saaqi naama – mohammed iqbal
Introduction

saaqi naama is one of iqbal’s more celebrated urdu compositions.  It is composed in seven distinct sections strung together as a longer thematic nazm.  It is linguistically beautiful and powerful and presents an intertwined composition of disparate strains including a call for rejuvenation of the ummah, a call for restoring the old glory of islam, political observations about colonialism, sufi concepts of universal love and iqbal’s own development of “Khudi”.  “Khudi” as proposed by iqbal is an amorphous mixture of sense of self, pride, self-reliance, self-respect and ego.  It is iqbal’s concept of the “ideal man” and has echoes of Nietzshe’s “Superman” although iqbal explicitly rejects Nietzshe’s atheism.  The “saaqi” in saaqi naama is god to whom iqbal addresses an appeal.  “saaqi naama” is a well established sub-genre of farsi and urdu poetry – there are long compositions of the same title by hafiz and zuhuri.  Very short introductions to each of the seven sections is given below.

Section 1 – Preamble

The preamble describes the beauty of spring and the throbbing energy of new life, calling upon the “saaqi” (the divine) to reveal secrets/mysteries of divinity.  It is supposed to set the stage for a spring like awakening or re-birth in Islam.

Section 2 – Decay under Colonialism

In this section iqbal observes the many changes taking place in the world as people throw off the yoke of colonialism.  At this stage iqbal is still enamoured with the Russian Revolution and speaks highly of that change as well as of Chinese rising up against British Colonization (Opium Wars).  He laments that every community is waking up but the Muslim is still somnambulant.

Section 3 – Restoration

In the preamble iqbal starts with the idea of spring as a metaphor for renewal.  But this metaphor does not lead to a call for reformation but rather to a call for restoration of an imagined ancient glory.  He gives up on the older generation and hopes that the younger generation will be an improvement.  He makes an impassioned plea to the “saaqi” to endow the younger generation with the same passion (divine love akin to Sufism) that drives him.

Section 4 – vahdat-al-vujood

What drives iqbal is the concept of one-ness of all – the creator and creation.  This sufi concept of “vahdat-al-vujood” akin to the Vedic concept of “advaita” is described in a few beautiful asha’ar which also bring out “apparent” contradictions of multiplicity of manifestations of the same spirit, therefore not a contradiction.

Section 5 – manzil

Life is not defined as reaching a “manzil – destination”, says iqbal but as a constant movement, constant struggle.  Life likes the struggle/process more than the destination.  It is this struggle that overcomes death and rejuvenates itself.

Section 6 – Khudi

iqbal defines “Khudi” in linguistically beautiful terms as a combination of almost super-human qualities of self-reliance and individuality.  The underpinning is to call on youth to acquire “Khudi”.  “Khudi” is one with the “divine spirit” going back to the concept of vahdat-al-vujood.

Section 7 – The Message

The concluding section is largely a further definition of “Khudi” combined with a call to action.  “Khudi” does not bow to power.  Basic sustenance is but the first stage of “Khudi” and there are many worlds beyond this waiting for your onslaught, waiting to be conquered.  Says iqbal, “there is much more in my heart, but if I fly beyond this, my wings will be singed”.  It is up to you, O reader, to take it forward.

saaqi naama – mohammed iqbal
Section 02

Click here for overall comments on Section 2 and on any passage for meanings and discussion.  See Background tab from full background.In this section iqbal observes the many changes taking place in the world as people throw off the yoke of colonialism. At this stage iqbal is still enamoured with the Russian Revolution and speaks highly of that change as well as of Chinese rising up against British Colonization (Opium Wars). He laments that every community is waking up but the Muslim is still somnambulant. See “Background Tab” for a full introduction.

zamaane ke andaaz badle gaye
naya raag hai saaz¹ badle gaye
hua is tarah faash² raaz³-e faraNg⁴
ke hairat⁵ meN hai sheesha-baaz⁶-e faraNg1.music 2.exposed 3.secret 4.European, British 5.puzzled 6.trickster, deceiver
The ways of the world have changed. There are new tunes and new music. The secrets of the foreigner have been exposed, so much so that the British deceiver is puzzled (about what to do).

