The Secret of the selfhood mystery

The lyrics of the song are from a famous ghazal by Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Interestingly, the poem is sung by another singer in pop style but that one didn’t appeal me at all. The clarity of words and the pauses are not apt to convey the meaning of the poetry. On the other hand, the one sung by the afore mentioned singers is the best expression for the words. The pauses are just perfect and the melody is fantabulous.

As I mentioned the lyrics are from a Ghazal. Let me explain what it is. Ghazal is a form of poetry with rhyming couplets (called as Shair and a repeating refrain. The genre originated from Arabic language and then was adopted by several South Asian, Persian and Turkish languages.

Each Shair of a ghazal is self-contained and often unrelated to the preceding or following couplets. Their theme do not need to be similar either; the couplets may or may not be abstractly related. Except the restriction of rhyming and repeating refrain, Ghazal provides a whole lot of independence of subject matter within a single poem. The structure of this genre makes it pleasurable to auditory senses while the independence of the subject matter gives it the capacity to be intellectually rich.

However, some of the ghazals are composed in a fashion where all the couplets deliver a central theme but in diversified facets. Dr. Iqbal was one of those poets who gave thematic flow to Ghazal; and personally I believe, the thematic flow make this genre more pleasurable to Intellect.

In the ghazal Khudi ka sirre Nihaan there is one central theme which is explained and elaborated by a variety of descriptions. Before proceeding to the explanation of the theme, I must confess that I might not do the justice to the philosophical depth presented in the poem. These are not merely the verses that are supposed to be explained, but several words in each couplet need to be explained separately in order to grab the meaning.

A couple of couplets refer to historic events. To understand their message a knowledge of those events is required. Moreover, the more I contemplate on the meaning of each Sher, the more I find it to be vast in the interpretation.

With the confession of my limitations, let me begin with the explanation. As I already mentioned that the Ghazal is revolving around one theme, and that is the strength and importance of “LA ILAHA ILLALLAH". It is an Arabic sentence that may be translated to There is no god but Allah. (_{Lately, I have found out that the word “Allah" is not unique to Muslims but Arabic translation of Holy Bible also uses the same word for God Almighty. The word was equally used by Arabic speaking Christians, Jews and Muslims})

However, translation is never enough to understand the original words of any language especially a rich language like Arabic. Moreover, sometimes the words themselves are merely the tip of an iceberg. An in-depth contemplation is needed to understand the wisdom and message. So let me explain a bit of the theme the sentence holds in it.

First of all, the sentence is an expression of the belief in oneness of God. It is an acceptance of the fact that God Almighty is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient; no one shares in His power. He is the ultimate authority before whom everything surrenders.

Going deeper into the meaning gives the realization that it is only God whose will can make things happen. No matter how powerful the worldly people/things may appear, they hold no power in front of God.

The belief makes it easier to choose and walk on the right path despite the opposition and/or rivalries. The belief helps coming out of the fears and face challenges with courage. In essence , this profound belief serves as a guiding light, emphasizing divine sovereignty and fostering an unwavering trust.

The ghazal opens with the word “KHUDI". It is a term coined by Dr. Iqbal himself. A great portion of his poetry revolves around the subject. The word can be translated as “Selfhood".

In Iqbal’s philosophy KHUDI is an emphasis on the development and realization of one’s own self, inner potential, and individuality. It encourages individuals to cultivate a strong sense of self-awareness and self-respect, fostering personal growth and a deeper understanding of one’s purpose in life.

The first couplet of the ghazal says,