Recitation
علم و عشق – محمد اقبال
علم نے مجھ سے کہا عشق ہے دیوانہ پن
عشق نے مجھ سے کہا علم ہے تخمین و ظن
بندۂ تخمین و ظن ! کِرمِ کتابی نہ بن
عشق سراپا حضوُر ، علم سراپا حِجاب
عشق کی گرمی سے ہے معرکۂ کائنات
علم مقامِ صفات ، عشق تماشۂ ذات
عشق سکوُن و ثبات ، عشق حیات و ممات
علم ہے پیدا سوال ، عشق ہے پنہاں جواب
عشق كے ہیں معجزات ، سلطنت و فقر و دیں
عشق كے ادنےٰ غلام ، صاحبِ تاج و نگیں
عشق مکان و مكیں ، عشق زمان و زمیں
عشق سراپا یقیں ، اور یقیں فتح باب
شرع محبت میں ہے عشرتِ منزل حرام
شورشِ طوفاں حلال ، لذّتِ ساحل حرام
عشق پہ بجلی حلال ، عشق پہ حاصل حرام
علم ہے ابن الکتاب، عشق ہے اُمّ الکتاب
इल्म ओ इश्क़ – मोहम्मद इक़बाल
इल्म ने मुझ से कहा इश्क़ है दीवाना-पन
इश्क़ ने मुझ से कहा इल्म है तख़्मीन ओ ज़न
बंदा-ए तख़्मीन ओ ज़न! किर्म-ए किताबी ना बन
इश्क़ सरापा हुज़ूर, इल्म सरापा हिजाब
इश्क़ की गरमी से है म’आरेका-ए का’एनात
इल्म मक़ाम-ए सिफ़ात, इश्क़ तमाशा-ए ज़ात
इश्क़ सुकून ओ सबात, इश्क़ हयात ओ ममात
इल्म है पैदा सवाल, इश्क़ है पिन्हां जवाब
इश्क़ के हैं मोजिज़ात, सलतनत ओ फ़क़्र ओ दीं
इश्क़ के अदना ग़ुलाम, साहिब-ए ताज ओ नगीं
इश्क़ मकान ओ मक़ीन, इश्क़ ज़मान ओ ज़मीं
इश्क़ सरापा यक़ीन, और यक़ीन फ़तह बाब
शर’आ मोहब्बत में है इशरत-ए मंज़िल हराम
शोरिश-ए तूफ़ां हलाल, लज़्ज़त-ए साहिल हराम
इश्क़ पे बिजली हलाल, इश्क़ पे हासिल हराम
इल्म है इब्न-उल-किताब, इश्क़ है उम्म-उल-किताब
ilm o ishq – mohammed iqbal
Click here for overall comments and on any passage for meanings and discussion. Like in many other places iqbal continues to set a limit to “Knowledge” … beyond which is the domain of “Faith” or “Love”. It is also good to remind ourselves that iqbal probably differentiates between “spiritual” and “material” knowledge, otherwise his denigration of “knowledge” becomes dangerous. Also, in this composition “ishq” (love/devotion) in some places might also be interpreted as faith/belief.
ilm1 ne mujh se kaha ishq2 hai deevaana-pun3
ishq ne mujh se kaha ilm hai taKhmin4 o zan5
banda6-e taKhmin o zan! kirm7-e kitaabi na ban
ishq2 saraapa8 huzur9, ilm1 saraapa hijaab10 1.knowledge 2.faith 3.madness 4.guess, estimate 5.conjecture, assumption, theorize 6.slave 7.worm 8.head to toe, embodiment of 9.presence (divine) 10.veil, mystery, illusion
Knowledge tells me that (blind) faith is sheer madness. Faith tells me that Knowledge is pure conjecture and theory. O slave of theory and speculation, do not be a bookworm. Love (of the divine) is the embodiment of divine presence while knowledge is illusion. Editorial Comment – Surely, iqbal knew that hypothesis/conjecture is not accepted as “knowledge” until proven. “Knowledge” cannot be characterized as being a “bookworm”. Doing this is pernicious and does a great disservice to scientific education akin to what fundamentalists do to the theory of evolution.
ishq ki garmi1 se hai ma’areka2-e kaa’enaat3
ilm maqaam4-e sifaat5, ishq tamaasha6-e zaat7
ishq sukoon8 o sabaat9, ishq hayaat10 o mamaat11
ilm hai paida12 savaal13, ishq hai pinhaaN14 javaab15 1.enthusiasm, passion 2.struggle 3.creation, universe 4.place of 5.attribute, properties, mechanisms 6.exposition of 7.(divine) being, essence 8.comfort, tranquility 9.stability 10.life 11.death 12.bring into being 13.questions 14.hidden/mysterious 15.answers
The passion of love is the basis of the working of the universe. Knowledge has its place, to understand mechanisms and properties (cause and effect relationships – material rather than spiritual knowledge) but love shows divine essence. Love/Faith gives tranquility and stability. Faith deals with the mysteries of life and death. Knowledge raises questions, love provides answers to mysteries. Editorial Comment – Of course, Knowledge raises questions and tries to answer them. If it cannot, it says, “I don’t know” and keeps searching. When it makes mistakes, it learns and corrects “Science is a celebration of human fallibility”. On the other hand, Faith/love simply makes a statement and says, “Believe or else”.
ishq ke haiN mo’jizaat1, saltanat2 o faqr3 o diN4
ishq ke adna5 Ghulam, sahib6-e taaj o nagiN7
ishq makaan8 o makiN9, ishq zaman10 o zamiN11
ishq saraapa12 yaqiN13, aur yaqiN fatah14 baab15 1.miracles 2.kingdom (of god) 3.poverty, other-worldliness (of the sufi scholar) 4.faith 5.lowly 6.lord of 7.jewels 8.place/matter 9.residents/creatures 10.time 11.earth/space 12.head to toe, embodiment 13.conviction 14.overcome, conquer 15.doors
The kingdom (of god), the other-worldliness (of the sufi) and faith are all miracles of Love. The lords of crown and jewels are but lowly slaves of Love. Love is (encompasses all) matter and creatures, time and space. Love is the embodiment of conviction and conviction can open doors. Editorial comment – it seems to me that conviction closes doors to new ideas.
shar’a1 mohabbat meN hai ishrat2-e manzil3 haraam4
shorish5-e toofaaN6 halaal7, lazzat8-e saahil9 haraam
ishq pe bijli10 halaal, ishq pe haasil11 haraam
ilm hai ibn-ul-kitaab12, ishq hai umm-ul-kitaab13 1.law 2.luxury 3.destination 4.forbidden 5.struggle 6.storm 7.permitted 8.pleasure 9.shore 10.lightning 11.yield, harvest, profit 12.child of the book 13.mother of the book
In the law of love, the luxury of (resting at the) destination is forbidden. Struggle against the storm is permitted/desirable but the pleasure of shore is forbidden. In the domain of love, lightning strikes/calamities are permitted, profiting/harvesting is forbidden. By “al-kitaab”, iqbal mean the Quran and says, Knowledge comes from the Quran, but the Quran comes from Love (since the divine is an embodiment of love). Editorial comment – but surely restlessness and the search for answers, never resting at the goal, re-examining/questioning answers and “received” truth is the domain of knowledge, not of faith/love.
ilm o ishq – mohammed iqbal
Like in many other places iqbal continues to set a limit to “Knowledge” … beyond which is the domain of “Faith” or “Love”. It is also good to remind ourselves that iqbal probably differentiates between “spiritual” and “material” knowledge, otherwise his denigration of “knowledge” becomes dangerous. Also, in this composition “ishq” (love/devotion) in some places might also be interpreted as faith/belief.
