اک دانش نوراني ، اک دانش برہاني
English title: Reason is either luminous, or it seeks proofs
Reason is either luminous, or it seeks proofs; proof-seeking reason is but an excess of wonder.
Thine alone is what I possess in this handful of dust; and to keep it safe is beyond my power, O Lord.
My songs of lament were all inspired by Thee; if they have reached the stars, it is no fault of mine.
Art Thou pleased, O Lord, with man’s imperfection? Why repeat a flawed attempt, and make his shame eternal?
The Western ways have tried to make me a renegade; but why are our mullahs a disgrace to Muslims?
Fools think man is a bondman of destiny; but man has still the power to break the bonds of fate.
Thou hast Thy pantheon, and I have mine, O Lord, Both have idols of dust; both have idols that die.
Sources and translator credits
- Original text transcription: Bal-e-Jibril — اک دانش نوراني ، اک دانش برہاني — Digital transcription file at commit 39d44fc0c2b8ca25769c4b36e6eac4d90cb42b35; the source dataset does not identify the underlying print edition.Verified against this pinned digital transcription file; not checked against a print edition.Source
- Iqbal Demystified source list: Bal-e-Jibril — Pinned digital dataset commit 39d44fc0c2b8ca25769c4b36e6eac4d90cb42b35; the underlying print edition is not identified by the dataset.Community dataset list; not reconciled against a print edition.Source
- Bal-e-Jibril English translation at allama-iqbal.com — — Public digital poem page, retrieved 2026-10-06; pinned to allama-iqbal.com commit 82547635bb6b758c45082084b2f152fc453a8056.Translation by Naeem Siddiqui; English Translation by: Naeem SiddiquiSource