Description
This collection includes the softcover editions of both Ghazi and the Garden and Masnavi Iqbal.
Ghazi and the Garden
Ghazi and the Garden is a new and modern collection of English translations of poetry by Muhammad Iqbal. Considered by many to be the last of the great classical Persian poets, and the first of the modern Muslim philosophers, Iqbal’s work has been pivotal in anti-colonial movements and revolutions throughout the Muslim world in the 20th century. Though he is a household name in the Indian subcontinent, Iran and Turkey, he remains largely unknown in the West. This collection brings together some of his most beautiful and powerful Urdu poems taken from Bang-e Dra (Call of the Marching Bell) and Bal-e Jibreel (Gabriel’s Wing), as well as some of his finest Persian ghazals from Zabur-e Ajam (Persian Psalms).
Each poem includes the original Urdu or Persian text, and where necessary, detailed footnotes with explanations have been provided. The hope is for those already familiar with Iqbal to enjoy the original, but also allow those new to Iqbal, and who might possess the lingual familiarity, to experience the vastness of Iqbal’s mind as they read the translation.
Masnavi Iqbal
What is the Masnavi of Iqbal? Published in 1915, Israr-e Khudi (Secrets of the Self) is the foundation of Iqbal’s philosophical thought, a work so powerful it would go on to shape all his future writings. In this epic work, Iqbal attempts to reveal to the reader what he considers the psychological and spiritual secrets needed to free oneself from worldly subjugation and the metaphysical illnesses that have plagued the world. The key ingredients are the Qur’an, the beautiful virtues of the Prophet, and the stories and lessons learnt from the vast sages and saints of Islam. When the book was first published, it created a firestorm amongst Muslim youth, who celebrated its bold and courageous approach. Iqbal takes aim at the slumbering Muslim, seduced by Western values, blinded by the glory of the Islamic past, and intoxicated by a culture of poetry that created a damaging passivity.
The book is organised into fifteen chapters and follows Jalaluddin Rumi’s Masnavi in both metre and form, bringing together didactic discourse, parable, dialogue, and spiritual exhortation. This is not surprising, as Iqbal claimed it was Rumi himself who came to him in a dream, instructing him to pen this book.
‘O frenzied lover’, Rumi said
‘Take a sip of pure wine with love’s shade
You are fire, fill this world with your light
In your own blaze, burn all those in sight.’
This epic poem, originally written entirely in Persian, is considered among the most beautiful works of Persian literature produced in the twentieth century. It was first translated into English in 1920 by R. A. Nicholson, helping to introduce Iqbal’s philosophical ideas to the Western world. This new translation seeks to revive Iqbal and his philosophy for a new readership. The text has been rendered into clear English, with rhyming couplets and detailed annotations, so that the essence and meaning of each verse can be readily understood. The original Persian text has been included to allow a side-by-side reading and to celebrate Iqbal’s genius.
