Couplets › Justice
From Zarb-e-Kalim, 1936 · originally composed in Urdu
Jamhuriyat ek tarz-e-hukumat hai ki jis mein
Bandon ko gina karte hain, tola nahin karte
Bandon ko gina karte hain, tola nahin karte
“Democracy is a mode of governance in which people are counted, not weighed.”
Romanहिन्दी
जम्हूरियत इक तर्ज़-ए-हुकूमत है कि जिस में
बंदों को गिना करते हैं तौला नहीं करते
बंदों को गिना करते हैं तौला नहीं करते
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'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
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
Aaeen-e-naw se darna, tarz-e-kuhan pe arna
Manzil yahi kathin hai qaumon ki zindagi mein
Manzil yahi kathin hai qaumon ki zindagi mein
To fear the new order, and to dig in stubbornly on the old way — this is the hardest pass in the life of a people.
Awakening · Courage