazaad 12.community 13.flirtation with anxiety/doubt 14.members 15.bounds, restrictions
The community that flirts/plays with doubt/questioning is in danger because its members are not bound by any rules (they THINK!). ahmad farhaad writes …
kaafir huN, sar phira huN, mujhe maar diijiye
maiN sochne laga huN, mujhe maar diijiye
4
go16 fikr-e Khuda-daad17 se raushan hai zamana
aazaadi-e afkaar18 hai iblees19 ki eejad20 16.even though 17.god given ability to think 18.plural of fikr, thought 19.Satan 20.invention
Even though god given Reason has lit up this world, freedom to reason is the work of Satan. Editorial Comment – The bottom-line message is ‘you should not doubt, you should believe’. Even though ‘reason’ has lit up the world, it is the work of Satan. See my own ‘tashkeek’ under shahed-shuru’aat.
mohammed iqbal (1877-1938) is one of the greatest, with his literary compositions, both in urdu and in faarsi. He went through many phases in his thinking and writing – starting with an inclusive, liberal stance to a reactionary, hubristic position. Sprinkled all over are self-reliance/Khudi, sufiyaana and socialist thoughts. This short poem, if intepreted as a broad philosophical approach, represents a elitist point of view, denigrating people of ‘low nature’. It also confines the use of Reason without giving an appropriate justification other than calling it the work of Satan.
1
jo dooni1-e fitrat2 se nahiN laa’eq-e parvaaz3
us murGhak4-e bechaara ka anjaam5 hai uftaad6
1.“adna”, lowly 2.nature 3.capable of flight 4.dimunitive, derogatory form of murGh – little bird 5.consequence 6.falling down
By ‘dooni-e fitrat – of a lowly nature’, does iqbal mean ‘low nature by birth’? Is it an influence of the caste system in India from a man who said, ‘ek hi saf meN khaRe ho gaye mahmood o ayaaz’? I am not sure. The little bird, which by its lowly nature is not capable of flight, is doomed to fall. Who the people of a lowly nature – either they are dumb by birth or they disagree with iqbal.
2
har seena nasheman7 nahiN jibreel-e amiN8 ka
har fikr9 nahiN taa’er-e firdaus10 ka sayyaad11
7.nest, home 8.Gabriel 9.thought, reason, philosophy 10.heavenly bird 11.hunter, one who captures
Every heart cannot be the abode of Jibreel (i.e.cannot receive the message of god). Every thought cannot capture this bird (angel) of heaven. Thus, only the elite or the chosen can fly/think.
3
us qaum12 meN hai shooKhi-e-andesha13 Khatarnaak
jis qaum ke afraad14 hoN har band15 se aazaad
12.community 13.flirtation with anxiety/doubt 14.members 15.bounds, restrictions
The community that flirts/plays with doubt/questioning is in danger because its members are not bound by any rules (they THINK!). ahmad farhaad writes …
kaafir huN, sar phira huN, mujhe maar diijiye
maiN sochne laga huN, mujhe maar diijiye
4
go16 fikr-e Khuda-daad17 se raushan hai zamana
aazaadi-e afkaar18 hai iblees19 ki eejad20
16.even though 17.god given ability to think 18.plural of fikr, thought 19.Satan 20.invention
Even though god given Reason has lit up this world, freedom to reason is the work of Satan. Editorial Comment – The bottom-line message is ‘you should not doubt, you should believe’. Even though ‘reason’ has lit up the world, it is the work of Satan. See my own ‘tashkeek’ under shahed-shuru’aat.
