Couplets › Action
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
ko se nahin
par ki
par ki
“Reason never finds a free moment away from criticism — so build your deeds on the foundation of love.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
को से नहीं
पर की
पर की
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
عقل کو تنقید سے فرصت نہیں
عشق پر اعمال کی بنیاد رکھ
عشق پر اعمال کی بنیاد رکھ
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal draws his familiar contrast between cold reason and warm love. Reason is forever busy critiquing, analysing, finding fault — it never quite gets to building. So he gives a direct instruction: lay the foundation of what you do on love, not on endless objection.
For You, Today
Pure analysis can become a way of never having to act — there is always one more flaw to point out. Iqbal's instruction is to ground your real work in love, the force that actually builds rather than only critiques.
In the same spirit
Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Beyond the stars there are worlds yet — there are still more trials of love to come.
Aspiration · Love · Restlessness
Ho mere dam se yunhi mere watan ki zeenat
Jis tarah phool se hoti hai chaman ki zeenat
Jis tarah phool se hoti hai chaman ki zeenat
Let my country be adorned by me, as a garden is adorned by its flowers.
Aspiration · Youth · Action
Zindagi ho meri parwane ki surat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Let my life be like the moth's, O Lord; let me love the lamp of knowledge.
Love · Aspiration · Youth