Couplets › Love
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Isi kashmakash mein guzrin meri zindagi ki raaten
Kabhi soz-o-saz-e-rumi kabhi pech-o-tab-e-razi
Kabhi soz-o-saz-e-rumi kabhi pech-o-tab-e-razi
“The nights of my life passed in this very struggle: now the fire and harmony of Rumi, now the restless reasoning of Razi.”
Romanहिन्दी
इसी कश्मकश में गुज़रीं मिरी ज़िंदगी की रातें
कभी सोज़-ओ-साज़-ए-रूमी कभी पेच-ओ-ताब-ए-राज़ी
कभी सोज़-ओ-साज़-ए-रूमी कभी पेच-ओ-ताब-ए-राज़ी
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 names his lifelong inner contest between the heart's passion, embodied by the mystic poet Rumi, and the mind's cold analysis, embodied by the philosopher Razi. He does not pretend the struggle was resolved easily; he lived inside it. For Iqbal, passion finally leads, but the wrestling is honest and real.
For You, Today
The pull between feeling and reason is not a flaw to fix; it is the texture of a thinking life. Do not be ashamed of the struggle. Let the heart's fire lead, let the mind keep it honest, and keep wrestling.
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