As the prophet establishes God’s decrees, he repudiates Caesar’s law. (Iqbal here brings into sharp contrast God’s Will and king’s will, keeping in mind perhaps the well-known saying of Christ: Render unto Caeser what is Caesar’s and render unto God what is God’s. Iqbal feels that it is not possible for one to be loyal to God’s will and yet to accept and follow the lead of ordinary mundane rulers.)

In his eyes the royal palace is like an old idol-temple; his sense of honour makes him disobey the order of the other-than-God.

The imperfect become perfect through association with him. He gives a new tumult to the age.

His message is that Allah is sufficient and all else is meaningless, so that the man of truth does not fall into anybody’s snare.

His moisture imparts fire to the vine’s twig and his breath gives life to this handful of earth.

He is the meaning of Gabriel and the Quran, and he is the custodian of God’s Law*. * Qur’anic verse (xxx. 30): ‘So set thy face for religion, being upright, the nature made by Allah in which He has created man.’ Allah’s Nature, as the Qur’anic verse signifies, stands for Islam to which the Prophet is commissioned to give practical and concrete shape.)

His wisdom is superior to artful Reason, his spirit gives birth to a people (ummah). (It appears that, according to Iqbal, the hikmat (wisdom) of the Prophet is not qualitatively different from reason only it is much higher than the latter.)

He is a ruler disinterested in throne and crown: sans crown, sans army, sans tribute.

His look transforms autumn into spring, and through him the dregs of every pitcher become stronger than the wine.

In his morning-lamentation lies life and the universe is renewed by the morning of his manifestation.

The sea and the earth are devastated by the intensity of his deluge, and in his eyes there is a message of revolution.

He teaches the lesson of they have no fear; he puts a heart into the breast of man. (Qur’anic verse (x. 62): ‘Now surely the friends of Allah have no fear, nor do they grieve.’)

He teaches man determination, submission (to the will of God) and willing acquiescence; and makes him radiant in the world like a lamp.

I do not know what magic he practises, but he totally transforms the soul in the body.

In his society a piece of clay becomes a pearl; and his wisdom gives abundance to the deficient.

He says to the downtrodden slave: Arise and break into pieces every ancient deity.

O man of God, break the spell of this old world with these words: God is the highest of all.

If you wish to gain faqr, don’t complain of poverty; well-being depends on one’s attitude and not on rank and wealth.

Truthfulness, sincerity, submissiveness, ardour and sympathy these are needed and not gold or silver, nor red and yellow coins.

O living man, avoid these kings and nobles, walk around your own self and not around the palaces.

Thou hast fallen away from thy true station, thou art born of a falcon, do not follow the ways of vultures.

A bird in a garden grove builds his nest to his own liking.

Thou who hast a heaven-traversing imagination should not think thyself inferior to a bird.

Rebuild these nine heavens and refashion this world according to thy own desire. (According to Lisan aI-’Arab, the word ‘seven’ was used by the Arabs to denote multiplicity. Iqbal’s use of ‘nine’ instead of ‘seven’ does not seem to be a departure from the classical tradition; it may have been used to conform, not of course exactly, to the latest scientific research.)

When he gets annihilated in God’s will, the man of faith becomes God’ decree.

The four dimensions along with the blue heavens are born out of his pure bosom.

Annihilate thyself in the will of God like thy forefathers; bring out thy pearl out of the oyster.

In the darkness of this world of stone and bricks, illumine thy eyes with the light of thy nature. (Light of nature: Nur-i sirisht, the natural simplicity and righteousness of man, the basic nature (fitrat Allah) on which God created man.)

Unless thou takest thy share of the majesty of God, thou canst not enjoy Divine Beauty. (Majesty (jalal) and beauty (jamal) are the two antithetical but complementary aspects of God’s Essence. The former indicates might, wrath, awfulness, while the latter stands for beauty, mercy and loving-kindness.)

The beginning of love and ecstasy is majesty (qahiri); the end of love and ecstasy is beauty (dilbari). (Dilbari, lit, art of heart-ravishing, heart-captivating, while qahiri, lit, is conquering power, might. These two terms like jamal and jalal, khalwat and jalwat form two complementary aspects of a higher synthesis.)

The man of faith is a symbol of perfect existence: he alone is real; all else is mere appearance. (According to pantheistic mystics, wujud (being), as such, belongs to God alone; all else is devoid of wujud and if they possess it, it is only as a reflection (zill). Here Iqbal asserts that man alone has independent existence and enjoys fullness of being. By wujud, Iqbal means strong and rich personality.)

If he gains ardour and zeal from There is no deity (but God), the Sun and Moon will revolve only at his bidding.