Showing that the education of the Self has three stages: Obedience, Self-control, and Divine Vicegerency. Service and toil are traits of the camel,
Thy soul cares only for itself, like the camel:
If thou canst rule thy camel, thou wilt rule the world
74:1 The religious law of Islam. 76:1 I.e. water is an indispensable element in the life of the body. 76:2 The first article of the Mohammedan creed. 76:3 Like Abraham when he was about to sacrifice Isaac or (as Moslems generally believe) Ishmael. 77:1 The lesser pilgrimage (‘umra) is not obligatory like the greater pilgrimage (hajj). 78:1 The original quotes part of a verse in the Koran (ch. 3, v. 86), where it is said, "Ye shall never attain unto righteousness until ye give in alms of that which ye love." 78:2 I.e. overcome the lusts of the flesh. 78:3 Here Iqbal interprets in his own way the Súfí doctrine of the Insán al-kámil or Perfect Man, which 81:1 Koran, ch. 2, v. 29. The Ideal Man is the final cause of creation. 81:2 Koran, ch. 17, v. 1, referring to the Ascension of the Prophet. 81:3 For the white hand (of Moses) cf. Koran, ch. 7, v. 105, ch. 26, v. 32, and Exodus, ch. 4, v. 6. 82:1 These four lines may allude to Jesus, regarded as a type of the Perfect Man.1. Obedience
Patience and perseverance are ways of the camel.
Noiselessly he steps along the sandy track,
He is the ship of those who voyage in the desert.
Every thicket knows the print of his foot:
He eats seldom, sleeps little, and is inured to toil.
Drops of water become a sea by the law of union,
And grains of sand become a Sahara.
Since Law makes everything strong within,
Why dost thou neglect this source of strength?
O thou that art emancipated from the old Custom, 1
Adorn thy feet once more with the same fine silver chain!
Do not complain of the hardness of the Law,
Do not transgress the statutes of Mohammed!
It is self-conceited, self-governed, and self-willed.
Be a man, get its halter into thine hand,
That thou mayst become a pearl albeit thou art a potter's vessel.
He that does not command himself
Becomes a receiver of commands from others.
When they moulded thee of clay,
Love and fear were mingled in thy making:
Fear of this world and of the world to come, fear of death,
Fear of all the pains of earth and heaven;
Love of riches and power, love of country,
Love of self and kindred and wife.
But he that is drowned in sin dies an evil death.
So long as thou hold’st the staff of "There is no God but He," 2
Thou wilt break every spell of fear.
One to whom God is as the soul in his body,
His neck is not bowed before vanity.
Fear finds no way into his bosom,
His heart is afraid of none but Allah.
Whoso dwells in the Moslem Faith
Is free from the bonds of wife and child.
He withdraws his gaze from all except God
And lays the knife to the throat of his son. 3
The Moslem's heart deems prayer a lesser pilgrimage. 1
In the Moslem's hand prayer is like a dagger
Killing sin and frowardness and wrong.
Fasting makes an assault upon hunger and thirst
And breaches the citadel of sensuality.
The pilgrimage enlightens the minds of the Faithful:
It teaches separation from one's home and destroys attachment to one's native land;
It is an act of devotion in which all feel themselves to be one,
It binds together the leaves of the book of religion.
And makes equality familiar;
It fortifies the heart with righteousness, 1
It increases wealth and diminishes fondness for wealth.
All this is a means of strengthening thee:
Thou art impregnable, if thy Islam be strong.
Draw might from the litany "O Almighty One!"
That thou mayst ride the camel of thy body. 23. Divine Vicegerency 3
His genius abounds with life and desires to manifest itself:
He will bring another world into existence.
A hundred worlds like this world of parts and wholes
Spring up, like roses, from the seed of his imagination.
He makes every raw nature ripe,
He puts the idols out of the sanctuary.
Heart-strings give forth music at his touch,
He wakes and sleeps for God alone.
He teaches age the melody of youth
And endows everything with the radiance of youth.
To the human race he brings both a glad message and a warning,
He comes both as a soldier and as a marshal and prince.
He is the inmost sense of "Glory to Him that transported His servant by night." 2
His white hand is strengthened by the staff, 3
His knowledge is twinned with the power of a perfect man.
When that bold cavalier seizes the reins,
The steed of Time gallops faster.
His awful mien makes the Red Sea dry,
He leads Israel out of Egypt.
At his cry, "Arise," the dead spirits
Rise in their bodily tomb, like pines in the field.
His person is an atonement for all the world,
His protecting shadow makes the mote familiar with the sun,
His rich substance makes precious all that exists.
He bestows life by miraculous works,
He founds a new system to work by.
Splendid visions rise from the print of his foot,
Many a Moses is entranced by his Sinai.
He gives a new explanation of Life,
A new interpretation of this dream.
His hidden being is Life's mystery,
The unheard music of Life's harp.
Nature travails in blood for generations
To compose the harmony of his personality.
When our handful of earth has reached the zenith,
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