Every heart ….melts in the rapture of the beloved

Every heart ….
Every heart ….melts in the rapture of the beloved
Every heart …melts in the rapture of the beloved
And for that love I have a witness- a witness and a proof:
Regarding that proof, if I mention the name of Muhammed (saw) the eyes of the lovers will be overrun with tears ….
...He is the messenger of God ..
He is the messenger of peace …..
He is the chosen one, he is to the world’s creator a most trusted friend

Shikwa and Jawab e Shikwa

Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa are the evergreen poems of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Dr. Iqbal used wonderful Urdu vocabulary in this poem and highlighted achievements of Muslims.

In Shikwa, he played an oppressed and frustrated Muslim who is being complaining to Allah Almighty. In its second part, he assumed if Allmighty Lord Himself is addressing to this complaining Muslim and answering to his protest.


Shikwa:

Why should I abet the loss, why forget the gain,
Why forfiet the future, bemoan the past in vain?

Hear the wail of nightingal, and remain unstirred,
Am I a flower insensate that will not say a word?

The power of speech emboldens me to speak out my heart,
I'll sure be damned, I know, if fault my God.

_____________________________________________


Hear, O Lord, from the faithful ones this sad lament,
From those used to hymn a praise, a word of discontent.

Enternally were you present, Lord, eternally omniscent,
The flower hung upon the tree, but without incense.

Be Thou fair, tell us true, O fountsinhead of grace,
How could the scent spread withoutthe breeze apace?

______________________________________________

The world presented a queer sight ere we took the stage,
Stones and plants in your stead were worshipped in that age.

Man, being inured to senses, couldn't accept a thing unseen,
How could a formless God impress his senses keen?

Tell me, Lord, if anyone ever invoked Thy name,
The strength of Muslim arm alone restored Thy fame.

__________________________________________________ _____


There was no dearth of peoples on this earth before,
Turkish tribes and Persian clans lived in days of yore;

The Greeks and the Chinese both bred and throve,
Christians as well as the Jews on this planet roved.

But who in Thy holy name raised his valiant sword,
Who set the things right, resolved the rigmarole?

__________________________________________________ _____


We were the warrior bands battling for Thy cause,
Now on land, now on water, we the crusades fought.

Now in Europe's synods did we loudly pray,
Now in African deserts made a bold foray.

Not for territorial greed did we wield the sword,
Not for pelf and power did we suffer the blows.

__________________________________________________ _____


Had we been temped by the greed of glittering gold,
Instead of breaking idols, would have idols sold.

We impressed on every heart the oneness of our mighty Lord,
Even under the threat of sword, bold and clever was our call.

Who conquered, tell us Thou, the fearful Khyber pass?
Who vanquished the Imperial Rome, who made it fall?

__________________________________________________ _____


Who broke the idols of the primitive folks?
Who fought the kafirs, massacred their hordes?

If the prayer time arrived right amid the war,
With their faces turned to Kaaba, knelt down the brave Hejaz.

Mahmud and Ayaz stood together in the same flank,
The ruler and the ruled forget the difference in their rank.

__________________________________________________ _____


The rich and poor, Lord and slave, all were levelled down,
All became brethern in love, with Thy grace crowned.

We roamed the world through, visited every place,
Did our rounds like the cup, serving sacred ale.

Forget about the forests, we spared not the seas,
Into the dark, unfathomed ocean, we pushed our steeds.

__________________________________________________ _____


We removed falsehood from the earth's face,
We broke the shackles of the human race.

We reclaimed your Kaaba with our kneeling brows,
We pressed the sacred Quran to our heart and soul.

Even then you grumble, we are false, untrue,
If you call us faithless, tell us what are you?

__________________________________________________ _____


You reserve your favours for men of other shades,
While you hurl your bolts on the Muslim race.

This is not our complaint that such alone are blesse,
Who do not know the etiquette, nor even can converse.

The tragedy is while kafirs are with houries actually blest,
On vague hopes of houries in heaven the Muslim race is made to rest!

__________________________________________________ _____


Poverty, taunts, ignominy stare us in the face,
Is humiliation the sole reward of our suffering race?

