Why should I be destructive and remain reckless of betterment?
Think not of the future, remain occupied in today’s problems?
Should I hear nightingale’s wails, and remain completely silent?
O companion! Am I some flower so that I may remain silent?
The strength of my poetry is encouraging to me
Woe be to me[1]! My remonstrance is against God!
It is true that we are famous in the methods of obeisance
But we are relating our story of pain out of compulsion
Though a silent orchestra, we are full of complaint
If the wailing comes to lips we are excusable
O God! Listen to the remonstrance also from the faithful
Listen to some complaint also from the one accustomed to praise you
Though Thy Eternal Essence had existed since eternity
The flower existed in the garden but fragrance had not dispersed
Justice is a condition, O Lord of Universal Benevolence
How could flower’s fragrance spread if zephyr did not exist?
This problem’s solution was the source of satisfaction to us
Otherwise was the Holy Prophet’s Ummah insane?
The scene of Thy world was strange before us
Stones were adored somewhere, trees were worshipped somewhere
The eyes of Man were accustomed to tangible forms
How could they be amenable to accept the Unseen God?
Doth Those know who ever told Thy beads?
The strength of the Muslim’s arm completed Thy task!
Seljuks [2] were living here and the Turanas[3] also
The Chinese in China and in Iran the Sassanas[4] also
The Greeks were also living in the same habitation
In the same world were the Jews and the Christians also
But who raised the sword in Thy name?
Who reclaimed the despoiled world in Thy name?
We alone were the marshals of Thy troops!
We were fighting now on land and now in the oceans
Some times we were calling adhans in the Europe’s cathedrals
And sometimes in the scorching African deserts
We never cared for the grandeur of monarchs
We recited the Kalimah[5] under the shade of swords
If we lived we lived for the calamities of wars
If we died we died for the grandeur of Thy name
We did not wield the sword for our kingdoms
Did we roam about the world fearlessly for wealth?
If our nation had been greedy of worldly wealth
Why would we have been idol breakers instead of idol sellers?
Once firmly standing in the battle we were immovable
Even lions in the battle against us would be in flight
We were enraged if some one rebelled against Thee
Not to talk of sword we were fighting against canons
We impressed Tawhids’s picture on every heart
We conveyed this message even under the dagger
Tell us Thou, by whom was uprooted the gate of Khaibar[7]
By whom was conquered the city which was Qaisar’s?[8]
By whom were the images of created gods destroyed?
By whom were the armies of infidels slaughtered?
By whom was the fire temple of Iran extinguished?
By whom was the story of Yazdan[9] restored to life?
Which nation did become Thy seeker exclusively?
And became embroiled in wars’ calamities for Thee?
Whose world-conquering sword did world-ruler become?
By whose Takbar did Thy world enlightened become?
Through whose fear idols did perpetually alarmed remain?
Falling on their faces saying “Huwa Allah O Ahad [10] did remain?
If the time of prayer right during the battle fell
Hijaz’ nation in prostration facing the Ka’abah fell
Both Mahmud and Ayaz in the same row stood[6]
None as the slave and none as the master stood
The slave and the master, the poor and the rich all became one!
On arrival in Thy Audience all were reduced to one!
We continuously wandered all over the world
We wandered like the wine-cup with Tawhid’s wine
We wandered with Thy Message in the mountains, in the deserts
And doth Thou know whether we ever returned unsuccessful?
What of the deserts! We did not spare even oceans!
We galloped our horses in the dark ocean!
We effaced falsehood from the earth’s surface
We freed the human race from bonds of slavery
We filled Thy Ka’bah with our foreheads
We put Thy Qur’an to our hearts
Still Thou complaineth that we are lacking fealty
If we are lacking fealty Thou also art not generous
There are other ummahs, among them are sinners also
There are modest people and arrogant ones also
Among them are slothful, indolent as well as clever people
There are also hundreds who are disgusted with Thy name
Thy Graces descend on the other people’s abodes
Lightning strikes only the poor Muslims’ abodes
The idols in temples say ‘The Muslims are gone’
They are glad that the Ka’bah’s sentinels are gone
From the world’s stage the
(Muhammad Iqbal)
More Poetry from Muhammad Iqbal:
Muhammad Iqbal Poems based on Topics: World, Life, God, Garden, Man, Wine, Time, Literature, Fire, Flowers, Nature- Jawab-e-Shik (Muhammad Iqbal Poems)
- Masjid-e-Qar (Muhammad Iqbal Poems)
- The Mosque Of Cordoba (Muhammad Iqbal Poems)
- The Himalayas (Muhammad Iqbal Poems)
- The One I Was Searching For On the Earth and in Heaven (With English Translation) (Muhammad Iqbal Poems)
- The candle (Muhammad Iqbal Poems)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, God Poems, Life Poems, World Poems, Time Poems, Nature Poems, War & Peace Poems, Friendship Poems, Christianity Poems, Name Poems, Flowers PoemsBased on Keywords: encouraging, remonstrance, prostration, continuously, sellers, betterment, amenable, huwa, complaineth, muslims, exclusively