For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
lata maNgeshkar
dilrus beig
حقیقتِ منتظر ۔ محمّد اِقبال
کبھی اے حقیقتِ منتظر، نظر آ لباسِ مجاز میں
کہ ہزاروں سجدے تڑپ رہے ، ہیں مری جبینِ نیاز میں
طرب آشنائے خروش ہو، توُ نوا ہے محرمِ گوش ہو
وہ سروُد کیا کہ چھپا ہوا، ہو سکوُتِ پردۂ ساز میں
تو بچا بچا کے نہ رکھ اِسے، ترا آئنہ ہے وہ آئنہ
کہ شکستہ ہو تو عزیز تر، ہے نگاہِ آئنہ ساز میں
دمِ طوف کِرمکِ شمع نے، یہ کہا کہ وہ اثرِ کہن
نہ تری حکایتِ سوز میں، نہ مری حدیثِ گداز میں
نہ کہیں جہاں میں اماں ملی، جو اماں ملی تو کہاں ملی
مرے جرمِ خانہ خراب کو، ترے عفوِ بندہ نواز میں
نہ وہ عشق میں رہیں گرمیاں، نہ وہ حسن میں رہیں شوخیاں
نہ وہ غزنوی میں تڑپ رہی، نہ وہ خم ہے زلفِ ایاز میں
میں جو سر بہ سجدہ ہوا کبھی، تو زمیں سے آنے لگی صدا
ترا دل تو ہے صنم آشنا، تجھے کیا ملے گا نماز میں
हक़ीक़त-ए मुन्तज़र – मुहम्मद इक़्बाल
कभी ऐ हक़ीक़त-ए-मुंतज़र नज़र आ लिबास-ए-मजाज़ में
के हज़ारों सज्दे तड़प रहे हैं मेरी जबीन-ए-नियाज़ में
तरब-आश्ना-ए-ख़रोश हो तु नवा है महरम-ए-गोश हो
वो सुरूद क्या के छुपा हुआ हो सुकूत-ए-पर्दा-ए-साज़ में
तू बचा बचा के न रख इसे तिरा आईना है वो आईना
के शिकस्ता हो तो अज़ीज़-तर है निगाह-ए-आईना-साज़ में
दम-ए-तौफ़ किरमक-ए-शम’अ ने ये कहा के वो असर-ए-कोहन
न तेरी हिकायत-ए-सोज़ में न मेरी हदीस-ए-गुदाज़ में
न कहीं जहाँ में अमाँ मिली जो अमाँ मिली तो कहाँ मिली
मेरे जुर्म-ए-ख़ाना-ख़राब को तेरे अफ़्व-ए-बंदा-नवाज़ में
न वो इश्क़ में रहीं गर्मियाँ न वो हुस्न में रहीं शोख़ियाँ
न वो ग़ज़नवी में तड़प रही न वो ख़म है ज़ुल्फ़-ए-अयाज़ में
मैं जो सर-ब-सज्दा हुआ कभी तो ज़मीं से आने लगी सदा
तेरा दिल तो है सनम-आश्ना तुझे क्या मिलेगा नमाज़ में
Click here for overall comments and on any she’r for word meanings and dicussion/interpretation. 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 Ghazal has heavy sufi undertones but it can also be interpreted in a socialist sense – waiting for a just tomorrow, a call for action. It is pleasurable to read both interpretations.
kabhi aye haqiqat1-e muntazar2 nazar aa libaas3-e majaaz4 meN
ke hazaaroN sajde5 taRap rahe haiN meri jabin6-e niyaaz7 meN 1.reality, truth, god 2.that which is awaited 3.dress, manifestation 4.real, used here to mean material 5.prostrations 6.forehead, brow 7.offering, tribute
O reality, for whom we wait, manifest yourself sometimes. My forehead is waiting to bow down to you in tribute thousands of times. Conventional writing has interpreted ‘reality’ to be god or some universal spirit in the sufi sense. But if majaaz is interpreted as ‘material’ or ‘concrete’, iqbal cannot possibly be asking for god to appear as a person. I think the manifestation of ‘reality’ that he desires might well be social justice/socialist revolution.