purani siyasat-gari¹ Khwaar² hai
zamiN mir o sultaN³ se bezaar⁴ hai
gaya daur⁵-e sarmaya-daari⁶ gaya
tamaasha dikha kar madaari⁷ gaya1.political ways 2.disrepute 3.lord and king 4.tired of 5.period of 6.feudalism, capitalism 7.trickster
The old political ways are in disrepute. The world is tired of lords and kings (this has reference to the Russian Revolution). The days of feudalism/capitalism are gone. The trickster has played his last tricks and is on his way out.

giraaN-Khwaab⁸ cheeni⁹ sambhalne¹⁰ lage
himala ke chashme ubalne¹¹ lage8.heavy in sleep/intoxication 9.Chinese 10.getting steady 11.boiling over (with rage)
Heavily opiated (opium wars) Chinese are waking up. The Himalayas are boiling over (with rage). The implication is that even opiated Chinese are waking up but we are going backwards.

dil-e toor-e seena¹ o faraaN² do-neem³
tajjali⁴ ka phir muntazir⁵ hai kaleem⁶
musalmaaN hai tauheed⁷ meN garmjosh⁸
magar dil abhi tak hai zunnar-posh⁹  1.Mt. Toor of Sinai (where Moses saw divine light) 2. Mt. Faraan where Mohammed went to medidate and later to preach 3.cleft in two 4.enlightenment 5.waiting for 6.another name of Moses 7.faith (in one god) 8.enthusiastic 9.wearing the ‘zunnar’ – Hindu thread – used here only as a metaphor for un-Islamic traditions
The heart of Toor and Faraan are cleft in two (with sorrow at the condition of Muslims!). The Muslim is simply waiting for miracles to happen (just like Moses and Mohammed) without doing anything himself. While the Muslim claims/shows enthusiasm in his faith, he still wears the thread of infidelity (retains the practices of non-belief).

tamaddun¹, tasavvuf², shari’at³, kalaam⁴
butaan⁵-e ajam⁶ ke pujaari tamaam
haqiqat⁷ Kharafaat⁸ meN kho gayee
ye ummat⁹ rivayaat¹⁰ meN kho gayee1.culture 2.mysticism 3.jurisprudence 4.theology (these are all formal branches of study of Islam instituted/started in Iran and Central Asia as a part of Sufi schools) 5.idols 6.areas beyond Arabia used here to refer to Iran and Central Asia 7.truth 8.trivialities 9.community 10.stories
iqbal is a bit conflicted here. He still subscribes to Sufi thought but is criticizing new trends in Sufism which have emerged outside Arabia. He wants to revert to the “original” and says that Truth is lost in trivialities and the community is taken in by “stories”.

lubhaata¹ hai dil ko kalaam²-e Khateeb³
magar lazzat⁴-e shauq⁵ se be-naseeb⁶
bayaaN is ka mantiq⁷ se suljha⁸ hua
luGhat⁹ ke bakheRauN¹⁰ meN uljha¹¹ hua1.attract/entrap 2.discourse 3.orator/preacher 4.pleasure of 5.(divine/mystic) love 6.devoid of 7.logic 8.solved, unraveled 9.dictionary, verbosity 10.struggle, conflict 11.trapped in
The discourse of the orator is pleasing and traps you, but it is devoid of divine love/devotion. His explanation is neatly arranged in (worldly) logic and trapped in (trivial) verbosity.

vo sufi ke tha Khidmat¹-e haq² meN mard³
mohabbat meN yakta⁴, hamiyyat⁵ meN fard⁶
ajam⁷ ke Khayalaat meN kho gaya
ye saalik⁸ maqamaat⁹ meN kho gaya1.service of 2.Truth/god 3.manly-used here to mean dedicated 4.unequalled 5.self-respect, dignity (not bowing down to power/wealth) 6.unique 7.lands beyond Arabia 8.traveler on the path of (divine) love 9.way stations, stages
The sufi who was dedicated to the love of the divine, who was unequalled in the strength of his passion, who would now to none other than the divine is now lost in the new thinking from lands beyond Arabia. He is lost at way-stations on the way to “fana”-union with the divine. Perhaps iqbal does not mean “hijaz” and “ajam” as geographic areas but as the original philosophy of islam versus a later corruption.

bujhi ishq ki aag andher hai
musalmaaN nahiN raakh ka Dher haiThe fire of love has been put out, what a calamity. It is no longer the original muslim, only his pale shadow, only the ashes left.