ilm1 ne mujh se kaha ishq2 hai deevaana-pun3
ishq ne mujh se kaha ilm hai taKhmin4 o zan5
banda6-e taKhmin o zan! kirm7-e kitaabi na ban
ishq2 saraapa8 huzur9, ilm1 saraapa hijaab10
1.knowledge 2.faith 3.madness 4.guess, estimate 5.conjecture, assumption, theorize 6.slave 7.worm 8.head to toe, embodiment of 9.presence (divine) 10.veil, mystery, illusion
Knowledge tells me that (blind) faith is sheer madness. Faith tells me that Knowledge is pure conjecture and theory. O slave of theory and speculation, do not be a bookworm. Love (of the divine) is the embodiment of divine presence while knowledge is illusion. Editorial Comment – Surely, iqbal knew that hypothesis/conjecture is not accepted as “knowledge” until proven. “Knowledge” cannot be characterized as being a “bookworm”. Doing this is pernicious and does a great disservice to scientific education akin to what fundamentalists do to the theory of evolution.
ishq ki garmi1 se hai ma’areka2-e kaa’enaat3
ilm maqaam4-e sifaat5, ishq tamaasha6-e zaat7
ishq sukoon8 o sabaat9, ishq hayaat10 o mamaat11
ilm hai paida12 savaal13, ishq hai pinhaaN14 javaab15
1.enthusiasm, passion 2.struggle 3.creation, universe 4.place of 5.attribute, properties, mechanisms 6.exposition of 7.(divine) being, essence 8.comfort, tranquility 9.stability 10.life 11.death 12.bring into being 13.questions 14.hidden/mysterious 15.answers
The passion of love is the basis of the working of the universe. Knowledge has its place, to understand mechanisms and properties (cause and effect relationships – material rather than spiritual knowledge) but love shows divine essence. Love/Faith gives tranquility and stability. Faith deals with the mysteries of life and death. Knowledge raises questions, love provides answers to mysteries. Editorial Comment – Of course, Knowledge raises questions and tries to answer them. If it cannot, it says, “I don’t know” and keeps searching. When it makes mistakes, it learns and corrects “Science is a celebration of human fallibility”. On the other hand, Faith/love simply makes a statement and says, “Believe or else”.
ishq ke haiN mo’jizaat1, saltanat2 o faqr3 o diN4
ishq ke adna5 Ghulam, sahib6-e taaj o nagiN7
ishq makaan8 o makiN9, ishq zaman10 o zamiN11
ishq saraapa12 yaqiN13, aur yaqiN fatah14 baab15
1.miracles 2.kingdom (of god) 3.poverty, other-worldliness (of the sufi scholar) 4.faith 5.lowly 6.lord of 7.jewels 8.place/matter 9.residents/creatures 10.time 11.earth/space 12.head to toe, embodiment 13.conviction 14.overcome, conquer 15.doors
The kingdom (of god), the other-worldliness (of the sufi) and faith are all miracles of Love. The lords of crown and jewels are but lowly slaves of Love. Love is (encompasses all) matter and creatures, time and space. Love is the embodiment of conviction and conviction can open doors. Editorial comment – it seems to me that conviction closes doors to new ideas.
shar’a1 mohabbat meN hai ishrat2-e manzil3 haraam4
shorish5-e toofaaN6 halaal7, lazzat8-e saahil9 haraam
ishq pe bijli10 halaal, ishq pe haasil11 haraam
ilm hai ibn-ul-kitaab12, ishq hai umm-ul-kitaab13
1.law 2.luxury 3.destination 4.forbidden 5.struggle 6.storm 7.permitted 8.pleasure 9.shore 10.lightning 11.yield, harvest, profit 12.child of the book 13.mother of the book
In the law of love, the luxury of (resting at the) destination is forbidden. Struggle against the storm is permitted/desirable but the pleasure of shore is forbidden. In the domain of love, lightning strikes/calamities are permitted, profiting/harvesting is forbidden. By “al-kitaab”, iqbal mean the Quran and says, Knowledge comes from the Quran, but the Quran comes from Love (since the divine is an embodiment of love). Editorial comment – but surely restlessness and the search for answers, never resting at the goal, re-examining/questioning answers and “received” truth is the domain of knowledge, not of faith/love.
