For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
خوابِ سحر – اسرار الحق مجاز
۱
مہر صدیوں سے چمکتا ہی رہا افلاک پر
رات ہی تاری رہی اِنسان کے اِدراک پر
عقل کے میدان میں ظلمت کا ڈیرا ہی رہا
دِل میں تاریکی دماغوں میں اندھیرا ہی رہا
۲
اِک نہ اِک مذہب کی سعیِ خام بھی ہوتی رہی
اہلِ دل پر بارشِ اِلہام بھی ہوتی رہی
آسمانوں سے فرشتے بھی اُترتے ہی رہے
نیک بندے بھی خدا کا کام کرتے ہی رہے
۳
اِ بنِ مریم بھی اُٹھے، موسٰیٰ و عمراں بھی اُٹھے
رام و گوتم بھی اُٹھے فرعون و ہاماں بھی اُٹھے
اہلِ سیف اُٹھتے رہے اہلِ کتاب آتے رہے
ایں جناب آتے رہے اور آں جناب آتے رہے
۴
حکمراں دِل پر رہے صدیوں تلک اصنام بھی
ابرِ رحمت بن کے چھایا دہر پر اِسلام بھی
مسجدوں میں مولوی خطبے سناتے ہی رہے
مندروں میں برہمن اشلوک گاتے ہی رہے
۵
آ دمی مِنت کشِ اربابِ عرفاں ہی رہا
دردِ انسانی مگر محرومِ درماں ہی رہا
اِک نہ اِک در پر جبینِ شوق گھستی ہی رہی
آ دمیت ظلم کی چکیّ میں پِستی ہی رہی
۶
رہبری جاری رہی پیغمبری جاری رہی
دین کے پردے میں جنگِ زرگری جاری رہی
اہلِ باطن علم کے سینوں کو گرماتے رہے
جہل کے تاریک سائے ہاتھ پھیلاتے رہے
۷
یہ مسلسل آفتیں یہ یورشیں، یہ قتلِ عام
آ دمی کب تک رہے اوہامِ باطل کا غلام
ذہنِ اِنسانی نے اب اوہام کی ظلمات میں
زندگی کی سخت طوفانی اندھیری رات میں
۸
کچھ نہیں تو کم سے کم خوابِ سحر دیکھا تو ہے
جِس طرف دیکھا نہ تھا اب تک اُدھر دیکھا تو ہے
ख़्वाब-ए सहर – अस्रार उल हक़ मजाज़
१
महर सदियौं से चमकता ही रहा अफ़्लाक पर
रात ही तारी रही इन्सान के इदराक पर
अक़्ल के मैदान में ज़ुल्मत का डेरा ही रहा
दिल में तारीकी दिमाग़ों में अँधेरा ही रहा
२
एक न एक मज़हब की सई-ए ख़ाम भी होती रही
अहल-ए दिल पर बारिश-इल्हाम भी होती रही
आस्मानों से फ़रिश्ते भी उतरते ही रही
नेक बन्दे भी ख़ुदा का काम करते ही रहे
३
इब्न-ए मरियम भी उठे, मूसा ओ इमरां भी उठे
राम ओ गौतम भी उठे, फ़िरऔन ओ हामां भी उठे
अहल-ए सैफ़ उठते रहे, अहल-ए किताब आते रहे
ईं जनाब आते रहे, और आं जनाब आते रहे
४
हुक्मरां दिल पर रहे सदियौं तलक अस्नाम भी
अब्र-रहमत बन के छाया दहर पर इस्लाम भी
मस्जिदों में मौल्वी ख़ुत्बे सुनाते ही रहे
मंदिरौं में बरहमन अश्लोक गाते ही रहे
५
आदमी मिन्नत कश-ए अरबाब-ए उरफ़ां ही रहा
दर्द-ए इन्सानी मगर महरूम-ए दरमां ही रहा
एक न एक दर पर जबीन-ए शौक़ घिसती ही रही
आदमियत ज़ुल्म की चक्की में पिसती ही रही
६
रहबरी जारी रही पैग़म्बरी जारी रही
दीन के परदे में जंग-ए ज़र-गरी जारी रही
अहल-बातिन इल्म के सीनों को गरमाते रहे
जहल के तारीक साये हाथ फैलाते रही
७
ये मुसलसिल आफ़तें ये यूरिशें ये क़त्ल-ए आम
आदमी कब तक रहे औहाम-ए बातिल का ग़ुलाम
ज़हन-ए इन्सानी ने अब औहाम की ज़ुल्मात में
ज़िन्दगी की सख़्त तूफ़ानी अँधेरी रात में
८
कुछ नहीं तो कम से कम ख़्वाब-ए सहर देखा तो है
जिस तरफ़ देखा न था अब तक, उधर देखा तो है
Click here for overall comments and on any passage for word meanings and discussion. asrar-ul haq majaz (1911-1955) was progressive as well as romantic poet, a heartthrob. He received his BA from aligaRh after interruptions in earlier schooling. He developed close relationships with progressives and was a major force in the Progressive Writers’ Association. He lived in aligaRh, dehli and lucknow working for radio stations, editing magazines on and off but with no steady income. He met with a rather tragic end at the young age of 44. This is a bold indictment of superstition associated with religion and religiosity. Normally in urdu poetry “sahr-dawn” is associated with the dawn of socialism. Here majaz conflates it with the dawn of critical thinking. Also see sahir’s tarah-e nau, josh’s deen-e aadmiyat, faraz’s mansur and several others linked to ‘uloohiyyat-ehtejaaj’ on the Theme Index page.
