Couplets › Courage
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Jawab-e-Shikwa' · originally composed in Urdu
bhi ho jo ka
kar sakti hai
kar sakti hai
“Even today, if the faith of Abraham were born again, the fire itself could be made to bloom like a garden.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
भी हो जो ब्राहीम का ईमाँ
आग कर सकती है
आग कर सकती है
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
آج بھی ہو جو براہیم کا ایماں پیدا
آگ کر سکتی ہے انداز گلستاں پیدا
آگ کر سکتی ہے انداز گلستاں پیدا
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal reaches for the story of Abraham walking unharmed through fire. His point is about conviction: a faith strong enough can transform the very thing meant to destroy it. The fire does not have to be escaped — with enough conviction, it can be turned into a garden.
For You, Today
The obstacle in front of you is not fixed in meaning. Iqbal's claim is that deep conviction can change what a hardship becomes — turning the fire, without denying it, into a place where something grows.
In the same spirit
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Raise your selfhood so high that, before issuing every decree of destiny, God Himself asks you: tell me, what is your wish?
Selfhood · Courage
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · Courage
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration