Rooh-e-Musalman Mein Hai Aaj Wohi Iztarab: Verses from Masjid-e-Qurtaba (Allama Iqbal)

Rooh-e-Musalman Mein Hai Aaj Wohi Iztaraab
Raaz-e-Khudai Hai Ye, Keh Nahin Sakti Zubaan

The same storm is raging today in the soul of the Muslim.
A Divine secret it is—beyond the reach of speech.

Dekhiye Iss Beher Ki Teh Se Uchalta Hai Kyaa
Gunbad-e-Nilofari Rang Badalta Hai Kya!

Let us see what rises from the depths of this ocean.
Let us see what new color the blue sky takes.

These verses echo the anxieties articulated by Allama Iqbal during his time in the West. These verses from his visit to Masjid-e-Qurtaaba, which created a unease, an inner agitation and a transformation from an Iqbal of Bang-e-Dara to a very different Iqbal in Baal-e-Jibreel. As his witnessed the lost glory of Muslim civilization and empires, it left his with reflection over the plight of muslims, globally, from Turkey’s Ottomen Empire to South Asia going through colonial rule.

In the second couplet, Iqbal shifts from diagnosis to anticipation. The imagery of the ocean’s depths evokes hidden قوت—latent energies within the collective self. What will emerge? What new form will take shape? Even the sky—symbol of destiny and order—may change its hue.

This is not passive observation; it is a call to witness transformation with awareness and readiness. And it remains more relevant today for the Islamic World than ever before.