1
mahar1 sadiyauN2 se chamakta hi raha aflaak3 par
raat hi taari rahi insaan ke idraak4 par
aql ke maidan meN zulmat5 ka Dera6 hi raha
dil meN tareeki7 dimaGhauN meN andhera hi raha1.sun 2.centuries 3.skies 4.intelligence 5.darkness 6.tent, covering, reign 7.darkness
The sun has been shining in the skies for centuries. In spite of it human knowledge has been stuck in the darkness of the night. In the field wisdom, darkness has continues to rule. Minds have been closed, hearts have remained dark (without courage).
2
ek na ek mazhab ki sa’ee-e-Khaam1 bhi hoti rahi
ahl-e-dil2 par baarish-e-ilhaam3 bhi hoti rahi
aasmanauN se farishte bhi utarte hi rahe
nek bande4 bhi Khuda ka kaam karte hi rahe1.defective/useless effort/work, machinations 2.people of heart/faith 3.rain of revelations/holy sayings 4.holy men
The machinations of one religion or another have continued. Revelations have continued to rain down on “people of faith”. Angels keep descending from the heavens. Holy men keep doing the work of god.
3
ibn-e-mariam1 bhi uThe, moosa2 o imraaN3 bhi uThe
ram o gautam bhi uThe, firaun4 o hamaaN5 bhi uThe
ahl-e-saif6 uThte rahe, ahl-e-kitab7 aate rahe
eeN8 janaab9 aate rahe aur aaN10 janab aate rahe1.son of Mary, Jesus 2.Moses 3.another “prophet” (Imran is thought to be the father of Mary in Islamic tradition) 4.Pharoah 5.minister to Pharoah, who went head to head against Moses 6.people of the sword 7.people of the book 8.this 9.great man 10.that
The son of Mary rose, as did Moses and Imran. Ram and Gautam, Pharaoh and Hamaan too. People of the sword and people of the book came. So did this great person and that great soul. majaz throws in a mixture of prophets, avatars, teachers, divinity claimers and others. He tiptoes around mohammed, avoiding controversy. But then gets closer to the edge of the cliff? Certainly “people of the book” is a part of the Islamic lexicon and “people of the sword” is a part of folk expression about Islam.
4
hukmraaN dil par rahe sadiyauN1 talak asnaam2 bhi
abr-e-rahmat3 ban ke chhaaya dahr4 par islam bhi
masjidauN meN maulvi Khutbe5 sunaate hi rahe
mandirauN meN barhaman6 ashlok7 gaate hi rahe1.centuries 2.idols 3.benevolent/protective cloud 4.world 5.sermon 6.Brahmin (written and pronounced barhaman for rhythm) 7.shlok – Hindu holy verses (written and pronounced ashlok for rhythm)
For centuries now idols have reigned over our hearts. Islam has also spread over us like a cloud of benevolence. Preachers in mosques keep ranting their sermons. Brahmans in temples keep singing their hymns.
