Desh kai HaLaath

In this particular piece, the poet speaks of the current situation and condition
of his homeland -- Pakistan. However, we can apply what he says to the situation of
many Muslim and non-Muslim countries around the world. It is a heart-riveting poem
that makes us realize the reality of how weak our society has become. We pray to
Allah that He gives us the willpower and Iman to bring Islam back to our countries
so that we may become united, once again, under the fold of Islam (Ameen). For those
of you who do not know Urdu, a translation of the poem is provided at the end of
the original poem.
====

Josh ke khom mein aaj bhaRa madHosh zamaaNa hain
Khom ke hoshiyaari ko nashOn ka josh nai maaRa hain
           
Yahan zameer, beh-GharRahThi kai neend meh qhaiD hain 
Yahan jagtThi huwye laShAIn aasSi azadDi peh nehaal hain
           
IQbal ka khWab ka kya hua
Qbal ka dia hua naam ka upMaan hua
           
Azaadi ka khWab ka kya hua
ShaHeedo kai lashOn ka apMaan hua
          
Aaj SaaChy, zaMaNai ko mahLoom nahin
Aaj rishWuthmein, zaMaNa masRoof hoGyia hain
          
Kabhi lashOn or khoon nai, Desh ke azadDi khaReedDi thi
Aaj rishWuTh ke JehBon nai, oos azaDee ko khaReeDa hain
           
Kabhi mazHub kai puKaar nai, Desh ka khWab jagGia tha
Aaj mazHub kai pukar nai, RishWuth ko saaThi bunHia hain
           
Aaj masJid mein bhi, rishWuth ke baaTh chulThi hain
Yahan zakat nahin, rishWuth bukhShish ke naam sai dehJahThi hain
           
Aaj mulVi or dhoKanDar mai koi farQ nahin
Aaj masJid or baZaar mein kohi farQ nahin
           
Desh kai muzHub nai, auruTh ko aZadi or izZuth dhalWahHee thi
Desh nai ab muzHub kai naam, auRuth ko ghuLaami ka kaaLa coffin 
pehNia hain
           
ORo ke auRuthOn ko ankhAin, gur, gur kai dekhThai hain
Apne auruThOn ke ankhAIn, parDai kai andehRai mein duhFun karThai 
hain
           
Yahan hijaab nahin, khaLa coffin pehNahThai hain 
Yahan hijaab nahin, muzHab ka muzZaak pehNahThai hain
           
Islam nai tho talLeem ko, noor kehlLia tha
Is Desh nai Islam ko, andherOn mai dufNia hain
           
RasSool nai taalLim sai, muzHub ko bharRia tha
Is Desh nai talLeem ko andherOn mai dufNia hain
           
RasSool nai apne Khom ko, khulM or KhalMai ke tarRuff bharRia 
tha
Aaj ke taaleem nai, jawaanOn ko chahKoo or bunDooKh ke tarRuff 
bharRia hain
           
Aaj madRahSOn mein bachChoo ko insaaNiYuth nahin sukAhThai hain
DaakLeeYuTh ke din, rishWuth ke pehLi nuMahIsh dekhaThai hain
           
Kabhi usTaad, Iqbal, Ghalib or sharRiYuth, sukKahThai thai
Aaj shahGird, usTaaD ko apNai butWai dekhAhThai hain
           
Kabhi taLeem, jahHil ko moMin bunaThi thi
Aaj JahHil, moMin ko JahHiliYuth suKahTha hain
           
Kabhi khulM or khaGhez nai, aadMi ko InSaan bunHia tha
Aaj khaGhez kai tookROn nai, Aadmi ko haiVaan bunHia hain
           
Kabhi khaGhez kai tookROn nai, aaDmi ka zaMeer bharRia tha
Aaj khaGhez kai tookROn nai, aaDmi ka zaMeer lootTia hain
           
Kabhi Desh kai rakhWalLai, Desh kai saivVa mai masRoof thai
Aaj kai NathaOn, desh ko LootaNai mai masRoof hain
           
Yeh khom ko; Roti, Kapada aur Makan, kai waadDai karThai hain
Khom ke Roti, Kapada aur Makan sai, apne he jaiBai bharThai hain
Aaj tho yeh Khuda ke fitrat, ko bhi nahin chorThai hain
MarkaZi dhamaKOn sai Aakaash ko heeLahThai hain
           
ZaMeen ko heeLahNa, yaHan ke khomi jazBah or muzBhi shaan hain
Khuda ke fitRuth par har humla, JiHaad mein bhi haRaam hain
           
Yahan muzHub ka izHaar hain, par momin ka iMaan nahin 
Yahan KhalMai ke tahLahWuth hain, par karmO ke DikhLahWuth nahin 
           