To perpetuate Thy name is our sole concern,
Deprived of the saqi's aid can the cup revolve and turn?

Gone is your assemblage, off your lovers have sailed,
The midnight sights are no more heard, nor the morning wails;

__________________________________________________ _____


They pledged their hearts to you, what is their return?
Hardly had they stepped inside, when they were externed.

Thy lovers came and went away, fed on hopes of future grace,
Search them now with the lamp of your glowing face.

Unassuaged is Laila's ache, unquenched is Qais's thirst,
In the wilderness of Nejd, the wild deer are still berserk.

__________________________________________________ _____


The same passion thrills the hearts, enchanting still is beauty's gaze,
You are the same as before, same too is the Prophet's race.

Why then this indifference, without a cause or fault?
Why with your threatening looks dost thou break our heart?

Accepted that the flame of love burneth low and dim,
We do not, as in your, dance attendance on your whims;

__________________________________________________ _____


But you too, pardon us, possess a coquettish heart,
Now on us, now on others, alight your amorous darts.

The spring has now taken leave, broken lies the lyre string,
The birds that chirped among the leaves have also taken wing;

A single nightingale is left singing on the tree,
A flood of song in her breast is longing for release.

__________________________________________________ _____


From atop the firs and pines the doves have flown away,
The floral petals lie scattered all along the way.

Desolate lie the garden paths, once dressed and neat,
Leafless hang the branches on the naked trees.

The nightingale is unconcerned with the season's range,
Would that someone in the grove appreciates her wail.

__________________________________________________ _____


May the nightingale's wail pierce the listeners' hearts,
May the clinking caravan awaken slumbering thoughts!

Let the hearts pledge anew their faith to you, O Lord,
Let's re-charge our cups from the taverns of the past.

Through I hold a Persian cup, the wine is pureHejaz,
Thought I sing an Indian song, the turn is of the Arabian cast



JAWAB-e-SHIKWA

Second part of the poem "Shikwa". Here, Dr. Iqbal is assuming that Allmighty Allah addresses Muslims and show them the mirror. Wonderful poem with outstanding use of Urdu literature. Bottom line of the logically written thought provoking poem is:'ki Muhammad (PBUH) say wafa tu nay, tou HUM terey hain
yeh jahan cheez hai kya, loh-o-qalam terey hain' ......



Jawab-e-Shikwa:
The word springing from the heart surely carries weight,
Though notendowed with wings, it yet can fly in space.

Pureand spiritual in its essence, it pegs its gaze on high,
Rising from the lowly dust, grazes past the skies.

Keen, defiant, and querulous was my passion crazed,
It pierced through the skies, my audacious wail.
__________________________________________________ _____



"Someone is there," thus spoke the heaven's warder old,
the planets said, "From above proceeds this voice so bold."

"No, no," the moon said," "tis someone on the earth below,"
Butted in the milky way: "The voice is hereabouts, I trow."

Ruzwan alone, if at all, understood aright,
He knew it was the man, from heaven once exiled. __________________________________________________ _____



Even the angles wondered who raised this cry,
All the celestial denizens looked about surprised.

Does man possess the might to scale empyreal heights?
Has this mere pinch of dust learnt the knack to fly?

What are these earthly folks? Careless of all respect,
How bold and impudent, the lowly dwellers of the earth! __________________________________________________ _____



Extremely rude and insolent, cross even with God,
Is it the same Adam whom angels once did laud?

Steeped in bliss, man is of wisdom's lore possessed,
Nonetheless, he's alien to humility's sterling worth.

Man feels proud of the power of his speech,
But the fool doesn'tknow how and what to speak. __________________________________________________ _____



You narrate a woeful tale, thus the voice arose,
Your heart is boiling overwith tears uncontrolled.

You have delivered your plaint with perfect skill and art,
You have brought the humans in contact with God.

We are inclined to grant, but none deserves our grace,
None treads the righteous path, whom to show the way? __________________________________________________ _____



Our school is open to all, but talent there is none,
Where is that soil fertile to breed the human gems?

