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From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Asim
08/19/00 at 15:19:27
Assalaamu alaikum, Here are a couple of passages from Muhammad Iqbal's Jawab-i-Shikwa (Answer to the Plaint). These are taken from "Shikwa and Jawab-i-Shikwa - Complaint and Answer: Iqbal's dialogue with Allah" translated by Khushwant Singh. The translation is decent. I cannot say much about how accurately the meanings are captured in English, but the tranlator does a decent job of maintaining some poetic eloquence. The book also has the original poems in Urdu and Hindi scripts. -- Heavy weighs the light of dawn, how loathe you are to rise? Why protest you love Us? It is your slumber that your prize. On your carefree spirit Ramadan’s fast does heavily press; Ask yourselves and answer: ‘Is this the way of faithfulness? A people are bound by faith; without faith they cease to be; If nothing binds you, you are like meteors, not stars in a galaxy The only people in the world of every skill bereft are you. The only race which cares not how it fouls its nest are you. Haystacks that within them conceal the lightning’s fires are you. Who love by selling tombs of their sires are you. If as traders of tombstones you have earned such renown. What is there to stop you in trading in gods made of stone? Wasalaam.

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Arsalan
08/19/00 at 19:23:07
Assalamu alaikum, Asim, jazakAllahu khairan for this post.  It's interesting to note that the translator is a Hindu! Anyway, I was comparing the translation with the original that I have.  I think this is as good as it can possibly get!  The translation is pretty accurate, as far as I can tell.   Is it possible that you can post the whole thing?  Even if you can do it in parts, it would be great!  I would like to forward it to some of my friends who can't understand Urdu.   Wassalam.

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Asim
08/20/00 at 08:56:41
Assalaamu alaikum, I was also pleasantly surprised by the translation. In my experience poetry translations are usually bad. This one is pretty good, and as you mentioned, also accurate. Singh was an editor of an Urdu magazine. His translation was guided and checked by many Muslims advisers and reviewers. That's what the preface says. InshaAllah, I will post the poem in parts over the next week or so. Wasalaam.

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
salma
08/20/00 at 11:00:50
salaam, khushwant singh is a sikh not a hindu.

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Saleema
08/20/00 at 17:17:35
Assalamoalykum, this is so far the best translation that i have seen of Iqbal's work. So Arsalan, can u read and write urdu too? So can I!   Do u have the whole collection of Iqbal's poetry? I did, my dad gave it to someone to read and its been some years now and they are supposed to return it but haven't.  :( Wassalam

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Arsalan
08/20/00 at 17:58:32
Assalamu alaikum, Good luck getting your books back :D I suggest you buy new ones, because what are the chances of someone returning Iqbal's pearls back that easily? :) Yes, I am Urdu literate, alhamdulillah.  I better be!  I've spent 12 years of my life in Pak Land. I have several works of Iqbal.  Unfortunately, alot of it is incomprehensible for me because my Urdu has a lot of rust on it, and he also uses alot of Persian in his poetry!   By the way, I was reading a book by Yusuf al-Qaradawi and he continuously uses Iqbal's poetry in his writing!  I asked one of my Saudi friends about that and he said that Iqbal is very popular in Arabia also.  He told me that his works had been translated into Arabic WITH the rhyme (like the translation in English that Asim posted I guess), and he was regarded with a lot of respect in that area for his poetry. Wassalam.

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Arsalan
08/20/00 at 20:05:31
Assalamu alaikum, I thought I would give you guys the original.  Especially for those of you who can understand Urdu (N=noon ghunna, n=noon; 3=ayn): Kis qadar tum pe giraaN subha kee baydaari hai Hum say kab pyar hai? HaaN neeNd tumhaiN pyaari hai Tab3 aazaad pay qayd-e-ramzaaN bhaari hai Tum hee kah do yahee aaeen-e-wafadari hai? Qaum madhhab say hai, madhhab jo nahiN tum bhi nahiN Jazb-e-baaham jo nahiN, mahfil-e-anjum bhi nahiN Jin ko aataa nahiN dunya maiN koyee fun, tum ho NahiN jis qaum ko parwa-e-nasheeman, tum ho BijliyaaN jis maiN hoN aasooda, woh khurman tum ho Baich khaatay ho jo aslaaf kay madfan, tum ho HoNko naam jo qabroN ki tijaarat kar kay Kya na baychogay jo mil jaayaiN sanam patthar kay? [quote]Heavy weighs the light of dawn, how loathe you are to rise? Why protest you love Us? It is your slumber that your prize. On your carefree spirit Ramadan’s fast does heavily press; Ask yourselves and answer: ‘Is this the way of faithfulness? A people are bound by faith; without faith they cease to be; If nothing binds you, you are like meteors, not stars in a galaxy The only people in the world of every skill bereft are you. The only race which cares not how it fouls its nest are you. Haystacks that within them conceal the lightning’s fires are you. Who love by selling tombs of their sires are you. If as traders of tombstones you have earned such renown. What is there to stop you in trading in gods made of stone? [/quote]

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Moe
08/20/00 at 22:51:28
this is good stuff

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Asim
08/20/00 at 23:24:47
Assalaamu alaikum, Thanks Arsalan for posting the Urdu. Even though I can read Urdu, the print in the book is bad, and reading in roman script is more fluent. :) Wasalaam.

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
Saleema
08/21/00 at 21:48:38
Assalamoalykum, I just love Iqbal! May Allah forgive him his sins and grant him Heaven. His poetry moves me to tears sometimes. It is so deep. Does anyone know of a poem by him where Musa (AS) is mentioned? It is one of the most powerful poems of his. I can't remember the whole thing, but i remembmer the effect that it had on me. It went something like how he longs to "know" his Lord like Musa did. It is very sad. So if anyone has it out there, could you please share? I didn't know that Iqbal is respected in Saudi. That's surprising! Wassalam

Re: From Iqbal's Answer to the Plaint
jannah
08/21/00 at 23:31:55
that is some powerful stuff
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