Syed Abdullah Tariq

  Khudi ka sirr-e-nihan la ilaha illallah Khudi hai taeg, fasan la ilaha illallah The secret of the self is hid, in words “No god but He alone” The self is just a dull-edged sword, “No god but He” the grinding stone This couplet introduces the main theme of the poem, which is the concept of khudi or selfhood. Iqbal says that the secret of khudi is the affirmation of the oneness of God, which is the core of Islam. He says that the self is like a sword that needs to be sharpened by the stone of “la ilaha illallah” (there is no god but Allah). This means that the self can only realize its true potential and power by following the divine guidance and striving for excellence. Ye dour apne braheem ki talash mein hai Sanam-kada hai jahan, la ilaha illallah This age is in search of its Abraham The world is full of idols, “No god but He” This couplet compares the present age to the time of Prophet Abraham, who destroyed the idols of his people and proclaimed the ...

  نہیں ہے ناامید اقبالؔ اپنی کشت ویراں سے ذرا نم ہو تو یہ مٹی بہت زرخیز ہے ساقی   nahīñ hai nā-umīd 'iqbāl' apnī kisht-e-vīrāñ se zarā nam ho to ye miTTī bahut zarḳhez hai saaqī   This is a famous couplet by Allama Iqbal, a renowned poet and philosopher of the Indian subcontinent.  The couplet is from his collection of poems called Baal-e-Gibril The couplet is based on the idea of khudi, or selfhood, which is one of the core concepts of Iqbal’s philosophy. Khudi means the development of one’s individual and collective personality, potential, and identity.  Iqbal believed that khudi is the source of creativity, dynamism, and progress for Muslims and humanity in general . According to Iqbal, khudi is not something that is given to a person, but something that has to be achieved through hard work, struggle, and faith. He said: “Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqdeer se pehle Khuda bande se khud pooche bata teri raza kya hai” "Elevate your selfhood so high tha...

"Ever since they tore me from my oiser bed, My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears. I burst my breast, striving to give vent to sighs, And to express the pangs of my yearning for my home. He who abides far away from his home Is ever longing for the day he shall return.  My wailing is heard in every throng, In concert with them that rejoice and them that weep. Each interprets my notes in harmony with his own feelings, But not one fathoms the secrets of my heart. My secrets are not alien from my plaintive notes, Yet they are not manifest to the sensual eye and ear. Body is not veiled from soul, neither soul from body, Yet no man hath ever seen a soul." ~Maulana Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi (extracted from his book "The Masnavi i Ma'navi") T he poem “Ever since they tore me from my oiser bed” by Rumi is a poetic expression of the idea of love for God. Rumi was one of the most influential and popular poets, who used his poetry to convey his spiritual ins...