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Though much of Iqbal's best poetry is written in Persian, he is also a poet of colossal stature in Urdu. Shikwa (1909) and Jawab-i-Shikwa (1913) extol the legacy of Islam and its civilising role in history, bemoan the fate of Muslims everywhere, and squarely confront the dilemmas of Islam in modern times. Shikwa is thus, in the form of a complaint to Allah for having let down the Muslims and Jawab-i-Shikwa is Allah's reply to the poet's complaint.
The central conflict arises from a poetic confrontation where the speaker challenges the divine regarding the perceived decline and suffering of the Muslim community. Through a structured dialogue, the poet articulates a lamentation concerning the historical and contemporary state of his people, demanding an explanation for their diminished influence. The narrative framework utilizes a call-and-response structure, moving from the human perspective of grievance to a metaphysical resolution. The work operates within the constraints of classical Urdu poetic form, balancing theological inquiry with emotional intensity.
Readers and critics frequently highlight the profound impact of these poems on the cultural and intellectual history of South Asia. Discussion often centers on the boldness of the poet in addressing the divine directly, which serves as a catalyst for broader debates regarding religious identity and reform. The balance between the lyrical beauty of the Urdu language and the weight of the philosophical arguments is a recurring point of analysis. Scholars often emphasize how the work functions as both a critique of societal stagnation and a call for spiritual renewal. The enduring relevance of the text is attributed to its ability to articulate the universal struggle of a community grappling with its place in a changing world.
Page Count:
96
Publication Date:
1981-09-17
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0195613244
ISBN-13:
9780195613247
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