Shikwaa [The Complaint]

Why should I be destructive and remain reckless of betterment?

Think not of the future, remain occupied in today’s problems?

Should I hear nightingale’s  wails, and remain completely silent?

O companion! Am I some flower so that I may remain silent?

              The strength of my poetry is encouraging to me

              Woe be to me[1]! My remonstrance is against God!

It is true  that  we are famous in the methods of obeisance

But we are relating our story of pain out of compulsion

Though a silent orchestra, we are full of complaint

If the wailing comes to lips we are excusable

              O God! Listen to the remonstrance also from the faithful

              Listen to some complaint also from the one accustomed to praise you

Though Thy Eternal Essence had existed since eternity

The flower existed in the garden but  fragrance had not dispersed

Justice is a condition, O Lord of Universal  Benevolence

How could flower’s  fragrance spread if zephyr did not exist?

This problem’s solution was  the source of satisfaction to us

Otherwise was the Holy Prophet’s  Ummah insane?

The scene of Thy world was strange before us

Stones were adored somewhere, trees were worshipped somewhere

The eyes of Man were accustomed to tangible forms

How could they be amenable to accept the Unseen God?

              Doth Those know who ever told Thy beads?

              The strength of the Muslim’s  arm completed Thy task!

Seljuks [2] were living here and the Turanas[3] also

The Chinese in China and in Iran the Sassanas[4] also

The Greeks were also living in the same habitation

In the  same  world were the Jews and the Christians also

              But who raised the sword in Thy name?

              Who reclaimed the despoiled world in Thy name?

We alone were the marshals of Thy troops!

We were fighting now on land and now in the oceans

Some times we were calling adhans in the Europe’s  cathedrals

And  sometimes in the scorching African deserts

              We never cared for the  grandeur of monarchs

              We recited the Kalimah[5] under the shade of swords

If we lived we lived for the calamities of wars

If we  died we died for the grandeur of  Thy name

We did not wield the sword for our kingdoms

Did we roam about the world fearlessly for wealth?

              If our nation had been greedy of worldly  wealth

              Why would we have been idol breakers  instead of idol sellers?

Once firmly standing in the battle we were immovable

Even lions in the battle against us would be in flight

We  were enraged if some one rebelled against Thee

Not to talk of sword we were fighting against canons

              We impressed  Tawhids’s picture  on every heart

              We conveyed this message even under  the dagger

Tell us Thou,  by whom was uprooted the gate of Khaibar[7]

By whom was conquered the city which was Qaisar’s?[8]

By whom were the images of created gods destroyed?

By whom were the armies of infidels slaughtered?

By whom was the fire temple of Iran extinguished?

By whom was the story of Yazdan[9] restored to life?

Which nation did become Thy seeker exclusively?

And became embroiled in wars’ calamities for Thee?

Whose world-conquering sword did world-ruler become?

By whose Takbar did Thy world enlightened become?

              Through whose fear idols did perpetually alarmed remain?

              Falling on their faces saying “Huwa Allah O Ahad [10]  did remain?

If the time of prayer right during the battle fell

Hijaz’ nation in prostration facing the Ka’abah fell

Both Mahmud and Ayaz in the same row stood[6]

None as the slave and none as the master stood

              The slave and the master, the poor and the rich all became one!

              On arrival in Thy Audience all were reduced to one!

We continuously wandered all over the world

We wandered like the wine-cup with Tawhid’s  wine

We wandered with Thy Message in the mountains, in the deserts

And doth Thou know whether we ever returned unsuccessful?

              What of the deserts! We  did not spare even oceans!

              We galloped our horses in the dark ocean!

We effaced falsehood from the earth’s surface

We freed the human race from bonds of slavery

We filled Thy Ka’bah  with our foreheads

We put Thy  Qur’an to our hearts

              Still Thou complaineth that we are lacking fealty

              If we are lacking fealty Thou also art not generous

There are other ummahs, among them are sinners also

There are modest people and arrogant ones also

Among them are slothful, indolent as well as clever people

There are also hundreds who are disgusted with Thy name

              Thy Graces descend on the other people’s abodes

              Lightning strikes only the poor Muslims’ abodes

The idols in temples say ‘The Muslims are gone’

They are glad that the Ka’bah’s sentinels are gone

From the world’s  stage the éudâ[12] singers are gone

They, with the Qur’an in their arm pits, are gone

              Infidelity is mocking, hast Thou some feeling or not?

