POST 84:Kabhi -e haqikat -e munzir nazar aa libas-e mazaz mein
कभी ऐ हक़ीक़त-ए-मुंतज़र नज़र आ लिबास-ए-मजाज़ में
Dr Allama Iqbal ( born 09.11.1877- died 21.04.1938) is known for his philosophical writings with a very religious inclination bordering Sufi trends. He was a very well educated personality having post graduation in Arabic, which he taught also for four years at Oriental College Lahore. He received Ph. D. in philosophy from the University of Munich.
This is a philosophical gazal invoking the God . The language demands good understanding of Urdu language and Islamic concepts wherein only God is perfect. Long list of important words is another indicator of the complexity of the gazal. I hope I have been able to convey the underlying concepts and perceptions.
Important words:
हक़ीक़त-ए-मुंतज़र:awaited reality, truth; लिबास-ए-मजाज़:in material form; सज्दे: to bow; जबीन-ए-नियाज़:praying face, prostration with head touching the ground as is done in namaz, heart melting tales; तरब-आशना-ए-ख़रोश: pleasure mixed with passion, fervour; महरम-ए-गोश:pleasent to the ear; सरोद: a stringed musical instrument; सुकूत-ए-पर्दा-ए-साज़: silence of the frets of the musical instrument ( Frets means a sequence of ridges in fingerboard of a stringed musical instruments); शिकस्ता:broken, bankrupt, routed, impaired; अज़ीज़-तर: dearest; निगाह-ए-आइना-साज़: observation of the one who makes mirrors meaning God ; दम-ए-तौफ़:revolving around; किरमक-ए-शम्अ:the moth to the flame; असर-ए-कुहन:effect of aging; हिकायत-ए-सोज़:burning desire, ardour , sorrow; हदीस-ए-गुदाज़:tale of anguish; अमाँ: the word is अमान meaning refuge, safety, dependability , solace;जुर्म-ए-ख़ाना-ख़राब:crime of destruction; अफ़्व-ए-बंदा-नवाज़:forgiveness of God; ग़ज़नवी: Mahmood Ghaznavi; ज़ुल्फ़-ए-अयाज़: Ayaz a slave of Ghaznavi;सर-ब-सज्दा: to prostrate; सनम-आश्ना: idol worshipper, given to the charms of the lover.
कभी ऐ हक़ीक़त-ए-मुंतज़र नज़र आ लिबास-ए-मजाज़ में
कि हज़ारों सज्दे तड़प रहे हैं मिरी जबीन-ए-नियाज़ में
O awaited reality ( meanung the God), please reveal yourself in a material form!
For a thousand prostrations are quivering in my submissive brow, praying countenance!!
Note: The poet is imploring the God, awaited reality, to manifest himself in a material form, that can be seen before he agrees to prostrate before Him! He is ready to bow down a thousand times if only he can see Him in a form that he can understandwide wide !! Muntazar means awaited while muntazir means one who is waiting.
तरब-आशना-ए-ख़रोश हो तो नवा है महरम-ए-गोश हो
वो सरोद क्या कि छुपा हुआ हो सुकूत-ए-पर्दा-ए-साज़ में
Thou are a tune pleasant to the ear, a pleasure mixed with passion
What is that harp, which hides melodies and prevents the pleasure?
तू बचा बचा के न रख इसे तिरा आइना है वो आइना
कि शिकस्ता हो तो अज़ीज़-तर है निगाह-ए-आइना-साज़ में
Do not try to preserve that, that reflects your thinking, your inner self ( literally mirror) !
If it is exposed and the mirror is broken it becomes dearer in the eyes of the maker of the mirror — God!!
दम-ए-तौफ़ किरमक-ए-शम्अ ने ये कहा कि वो
असर-ए-कुहन न तिरी हिकायत-ए-सोज़ में न मिरी हदीस-ए-गुदाज़ में
Says the moth (lover) going round in circles around the flame ( shama- beloved)!
There is no sense of pleasure as in the past, either in my burning desire or in your tales of anguish!
न कहीं जहाँ में अमाँ मिली जो अमाँ मिली तो कहाँ मिली
मिरे जुर्म-ए-ख़ाना-ख़राब को तिरे अफ़्व-ए-बंदा-नवाज़ में
In this whole world I did not get any security, safety or solace and when I finally found it Where did I?
My offence of ruining of the house (house of God), got solace in the forgiveness of God!!
न वो इश्क़ में रहीं गर्मियाँ न वो हुस्न में रहीं शोख़ियाँ
न वो ग़ज़नवी में तड़प रही न वो ख़म है ज़ुल्फ़-ए-अयाज़ मैं
The love has lost its passion, the beauty has lost its coquettishness, charms!
Mahmood Ghaznvi has lost his fervour while his mistress Ayaz has lost that bend in her tresses, which captivated Ghazni!
Note: Mohamood Ghaznvi, the one who attacked India seventeen times, had a famous mistress, a slave girl Ayaz.
जो मैं सर-ब-सज्दा हुआ कभी तो ज़मीं से आने लगी सदा
तिरा दिल तो है सनम-आश्ना तुझे क्या मिलेगा नमाज़ में
When I prostrated and touched my forehead to the ground, I heard a voice from the down under!
Your heart is entangled in charms of the lover, an idol worshipper, what would you get by performing the Namaz ?
This gazal had been adapted for the film ‘ Dulhan Ek raat ki’ starring Nutan, Dharmendar, Rehman, Jhonny Walker etc. The gazal was sung by Lata Mangeshkar under the music direction of Madan Mohan. The film was based on Thomas Hardy novel ‘Tess of the D’Ubervilles’.
Do Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan need any introduction? Highest paid artists from Pakistan who have endeared themselves to audiences in India and the World.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan treats this gazal by Allama Iqbal with special respect.
Abrar Ul Haq ( born 21.07.1968) is a Pakistani singer, whose debut album ‘ Billo De Ghar’ sold over 40 million worldwide! He is active in politics also being a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf party.
Bela Sulakhe is an Indian playback singer, who was trained by Archana Kanere and Moloy Banerjie. She has sung for late Khayyam, Bappi Lahiri, Ravi for their private albums and TV serials. She has a different tonal quality and is pleasant to the ear. Her age is a well kept secret!!
Husain Qazia is son of Maulana Abdul Azeem Qazia and that is all that I could gather about him but his singing has a haunting quality, which is very appealing so I have included this version of the gazal.
I have presented a translation of this complex gazal and hope it meets with your approval. If there are shortcomings I would love to be corrected.
4th November is the birthday of my co-brother-in- law, हमज़ुल्फ, Rakesh. A very happy birthday Rakesh!
15th is the marriage anniversary of my niece Padmja , eldest child in her generation. Happy anniversary Sumit and Padmja.
Take care.
