Couplets › Aspiration
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 — 'Masjid-e-Qurtaba' · originally composed in Urdu
Hai magar is naqsh mein rang-e-sabaat-e-dawam
Jis ko kiya ho kisi mard-e-Khuda ne tamam
Jis ko kiya ho kisi mard-e-Khuda ne tamam
“Only that work bears the colour of lasting permanence which a man of God has brought to completion.”
Romanहिन्दी
है मगर इस नक़्श में रंग-ए-सबात-ए-दवाम
जिस को किया हो किसी मर्द-ए-ख़ुदा ने तमाम
जिस को किया हो किसी मर्द-ए-ख़ुदा ने तमाम
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
Standing before the enduring Mosque of Cordoba, Iqbal asks what survives time. His answer: whatever a true man of God completes is stamped with permanence. The work outlasts the empire that built it because a soul of conviction finished it.
For You, Today
Most work fades; what lasts is what someone of real conviction saw all the way through. Iqbal ties permanence to the maker's depth, not the budget. Finish what you build with your whole self, and it endures.
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