Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Fitrat ne mujhe bakhshe hain jauhar malakuti
Khaki hun magar khak se rakhta nahin paiwand
Khaki hun magar khak se rakhta nahin paiwand
“Nature has gifted me an essence that belongs to the heavens; I am made of dust, yet I am not bound to the dust.”
Romanहिन्दी
फ़ितरत ने मुझे बख़्शे हैं जौहर मलाकूती
ख़ाकी हूँ मगर ख़ाक से रखता नहीं पैवंद
ख़ाकी हूँ मगर ख़ाक से रखता नहीं पैवंद
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal captures the double nature of the human being. We are physical, earthbound, made of dust; but within us is an essence that reaches far beyond the earthly. The self refuses to be defined only by its material origin. Greatness lies in claiming the higher half.
For You, Today
You are more than your circumstances, your background, your physical limits. There is a higher capacity in you that those things do not own. Live from that part, and the dust no longer defines you.
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
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
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge