Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. shahed (1944-living) is a beginner to urdu and novice in versification. An engineer by training with no formal education in urdu. He never-the-less attempts to write. Thoroughly unromantic, rational (he thinks), rebellious, defiant but loving and caring. This, almost free form nazm, bemoans religious extremism.
1
sikandar ne porus se ki jo laRaaii to tujh par hua gumaan¹
shaahoN² ne shaahoN pe talwaar khainchi to tujh par laga nishaan
jagan nath³ tu ab dekh hai kis haal meN bharat ka musalmaan     1.suspicion, blame 2.emperor 3.jagan nath azad eminent urdu poet, jagan nath also means god
jagan nath azad a refugee from pakistan to India, an eminent urdu poet wrote a loving nazm ‘bharat ke musalmaan’ inviting muslims to find their place in India, their homeland. But today, all ‘foreign’ invasions such as Alexander attacking Porus is blamed on the muslim. When emporor draws a sword agains emperor, muslims are blamed. Come jagan nath (azad or god) and see what is happening to muslims in India.
2
ibrahim tha lodhi jo dehli ke taKht par
baabar tha shanshaah bana us ko haraa kar
phir kaise laga dosh¹ ye ab tere hi sar par     1.blame
ibrahim lodhi was king in dehli when babar attacked and defeated him to establish the moGhal empire. One muslim king defeated another muslim king. Why is the muslim of present day India blamed for that.
3
jaichand ne kiya chhal¹, Ghaddaari² jo jaafer ne kari thi
Ghaddar ka mazhab nahiN, taareeKh³ likhi thi
saazish⁴ ki magar tohmat⁵ tujh par hi paRi thi     1.deception 2.treachery 3.history 4.conspiracy 5.blame
jai chand, a rajput king promised to help prithvi raj but at the last minute stayed away, causing him to be defeated. Similarly mir jaafer kept his forces away from siraj-ud-daula, causing his defeat at the hands of Clive. Thus jai chand (a hindu) deceived prithvi raj (also a hindu) and mir jaafer was treacherous against siraj-ud-daula. History tells us that traitors have no religion. But the muslim of India is blamed for all conspiracies in history.
4
hamle pe shivaji par, jai singh bane salaar¹
dakkhan meN bikaaner the faujoN ke alamdaar²
un jaNgoN ke hathiyaar bhi ab tere jigar paar     1.commander 2.flag holder, commander in chief
When auraNgzeb’s army defeated shivaji in their first war, raja singh was the commander. When auraNgzeb attacked golconDa, the maharaja of bikaner was the commander in chief. But the weapons of those wars too, pierce your heart, O, Indian muslim.
5
Khoob laRi mardaani¹ vo thi jhaaNsi vaali raani
bashaarat the kamaaNdaar², to the Ghaus bhi saani³
kyuN tujh pe uThi phir hai ye ilzaam⁴ ki baani⁵      1.brave 2.commander 3.second 4.blame 5.voice, call
jhaaNsi ki rani fought bravely. bashaarat ali was commander in chief of her army, and Ghaus KhaaN and dost KhaaN were other/second commanders/leaders. Why then are you (Indian muslim) blamed (as a foreigner).
6
mar kaT gaya Tipu bhi jo maidan meN laRte
maraaThe the vo aNgrez ka jo saath the dete
kyuN is ka bhi vo tujh pe haiN ilzaam¹ lagaate    1.blame
Today in karnaTak, the BJP government is trying to erase the name of Tipu from history. He fought the British and was killed in the battle-field. maraThas (and the nizam of hyderabad) helped the British. Why then, is the Indian muslim blamed.
7
sikkhoN ko Khuda rakkhe ye bharat ke haiN fauji
sataavan¹ meN bhi kya vo bhi the is desh ke premi
kyuN phir tujhe sub kahte haiN tu desh ka drohi²         1.fifty seven, 1857 2.traitor
In 1857, sikh battalions remained loyal to the British and helped put down the rebellion. May god keep the sikhs, they are loyal soldiers of India. But were they lovers of the homeland in 1857? Why then, is the Indian muslim blamed as a traitor to the country.