Yahan diYai rangeen hain, par in DiYo mai roshNi nahin 
Yahan suraj ke kirNaiy hain, par kirNao mao koi uJaaLah nahin
           
Har anDhera ka tho, saVera hoTha hain
Is Desh kai saVera mein bhi, anDhera hoTha hain
          
Kabhi PooRub, roshni ke hiFaZuth karTha tha
AndherOn mein bhi, Paachim ko roshni beJhTha tha
          
Aaj roshni Paachim meh jagThi hain, aur Paachim meh he sohJahThi 
hain
PooRub nai rooshni ko tookRahia, or Paachim kai AndherOn ko apNia 
hain
           
HuMaara Desh, aaj PaaChim kai andherOn ko, phujTha hain
Oossi Paachim ke roshni ko, yeh Desh, ghuNa maanTha hain
           
Kabhi PooRub nai apne roshni sai, Paachim ko AndherOn sai 
NekaalLah tha
PooRub nai kabhi Paachim ko apNa pichLa zaMaaNa LoTaHia tha
         
Aaj PooRub nai guZarRah huwa ZaMaaNa AndherOn mein guwahDia hain
Ab GuzerRai huwYe zaMaaNai ke roshni, PooRab nai PaaChim sai he 
neKaalNa hain

-by Khurram S. Sheikh
February 12, 1999


Translation
-----------

This passionate society is living through a senseless period
Their senses have been conqurered by their intoxicated passions
  
The consciences' of the people are trapped in a shameless slumber
These living corpeses are content existing in this freedom
          
What has happened to Iqbal's dream?
The name Iqbal gave the country, has been disgraced
          
What happened to the dreams for freedom?
The bodies of the martyrs have been disgraced
           
Today the truth is not known in this society 
Today, this society has become preoccupied with birbery
           
There was a time when flesh and blood were the price of freedom 
for this country
Today the deep pocket's of bribery have acquired this freedom
          
There was a time, when religion's rallying cry awakened the dream 
of this nation
Today, the cry of religion has made bribery its partner
           
Today, the haggling of bribery is accepted in mosques
In these places Zakat is not given, but bribery is given in the 
name of charity
           
There is no longer any difference between a preacher and a 
shopkeeper
There is no longer any difference between a mosque and a shopping 
center
           
This country's religion bestowed respect and freedom to women 
In the name of religion, this country has adorned women in the 
black shroud of slavery
           
The people of this country look at each other's woman with lustful 
eyes
They bury the eyes of their own women under veils of darkness
           
In this place, it is not the hijab, but a black shroud that they 
are adorned in
In this place, it is not hijab but a mockery of religion that they 
are adorned in
           
Islam had called education a guiding light
This country has now buried Islam in darkness
           
The Prophet, advanced religion through education
This country has now buried education in darkness
           
The Prophet, brought his followers towards, the pen and the KalMa
Today education has brought the youth towards, the knife and the 
gun
           
Today in school's, children are not taught humanity
On the day of registration, they are receive their first 
introduction to bribery
           
There was a time when teachers presented the teachings of Iqbal, 
Ghalib and Islam
Today, students present their teachers with their wallets
           
There was a time when education, turned the ignorant, into 
believers
Today, the ignorant make believers, ignorant
           
There was a time when man attained humanity through the pen and 
paper 
Today a few scraps of paper turn men into barbarians
           
There was a time when a man's conscience could be raised through 
pieces of paper
Today, man's conscience is stolen by pieces of paper
           
There was a time when the guardians of this nation were busy in 
the service of the nation
Today's leaders are busy looting the nation
           
They make promises of bread, clothes, and shelters to the people
They then fill their own pockets with the bread, clothes, and 
shelter of the people
           
Today, the don't even leave the creation of God alone
They shake the sky with nuclear blasts
           
Shaking the earth is a cause for national fervour and religious 
pride
Any attack on the creation of God is forbidden even in a Jihad
           
Declararion of faith are present in this place, but the believer's 
faith is missing
The KalMah (acceptance of Islam)is recited here, but the actions 
of a believer are missing 
           
In this place, lamps are coulourful, but they have no guiding 
light to offer
The sun's beams are present here, but they have no illumination 
to offer
           
Every darkness has a morning
In this country, even the mornings are filled with darkness
           
There was a time when the East was a guardian of light
Even in darkness, it always light to offer to the West
           
Today the light rises in the West, and returns to slumber in the 
West 
The East has shunned light, and accepted the West's darkness
           
Our country worships the darkness of the West
The light that West does offer is shunned ad being sinful by our 
country
           
There was a time, when the light from the East brought the West 
out of it's darkness
The East recovered the lost history of the West and brought them 
out of darkness
           
Today the East has lost it's past glory in darkness
The East must now find it's lost light in the West