Couplets › Selfhood
From Zarb-e-Kalim, 1936 — 'La Ilaha Illallah' · originally composed in Urdu
Khudi ka sirr-e-nihan La Ilaha Illallah
Khudi hai taeg fasan La Ilaha Illallah
Khudi hai taeg fasan La Ilaha Illallah
“The hidden secret of the self is 'There is no god but God'; the self is the sword, and that declaration is the whetstone that sharpens it.”
Romanहिन्दी
ख़ुदी का सिर्र-ए-निहां ला इलाहा इल्लल्लाह
ख़ुदी है तेग़ फ़सां ला इलाहा इल्लल्लाह
ख़ुदी है तेग़ फ़सां ला इलाहा इल्लल्लाह
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
The Interpretation
Iqbal fuses his philosophy of khudi with the core declaration of faith. The self is a blade; the affirmation of God's oneness is the stone that gives it its edge. Selfhood, for him, is sharpened not by ego but by surrender to the one truth.
For You, Today
A self with no higher allegiance stays blunt. Iqbal's image: conviction is the stone that sharpens you. Find the one truth you would stake everything on; it is what gives your selfhood its edge.
In the same spirit
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Raise your selfhood so high that, before issuing every decree of destiny, God Himself asks you: tell me, what is your wish?
Selfhood · Courage
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · Courage
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