Couplets › Aspiration
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Mah o sitara se aage maqam hai jis ka
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
Wo musht-e-khak abhi aawargan-e-rah mein hai
“The handful of dust whose true station lies beyond moon and stars is still wandering, lost, on the road.”
Romanहिन्दी
मह ओ सितारा से आगे मक़ाम है जिस का
वो मुश्त-ए-ख़ाक अभी आवारगान-ए-राह में है
वो मुश्त-ए-ख़ाक अभी आवारगान-ए-राह में है
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 looks at the human being, a mere fistful of dust, and insists its destined place is past the moon and the stars. Yet that same being is still drifting aimlessly on the road, far below its possible height. The gap between what a person could be and where they currently wander is the subject of Iqbal's whole philosophy of khudi.
For You, Today
Your potential reaches far higher than where you are presently drifting. Do not mistake your current wandering for your ceiling. The destination is set far above it.
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
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