TO THE READER OF THE BOOK
|
I raise a new army from the Kingdom of Love; |
|
|
for there is danger of revolt by the Intellect against the Sanctuary.1 |
|
|
The world does not know the real nature of Madeness2 : |
|
|
it is a garment that fits the Intellect perfectly. |
|
|
Donning this garment, I attained to a station |
5 |
|
where it would be honour for the Intellect |
|
|
to walk around my house (like a pilgrim). |
|
|
Don't think that the Intellect is exempt from the final reckoning: |
|
|
one look from the believer judges it as if on Judgment Day.3 |
|
1. Sanctuary, Haram, the sacred precincts at Mecca. For Iqbal, this word also stands for Muslims or Muslim society.
2. Madness (Junun), in Iqbal, stands for Intuition and Love in contrast to Intellect and Reason. See my articles Intellect and Intuition . . ." in Iqbal, IV/3 (January 1956), 60-105 and " 'Iim wa 'Ishq" in Adabi Dunya, "Iqbal Number" (1972), p. 24.
3. See the Qur'an, xxi. 47 and xvii. 13.