Excerpts from Iqbal's Poetry

The excerpts below are drawn from Allama Iqbal’s Urdu poetry. He wrote four books in Urdu: Baang-e-Dara, Baal-e-Jibraeel, Zarb-e-Kaleem and Armaghaan-e-Hijaz. Most of these excerpts are only selected verses of his famous poems and ghazals. The aim is to make Iqbal’s message and inspiration accessible to the casual reader, who has neither time nor appetite for large texts.

Like all great writers, Iqbal’s writings are as fresh and relevant as ever. Muslims all over the world are passing through a terrible phase. Under such testing times the worst victims are hope and self-image, both as individuals and as a people. Iqbal’s verses carry a very high doze of hope and positive thought. But he does not provide false hope. His advice is only for those who have the courage to act and change.

He has also vehemently criticized the ills of our society and culture, which despite a hundred year lapse seem shamelessly relevant and current.

Reading Iqbal feels like exposing yourself, especially as a people. After making you intensely aware about your self-defeating attitude, he passionately enlightens you about your true potential as a soul, leading you through to alternative behavioural disposition that makes you feel and believe that nothing is impossible.

Baang-e-Dara teri taareek raaton main charaghan sodaagari naheen yeh ibaadat dayaar-e-maghrib kay rehnay waalo Rah tu, rahro bhi tu Jin ko aata naheen dunya main koi fun apni dunya aap paida kar tu raaz-e-kun fakaan hay Baykhatar kood parha aatish-e-namrood main Tu bachaa bachaa kay na rakh Zarb-e-Kaleem khudi ka sir-e-niha, La Ilaha Ilallah tan ba taqdeer hay aaj ishq pay bijli halal khud badaltay naheen quran ko kiya gaya hay ghulami main tera wajood siraapa tajali tairi nigah main saabit naheen khuda khirad nay keh bhi dia la ilah ja baith kisi ghaar main dil-e-murda dil naheen hay maqsood hay kuch aur hi tasleem-o-raza ka sahil tujhay ata ho to zindagi kuch aur shay hay khuda tujhay kisi toofan say tera wajood hay qalb-o-nazar wo kal kay gham-o-aish pay

Baal-e-Jibraeel tu hay muheet-e-baykaraan jisay zeba kahain azad banday Aisi nimaz say guzar Apnay man main doob kar apnay dil say pooch momin hay to baytaigh bhi larhta hay hayat zauq-e-safar kay siwa khoi hoi shay ki justaju kar sitaron say aagay jahan yehi shahkar hay tairay hunar ka ragon main wo lahu tera tan rooh say naashna jis main na ho inqilab utho mairi dunya kay ghareebon ko paalta hay beej ko jachtay naheen bakhshay huway mulla ki azaan aur mujahid ki azaan Armaghaan-e-Hijaz aarzoo awal to paida ho nahi sakti mar kay ji uthna faqat zalzalay say waadyon main teray-darya-main-toofaan-kyoon.asp maqaam apni khudi ka zameer-e-maghrib hay taajirana koi daikhay to hay baareek fitrat

Complete text and translation of Iqbal's poetry can be found at: http://www.allamaiqbal.com