Iqbal's Greatest Poem - Portal Gems #29

Est. Read time: 5 min
Edition Number: 29
Adapted from: Quran Through the Lens of Iqbal
Instructor: Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed

Assalamu Alaykum,

Before we get into today’s gem, we’d like to share that for a limited time free access is available to two courses on Miftaah Portal:

• Quran Through the Lens of Iqbal - Taught by Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed (this is the course this gem is from)

• Prophetic Pleas: Exploring the duas of the Prophets in the Quran - Taught by Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans

These courses will be available for free (without requiring an email or card) until the end of 2023 in sha Allah.

Today’s gem is from Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed’s course, Quran Through the Lens of Iqbal. In this gem, Mufti saab shares what many ulama call Iqbal’s greatest poem.

Hope you enjoy!

We begin in the Name of Allah ﷻ, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,
We ask that He ﷻ sends Peace and Blessings upon our noble and beloved
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Iqbal says:

Tu ghani az har do aalam, man faqeer
Roz-e-mehshar uzr e haey man pazeer
Gar tu mee beeni hisabum na guzeer
Az nigaahay Mustafa pinhan bageer

You are the Lord of both worlds - I am a beggar
On the day of Judgement, accept my excuses & pardon me
But if You must judge me and take account of my sins
Please do this unseen by the Prophet ﷺ's eyes

He’s talking to Allah ﷻ saying, You are so independent, and I'm so dependent and poor. On the Day of Judgment, please let me just go through without stopping me.

He says, Oh Allah ﷻ let me just slide right through without any accountability.

I always give an example of this where when someone comes back from the Canadian border to America, they ask you questions.

“Where are you coming from?”

“What did you do?”

“How much money are you coming with?”

And if they're not satisfied with your answers, they put an orange sticker on your windshield. And then you have to go for secondary clearance, which I'm used to - I have a PhD in that.

So Iqbal is saying to Allahﷻ, Oh Allah ﷻ, do not put an orange sticker on my windshield - let me just go through. 

The Prophet ﷺ always used to make dua, Oh Allah ﷻ please make my accountability very, very easy. 

And when he was asked, “Why do you make such a dua?” He said, “Anyone who Allah ﷻ stops and then He starts questioning about what you did in your life and how much you did - you won't be able to answer.”

So Iqbal says, let me just go through, but acceptance is in your hands. So if you do not answer this call of mine, then I have one request: do not take my accountability anywhere near the Prophet ﷺ, because I don't want to disappoint him.

This element of not disappointing the one you love is naturally within us. If you love your mother or your father and they love you, and you get a bad grade in your report card, if you have ghayra, you try to hide it.

I remember I used to wait for the mail, take it, and throw it away because you don't want to disappoint the ones you love, and the ones who love you.

May Allah ﷻ grant us tawfiq to develop true love for the Prophet ﷺ.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم، فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرحيم

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