The Javid Nama (Persian: جاویدنامه), or Book of Eternity, is a Persian book of poetry written by Muhammad Iqbal and published in 1932. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Iqbal. It is inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, and just as Dante's guide was Virgil, Iqbal is guided by Maulana Rumi. Both of them visit different spheres in the heavens coming across different people. Iqbal uses the pseudonym Zinda Rud for himself in this book.
It was translated into English by Arthur John Arberry and into German as Dschavidnma: Das Buch der Ewigkeit by Annemarie Schimmel and in Italian as Il poema Celeste by Alessandro Bausani. Schimmel also prepared a Turkish translation, Cevidname, based on her German edition.
"Man, in this world of seven hues, lute-like is ever afire with lamentation; yearning for a kindred spirit burns him inwardly", Iqbal opens. [1]
As he prays, he begins reciting Rumi's Persian verses in which Rumi is pleading his Shaykh to reveals a true Human Being to him. As Iqbal finishes these verses, Rumi appears to him. Iqbal now depicts himself as Zinda Rud (a stream, full of life) guided by Rumi the master, through various heavens and spheres and has the honour of approaching Divinity and coming in contact with divine illuminations and historical figures including Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī, Said Halim Pasha, Mansur al-Hallaj, Mirza Ghalib and Nietzsche.
Several problems of life are discussed and philosophical answers are provided to them. It is an exceedingly enlivening study. Iqbal heavily criticized figures in Indian history such as Mir Jafar from Bengal and Mir Sadiq from the Deccan, who were instrumental in the defeat and death of Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah of Bengal and Tipu Sultan of Mysore respectively by betraying them to the East India Company, leading to India to fall under colonial rule. At the end, by addressing his son Javid Iqbal, he speaks to the young people at large and provides guidance to the "new generation."[2]
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