tarab-aashnaa1-e Kharosh2 ho, tu navaa3 hai mahram-e-gosh4 ho
vo surood5 kya ke chhupa hua ho sukoot6-e parda7-e saaz8 meN1.familiar with joy 2.tumult, clamour – used here to mean revolutionary change 3.sound, cry 4.intimate with ears 5.music 6.silence 7.veil 8.lute, harp
Become familiar with/learn/know the joy of tumult/change. You are a sound, become intimate with ears (which can hear you). Of what use is that music which remains hidden behind the curtain of the harp i.e. come out and cry for change – can be interpreted as a call for action.
tu bachaa bachaa ke na rakh ise tera aaina hai vo aaina
ke shikasta1 ho to aziz-tar2 hai nigaah3-e aaina-saaz4 meN 1.broken 2.even more beloved 3.eyes 4.mirror maker, god
Mirror is used as a metaphor for heart/soul. Do not save/protect/hide your heart/soul from (universal) love, just because you are afraid that it will be broken. A broken mirror (pained heart) is even more dear to the ‘mirror-maker’ i.e. god will love you even more if you venture out and risk getting hurt.
dam1-e tauf2 kirmak3-e sham’a4 ne ye kahaa ke vo asar5-e kuhan6
na teri hikaayat7-e soz8 meN na meri hadis9-e gudaaz10 meN 1.at the moment of 2.circumambulation, going around 3.insect, moth 4.lamp 5.effect 6.old 7.story 8.fire, passion 9.tradition 10.soft, sentimental, love
iqbal is bemoaning the loss of sincerity/faith in the community – for example the circumambulation of the kaaba is a mere ritual and the faith of old is gone. More universally … he is bemoaning the lack of motivation in people. As the moth went around the lamp it said – the effect/impact of old is gone from both the story of your passion/fire and the tradition of my love.
na kahiN jahaaN1 meN amaaN2 mili jo amaaN mili to kahaaN mili
mere jurm3-e Khaana-Kharaab4 ko tere afv5-e banda-navaaz6 meN 1.world 2.refuge, shelter 3.crime, transgression 4.home destroying 5.pardon 6.servant favouring, showing kindness to slaves i.e. god to humans
I am a sinner and there is no shelter for me except in your forgiveness that shows favour to its creatures.
na vo ishq1 meN rahiN garmiyaaN2 na vo husn3 meN rahiN shoKhiyaaN4
na vo Ghaznavi5 meN taRap6 rahi na vo Kham7 hai zulf8-e ayaaz9 maiN 1.love 2.warmth 3.beauty, beloved 4.playfulness 5.mahmood Ghazni 6.eagerness 7.curl 8.hair 9.ayaaz – slave/lover of mahmood
iqbal uses mahmood-ayaaz metaphor in a number of places. ayaaz was the slave and they had a legendary and intense (same sex) lover-beloved relationship. iqbal bemoans the loss of sincerity of lover-beloved relationship possibly between god and his creatures but also between the governing and the governed.
maiN jo sar-ba-sajda1 hua kabhi to zamiN se aane lagi sadaa2
tera dil to hai sanam-aashna3 tujhe kya milega namaaz meN 1.head bowed down in prayer 2.sound 3.idol-lover There are two exactly opposite interpretations of this. (1) When I bowed down in prayer, a voice came from the earth, “what is the use of doing namaaz, your heart is still impure with the love of idols”. (2) When I bowed down in prayer, a voice came from the earth, “your heart is already familiar with the love of god, offering sijda/namaz is only a ritual, what will you get by doing sijda, nothing”. One of the interpretations (yousuf salim chishti) sees a similarity with a quote from the bhagwat gita 18:25 with krishn telling arjun that he (krishn) resides only the hearts of those who love him exclusively – with nothing else in their heart. A very demanding god!
