7 thoughts on “A Ghazal by Iqbal Sheikh”

1. Noor Salik
   I personally liked this Ghazal by Iqbal Sheikh.
   It has progressive elements plus linguistic and cultural conservatism.
   It is a sweet combination of serious thoughts as well as little sarcasm of religious orthodoxy.
   The following شعر is intriguing.

   خرد کی سیڑھیوں پہ وہ قدم نہیں رکھتا
   لگی ہو لت جسے نعتوں کی نوحہ خوانی کی
   NS

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2. What a beautiful and poetic affirmation of Atheism by Iqbal Sheikh Saheb.
   خرد کی سیڑھیوں پہ وہ قدم نہیں رکھتا
   لگی ہو لت جسے نعتوں کی نوحہ خوانی کی

   ثبوت کیا بھلا اقبال اُس کا ہے ممکن
   کسی نے بات کسی سے جو منہ زبانی کی

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   • This comment is for Iqbal Sheikh who is the creator of this Urdu Ghazal.

     Dear Iqbal Sheikh,
     Wequar Azeem wrote a comment on your Ghazal.
     He is expressing his point view as to how he understood and interpreted your Ghazal and he picked up two verses from your Ghazal.

     Will it be possible that you write a comment on Wequar Azeem’s comment?
     nSalik (Noor Salik)

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3. The verses picked up by Wequar Sahib and Noor Sahib, rather the whole ghazal is aesthetically excellent. But these verses are neither a presentation of atheism, nor an expression of pragmatic intellectualism of the poet. It is just mocking those who love “marsiyah or hamd-o-na’at.” This attitude does not help the cause of rationalism, rather its reaction leaves the poet as a non-believer instead of being a man of reason.

   When in Europe, Renaissance, followed by the Enlightenment, started in France and England it was illegal to mock or ridicule the Church. It was equally illegal to throw any insult on the ideologies of Humanism. Queen Elizabeth I had issued strict orders to respect each other’s views. In all their plays, Marlowe, Ben Jonson, Shakespeare, essayist Francis Bacon and other great thinkers, no one would adopt such attitude. They, as scholars of Humanism remained focused on the cause of new ideology of Renaissance Humanism, “professing the dignity of man” based on reason and only reason. Gradually St. Augustine’s tradition presented by him in his work The City of God–a work of sacred precepts for the Papal authority–gave way to the more rational, and humanistic works such as “On the Dignity of Man” by Pico, leading to new ideology of emancipation of “man through man.”

   We, therefore, need to change our attitude of ridiculing the deeply ingrained religious beliefs in our folks and should deal with them through scientific pragmatism or just as science reveals a theory and then presents practically. We all know that every new scientific invention was first declared as kufr by the mullahs, whom no one could convince. But the practical use proved its importance and truth only by the scientific reasoning. MIRZA ASHRAF

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   • The comment by Mirza I Ashraf is interesting as well as informational.
     It needs in depth analysis.
     But I picked up the following statement from the lengthy comment.
     ~~~~
     This attitude does not help the cause of rationalism, rather its reaction leaves the poet as a non-believer instead of being a man of reason.
     ~~~
     I will ask Iqbal Sheikh the author of Ghazal whether he agrees with Mirza I Ashraf’s interpretation.
     .
     A general question!
     Does rationalism lead to atheism/agnosticism?
     {Rationalism makes a person non-believer in dogmatism and supernaturalism or not }
     EOM

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4. I heard this from someone long time ago -the wordings may not be accurate:
   Khrid key guthia suljha chuka houn
   Ilahi mugh ko diwana kar dey

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   • Khirad kee guth’thiyaaN suljha chuka hooN
     Ilahi mujh ko phir diwana kar de

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