A Poem By President Shankar Dayal Sharma

[asad71]

A poem on the Holy Quran written some 35 years ago by the ninth
President of India, Dr. Pandit Shanker Dayal Sharma, translated by
Humayun Gauhar.


Amal ki kitaab thi.
Duaa ki kitaab banaa diyaa
It was a Command for action.
You turned it into a book of prayer.

Samajhne ki kitaab thi.
Parhne ki kitaab banaa diyaa.
It was a Book to understand.
You read it without understanding.

Zindaon kaa dastoor thaa.
Murdon kaa manshoor banaa diyaa.
It was a code for the living.
You turned it into a manifesto of the dead.

Jo ilm ki kitaab thi.
Usay laa ilmon ke haath thamaa diyaa.
That which was a book of knowledge;
You abdicated to the ignoramus.

Taskheer-e-kayenaat kaa dars denay aayi thi.
Sirf madrason kaa nisaab banaa diyaa.
It came to give knowledge of Creation.
You abandoned it to the madrasa.

Murdaa qaumon ko zindaa karne aayi thi.
Murdon ko bakhshwaane per lagaa diyaa.
It came to give life to dead nations.
You used it for seeking mercy for the dead.

Aye Musalmaano ye tum nay kiaa kiyaa?
O’ Muslims! What have you done?