We reward the deserving folks with splendid meed,
We grant newer worlds to those who strive and seek.

Arms have been drained of strength, hearts have gone astray,
The Muslim race is a blot on the Prophet's face. __________________________________________________ _____



Idol-breakers have left the scene, idol-makers remain,
Aazar has inheritedAbraham's glorious name.

Wine, flask,and drinkers-all arenew and changed,
A differentKaaba, different idols now your worship claim.

Therewas a time when you were respected far and wide,
Once this desert bloom was the season's wealth and pride. __________________________________________________ _____



Every Muslim then was a lover profound of God,
Your sole beloved once was the all-embracing Lord.

Who removed falsehood from the earth's face?
Who broke the shackles of the human race?

Who reclaimed our Kaaba with their kneeling brows?
Who presses the sacred Quran to their heart and soul? __________________________________________________ _____



True, they were your forbears, but what are you, I say?
Idle sitting, statue-like you dream away your days.

What did you say? Muslims are with hopes of houries consoled,
Even if your plaint is false, your words should be controlled.

Justice is the law supreme, operative on this globe,
Muslims can't expect the houries, if they follow the kafir's code. __________________________________________________ _____



None of you is,infact,deservingof the"hoor",
A Moses is but hard to fin,burneth still the Tur.

Common to the race entire is their gain or loss,
Common is their faith and creed, common too the Rasul of God;

One Kaaba, one Allah, and one Quran inspire their heart,
Why can't the Muslims then behave like a single lot? __________________________________________________ _____



Cast, creed and factions have disjointed this race,
Is this way to forge ahead, to flourish in the present age?

It's the poor who visit the mosque, join the kneeling rows,
The poor alone observe the fasts, practise self-control.

If someone repeats our name, it's the poor again,
The devout poor hide your sins, preserve your vaunted name. __________________________________________________ _____



Drunk with the wine of wealth, the rich are unconcerned with God,
The Muslim race owes its life to the poor, indigent lot.

"Muslims have vanished from earth," this is what we hear,
but we ask, " Were the Muslims ever the Jewish sects.

You are Nisars by your looks, but Hindus by conduct,
Your culture puts to shame even the Jewish sects. __________________________________________________ _____



If the son is alien to his learned father's traits,
How can he then claim his father's heritage?

All of you love to lead a soft, luxurious life,
Are you a Muslim indeed? Is this the Muslim style?

All of you desire to be invested with the crown,
You should first produce a heart worthy of renown. __________________________________________________

Valedictorian Speaks Out Against Schooling

The Hands that built the Kabah can rebuild Humanity : Allama Iqbal

In the words of the Muslim messenger to the court of Xerxes, Islam notion is to " lead men from the worship of Man to the worship of God, from the narrowing trivialities of life to the expanse of faith, from the injustices of creeds to the justice and equality of Islam" (Islam and the World : The rise and decline of Muslims and its effect on mankind)

For a long time bruised and maimed humanity has been crying out, in the words of Iqbal, for help, still believing that the hands that built the Kabah can rebuild humanity.

Thou art the custodian, the trustee of the Eternal order.
Thou art the right and the left flank of the Lord of the Universe;
O! thou creature of dust, thou art the Time and thou art the Earth.Drink the wine of conviction and get away from the tavern of uncertanity
Wake Up! Wake Up! from thy deep slumber
From thy deep slumber, awake, from thy deep slumber awake, awake
From thy deep slumber, from thy deep slumber awake.
I cry mercy from the wantonness of Europe.
I cry mercy from the Sheerins and Purvazes of Europe
The world has become dissolute by the dispoilation of Europe.
O! thou builder of the Kabah, arise and build a new world again

Converting to Islam - the white Britons becoming Muslims

Sarah Joseph above converted to Islam as a teenager now edit's Emel a muslim lifestyle magazine


As 22-year-old Aisha Uddin recites Surah Al-Fatiha - the first chapter of the Koran - at home with close friend Sameeah Karim, she may stumble over one word but otherwise the text is perfectly recounted.


