Book description
When Muhammad Iqbal first recited Shikwa (Taking Issue) in 1909, his
audience was enraged by his effrontery. Iqbal, in his lament, took issue
with Allah directly, audaciously implicating Him for the sorry state of
Muslims worldwide and ruing the lost glory of Islam. In recompense,
Iqbal composed Jawaab-e-Shikwa (Allah's Answer) in 1913. Here, Allah
responds to the poet, first berating his community, then offering hope
for Islam in the world. Iqbal's mellifluous words greatly assuaged those
angered earlier. Over time, the poems have found their place in the
canon of South Asian literature, and, through recitation, repetition and
selective use, have forwarded a variety of agendas in the subcontinent.
In this elegant translation by Mustansir Dalvi, these classics by the
most influential poet of his generation come alive once again in a
language that is contemporary and immediate.
