Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bang-e-Dra, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
Ilm mein bhi suroor hai lekin
Ye wo jannat hai jis mein hoor nahin
Ye wo jannat hai jis mein hoor nahin
“There is a certain delight in knowledge too — but it is a paradise without companions.”
Romanहिन्दी
इल्म में भी सुरूर है लेकिन
ये वो जन्नत है जिस में हूर नहीं
ये वो जन्नत है जिस में हूर नहीं
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 grants knowledge its real pleasure, then names its quiet cost. Pure intellect is a paradise, but a solitary one — it can dazzle without warming. He gently insists that learning, however joyful, is incomplete unless it is joined to love and human connection.
For You, Today
Mastery and expertise carry a genuine thrill, but a life of pure analysis can be lonely. Iqbal's reminder is to keep your knowledge company with love, or risk a brilliant, empty paradise.
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
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
Mazhab nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
Religion does not teach us to hold enmity among ourselves. We are of Hind, and Hindustan is our homeland.
Unity · Love