Iqbal, Sayedee and Iggy Azalea
I have never seen any orator other than Allāma Delawar Hossain Sayedee who could instantly produce rhyming couplets, maxims, and fables from Bengali, Urdu, Arabic and Persian literature and magically blend them during speech to left the audience spellbound.
From his speeches its apparent that Allāma Iqbal was one his major inspirations. Growing up we knew about Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan but never heard of Sabri Brothers. Even for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, I only knew him as a vocalist for Bollywood (God have mercy on my soul)!
[As a side note, if the intellectual property warlords of USA is really serious about their work they should pay more attention to Bollywood than China. We knew pretty well how 5 Hollywood cut-pieces make a Bollywood movie. It could not come up with even a name for its industry without resorting to piracy i.e., thiswood, thatwood. But I had no idea about how shamelessly Bollywood has stolen the much enriched Pakistani Qawwali music tradition. Take any blockbuster Bollywood song and it mostly certainly is a butchered version of a Qawwali. Replacing any religio-philosophic under-tone of the original lyric with cheap, amorous aspirations, misproducing a cacophonous bluster of the native Qawwali melody, to everyone's shame.]
So our introduction to Allāma Iqbal was not through Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or Sabri Brothers. It was through Allāma Sayedee. He had a style and melody of his own. And God was that good to the ears. It would melt like honey. It would evoke our emotion for the glorious Islamic past and its heroes. It would motivate us to better as Muslims, to be more active for establishing a global Islamic Welfare State.
The hymns from Allāma Sayedee occasionally buzzes in my mind, specially whenever I remember him. I remembered one such particular hymn the other day, 'daste dast hei, daria vi, nachore hamne ...'. I couldn't help but stop working to search for that particular clip. I couldn't find it. Sad. I think it would be a great service if all his Allāma Iqbal renditions were released as YT shorts with English-Bengali subtitles.
But what I did find reminded me that I wanted to say something about Shikwa/Jawab-e-Shikwa:
I knew I watched the above rendition of Shikwa by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan before and recognized that line: daste dast ... But I also remembered how Coke Studio Pakistan's rendtion of Shikwa lead me to it:
Natasha Baig has a very strong and melodious voice. God bless her. I remember I was repeatedly seeking Allah's refuge (awuzubillahi-minash-shaytaanir-rajeem) when she was singing the lines: Shikwa Allah se khakam badahan hai mujhko (unfortunately I have a grievance with my creator) ... in a very rebellious tone.
But then I kept listening and reflecting upon it. I discovered the discontented-rebellious self in me. Indeed when Allāma Iqbal said in his Shikwa (Complaints): "Was there anyone who would recite your name?" he was merely paraphrasing my discontented-rebellious self who is quick to question "What's the use of praying?" when it is frustrated over the apparent outcome of prayers!
Take Shikwa at its literal meaning and it is filled with Kufr and rebellion. But instead of becoming angry and concerned with the self, the laymen become angry with Allāma Iqbal! But if it even was able to fool a contemplative person like me how about the ordinary people? So then is it justified to think less of the disgruntled ordinary just because they lack in sophistication? That they are fanatics just because they don't see what we see? Isn't that a form of Kibr? Is it not that destroys even the most pious of men in the eye of God?
I was also reflecting upon this discontent. Perhaps it requires an Ummatic conscience and passion to read between the lines of Shikwa. During the tribulation of Uthman Zunnurain ﵁ some Shahba ﵁ warned the rebels not to kill Uthman or else God will unsheathe HIS sword on this Ummah.
It is as if that warning came true and centuries after centuries the Muslims are being persecuted throughout the world. The Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition, The Mongol Invasion, The European Colonization, The American War on Terror, came one after the other without giving the Ummah a moment to breath. The Shikwa i.e., Complaints, are then a natural, albeit simplistic, response to our collective experience.
But perhaps God wanted to give me a lead to write some of my thoughts that have been germinating for a long time that certain Iggy Azalea ripped her pants during one of her performances in 'The Land of Tawheed'. The land that was encroached by the Najdis. The Najdis that proclaimed a euphoric discovery of a 'Pure Islam' millennia after the advent of Islam in Al-Hejaz. The Najdis that banned the traditional Islamic Music, The Mawlid, The Hadra, and persecuted its performers:
Why? Because come on bro, its Kufr! But inviting a pornstar is relegated to the rights of the Amir, of a Muslim populace none the less. Because its prince has reportedly had a new discovery of a new Islam. This time its a 'Modern Islam', not the Pure one his forefathers had. That was perhaps a bad dream.
But more importantly our supposed widely popular Prince is reportedly envisioning his country, KSA, to be the 'next Europe'. Not that he is envisioning a world lead by his country. But a country that leaves its own roots and identity to earn the approval of others. Confidence speaks for itself!
I see people of this kind everywhere among the Ummah. In my own country, self-proclaimed leaders pop up every often envisioning that the next YouTube and the next Google to be created here. Such poor fellows. Such deprived mentality. The next "other" will be me! Good luck.
Besides, even if for arguments sake we say that Muslims created these massive tech firms, do you think that Uncle Sam will sit idle and accept it? The same military of yours that ruthlessly kill your civilians with the arms bought by the taxes taken from you, wet their Khaki every time Uncle Sam says, Howdy! Do you think that same military will stand its ground when their over lords come with the lame environmental excuses? The likes of Google can withstand the environmental costs of their massive data farms by the sheer military power of their country. Can any of you withstand the same?
The western "environmental researchers" have been whining for some time for even the rice that we eat in Bangladesh. Its not environment friendly, they say. Sure! Not a peep about the sheer number of air conditions and fuel driven vehicles, by the way. As if they'll die if they leave air conditioning or private cars but we won't if we stop eating rice. Just drink environment friendly Kaka Cola and eat Crap Donalds.
What then is the jawwab/answer for the Shikwa/Complaints of the Muslims? The jawwab is not to keep romanticizing our past and live off of the accomplishments of our forefathers just as shown in Jawwab-e-Shikwa. The jawwab is to go back to our root not turning away from it. The jawwab is to blossom in our own faith, tradition, and culture, not in becoming the next something else.
So we say, as Rumi said, as Iqbal said:
Baza, Baza
Lastly, if you are really battered by life's challenges and want to vent Islamically, if you have Shikwa/Complaints then here is a Prophetic way to express them that helps to seek refuge in Allah ﷾ and take comfort in HIS mercy:
