What does it mean to exist? At first, wujood (وجود) may seem to be a simple word for existence or being. But in poetry, philosophy and everyday life, the idea carries a much deeper resonance. To have wujood is not merely to be present; it can also mean to leave an impression, to be rooted somewhere, to exercise freedom, and to find meaning in the way we inhabit the world.
In this episode of Urdunama, Fabeha Syed explores the many dimensions of wujood through poetry, bringing together different ways poets have imagined what it means to be alive and present. Rather than treating existence as a fixed state, the episode considers it as something shaped by our relationship with the world around us.
A central part of this exploration is the poetry of Allama Iqbal, whose work repeatedly returns to questions of the self, freedom and purpose. One striking image is his conversation between a tree and a desert bird. Their contrasting ways of existing open up questions about rootedness and movement, stability and freedom, and the different forms that a meaningful life can take.
Iqbal’s idea of rising beyond jazb-e-khaak—literally, the pull of the earth, and metaphorically the forces of worldly attachment and desire—adds another dimension to the conversation. Existence, in this sense, is not simply about occupying a place in the world. It is also about how one responds to the forces that pull, limit or define us.
Through these poetic encounters, wujood emerges as more than a philosophical abstraction. It becomes a question about presence: How do we inhabit the world? What holds us in place, and what enables us to move beyond it? What gives our existence meaning?
By turning to poetry, Urdunama invites listeners to pause and consider these questions—not as distant philosophical problems, but as questions that are intimately connected to the experience of being human.