Thursday, June 18, 2009

Aik Alif

English Translation and Lyrics originally in Punjabi:

Parh parh ilm te faazil hoya
(You read to become all knowledgable)

Te kaday apnay aap nu parhya ee na
(But you never read yourself)

Bhaj bhaj warna ay mandir maseeti
(You run to enter your mosques and temples)

Te kaday mann apnay wich warya ee na
(But you never entered your own heart)

Larna ay roz shaitaan de naal
(Everyday you fight Satan)

Te kadi nafs apnay naal larya ee na
(But you never fight your own Ego)

Bulleh Shah asmaani ud-deya pharonda ay
(Bulleh Shah you try grabbing that which is in the sky)

Te jera ghar betha unoon pharya ee na
(But you never get hold of what sits inside yourself)

Bas kareen o yaar
(Stop it all my friend)

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar
(stop seeking all this knowledge my friend)

Ik Alif teray darkaar
(Only an Alif is what you need)

Bas kareen o yaar
(stop it all my friend)

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar…
(Stop seeking all this knowledge my friend)

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
(God is Greatness, God is All)

Nee main jaanaa Jogi de naal
(I shall follow the Jogi {ascetic/Sufi})

Jo naa jaane, Haqq ki taaqat
(those who deny the strength of Truth)

Rab naa devey us ko Himmat
(God does not give them courage)

Hum Mann ke darya mein doobey
(We have drowned in the river of Self)

Kaisi nayya? Kya manjhdhaar…
(the boat and the flowing waters do not matter)

Bas kareen o yaar
(stop it all my friend)

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar
(stop seeking all this knowledge my friend)

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
(God is Greatness, God is All)

(thanks Hareem and Farah)

33 comments:

  1. Hi .. Aik Alif is awesome, youtube it the Coke studio version.

    I went through your blog and I must admit, your writing expression is brilliant .. Freely flowing and absorbing. Keep up the good work!

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  2. I have heard the song, i love it and thank you for your compliments.

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  3. This is beautiful. Thanks for it!

    Peace!!

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  4. brilliant..i was looking for the meaning since a long time...thank you so much

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  5. Thanks for this translation. I've come back to it many times while I listen to that song.

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  6. This is the true state of the life we are living. one should learn from Aik Alif . It amazing the way it has been translated.

    Thank you for sharing such a truth

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  7. i have heard the song before..!! but this is the first time i get the meaning of the song!! its awesome...

    Thanks for the translation!!!

    Sona

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  8. Good translation, Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Thanks! Gonna refer this on my blog =)

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  10. Could you explain what the line "Only an Alif is what you need" ? I'm studying Panjabi, so I know what an Alif is, but I'm not sure what the meaning of this line is. Loosely translated, "alif" would be the letter A. Is he trying to say that you don't need anything at all, more than words?

    Bari Merbani, Ji.
    Pher Milange!

    -Shane

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    1. Hey, it's been eight years and I hope you found your answer. But in case you didn't, the line comes from a poem by the Sufi poet and philosopher Bulle Shah. It shares a couplet with the chorus here, "Enough of learning, my friend. An alif should do for you."

      Alif as you might know is the first letter of the alphabet, similar to alpha in Greek. Its use is metaphorical here, with the implied meaning being "even if you know just the first letter of the alphabet, you that's all you need (to reach the sufi ideal of knowledge and oneness with God.) Essentially, sufis like Bulle Shah defined this ideal to be something that can be attained without mystical knowledge or rituals or strict adherence to a sect, needing only faith and devotion. This seems to have been in part arising due to what they saw as an increase in the complexity of religion and the importance it placed on rituals and priests.

      This is of course a quick and oversimplified version but it should be enough to understand the context and the meaning of alif here.

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  11. I believe Alif refers to the first letter of the word ALLAH or God

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  12. In Arabic numerology or Abjad, the Alif represents the number one and belongs to the element of fire, therefore illumination.

    It symbolizes the selfness of God as well as His unity. The Arabic letter Alif is equivalent to the letter 'A' in the English alphabet or Alpha in Latin. It is the first letter in the Arabic character set. The letter also takes on the archetypal value of the whole alphabet, which it begins and is thus also identified with Adam, the archetypal man or father of humankind.

    Alif is the first letter in the Name ALLAH.

    If we take away the first letter which is Alif we arrive at: Lillah. If we now take away the first letter Laam from Lillah we arrive at: Lahu. If we now take away the next Laam from Lahu we arrive at: Hu - the Divine Pronoun, pointing to the Real Being - the Real Alone.

    La ilaha illa Hu - there is no other reality but Hu.

    Read the full article:
    http://www.mysticsaint.info/2009/06/aik-alif-bulleh-shah.html

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  13. Hey thanks for introducing the wonderful bit of music and the profound thought behind it! Beautiful!!!

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  14. Wonderful explanation, thanks for this.... why does "Haq" mean truth in this context ?( it means "right" doesn't it ? )

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    1. In this context you could almost imagine both words as synonymous: right is truth and truth is right. Sort of a metaphysical approach to things: anything wrong is false, etc.

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  15. bahut bahut shukriya... Gulzaar ne Ghalib kay milne kay description mein roshni kay qataron aur Qoran kay panno ka zikr kiya thha... COKE Studio Pakistan se iss gaane ko sunne se lekar uskay meaning tak pahunchne ka safar bhi kuchh aisa bann gaya.. is gaane kay meaning samajhkar... sukoon sachmuch ek saaya bhi hai.. aur roshni bhi...

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  16. Thanks for the translation. Its beautiful. Gave more meaning to the song

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  17. thanks for the translation.

    ALLAH SAIYAAN . .

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  18. Thank you - was looking for this after listening to Coke Studio. Very profound and knowing the meaning just adds so much more to the experience.

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  19. Hum Mann ke darya mein doobey
    Kaisi nayya? Kya manjhdhaar…

    I like this sentence a lot. Leading a life of detachment. Nothing affects him.

    Kudos.

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  20. The philosophy is so true. Human nature doesn't seem to change over centuries.

    Thank you so much the translation.

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  21. This one in Saieen Zahoor's voice is mind blowing. Thanks for the translated version.

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  22. Thanks a lot for the translation :) Truly an amazing composition :) God bless :)

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  23. I have been listening this song for quite some time but have understood the meaning only now.
    Thanks for the enlightenment ...

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  24. I have two questions, please help me:-

    1. What does 'Aik' mean in the title of the song?

    2. Both Sayeen Zahoor and Ali Hamza seems to utter a word very briefly like 'huq'. Is that 'huq'? Sayeen Zahoor says it after the sentence 'Ik Alif teray darkaar' and Hamza says it after 'Kaisi nayya? Kya manjhdhaar?'

    I would appreciate if someone answers these questions. Thanks!

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    1. 1. The title of the song comes from the line "ik alif tere darkaar", i.e. it is only a alif that you need (to learn).
      2. Huq is used for truth. The true nature of the world. In both these lines, they want to the listener to realize that this is the true nature of the world.

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  25. Wonderful song. Brilliant. The best lyrics.

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