5
aadmi minnat-kash1-e arbab-e-irfaaN2 hi raha
dard-e-insaani3 magar mahroom-e-darmaaN4 hi raha
ek na ek dar5 par jabeen6 e shauq7 ghisti hi rahi
aadmiyat zulm ki chakki meN pisti hi rahi1.supplicant, beggar 2.lords of faith 3.human suffering 4.devoid of cure 5.door, threshhold 6.forehead 7.desire
Humans remained supplicants to the lords of religion. But human suffering did not find any cure. Humans continue to beg for favours at one door or another. But humanity continues to be ground up in the wheel of cruelty.
6
rahbari1 jari rahi paiGhambari2 jari rahi
deen3 ke parde meN jang-e-zargari4 jaari5 rahi
ahl-e-batin6 ilm ke seenauN ko garmaate rahe
jahl7 ke tareek8 saaye haath phailate rahe1.guide, leadership 2.prophet-hood 3.faith 4.war of wealth acquisition 5.continue 6.people of inner knowledge (spurious) 7.ignorance 8.dark
Claims of leadership and prophet-hood keep coming. Behind the veil of faith, accumulation of wealth continues. People of spurious claims of knowledge keep comforting hearts. The dark arms of ignorance keep increasing their domain.
7
ye musalsil1 aafateN2 ye yurisheN3 ye qatl-e-aam4
aadmi kab tak rahe auham-e-batil5 ka Ghulam
zahn-e-insani6 ne ab auham7 ki zulmaat8 meN
zindagi ki saKht9 toofani andheri raat meN1.continuous 2.calamities 3.attacks 4.mass murder 5.false superstitions 6.human mind 7.superstitions 8.darkness 9.hard, fierce
These continuing calamities, attacks and mass deception. How long will man remain a slave of false superstitions. At last the human mind (is emerging) through the darkness of superstition, through the fierce stormy dark night.
8
kuchh nahiN to kam-se-kam1 Khwaab-e-sahr2 dekha to hai
jis taraf dekha na tha ab tak udhar dekha to hai1.at least 2.dream/vision of dawn
If nothing else, at least (the human mind) has seen a vision of dawn. Where it had never dared to look before, at least it is looking there.
asrar-ul haq majaz (1911-1955) was progressive as well as romantic poet, a heartthrob. He received his BA from aligaRh after interruptions in earlier schooling. He developed close relationships with progressives and was a major force in the Progressive Writers’ Association. He lived in aligaRh, dehli and lucknow working for radio stations, editing magazines on and off but with no steady income. He met with a rather tragic end at the young age of 44. Normally in urdu poetry “sahr-dawn” is associated with the dawn of socialism. Here majaz conflates it with the dawn of critical thinking. Also see sahir’s tarah-e nau, josh’s deen-e aadmiyat, faraz’s mansur and several others linked to ‘uloohiyyat-ehtejaaj’ on the Theme Index page.
1
mahar1 sadiyauN2 se chamakta hi raha aflaak3 par
raat hi taari rahi insaan ke idraak4 par
aql ke maidan meN zulmat5 ka Dera6 hi raha
dil meN tareeki7 dimaGhauN meN andhera hi raha
1.sun 2.centuries 3.skies 4.intelligence 5.darkness 6.tent, covering, reign 7.darkness
The sun has been shining in the skies for centuries. In spite of it human knowledge has been stuck in the darkness of the night. In the field wisdom, darkness has continues to rule. Minds have been closed, hearts have remained dark (without courage).
2
ek na ek mazhab ki sa’ee-e-Khaam1 bhi hoti rahi
ahl-e-dil2 par baarish-e-ilhaam3 bhi hoti rahi
aasmanauN se farishte bhi utarte hi rahe
nek bande4 bhi Khuda ka kaam karte hi rahe
1.defective/useless effort/work, machinations 2.people of heart/faith 3.rain of revelations/holy sayings 4.holy men
The machinations of one religion or another have continued. Revelations have continued to rain down on “people of faith”. Angels keep descending from the heavens. Holy men keep doing the work of god.
