Definition
This travel account is taken from Jameel-ud-Din Aali's travelogue 'Duniya Mere Aagay' ('The World Before Me'). It describes a journey from Kufa towards the ruins of ancient Babylon, about forty-five to fifty miles from Baghdad, guided by a poor but cheerful Iraqi guide who speaks fluent English, alongside the writer's companion Meer Khalil-ur-Rahman.
Definition
Babylon, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, is one of the earliest cities of human history; its recorded history goes back some 3,700 years to the emperor Hammurabi (18th century BC), who gave society its first constitution and code of laws, earning him the title 'law-giver'.
Hammurabi's Babylon was largely destroyed by foreign invaders in the 16th century BC and only regained its former glory in the 7th century BC under the powerful emperor Bukht Nasr (Nebuchadnezzar), who ruled for forty-four years and built grand palaces, a thirteen-acre royal quarter, and the famous glazed-brick Ishtar Gate decorated with images of bulls, lions, and dragons.
This is the same Babylon where Alexander the Great, on his return from conquering India, celebrated continuously for three days and three nights before falling ill and dying within three days — and the same Babylon later seized by Cyrus, the Persian emperor, after Bukht Nasr's dynasty collapsed.
Definition
According to legend, God sent two angels, Harut and Marut, to inspect and examine the sinful conduct of Babylon's people; in the course of this task, the angels themselves became entangled in the very temptations they were sent to test, and were punished by being hung upside down in a well in Babylon.
This legend connects to Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 102, which refers to two angels sent down at Babylon who taught people forms of sorcery only as a trial from Allah, first warning them, 'We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve (by misusing this knowledge)' — making clear that this knowledge could not harm anyone except by Allah's permission, and that those who misused it gained no benefit in the Hereafter.
Definition
A major moral theme of the lesson is the transience of worldly power and pride: Bukht Nasr was once an absolute emperor whose glance could decide life and death, ruling over Iraq, Syria, and Iran, and building magnificent palaces to display his glory. Yet standing among the same ruins centuries later, the writer shows that all this pomp has vanished utterly — no guard, sword, or army remains to defend the dead king's honour, while an ordinary, free man of today can mock him without fear. Alexander the Great's sudden death here, after days of triumphant celebration, reinforces the same lesson: that no earthly rank, however absolute, is permanent.
Definition
jaah-o-jalaal = pomp, rank and majesty; shaahaana numood = royal/kingly display; baam-e-urooj = the pinnacle of glory; urooj-o-zawaal = rise and fall; Dajla-o-Furaat = the Tigris and the Euphrates; tarz-e-tahreer = style of writing.
Example 1 — forming words with prefixes and suffixes
Form new words using the prefix 'khud' (self-) and the suffix 'gaar' (-er/doer).
- Combine the prefix with a suitable root word.
- Combine the suffix with a suitable root word.
Answer: khud + gharaz = khud-gharaz (selfish); madad + gaar = madadgaar (helper)
Quick Recap
- ●From Jameel-ud-Din Aali's travelogue 'Duniya Mere Aagay'; a journey to Babylon's ruins near Baghdad
- ●Hammurabi (earliest code of laws, ~3,700 years ago) Babylon destroyed rebuilt to glory by Bukht Nasr (Nebuchadnezzar), who built the Ishtar Gate
- ●Alexander the Great died here after days of celebration; Cyrus of Persia later seized Babylon
- ●Legend of Harut and Marut (angels punished in a well) connects to Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 102
- ●Theme: the transience of worldly power — Bukht Nasr's absolute rule left nothing but ruins a common man can freely mock
- ●Vocabulary: jaah-o-jalaal (pomp), urooj-o-zawaal (rise and fall), Dajla-o-Furaat (Tigris and Euphrates)
