A prayer of an ashamed believer

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

تُو غَنی اَز هَر دو عالَم، مَن فَقیر روزِ مَحشَر عُذرهایِ مَن پَذیر وَر حِسابَم را تُو بینی ناگُزیر اَز نِگاهِ مُصطَفیٰﷺ پِنهان بَگیر

Meaning

You are the Self-Sufficient Lord of both Worlds and I am needy of You On the Day of Judgement, please forgive me and grant me this exemption If it is inevitable that You judge me and take account of my sins, Please do so hidden from the gaze of Mustafa (ﷺ)

Language

Persian/Farsi

Transliteration

Tu ghanī az har du ʿālam, man faqīr;

rūz-i maḥshar ʿuzr-hā-yi man pazīr.

Var ḥisābam rā tu bīnī nā-guzīr,

az nigāh-i Muṣṭafā (ﷺ) pinhān bigīr.  

Video/Audio

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Brief Explanation

Those who truly love the Prophet (ﷺ) feel ashamed to face him because of their sins—perhaps even more ashamed than they feel when facing Allah. Such is his place in the hearts of his ummah.

Background

Iqbal, also known as Allama Iqbal due to recognition of his status as a thinker and reformer, not just as a poet, is recognised worldwide for his poetry. However, his main body of work in the Persian language has largely remained inaccessible to the non-Persian-speaking public, even in South Asia, where he is so widely revered.

This quatrain (رُباعی), attributed to him—he gifted it to someone else—reflects his command over the language and poetic expression while delivering a highly refined and sensitive idea, close to the heart of many Muslims.