3
ibn-e-mariam1 bhi uThe, moosa2 o imraaN3 bhi uThe
ram o gautam bhi uThe, firaun4 o hamaaN5 bhi uThe
ahl-e-saif6 uThte rahe, ahl-e-kitab7 aate rahe
eeN8 janaab9 aate rahe aur aaN10 janab aate rahe
1.son of Mary, Jesus 2.Moses 3.another “prophet” (Imran is thought to be the father of Mary in Islamic tradition) 4.Pharoah 5.minister to Pharoah, who went head to head against Moses 6.people of the sword 7.people of the book 8.this 9.great man 10.that
The son of Mary rose, as did Moses and Imran. Ram and Gautam, Pharaoh and Hamaan too. People of the sword and people of the book came. So did this great person and that great soul. majaz throws in a mixture of prophets, avatars, teachers, divinity claimers and others. He tiptoes around mohammed, avoiding controversy. But then gets closer to the edge of the cliff? Certainly “people of the book” is a part of the Islamic lexicon and “people of the sword” is a part of folk expression about Islam.
4
hukmraaN dil par rahe sadiyauN1 talak asnaam2 bhi
abr-e-rahmat3 ban ke chhaaya dahr4 par islam bhi
masjidauN meN maulvi Khutbe5 sunaate hi rahe
mandirauN meN barhaman6 ashlok7 gaate hi rahe
1.centuries 2.idols 3.benevolent/protective cloud 4.world 5.sermon
6.Brahmin (written and pronounced barhaman for rhythm) 7.shlok – Hindu holy verses (written and pronounced ashlok for rhythm)
For centuries now idols have reigned over our hearts. Islam has also spread over us like a cloud of benevolence. Preachers in mosques keep ranting their sermons. Brahmans in temples keep singing their hymns.
5
aadmi minnat-kash1-e arbab-e-irfaaN2 hi raha
dard-e-insaani3 magar mahroom-e-darmaaN4 hi raha
ek na ek dar5 par jabeen6 e shauq7 ghisti hi rahi
aadmiyat zulm ki chakki meN pisti hi rahi
1.supplicant, beggar 2.lords of faith 3.human suffering 4.devoid of cure 5.door, threshhold 6.forehead 7.desire
Humans remained supplicants to the lords of religion. But human suffering did not find any cure. Humans continue to beg for favours at one door or another. But humanity continues to be ground up in the wheel of cruelty.
6
rahbari1 jari rahi paiGhambari2 jari rahi
deen3 ke parde meN jang-e-zargari4 jaari5 rahi
ahl-e-batin6 ilm ke seenauN ko garmaate rahe
jahl7 ke tareek8 saaye haath phailate rahe
1.guide, leadership 2.prophet-hood 3.faith 4.war of wealth acquisition 5.continue 6.people of inner knowledge (spurious) 7.ignorance 8.dark
Claims of leadership and prophet-hood keep coming. Behind the veil of faith, accumulation of wealth continues. People of spurious claims of knowledge keep comforting hearts. The dark arms of ignorance keep increasing their domain.
7
ye musalsil1 aafateN2 ye yurisheN3 ye qatl-e-aam4
aadmi kab tak rahe auham-e-batil5 ka Ghulam
zahn-e-insani6 ne ab auham7 ki zulmaat8 meN
zindagi ki saKht9 toofani andheri raat meN
1.continuous 2.calamities 3.attacks 4.mass murder 5.false superstitions 6.human mind 7.superstitions 8.darkness 9.hard, fierce
These continuing calamities, attacks and mass deception. How long will man remain a slave of false superstitions. At last the human mind (is emerging) through the darkness of superstition, through the fierce stormy dark night.
8
kuchh nahiN to kam-se-kam1 Khwaab-e-sahr2 dekha to hai
jis taraf dekha na tha ab tak udhar dekha to hai
1.at least 2.dream/vision of dawn
If nothing else, at least (the human mind) has seen a vision of dawn. Where it had never dared to look before, at least it is looking there.
