وائینٹ ٹولز کے ذریعے علامہ اقبال کی نظم ’’شکوہ‘‘ کا متنی تجزیہ

A Computational Textual Analysis of Allama Iqbal’s “Shikwa” through Voyant Tools

Abstract

This research article presents a computational textual, linguistic, and thematic analysis of Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s celebrated Urdu poem Shikwa using Voyant Tools v.2026. As one of the most significant poems in Bang-e-Dara, Shikwa articulates the historical consciousness, spiritual anguish, and collective self-perception of the Muslim community in a bold dialogic address to God. The study examines the poem as a corpus of 1,561 words, including 665 unique word forms, with a vocabulary density of 0.426 and a readability index of 60.772. Through frequency analysis, pronoun distribution, negation patterns, and thematic clustering, the article highlights how Iqbal constructs a powerful poetic discourse around Muslim decline, historical glory, monotheistic commitment, sacrifice, divine complaint, and collective identity. Particular attention is given to the repeated use of words such as hum (we), tu (You), nahin (not), kya (what), and bhi (also/even), which reveal the poem’s dialogic, interrogative, and protest-oriented structure. The study argues that Voyant Tools helps illuminate the linguistic patterns underlying Iqbal’s poetic strategy and demonstrates how digital humanities can enrich the critical study of Urdu literature. Ultimately, Shikwa emerges not merely as a poem of complaint, but as a historical document, a theological dialogue, and a manifesto of Muslim collective awakening.