A Beautiful Little Prayer

In Urdu

Lap pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shamma ki surat ho Khudaya meri

Door duniya ka mere dam se andhera ho jaaye
Har jagah mere chamakne se ujala ho jaaye

Ho mere dam se yun hi mere watan ki zeenat
Jis tarah phool se hoti hai chaman ki zeenat

Zindagi ho meri parwaane ki surat ya rab
Ilm ki shamma se ho mujhko mohabbat ya rab

Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna
Dardmandon se Zaeefon se mohabbat karna

Mere Allah buraee se bachana mujhko
Nek jo rah ho us rah pe chalana mujhko

English Translation

My wish comes as a prayer to my lips
Make me live like a candle my lord

And help remove the darkness of this world
As I brighten it up with my inner light

My efforts should add to the beauty of my country
Like a flower adorns the garden

May I live like the moth my lord
In love with the candle of knowledge

I should champion the cause of the downtrodden
And love the old and those in pain

My lord protect me from going astray
And guide me along the right path!

Sir Muhammad Iqbal's popular poem caught my attention when I was preparing for the entrance test of AMU for Minto Circle. It's been more than two decades but it has stayed with me ever since. No wonder India's best known school, the Doon School, selected it as one of its 3 school songs.

Is there a more beautiful prayer?