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 Ghazal has heavy sufi undertones but it can also be interpreted in a socialist sense – waiting for a just tomorrow, a call for action. It is pleasurable to read both interpretations.
kabhi aye haqiqat1-e muntazar2 nazar aa libaas3-e majaaz4 meN
ke hazaaroN sajde5 taRap rahe haiN meri jabin6-e niyaaz7 meN
1.reality, truth, god 2.that which is awaited 3.dress, manifestation 4.real, used here to mean material 5.prostrations 6.forehead, brow 7.offering, tribute
O reality, for whom we wait, manifest yourself sometimes. My forehead is waiting to bow down to you in tribute thousands of times. Conventional writing has interpreted ‘reality’ to be god or some universal spirit in the sufi sense. But if majaaz is interpreted as ‘material’ or ‘concrete’, iqbal cannot possibly be asking for god to appear as a person. I think the manifestation of ‘reality’ that he desires might well be social justice/socialist revolution.
tarab-aashnaa1-e Kharosh2 ho, tu navaa3 hai mahram-e-gosh4 ho
vo surood5 kya ke chhupa hua ho sukoot6-e parda7-e saaz8 meN
1.familiar with joy 2.tumult, clamour – used here to mean revolutionary change 3.sound, cry 4.intimate with ears 5.music 6.silence 7.veil 8.lute, harp
Become familiar with/learn/know the joy of tumult/change. You are a sound, become intimate with ears (which can hear you). Of what use is that music which remains hidden behind the curtain of the harp i.e. come out and cry for change – can be interpreted as a call for action.
tu bachaa bachaa ke na rakh ise tera aaina hai vo aaina
ke shikasta1 ho to aziz-tar2 hai nigaah3-e aaina-saaz4 meN
1.broken 2.even more beloved 3.eyes 4.mirror maker, god
Mirror is used as a metaphor for heart/soul. Do not save/protect/hide your heart/soul from (universal) love, just because you are afraid that it will be broken. A broken mirror (pained heart) is even more dear to the ‘mirror-maker’ i.e. god will love you even more if you venture out and risk getting hurt.
dam1-e tauf2 kirmak3-e sham’a4 ne ye kahaa ke vo asar5-e kuhan6
na teri hikaayat7-e soz8 meN na meri hadis9-e gudaaz10 meN
1.at the moment of 2.circumambulation, going around 3.insect, moth 4.lamp 5.effect 6.old 7.story 8.fire, passion 9.tradition 10.soft, sentimental, love
iqbal is bemoaning the loss of sincerity/faith in the community – for example the circumambulation of the kaaba is a mere ritual and the faith of old is gone. More universally … he is bemoaning the lack of motivation in people. As the moth went around the lamp it said – the effect/impact of old is gone from both the story of your passion/fire and the tradition of my love.
na kahiN jahaaN1 meN amaaN2 mili jo amaaN mili to kahaaN mili
mere jurm3-e Khaana-Kharaab4 ko tere afv5-e banda-navaaz6 meN
1.world 2.refuge, shelter 3.crime, transgression 4.home destroying 5.pardon 6.servant favouring, showing kindness to slaves i.e. god to humans
I am a sinner and there is no shelter for me except in your forgiveness that shows favour to its creatures.
na vo ishq1 meN rahiN garmiyaaN2 na vo husn3 meN rahiN shoKhiyaaN4
na vo Ghaznavi5 meN taRap6 rahi na vo Kham7 hai zulf8-e ayaaz9 maiN
1.love 2.warmth 3.beauty, beloved 4.playfulness 5.mahmood Ghazni 6.eagerness 7.curl 8.hair 9.ayaaz – slave/lover of mahmood
iqbal uses mahmood-ayaaz metaphor in a number of places. ayaaz was the slave and they had a legendary and intense (same sex) lover-beloved relationship. iqbal bemoans the loss of sincerity of lover-beloved relationship possibly between god and his creatures but also between the governing and the governed.
maiN jo sar-ba-sajda1 hua kabhi to zamiN se aane lagi sadaa2
tera dil to hai sanam-aashna3 tujhe kya milega namaaz meN
1.head bowed down in prayer 2.sound 3.idol-lover
There are two exactly opposite interpretations of this. (1) When I bowed down in prayer, a voice came from the earth, “what is the use of doing namaaz, your heart is still impure with the love of idols”. (2) When I bowed down in prayer, a voice came from the earth, “your heart is already familiar with the love of god, offering sijda/namaz is only a ritual, what will you get by doing sijda, nothing”. One of the interpretations (yousuf salim chishti) sees a similarity with a quote from the bhagwat gita 18:25 with krishn telling arjun that he (krishn) resides only the hearts of those who love him exclusively – with nothing else in their heart. A very demanding god!
