In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

November 9, 'Iqbal Day'—meaning the day of Iqbal's birth.

The Etiquettes of Dawn Awakening (Sahar-Khaizi)

The snowy region of England, wintry winds, the clamor of Christianity everywhere, no sign of faithful gatherings anywhere in sight, conditions completely adversarial and unfavorable, the unsettling silence of the dark night; and yet, a believer (Mumin) rises from his soft, warm bed. He performs ablution (Wudu) with freezing water that makes the body and soul shiver, spreads his prayer mat, and offers two units of voluntary prayer (Do-Gana). Spreading the lap of humility, he proclaims the greatness of his Lord, engaging in intimate supplication. In that freezing environment, his warm tears flow before his Lord, leaving marks on the believer's cheeks. Sometimes his sobs choke him, sometimes his voice falters, and this happens daily. And when the believer gains control over his pen, the secret of those cold nights is revealed thus:

"Though the wintry wind possessed the sharpness of a sword,

The etiquettes of dawn awakening were not abandoned even in London."

Iqbal did not become the great 'Iqbal' just like that. Many times, the pain of the Muslim nation (Millat) must have flowed from the springs of his eyes in the form of tears during those cold nights. In those still and silent nights, how many times must he have presented the complaints of the Ummah's wretched plight and decline before the holy court of his Lord? Only then did Iqbal receive that gift of poetry and speech, imbued with such deep pain, melting tenderness, and burning passion, that whoever hears it is spellbound, and whoever reads it is compelled to ponder. It is true, for Iqbal himself had said:

"Be it Attar, Rumi, Razi, or Ghazali,

Nothing is attained without the sigh of the early dawn."

🖋🖋 Anas Narolvi 🖋🖋