Couplets › Justice
From Zarb-e-Kalim, 1936 · originally composed in Urdu
ek hai ki mein
ko karte hain, nahin karte
ko karte hain, nahin karte
“Democracy is a mode of governance in which people are counted, not weighed.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
इक है कि में
बंदों को गिना करते हैं नहीं करते
बंदों को गिना करते हैं नहीं करते
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
جمہوریت اک طرز حکومت ہے کہ جس میں
بندوں کو گنا کرتے ہیں تولا نہیں کرتے
بندوں کو گنا کرتے ہیں تولا نہیں کرتے
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal's sharp, often-quoted critique. He does not reject the rule of the people; he names a danger in it — that a system built on counting heads can stop asking about the quality, the character, the 'weight' of those heads. Numbers can crowd out judgement.
For You, Today
Any system that decides by tally — votes, likes, headcounts — carries Iqbal's risk: it counts well and weighs badly. The reminder is to keep asking about quality, not only quantity.
In the same spirit
Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Let my work be to defend the poor — to love the suffering and the weak.
Justice · Humility · Love
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
Na samjhoge to mit jaoge ai Hindostan walon
Tumhari dastan tak bhi na hogi dastanon mein
Tumhari dastan tak bhi na hogi dastanon mein
If you will not understand, you will be erased, O people of Hindustan — not even your story will remain among the stories.
Awakening · Courage