8
yuN league¹ aur samaaj² meN thi jab Thani³ hui
bhaRkaate the vo aag firaNgi⁴ lagi hui
kyuN aaj bhi vo aag hai ke tere sar jali hui    1.muslim league 2.used for arya samaaj, hindu mahasabha, jan sangh 3.tension, conflict 4.British
When there was tension between muslim league and arya samaaj, hindu mahasabha and jan sangh, the British fanned the flames. Why is that fire still burning on your head, O, Indian muslim.

9
saaya bhi agar gaaye ka paR jaaye jo tujh par
fauran¹ hi vo tayyaar hai gardan-zadani² par
bharat ka musalmaan hai qurbaani³ ki zad⁴ par     1.immediately 2.slitting throat 3.sacrifice 4.boundary
If he (Indian muslim) comes anywhere near a cow, he (the extremist hindu) is immediately ready to slit his throat. The Indian muslim is within the (allowable) bounds of sacrifice.
10
muNh khola agar tu ne jo haq¹ apna jataane²
fauran³ khaRe aataNk⁴ ka ilzaam⁵ lagaane
dikhaave ki jhaRap maarne phaaNsi pe chaRhaane     1.rights 2.assert 3.immediately 4.terrorism 5.blame
If you so much as open you mouth to assert your rights, they rise immediately to blame you of terrorism and arrange a fake police encounter to kill or hang you.
11
janam-bhoomi¹ ho, rath-yaatra² ya love ka ho jihaad³
gau-hatya⁴ ka aarop⁵ chale ya chale aataNk-vaad⁶
ikaTTha kiye haiN dosh⁷ ke ho jaaye tu barbaad     1.birth place (of ram) 2.chariot journey, a procession rally to ayodhya to demolish baabari masjid 3.love jihad, a slogan meaning muslim youth enticing hindu women into marriage 4.cow slaughter 5.accusation 6.terrorism 7.blame, accusations
Political slogans like janam-bhoomi, rath-yaatra, love-jihad, cow slaughter, terrorism are all accusaions that have been collected with the explicit purpose of destroying the Indian muslim.
12
tabrez¹ ho, pahlu² ho ke aKhlaaq³ yahaaN, aasia⁴ vahaaN
yuN hai ke khuli chhooT⁵ ye dete haiN hukmaraaN⁶
tauheen-e-risaalat⁷ ka hai prayog aur ab gaaye ka apmaaN⁸    1.tabrez ansari, killed by a mob falsely accused of theft 2.killed, falsely accused of transporting cows illegally 3.falsely accused to storing beef in his refrigerator and killed 4.accused of blasphemy, jailed, released after many years 5.permission, freedom 6.rulers 7.insulting the prophet, blasphemy 8.use 9.insult
There are “cow protection gangs” that kill people – tabrez ansaari, pahlu KhaaN and mohammed aKhlaaq are but a few of the scores of people killed recently. aasia bibi, a poor Christian woman was accused of blashphemy. When the governor of Punjab visited her in jail as a show of support, he was assassinated by his body guard. The body guard was convicted and hanged. His grave is now a mausoleum where people come to make offerings. It is as if on both sides, the rulers have given gangs freedom to kill. Cow slaughter and blasphemy are two sides of the same coin used in the same way.
13
tareeKh¹ ka ye bojh tere sar pe hai giraaN²
banta hai rashTra hindoo, udhar republic hai musalmaaN
chakki meN pisa aan ke bechaara ab insaaN    1.history 2.heavy
The burden of history sits heavy on your head. This is becoming hindu rashTra and that is an islamic republic. Poor human is being ground up between grinding wheels.
14
hindu jo hai lashkar¹ to musalmaan parivaar²
haiN ek hi Khaslat³ ke idhar hoN ke hoN us paar
taNg aa ke kyuN na tyaageN⁴ dair⁵ o haram⁶ ke dvaar⁷     1.lashkar-e tayyaba, a muslim terrorist organization in pakistan 2.sangh parivar, a family of militant/terrorist hindu organizations in India 3.nature, character 4.give up, quit 5.temple 6.mosque 7.doors
The lashkar-e tayyaba is hindu. The sangh parivar is muslim. Because regardless of their religious affiliation, they are both of the same nature – extremist, intolerant. Tired of both, why don’t we quit temple and mosque. This misra recalls mohammed iqbal’s “naya shivaala” – ‘taNg aa ke maiN ne aaKhir dair o haram ko chhoRa’.