God’s Existence vs. Man’s

Exploring the existence of God versus Man’s self-awareness and the quest for certainty in faith.

Life is filled
With questions:
Man hunts
For answers.

To the Allama, I
Enquired in a dream,
Raised a question
About the Merciful Him.

‘How can we
About Him prove,
When asked:
Proof, any, do you have?’

Came the reply:

“In the worn-out world,
The question is on God.

The ones who raise
Fail to see own face,

Unaware, what his doubts mean,
Even unsure what he needs.

Centuries lost
Precious lives too
The same
Old doubt:
Story, plot too.

I suggest
A thing better:
To free them from
The foolish fetter.

Does God exist,
They ask.
Does Man exist,
Rather I ask.”

For the skeptics:
I now had a new card
To offer, when asked
The question-hard.

When Man discovers
His own,
God’s existence
He shall then affirm.

May 15 2010. Edit 2024

This poem by Jaihoon is based on the question of existence of God and explained in a note of Allama Iqbal found in the collection Stray Reflections. The note is as follows: For centuries Eastern heart and intellect have been absorbed in the question – Does God exist? I propose to raise a new question – new, that is to say, for the East – Does man exist?