Stray Reflections

Allama Muhammad Iqbal has been a major inspiration for many including myself. In fact inn my early teens I was informed by “one of those who know” that Allama was much more than just a poet. I began reading his poetry although I could hardly read or understand Urdu at the time. I read it for the baraka and I believe that it is through this baraka that I was able to learn Urdu quite quickly after that. Since he has been a continuous inspiration and his poetry continues to shed light and reveal new meanings with the passage of years.

I found a nice compilation of pictures of Allama including one depicting the appearance of Mawlana’s spirit to him. This is not just imaginary but a reality. As Allama said himself:

tu bhi hai us kafla-e-shawq mien Iqbal

jis kafla-e-shawq ka salaar hai Rumi.

“You too are part of that caravan of longing O Iqbal

that caravan of longing whose guide is Rumi”.

Here’s an extract from a beautiful Naat by Pir Syed Nasseruddin Naseer of Golra Sharif. This is much more in the traditional style. Apologies to those that don’t understand Urdu, I don’t have time to translate at present.

I really like this Naat (poem in praise of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him). Though I have to admit I’m not a fan of the modern style with the echo-effect in the background.

Today the King came secretly before the madmen,

and their spiritually possessed souls began to lament.

That King recognized my voice among the shouts ,

for it was purified from the breath of animality.

He made a royal gesture, meaning, “one of the possessed

has escaped his fetters”. Oh King, if I am possessed,

Thou art the Soloman of all possessing spirits. Oh King,

Thou knowest the mysteries of the birds and the incantations of jinn.

How fitting that Thou should also recite a spell over this madman!

An old man came before the King and said, ” Bind him with chains,

for this madman has caused a great deal of uproar and destruction

among the devils.” My King said, ” This madman can be held by no

chain but My tresses- you do not know his character.

He will snap thousands of fetters and fly to Our hand. He will become

To Us they shall return (Q 21:93) for he is a royal falcon.”

Hz Mawlana* ( Diwan 2509)

* Mawlana ( our master) when mentioned alone will always refer to Hazreti Mawlana Muhammad Jalaluddin Rumi, the Leader of the Caravan of Love.

” Cheest M’iraj? inqalaab andar sha’oor.

(What is the M’iraj? A revolution in consciousness.)

The colours of “witnessing” (shahud) of the universe change with our inner and outer development. As we are granted greater gnosis the grosser elemental side of us is left behind and the subtler side is stregthened ; the body is left behind and the universe shrinks, animality decreses and spirituality increases.”

An-Nahl Pg 84

” God does not transport His servant so that he can see Him, but in order to show him some of His Signs, those that have not been seen by him. He has said: ” Glory be to Him who caused His servant to travel by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Distant Mosque, the precincts of which we have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our Signs”…… I have transported him only to see the Signs, not to me, since no place can contain Me and the relation of “places” to me is identical. I am the one who is contained in the heart of My faithful servant, so how can I possibly transport him to Me when I am next to him and with him, wherever he is?

Shaykh al-Akbar*.

* For those unaware this title will always refer to the Shaykh Muhyiddin Abu Abd Allah Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad Bin Ahmad Bin Abd Allah bin al-Arabi at-Ta’i al-Hatimi al-Andulusi ( May God be pleased with him).

Green Sufi has put up a beautiful picture of four great sufi shaykhs. Take a look at it here.

Hz Khadim-e-Mohabbat held the poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal in very high regard. Indeed as a devotee of Pir-e-Rumi, Babaji also loved Mureed-e-Hindi ( a titile for Iqbal). He would often quote from Iqbal’s poetry in his majalis and letters especially his Persian poems which are less well known in the Indo-Pakistani sub-continent.

In An-Nahl there is a rather strange entry (on page 157) which suggests a spiritual bond between Babaji and Hz Allama. It states: ” Close to midday two strangers who looked alike, were wearing the similar clothes and turbans on their heads arrived. Before any conversation began or anything ( tea etc) could be presented to them they said: Please read al-Fatiha and proceeded to recite so I joined them. Then before my asking they said: We desired to go to Lahore in order to to read Fatiha for Hz Allama Iqbal at his mazar or at the home of one of his relatives; but we saw that you are here so we decided to read Fatiha with you. Then they left as they had arrived”. The compiler Manzoor-ul-Haq Dar omitted to mention that these guests had arrived through the wall and left in the same manner and this took place on the 21st of April which is the date of Iqbal’s passing.These were obviously no ordinary guests.

Today I came across a wonderful rendition of Allama’s poem Toulu-e-Islam ( The Renaissance of Islam). I’ve uploaded the first part here.