What was the nature of the revolution brought about by the Prophet (SAW)? One can find o better words to describe it than those of Iqbal, God’s mercy be upon him. To this end we translate below a few (relevant) lines from his famous mathnavi Pes Chi Bayed Kard Aye Aqwam-i Sharq (What Ought to be Done Now, O Peoples of the East). In the original Persian these lines are a specimen of the most heart-ravishing poetry:
With the vital and rejuvenating breath of the Prophet al-Ummi
Tulips sprang forth from the desert sands of Arabia.
The movement of the freedom of thought and action was nursed in his lap;
Thus the today of modern nations is there because of his yesterday.
He planted a heart in the body of man
And lifted the veil from his resplendent face.
Each god of yore he overthrew and broke;
Each dry old branch got a fresh sap and bud through him.
All these – :
The grandeur of the call of adhan in the battle-ground,
The recitation of al-Safat in the thick of fighting,
The heat of the turbulent battle-fields of Badr and Hunain,
Haider, Umar al-Farooq, Siddique and Husain,
The sword of (Salah-ud-Din) Ayyubi and the mystic sight of Bayazid (Bistami),
Key to open the treasures of both the worlds;
Both reason and heart inebriated by the self-same goblet –
The combination of the dhikr of Rumi and fikr of Razi,
Knowledge and wisdom, law and religion and administering the affairs
Even as hearts in the breasts would beat restless (for God),
The world-ravishing beauty of Alhambra and the Taj
Which elicits homage even from heaven’s angels –
All these are an instant in his endless times,
Just one illumination in his endless illuminations.
His outer dimension (zahir) these heart-illuming sights;
His inward dimension (batin) hid even from men of gnosis.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:00:00 IST