SHAKWA AND JAWAB-I SHAKWA

SHAKWA AND JAWAB-I SHAKWA(THE COMPLAINT AND RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINT)
BY DR. SIR MUHAMMAD IQBAL

Source ,Credit & Citation Allamaiqbal

Iqbal wrote the two poems, “Shakwa” and “Jawab-i Shakwa” (Complaint to God and its Response), in early twentieth century. It was the prime time of his poetic revelation, which is called his third period that began in 1908 and ended at his death in 1938. During that time Muslims in India had almost lost their entity as a nation. They had become the most oppressed community in British ruled India. A little before Iqbal, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898) had realised that the major cause of Indian Muslims’ misfortune was their illiteracy and the lack of knowledge. After a long struggle and much hardship he succeeded in establishing an Anglo Oriental College at Aligarh which later on became a university. Presently this university is a big place of learning and research in India. This university became a source of self-awareness among a negligible portion of Muslim minority in India. However, the masses of the community remained deprived of education and ultimately remained suffering  in all parts of life. Due to poverty and lack of resources they were unable to educate their children. Among those who were lucky and got education remained unable to get a job. They remained jobless as all the fields of life and key posts were occupied and dominated by non-Muslims and the British. Such a situation gave birth to the persons like Altaf Husain Hali, Shibli Nomani, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Ali Brethren, and others who worked in their respective fields to fight for the rights of Muslims. All of them were contemporaries of Iqbal and were among the front-line fighters for freedom. However Iqbal stood alone with his powerful poetic way to waken self confidence in the people of his community. He and his contemporaries (named above) were able to move the masses and carried them forward on the road to get rid of the British rule. Iqbal nurtured the minds of the people and changed the direction of the society through his melodious voice reciting his own songs in a touching way reminding them of their past glory. He was the person who discovered a leader like Muhammad Ali Jinnah and convinced him to lead the nation under whose banner Muslims of India were united and marched towards independence till the world saw a new country “Pakistan” emerged on the world map with the rising sum of the morning of August 14, 1947.

Iqbal’s poem “Shakwa” was one of his most thrilling poems, which he recited personally in the month of April 1911 at the annual session of Anjuman Himayat-i Islam held in the compound of Islamia College, Lahore. It was largely applauded and subsequently published in the magazines and journals of the country. This poem consists of 31 stanzas having six verses each. In the poem Iqbal has highlighted Islam’s living traditions in such a way that it strikes the very heart of a person.  The carefully selected and well-knit words of the poem were immensely effective. They filled the hearts of a deprived nation with new life, courage and enthusiasm. The poem “Shakwa” is a unique example of a complaint to God. We have used English translation from Dr. M.A.K. Khalil’s Call of the Marching Bell, which is English rendering of Iqbal’s Bang-i Dara.

In the first stage of this poem Iqbal counts the chivalrous deeds of the Muslims reminding them of their past glory when they happened to be the leaders and teachers of mankind. They implemented the rule of God on the earth and brought revolutionary reforms in the states under their control where justice prevailed. Hereunder I quote three stanzas from this part of  “Shakwa”:

Ham jo jeetey thay to jangon ki museebat ke liye
Aur marte thay tirey naam ke azmat ke liye
Thi na kuch tegh zani apnee hukumat key liye
Sar bakaf phirte thay kiya dhar men daulat ke liye?
Qaum apni jo zaro-maal-i jahan par marti
But faroshi ke iwaz but shikani kiyum karti?

(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?)

Mahfil-i kaun-o Makan men sahar-o sham phiray
Ma-i tauheed ko ley kar sifat-i jam phiray
Koh men’ dasht mey ley kar tira paigham phiray
Aur maaloom hay tujh ko kabhi nakaam phiray
Dasht to dasht hain darya bhi na chorey hamnay 
Bahr-i zulmaat men daura diy-e ghorey hamnay

Biography of Allama Muhammad Iqbal Poet

Biography of Allama Muhammad Iqbal

Source & Credit

Allama Muhammad Iqbal poet                                                                      

Sir Muhammad Iqbal, also known as Allama Iqbal, was a philosopher, poet and politician in British India who is widely regarded to have inspired the Pakistan Movement. He is considered one of the most important figures in Urdu literature, with literary work in both the Urdu and Persian languages.

Iqbal is admired as a prominent classical poet by Pakistani, Indian and other international scholars of literature. Although most well known as a poet, he has also been acclaimed as a modern Muslim philosopher. His first poetry book, Asrar-e-Khudi, appeared in the Persian language in 1915, and other books of poetry include Rumuz-i-Bekhudi, Payam-i-Mashriq and Zabur-i-Ajam. Some of his most well known Urdu works are Bang-i-Dara, Bal-i-Jibril and Zarb-i Kalim. Along with his Urdu and Persian poetry, his various Urdu and English lectures and letters have been very influential in cultural, social, religious and political disputes over the years. In 1922, he was knighted by King George V, giving him the title "Sir".

During his years of studying law and philosophy in England, Iqbal became a member of the London branch of the All India Muslim League. Later, in one of his most famous speeches, Iqbal pushed for the creation of a Muslim state in Northwest India. This took place in his presidential speech in the league's December 1930 session.He was very close to Quid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Islamic Poetry by Iqbal

Islamic Poetry by Iqbal

Source And Credit

Allama Iqbal Islamic Poetry 1:

Zaban Se Keh Bhi Diya La Ilaha Illah To Kya Hasil

Dil-O-Nigah Musalman Naheen To Kuchh Bhi Naheen”

Allama Iqbal Islamic Poetry 2:

Tum Syed Bhi Ho Mirza Bhi Ho Afghan Bhi Ho

Tum Sabhi Kuchh Ho Batao Ke Musalman Bhi Ho”

Some Questions About Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal Poet of the world

Doctor Allama Muhammad Iqbal Rehmatullah Alaih

Picture Credit goes to Karnataka

Question No 1:Who is the Motivated Leader Of Pakistan same as Muhammad Ali Jinnah?
Answer No 1:Dr. Muhammad Iqbal.

Question No 2:Who is the Allama Iqbal?
Answer No 2: Dr. Muhammad Iqbal.