Aisha Uddin: 'It's a change I'm happy I've made'
But unlike Sameeah, 35, who has Pakistani heritage and grew up reading the holy book, Aisha is newer to it: she used to be called Laura and only converted to Islam two years ago.

She is pale and has bright blue eyes; originally from Birmingham, until recently she dressed like many other young white British women.

"Before it was the jeans, the hoodies, loads of make-up," she says.

Now Aisha wears a long black jilbab (a long flowing over-garment) and a cream-coloured hijab (headscarf).

"For me now, obviously it's a dramatic change, but it's a change I'm happy I've made, because now I don't have to prove myself to anybody out there."

Aisha took an interest in religion at school - and started quietly visiting her local mosque to find out more.

"Islam caught my eye and I wanted to look further into it - the people, the culture - and I carried on studying it and studying it, even after school. Living in Birmingham, I was surrounded by the religion."

She says she spent years finding out more about Islam before fully committing to the religion, changing her appearance and starting to pray five times a day.

"Life's changed dramatically, I was a rebel before, I was always getting into trouble at home, going out and staying out - not trying hard enough at school.


Conversions at Regent's Park Mosque in London happen on a weekly basis "Then when I became Muslim, I sort of calmed down. I wanted to stay at home studying on the internet or reading books. And I'm more happy than I was - I'm proud of who I am, I've got a certain identity."

Aisha is one of a growing number of white converts according to a new study by Swansea University for the charity Faith Matters.

Using a number of sources, including a survey of more than 250 British mosques, census data from 2001 and conversion figures in Europe, the researchers estimate that there could be as many as 100,000 converts - of all ethnic backgrounds - in the UK. This represents an increase on an estimated 60,000 converts in 2001.

For an insight into the experiences of Muslim converts, the researchers spoke to 120 - mainly young, white women.

Many converts - like Aisha - reported experiencing hostility from their families. She says her parents thought her conversion represented a rejection of her upbringing.

Support network

"My family they weren't too happy about it, [saying] why change your identity? Why cover your hair? Why dress the way you dress?" says Aisha.


Sarah Joseph converted to Islam when she was a teenager "Being in a society where there's so much bad press around... but if you actually get to know these people, they're the friendliest people ever. I'm proud to be Muslim, I don't care what my family say."

Aisha does have a wider support network now. She has recently had a traditional Asian wedding to a British Bangladeshi man and lives with her in-laws.

She also has a lot of friends, also converts, who she met at new Muslim groups.

Aisha pores over pictures of all the women lined up in their different coloured headscarves at her wedding.

"That's Lailah, that's Hanan, that's Mary… Sameeah's the only Asian one," she laughs.

At Regent's Park Mosque in central London there are many white faces among the crowd for Friday prayers.

Conversions happen here every week - largely on a Saturday, and they are mostly women.

Tony Blair's sister-in-law, Lauren Booth, is a recent convert and prays there.

One London imam, Ajmal Masroor, says the findings of the study come as little surprise to him. He says in his experience around three-quarters of converts are women.

'Personal journey'

"Many people are looking for a spiritual and fulfilling lifestyle rather than the hedonistic, materially-driven one that we have around us," says Imam Masroor.

"They find an answer in Islam. Women are hard-wired to reflect and think and take things more seriously, even from a young age.

"This has been going on for the last 20 years and more so since 9/11. People are curious, so they go to the book rather than the distorted media headlines.

"They learn that Islam is fulfilling as a personal journey as well as a collective conscience."

Sarah Joseph sits in her office studying the latest edition of Emel, the Muslim lifestyle magazine she edits.

She converted to Islam as a teenager and has adopted the headscarf, saying she was looking for something with more meaning.

"I'd grown up in a model agency and I'd been surrounded my whole life by external beauty, and the hijab was, and very much is, about the search for inner beauty," she says.

Despite the difficulties, Sarah says British converts have a vital role to play in explaining two sides - Britain's Muslim and non-Muslim communities - to each other.

"[Converts have] authentically belonged to two traditions and should act as a conduit to show each side that we share far more than we differ."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12075931