The essence of manifestation, witness, and witnessed is one.
If Ghalib's saying is true, then why mention others?
So, O respected Sheikh! Did you hear something too?
What were the people of the temple saying to the people of the Kaaba yesterday?
We ask the Muslim with a lover's temperament:
If you have love for idols, then why enmity with a Brahmin!
This Urdu poem, steeped in Sufi philosophical tradition, challenges religious dogmatism by asserting the oneness of existence and love. Attributing the concept of unified witness and witnessed to Ghalib, it questions the validity of distinguishing between 'self' and 'other'. The poet confronts religious clerics ('Sheikh') and conventional 'Muslims' with the paradox of loving 'idols' while harboring animosity towards 'Brahmins', advocating for a universal love that transcends superficial religious divisions between the Kaaba and the temple.
wit & rebuke · wonder & existence · the world's unfairness (shikwa)