Our second programme in the Iqbal Series. This semester will be a six-week exploration of Muhammad Iqbal’s response to the spiritual, philosophical and civilisational crises of modernity. This semester moves beyond introductory themes and enters the deeper tensions within Iqbal’s thought: love and intellect, East and West, time and becoming, revelation and philosophy, tradition and modernity. Alongside close readings of Iqbal’s poetry and prose, students will engage comparative discussions with thinkers such as Martin Heidegger, Ali Shariati, Frantz Fanon and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.

The course consists of 6 classes, all taught virtually.

The post Reading Iqbal – Second Semester appeared first on Zirrar.

A monthly reading circle dedicated to exploring works of Islamic civilisation, poetry and literature, history, and the modern condition. Together, we engage with books that have shaped the Muslim intellectual tradition, alongside works that help us better understand the challenges and questions of the present world.

Each month centres on one carefully chosen book, read slowly and attentively, with guided discussion and reflection throughout. The Reading Club will cover texts from the Persian, Urdu and English traditions.

What the month looks like

• One carefully selected book explored each month in depth
• An opening session introducing the author, historical context, and central themes
• Private reading at your own pace throughout the month
• 2 monthly 2 hour live sessions to reflect on key sections and ideas
• Reading guidance and reflection prompts shared in a private community space
• Access to session recordings for those unable to attend live

The Zirrar Reading Club is designed for those who wish to learn and reflect from the works of authors from the rich Islamic and Western traditions. Using reliable and trusted English translations, key themes will be pulled out to help you create clear connections with our vast tradition – with the hope that it helps us better understand ourselves and create closer proximity with our Creator.

The reading club pilot will begin with the reading of Farid ud-Din Attar’s – Conference of the Birds (Mantiq-ut Taur). A PDF copy of the book is available online. The first session will be Thu 4th June 2026- 7pm UK time.

Future books that will be included be found here.

The post The Zirrar Reading Club appeared first on Zirrar.

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 20^th 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.

The post Iqbal Collection appeared first on Zirrar.

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.

The post Masnavi Iqbal: Secrets of the Self (Hardcover) appeared first on Zirrar.

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.

The post Masnavi Iqbal: Secrets of the Self appeared first on Zirrar.

This book is my journey to God as told through photographs and stories from around the world. Spanning over a decade, it includes encounters with people; all friends of God, and the sacred spaces in which He is worshipped, in some cases for over a thousand years. It is an attempt to convey the richness of our tradition as seen in the lands we inhabit, a testimony to our covenant with God the Almighty. It includes Europe and the illuminated al-Andalus period, to North Africa to Egypt, home to the oldest religious and educational institutes in the world. I follow the footsteps of our saints and sages from Ibn Arabi, Ibn Khaldun in the west to Imam al-Ghazali in Khorasan in the east. It is a trail that follows the scent of our Prophet and his family. It opens the door to the tomb of Bilal ibn Rabah in Damascus, to Mawlana Rumi in Konya – and many other others in between. All roads lead to Medina, as does this, at the threshold to the house of our beloved Prophet. 

“The East and the West belong to God: wherever you turn, there is His Face. God is all pervading and all knowing”. [Quran 2:115]

The post Finding Him: A Journey Across the Islamic World appeared first on Zirrar.

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 20^th 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.

The post Ghazi and the Garden appeared first on Zirrar.

What is Enwrap and why write it?

Enwrap, to be Enveloped, Cloaked or Covered.

(73:1) O you the (sleeping) enwrapped one!

At the start of his prophethood, our beloved Prophet Muhammad, asked Khadija (ra) to cover him in his mantle. Unable to cope with the weight of the words revealed to him by Jibreel, he turned to his closest friend, the mother of all believers, for comfort and protection.

The Prophet went out one morning in Medina wearing his cloak when he came upon Hasan. He wrapped him under it, then came Hussain and he wrapped him under it. Then came his daughter Fatima and he took her under it, then came Ali and he also took him under it.

One thousand three hundred and eighty-seven years have passed since our beloved Prophet (pbuh) left us. Enwrap is the unfolding of our mantle. Enwrap is a request to our Mustafa to pull us in, to cloak and envelop us. Enwrap is an attempt to reflect our place on this caravan, Enwrap asks for hands to be clasped in supplication as the burden has become too weighty. For who is better to ask for intercession than our Mustafa, our al-Shafi (intercessor)?.

Enwrap is an ask from the an-Nur (The Light Personified), the as-Siraaj al-Muneer (The Lamp of Illuminated, the Incandescent) to consider the lamps we lit in his name, and to light once more the path for us.

Enwrap, to seek mercy from the only one who provides mercy (‘Ar-Raheem’)

Enwrap, to be bestowed from the only Bestower (‘Al-Wahaab’)

Enwrap, to be interceded by the best of intercessors (‘al-Shafi’’)

Enwrap, to be guided by the best of Guides (‘al-Hadi’)

Enwrap, to have the door opened, by the Opener (‘al-Fatih’)

The post Enwrap appeared first on Zirrar.