A Special Day to announce or showcase your love for the beloved is just like breathing differently on a particular day and then returning to the normal style of taking the oxygen in, later on. So, though I don’t believe in celebrating any particular day to express your love for someone, still here is a thoughtful, life teaching ghazal from Dr. Muhammad Iqbal also known as Allama Iqbal for all friends of BTC on this Valentine’s Day. The different verses of this divine piece of poetry talk about that pure LOVE for The Almighty and the much needed LOVE among the people living in his world with a unique vision and a beautiful story about the unconditional devotion of slave Ayaaz for his King Ghaznavi.
Kabhi Aye Haqeeqat-E-Muntazar Nazar Aa Libaas-E-Majaaz Mein,
Ke Hazaaron Sajday Tarap Rahey Hain Meri Jabeen-E-Niyaaz Mein
(I pray to that one supreme power that if you truly exist then please make yourself visible in a material form in front of us some day, as my thousands of prayers (by bowing down with my forehead touching the ground) from ages have always been desperate for that one glimpse of yours.)
[Haqeeqat-e-Muntazir = Referring to God Almighty, his actual reality, Libaas-e-Majaaz = Being Visible in a Material form, Sajdey = To bow down without any ego, Jabeen-E-nayaz= Offering the forehead]
Tu Bacha Bacha Ke Na Rakh Isey, Tera Aainaa Hai Woh Aainaa,
Ke Shikastaa Ho To Azeez Tar Hai Nigaah-E-Aaina-E-Saaz Mein
(There is no use if man tries to save the mirror of his image from breaking in his whole life, there is no use to hide the evil inside your inner persona because even if the mirror gets broken into pieces its still the same in the eyes of its actual maker, the Almighty God. And if one realizes his mistakes after the mirror breaks, then its value is even more in the eyes of that ultimate creator.)
[Shikastaa = Losing the battle, Broken into pieces, Azeez = Beloved, Nigaah-E-Aaina-E-Saaz = In the eyes of the actual maker]
Na Kahin Jahaan Men Amaan Mili, Jo Amaan Mili To Kahaan Mili
Mere Jurm-E-Khaana Kharaab Ko Tere Afw-E-Banda Nawaaz Mein
(My dark misdeeds could not find peace anywhere in the whole world and then found it in only one place, which was in the presence of your gracious forgiveness O humble God!)
[Amaan = Peace, Jurm-E-Khaana Kharaab = My ugly dark misdeeds in this world, Afw-E-Banda Nawaaz = Gracious Forgiveness of God, the Supreme Power]
Jo Main Sar-Ba-Sajdaa Hua Kabhi, To Zameen Se Aane Lagi Sadaa,
Tera Dil To Hai Sanam Aashna, Tujhe Kya Milega Namaaz Mein
(The day when I bowed down completely to pray in front of you O God!, then suddenly a voice started coming from the ground itself saying, “Your heart is still attached to the materialism of the world, what you will get by praying in this manner? So go back get it cleaned and then return to pray with a pure soul.”)
[Sar-Ba-Sajda = To bow down completely in prayer, Sadaa = Voice, Sanam Aashna = In love with materialism of the world, in love with its beauty]
Na Woh Ishq Main Rahi Garmiyan, Na Woh Husn Main Rahi Shokhian,
Na Woh Ghaznavi Ki Tarap Rahi, Na Woh Kham Hai Zulf-E-Ayaaz Mein
(The poet Dr.Iqbal complains here that neither I can see the same warmth in love today, nor I can see the good old charm or attraction in the beauties you create nowadays. Neither I can feel the painful love like the one Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi had for his slave Ayaaz, nor I can see the same devotion in people like Ayaaz had in his whole persona for his beloved King)
[Shokhiyan = Lovable Charm and Mannerisms, Kham Hai Zulf-E-Ayaaz Mein = The beautiful turns in the hair of Ayaaz, representing his pure love for his master]
Here the couplet can be understood better after reading a famous story about the love and devotion between the Sultan and his slave. Sultan Mahmood had a great amount of respect for Ayaaz for his rare wisdom, even though he was his slave or servant. The love & respect gave rise to jealousy among all the Kings’ ministers and other people at higher positions. In order to get rid of the slave they started spreading a rumor against him that Ayaaz was not a wise man at all but a fool.
The king came to know about this rumor and decided to prove the actual truth to all his ministers. So an announcement was made that on a particular day the King will give away all his belongings to the people and whatever a person will touch in the palace, he will become the owner of that without any questions asked. On the decided day, as the door opened the people rushed in and started touching all the valuable things present like precious jewellery, gold plated thrones, costly display items and more.
But Ayaaz kept standing close to the King silently, without touching anything at all. Everyone started thinking that Ayaaz had gone mad as he was not making the best of the opportunity given by the King himself. After a while Ayaaz calmly asked the king, if the announcement was really true and certain. The king replied "Yes, its true that whatever you touch will become yours from this very moment without any doubt."
Listening this, Ayaaz at once placed his hand on King's head and then announced loudly, "Listen all crazy people, you all were simply interested in acquiring whatever the King had, but you completely forgot about the one who owns all these things, the King himself. Now since I have kept my hands on the King here, so from now on, the King is mine and so is every single thing present in this big palace. Therefore please don’t take anything from here as everything belongs to me as announced by the King.” Hearing this, all the people holding on to various things realized their grave mistake and accepted the truth that Ayaaz was the most intelligent and clever one among them all.
Through this last couplet pointing towards the story of Ayaaz, Dr. Iqbal tries to convey this visible truth that today we are all just running after the creations of that supreme God blindly and very few can find that vision to look for the Ultimate Creator of them all. However the trick to be realized here is that if one can become friends with that Supreme Power only through any way or means of his, then nothing else remains to achieve or win over in this fast progressing materialistic world at all.
With thanks to iqbalurdu.blogspot.in for all simple explanations of Dr. Iqbal’s works, lets try to celebrate our each & every moment or day as LOVE Day.
HIS BLESSINGS
