God Answers
(Iqbal’s Jawab-e-Shikwa penned in 1913.)
Part - 6

You are indignant in mutuality, they were compassionate,
You are miscreants and fault-finders, they were conniving and kind,
All of you want to be placed at very exalted status,
Before that you must create the right state of mind,
The thrones of the Chinese and the Iranian emperors were at their feet,
You too are aspirants of their status, but do you have their sense of pride?


You follow path of self- ruin, they were self-respecting and patient,
You avoid fraternity, they strove for it,
You are all speech, they were all action,
You long for wealth while wealth was at their feet,
Nations still keep their stories in memory,
Human civilization bears the testimony of their sincerity.


Like the star some became even prominent,
In the love of nation some became even infidel and defied faith,
In the name of freedom of thought, some became even atheist,
The youth were already unconcerned, they even became suspicious of faith,
Modern civilization made them free of all bonds,
It deviated them from the Qibla and placed them before gods.


The Arab youths no more like the hardship and solitude of desert,
They have tasted modern civilization, they no more like desert life,
Men have become fanatics, no matter where they do live,
When it is so, why women should wear hijab and not create strife?
No complaints of excesses, no grievance of oppression!
When men have chosen freedom, why women observe restriction?

God Answers 
(Iqbal’s Jawab-e-Shikwa penned in 1913)
Part - 5


There is tumult that Muslims have become extinct from the world,
We say that Muslims were nowhere present;
You resemble the Christians in fashion and the Hindus in culture,
These Muslims---- seeing whom the Jews feel repentant;
Casually speaking, you are also Syyids, also Mirzas and also Afghans,
Supposing you are everything, but whether you are also Musalmans.


Power of speech of a Muslim originated from fearless truth,
His justice was strong, free from contamination of consideration;
By nature a Muslim was supposed to be modest,
In bravery his existence was beyond perception;
Muslims dissolved their ego for My sake,
They sacrificed all their belongings for My sake.


Every Muslim was an enemy of evil,
Every act of his existence was meaningful,
Whatever faith he had, he had in his strength,
You fear death, he feared Allah the most powerful,
If the son does not retain father’s legacy of knowledge,
He cannot ably keep father’s legacy of pledge.


Everyone is lost in the taste of indolence,
You are Muslims! It is the Islamic way of life!
Neither you have Ali’s piety nor wealth of Othman,
You have no spiritual relation with your ancestor’s life,
Being Muslims in their times, they were honourable,
And you forsook Quraan and became miserable.

God Answers
(Iqbal’s Jawab-e-Shikwa penned in 1913)

Part - 4

The gain and the loss of this Ummah is all one,
Prophet of all is one, faith too and Eeman too is one,
Sacred Ka’abah too, Allah too and Quraan too is one,
Was it anything big, had the Muslims too been one?
Somewhere you are divided into sects and at other into tribes,
Is it the way to flourish in the present times?

Who has forsaken the Shariah of prophet Muhammed?
Whose basis of action is opportunism?
Who has adopted the traditions of the infidels?
Who became disgusted with the way of Ibrahim?
There is no passion in the heart, no awareness in spirit,
You have no regard for the teachings of Muhammed the prophet.

It is the poor who line up for prayers in the mosques,
It is the poor who bear the hardship of fasting during Ramadhan,
It is the poor who devote themselves for Me,
It is the poor who conceal your disregard of religion,
Wealth has made the rich unmindful of the Lord of sustenance,
It is the poor who in the way of Islam show persistence.

Preachers of the Ummah have no more maturity of thought,
No more sagacity of a Muslim, no more life infusing preaching,
Tradition of Azaan remains, the spirit of Bilal is no more,
Philosophy prevails but the persuasion of Ghazali is missing,
Mosques lament that they are empty of the devotees,
That is, they don’t see men of attributes, the Hijazis.

God Answers
(Iqbal’s Jawab-e-Shikwa penned in 1913)

Part - 3

How unbearable it is to rise in the morning!
You don’t love Me, you love to sleep!
How cumbersome is the restraint of Rmadhan!
Say! It is the way of following the belief;
Ummah is based on faith, if faith vanishes you too vanish,
If the mutual attraction vanishes, the order of the stars will vanish.

The men who do not know any skill, it is you!
The men who do not care for their well-being, it is you!
The men who do not do any creation, it is you!
The men who sell their ancestors’ relics, it is you!
If you earn reputation by idolizing graves of your dead,
Will you not sell idols of gods, if you get them instead?

Who wiped out infidelity from the world?
Who banished slavery from the earth?
Who restored the sanctity of My Ka’abah?
Who embraced My Quraan to their heart?
They were surely your forefathers but what you are!
Sitting idle, you are waiting for your glorious future!

What you said! “For Muslims only empty promise of reward?”
If someone makes an unjust plaint, then too courtesy is required,
Justice is the rule of the Creator of the universe since ever,
If an infidel professes rule, he is destined to the dreamt reward,
None amongst you is the seeker of My blessed reward,
I am ready to favour, but you are not worthy of My reward.

God Answers
(Iqbal’s Jawab-e-Shikwa penned in 1913)
Part - 2

The voice came,”Thy story is grief provoking,
Thy person is faced with trying situation,
Thy audacious cry has captured the skies,
How frenzied is thy person, how daring is thy presentation,
Thy elegant presentation has made thy plaint a petition,
This is the way to address the Lord of creation.

We are inclined to do favour, but there is no seeker,
Whom should we show the way, there is no wayfarer,
Divine instructions are widely known, but you lack in talent,
Raising an ideal character from you is an impossible affair,
A talented person is blessed with royal dignity,
Seeker of the new world is led to the prized destiny.

Your hands are weak, your hearts filled with heresy,
Your are the cause of the prophet’s dishonour,
Momins are no more, the surviving are image-worshippers,
Ibrahim was your father and his children are Aazer,
Devotees changed, sense of devotion changed, even faith changed,
Ka’bah changed, gods replaced God, you too are changed.

Those too were the days, following Islam was an honour,
Upholding Islam was the pride of a Muslim,
Every Muslim was passionately in love with God,
There was a time when I was the beloved of every Muslim,
Reach a new testament of submission with a powerful ruler,
Make the Ummah of  Muhammed the prophet a local affair.

God Answers
(Iqbal’s Jawab-e-Shikwa penned in 1913)
Part - 1


The prayer that comes from core of heart has an effect,
It has no wings, but has the potential to ascend,
It is celestial in nature and is destined for exaltation,
It rises from the earth and has access to the heaven,
My love was revolting, struggling and wise,
My daring lamentation ripped through the skies,.


Hearing my voice, the old firmament said, “Someone is there”,
The planets opined, “Someone is there near the empyrean throne”,
The moon said, “No, it is someone from the earth”,
The galaxy said, “Someone is hidden somewhere here itself”,
If someone understood a bit of my words, it was the janitor of paradise,
He recognized me as the man expelled from the paradise.


Angels were amazed what the voice was!
Even to angels serving the empyrean mystery was not unfolding,
Does man’s jurisdiction include the celestial world too?
Has the pinch of dust developed the art of soaring?
How unmindful to compliments these inhabitants of earth are!
How daring and rude these inhabitants of the lowland are!


So rude that he is annoyed even with God!
Is he the same Adam to whom angels had bowed?
He is master of reasoning and knower of secrets of matter,
But ignorant of the mystery of submission to God,
Men are proud of their power of speech!
The ignorant do not know manners of speech!