Re-reading Iqbal, the philosopher-poet of the Urdu and Persian tongue, is not only a pleasure, but also an act nurturing a fear, that of lilting the heart of a fire that has been put down under uncountable dusty layers of materialism, but whose ambers still smolder in the deep forgotten depths of passion.

This commentary on the selected themes of Saqi Nama comes with the hope that talking about the passion that Iqbal harbours in his heart may strike fire in the hearts of those who yearn for the depths that connect matter with spirit and spirit with the larger truth of existence, and that allow the creation to stand face to face with the Creator.

As the poem begins, Iqbal's saintly heart connects with the beauty of spring, realising how the colours and bustle of nature witness upon the seamless togetherness of nature, as if the same blood runs in the vein of the flowers, the streams and the boulders that line it. And the stir and hustle of nature suggest that it is cognisant with the larger plan of existence.

So, Iqbal calls upon the Creator Himself, to open upon him the hidden truths of the universe and beyond. Pour in the glass of my awareness the wine that opens the secrets of the eternity, of the first day, of how it all started, and why, he says.

Iqbal declares 90 years ago that the façade of the power and excellence of the West is crumbling down in front of us, and the spell of capitalism has broken; the Chinese are awakening from their slumber, and the East awaits the same strike from the........

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