Couplets › Justice
From Bang-e-Dara · originally composed in Urdu
Hain log wahi jahan mein achchhe
Aate hain jo kaam dusron ke
Aate hain jo kaam dusron ke
“Those alone are the good people of this world who prove of use to others.”
Romanहिन्दी
हैं लोग वही जहाँ में अच्छे
आते हैं जो काम दूसरों के
आते हैं जो काम दूसरों के
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
From the fable of the firefly that lights the lost bird's way home, Iqbal lands a plain ethic. Goodness is not a private quality kept to oneself; it is measured by service. The smallest creature, if it helps another, has met the real test of worth.
For You, Today
Greatness is not what you accumulate but what you make easier for others. Look for the person in your day you can actually be useful to, and be that.
In the same spirit
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannum bhi
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
By our deeds we make life a heaven or a hell. This creature of dust is, by nature, neither angel of light nor demon of fire.
Action · Courage
Jis khet se dehqan ko muyassar nahin rozi
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
Us khet ke har khosha-e-gandum ko jala do
The field that does not yield its farmer even his daily bread — burn every ear of wheat in that field.
Justice · Courage
Dayar-e-ishq mein apna maqam paida kar
Naya zamana, naye subh-o-sham paida kar
Naya zamana, naye subh-o-sham paida kar
In the realm of love, create your own standing — bring a new age into being, new mornings and new evenings of your own.
Aspiration · Action · Love