              Dost Thou have any regard  for Thy own Tawhid or not?

We do not complain that their treasures are full

Who are not in possession of even basic social graces

Outrageous that infidels are rewarded with Houris and palaces

And the poor Muslims are placated with only promise of Houris

              We have been deprived of the former graces and favors

              What is the matter, we are deprived of the former honors?

Why is the material wealth rare among Muslims?

Thy omnipotence is boundless and inestimable

With Thy Will the desert’s bosom would produce bubbles

The desert’s rambler can be facing flood of mirage’s waves

              Others’ sarcasm, disgrace and poverty is our lot

              Is abjection the reward for Loving  Thee?

Now, this world is the lover of  others

For us it is only an imaginary world

We have departed, others have taken over the world

Do not complain now that devoid of  Tawhid  has become the world

              We live with the object of spreading Thy fame in the  world

              Can the wine-cup exist if the cup-bearer does not live?

Thy assemblage is gone, and Thy Lovers are also gone

The night’s sighs and the dawn’s wailings  are gone

They had loved Thee, they are gone with their rewards

They had hardly settled down and they were turned out

              The Lovers came but with tomorrow’s promise were sent away

              Now seek them with Thy beautiful face’s lamp[13] every way!

Lailah’s pathos is the same, and Qais’ bosom is the same

In the Najd’s wilderness and mountains the deer’s running is the same

The Love’s heart is the same, the Beauty’s magic is the same

The Ummah of the Holy Prophet is the same, Thou art the same

              Why then this displeasure without reason is?

              Why then this displeasure for Thy Lovers is?

Did we forsake Thee, did we forsake the Arabian Holy Prophet?

Did we adopt idol sculpture, did we idol breaking forsake?

Did we forsake Love, and did we forsake the madness of Love?

Did we forsake the customs of Salman[15] and Uwais of Qur’an?

              We have the Takbar’s fire suppressed in our hearts!

              We are living the life of Bilal the Negro!

Granted that Love has lost its former elegance also

We may have lost treading the path of Love also

We may have lost the restless heart like the compass also

And we may have lost the observance of fidelity’s rules also

              Thou art changing friendship between us and others

              It is difficult to say but Thou art also unfaithful!

Thou perfected the Deen on the peak of Faran[15]

Thou captivated the hearts of thousands in a moment

Thou consumed the produce of Love with fire

Thou burned the congregation with Thy face’s fire

              Why are not our breasts filled with Love’s sparks now?

              We are the same Lovers, dost Thou not remember now?

The noise of Lovers’ chains in the Najd’s Valley has disappeared

Qais has no more remained longing for the litter’s sight

Those old ambitions, we, as well as the heart have disappeared

The house is destroyed as Thou art not present in the house

              O that happy day when Thou with elegance will come back

              When Thou unveiled to our congregation will come back

Others are sitting at the stream bank in the rose garden

Listening to the cuckoo’s call with wine-cup in their hand

In the garden on a side far from the riotous crowd are sitting

Thy Lovers are also patiently wanting for a Hu![16]

              Again endow Thy moths with Longing for burning themselves

              Give the command for consumption in Love to the old lightning

The wandering nation is riding again towards Hijaz

The taste of flight has carried the unfledged nightingale

The fragrance  of humility is restless in every flower bud

Just start the music, orchestra is seeking the plectrum

              Songs are restless to come out  of the strings

              ñër is impatient for burning in the same fire

Make  easy the difficulties of the blessed Ummah

Place the poor ant shoulder to shoulder to Sulaiman

Make the invaluable produce of Love accessible again

Change the idolatrous Muslims of India into Muslims again

              A stream of blood drips from the frustrations mine

              Wailing palpitates in the wounded breast of mine!

The rose’ fragrance took garden’s secret outside the garden

Outrageous that flowers themselves are informers against the garden

The spring is over, broken is the orchestra of the garden

Flown away from branches are the songsters of the garden

Only a nightingale is left which is singing still

In its breast overflows the flood of songs still

Turtle-doves from the juniper’s branches are gone also

Flower petals dropping  from the flower are scattered also

The garden’s old beautiful walk-ways are gone also

The branches became bare of the cover of leaves also

              But his nature remained free of the season’s restrictions

              Would somebody in the garden understand his complaint!!

There is no pleasure in dying and no taste in living is

If there is any pleasure it in bearing this affliction is

Many a virtue is restless in my mirror!

Many an effulgence is fluttering in my breast!

              But there is none in this garden to see them

              There are no poppies with Love’s stain on their breasts [18]

May hearts open up with the song of this lonely nightingale

May the sleeping hearts wake up with this very Bang-i-Dara

May the hearts come to life again with a new covenant

May the hearts be thirsty again for this same old wine

My alembic may be from `Ajam, but my wine is from Hijaz

The song may be Indian but my tune is from Hijaz

Explanatory Notes1. “Dust in the mouth”- This is the expression used in the original poem. This expression is used as a curse in Urdu and is pronounced when someone makes an exaggerated statement or request.2. Seljuks- This was a Turkish tribe which inhabited Central Asia. Later they accepted Islam.3. Teranas- People inhabiting the tract north of the Oxus River.4. Sassanids- This was a tribe inhabiting Persia. They ruled over a large empire east of the Byzantine Empire across the Euphrates River (ca. 226-641). They were followers of Zoroaster and worshipped fire. They were defeated by the Muslims in 641 during the time of Caliph Omar ibn Khattab.5. Kalimah-The Muslim creed of “La Ilaha Ill Allah Muhammed Ar Rasullillah,” (There is no deity except God and Mohammed [Peace be upon him] is His Prophet).6. This alludes to Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna and his very favorite slave, Ayaz Ek hi saf mein khade Mahmud O AyazNa koi Banda raha na koi Banda NawazThis is the original urdu of the couplet. This couplet is often quoted even today. In Islam every man whatever his situation in life is a brother in faith. Nothing shows this more strongly then when men stand in a row to offer prayers. All are equal in the eyes of God be it Mahmud the Sultan or Ayaz the slave.7. Khaibar- This was a stronghold of Jews in Hejaz, where they consolidated themselves after their expulsion from Madinah Munawwarah (presently Medina in Saudi Arabia) (625). Khaibar had six forts of which Qames was the strongest. It was attacked by the Holy Prophet in ca. 630. after the jews broke their treaty with the muslims. The gate of the fort of Qames was broken by Ali Ibn Abi Talib which is a very famous act of bravery in Islamic history.8. City of Qaisar- Allusion to Constantinople9. Yazdan- This is the god of Virtue and Good in the Zoroastrian religion as opposed to the god of Evil and Sin represented by Ahirman. The word is also used in Persian and Urdu for God, as is done here.10. Allusion to the Holy Qur’an11. Allusion to the achievements of Khair-al-Din Barbarasah (1474-1546. This particular verse alludes to the expedition of Barbarasah Brothers (Arouj and Khair-al-Dan Barbarasah) in north-west Africa for expelling the Spaniards from those Muslim lands and establishing the suzerainty of the Islamic Ottoman Caliphate. About 1512 they conquered up to the north-western sea coast and in their zeal drove their horses to some distance in the Atlantic Ocean, saying that if the land of God extended beyond the African coast they would conquer it also in His name.12. Hudâ- Songs which camel drivers sing when the caravan is marching.13. The expression “searching something with a lamp in hand” is used in Urdu to search for something almost non-existent. The intensity of the search as well as a hint of taunt is added by Iqbal by including the part of the “lamp of the Beautiful Face of God”.14. This is a pun on the word “harja’ used in the text. It means omni-present as well as a person who is not restricted to one person in love and fidelity.15. Peak of Faran- Faran is the mountain on which the Cave of Hira is located. It was while The Holy Prophet was meditating in the Cave of Hira as was his usual habit that God sent the Arch Angel Gabriel to him with the Message. This was the first revelation of the Holy Quran the chapter that is called Iqra (Read).16. Hu- This is an abbreviation for ‘huva’ which means ‘He’ and is used for God. Here it is used as part of the expression ‘Allh Hu’ which means ‘Only God has real Existence’ and is used in TaÅawwuf’s spiritual exercises.17. In the end of the poem Iqbal is referring to himself and his book, Bang-i-Dara.18. The poppy flower has a black stain at the bottom of its corolla. This is poetically referred to as the mark of Love of God.