Couplets › Leadership
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Manzil-e-rahrawan door bhi hai dushwar bhi hai
Koi is qaafle mein qaafla-saalaar bhi hai
Koi is qaafle mein qaafla-saalaar bhi hai
“The travellers' destination is both far away and hard to reach — yet somewhere in this caravan there is also a leader of the caravan.”
Romanहिन्दी
मंज़िल-ए-रहरवाँ दूर भी है दुश्वार भी है
कोई इस क़ाफ़िले में क़ाफ़िला-सालार भी है
कोई इस क़ाफ़िले में क़ाफ़िला-सालार भी 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 acknowledges the difficulty honestly: the road is long and the going is rough. But he does not leave the traveller alone with that fact. Within the very caravan struggling forward, a guide already exists — leadership is not waiting elsewhere; it is among the marchers.
For You, Today
When a goal looks distant and the path looks hard, Iqbal's reassurance is that the one who can lead is already inside the group. Sometimes the caravan-leader the journey needs is simply someone in it who decides to step up.
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
Mohabbat mujhe un jawanon se hai
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
My love is for those young ones who cast their lasso upon the stars.
Youth · Aspiration
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration