DURING my days as a student in the University of Aligarh in the forties, it was a common belief that Urdu poetry, especially ghazal, is not only based on flimsy imagination and unrealistic thoughts but it is also a half mad literary exercise.

My study of the Urdu ghazal, however, indicates that some verses of Urdu ghazal contain true scientific phenomena and thoughts. In Ghalib, and so to say in Iqbal, a number of verses are based on scientific phenomena, scientific formulae or scientific perceptions. On the other hand, poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz do not have a single couplet based on scientific perception.

In search of scientific perceptions in Urdu poetry, I deeply studies the verses of more than hundred poets from Sauda to Ahmad Faraz. This study has revealed that unlike other poets of Urdu, Ghalib and Iqbal have surprisingly a substantial number of scientific verses. Both these poets belong to the revolutionary class. In case of Ghalib, there are about ten per cent of his Urdu verses with some scientific sense. In case of Iqbal, there is a considerable number of such verses. Some of them carry the central theme of his poems which are based on some scientific phenomenon or scientific formula. They cannot be understood well unless the scientific sense they contain is properly comprehended, and this can be done only after understanding the scientific aspect which is involved in the verses. Thus, it is the understanding of the scientific elements in such verses which holds the key for the correct and comprehensive Ghalib and Iqbal shanasi (acquaintance).

However, it is observed that the interpretation and elucidation made by various noted literary figures of the verses of Ghalib and Iqbal which contain scientific element is not proper. This is obvious that one cannot become a true Ghalib and Iqbal shanas (acquaint) unless and until he understands the scientific aspects also of their verses.

Examples of such verses with their scientific elucidation are given in the following paragraph.


Zoaf say giryah mubaddal baadam-e-sard huawa
Bawar aya hamain pani ka hawa hojana.


This is a well-known verse of Ghalib generally quoted to express his scientific sensibility. It simply means that due to infirmity tears change into deep and cool sighs which makes us believe that water transforms into steam or vapour. Evaporation is a natural physical process.

Yet, other such example from Ghalib is the following couplet:


Har qadam doori-e-manzil hai nomaayaan mujh say,
meyree raftaar say bhaagay hai bayaban mujhsay.


Ghalib, in this verse expounded, the theory of relativity. It is the common observation that if something moves, its movement is exposed by the nearby things which are stationary e.g. the movement of the train is noticeable by the platform which is stationary, that of a car by the trees, buildings and milestones on two sides which are static. Ghalib says that at every step he can gauge the distance of the destination. Ghulam Rasul Mehr has no idea of this scientific process, so he said that with every step forward the destination becomes further away, whereas the actual fact is that when Ghalib is drawing closer to the destination, the desert is getting left behind.

The poet says that the pace of the desert behind him is determined by the speed of the runner. If he moves fast the desert recedes at the same speed and the destination gets closer to welcome him. Other interpreters also could not understand the couplet properly.


Jaz nam nahein surat-i-alam mujhey manzoor.
Juz waham nahin hastiy-e-ashya mera aagey.


The form of the world here I accept but only in name. To me the existence of all things is nothing more than conjecture. In his composition, Ghalib often touches such scientific heights that an ordinary man of science may not even be able to conceive. He says that the earth that is round in shape today may at some later time become flat. Any solid thing can become reduced to dust. This only confirms that nothing here is everlasting. Everything undergoes a change, be it rivers, mountains, human beings, etc. Though matter is permanent, it changes its forms. Contemplation is required with sagacity to comprehend this situation.

No elucidator could comprehend the true sense of this couplet because of its scientific complexity.


Ghar hamara jo na rota bhi to veeran hota
Bahr gar bahr na hota to bayaaban hota.


Dr Abdul Rehman Bijnori tried hard to understand the meaning of this couplet. However, he could not arrive at a comprehensive conclusion. Those verses of Ghalib which contain some scientific phenomenon or formula could not be so far understood sufficiently by the interpreters. Even Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali (yadgar-e-Ghalib) and Dr Yusuf Hussain Khan did not touch such verses. But now people studying Ghalib desire that such intricate verses of Ghalib should be thoroughly studied in all respects, understood fully and interpreted properly. These days, when the scientific research has advanced, enlightening the mind of even the common man, there are better chances of encompassing the true meaning of the verses of complex composition and intricate meaning.

The interpretation of the above couplet is as follows:

Ghalib says that whether he wept or not, his house was destined to desolate. If the desolation would have not been in the form of desert, it would be in the form of ocean or sea because, according to the theory of continental drift, the earth surface must have two mantles — either the water body or dry land. According to these theories, the land and sea interchange their places. This theory has been expounded by the scientists recently and given the above names. According to this idea the place where the Mount Everest stands at present, in the geological past there was sea there . In the rocks of Everest such fossils are discovered which are beyond doubt found in marine rocks only. The Indo-Pak subcontinent was previously joined with South Africa but drifting northwards to its present location.

As the scientific content of Ghalib’s verses are discovered more and more by the present and future generations, his real worth will no doubt be discovered by them and they will truly enjoy his verses.

The above couplets are examples of the fact that the interpreters of Ghalib could not do justice to the elucidation of his verses in which the scientific phenomenon or formula is involved as they could not comprehend their scientific aspect. Now, in the same way, we see the poetry of Iqbal. As an example, we present the following three couplets of the poet.


Wahein say rat ko zulmat meli hay
Chamak tarey na paaee hai jahan say,


The night has got the darkness from the same phenomenon from where the star received its brightness. It is not easy to comprehend the interpretation of this couplet unless one understands clearly the scientific process involved in it, i.e. the rotation of plant earth.

According to astronomy, all the small shining elements of solar systems are rotating around the sun, which is in the centre of the system. The Sun gives them light, when a part of the earth rotates facing the sun it shines, but that part of the earth which is away and not in the front of sun is dark. Thus night and the stars are visible to us due to the same phenomenon.


Kamal-e-wahdat ayaan hai aisa keh nok-e-nashtar say too jo cheray.
Yaqeen hai mujhko giray raq-e-gul say qatra insan ke lahoo ka.


Iqbal has mentioned in several of his couplets about the evolution of the universe, and its modification and refinement. He emphasised that the evolutionary source of animals and plants is the one and the same.

In this couplet Iqbal says that universe is one entity. The man and the flower have evolved from the same source. In short if we see the evolutionary tree and chart of the animals and plants we find their source the same.


Mera veerana say koson door hai tera watana,
Hae magar darya-e-dil teri kash is say mojzan.


Here Iqbal tells the moon that though its abode is far away from his desolate place, the river of his heart is oscillating due to its pull and attraction meaning that it is very glad.

Here the scientific phenomenon involved is that of the pull of the moon on the water of river, lake and ocean, producing waves and tides. In the second part of the couplet the poet says that the river of his heart is producing tides and waves due to the pull of its water because of the attraction of moon. The phenomenon of tides and waves involved in the verse was not understood and explained previously.

Therefore, the couplets mentioned above are the examples of verses based on scientific phenomena. Such verses are not elucidated correctly and thus their true meaning have not been brought out by the Ghalib and Iqbal sanashs. It is essential to understand true meaning of such scientific couplets of these great poets. But, unfortunately, I come across very few people in the literary circle who understand the real significance of such verses. It seem that it is because that the elucidators and researchers of Ghalib and Iqbal were not properly acquainted with science and engineering.