Couplets › Unity
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Tarana-e-Hindi' · originally composed in Urdu
Mazhab nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
“Religion does not teach us to hold enmity among ourselves. We are of Hind, and Hindustan is our homeland.”
मज़हब नहीं सिखाता आपस में बैर रखना
हिन्दी हैं हम, वतन है हिन्दोस्ताँ हमारा
हिन्दी हैं हम, वतन है हिन्दोस्ताँ हमारा
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
From Tarana-e-Hindi — the song of a young Iqbal in love with a shared homeland. The line is unambiguous: no true religion teaches enmity. Faith, rightly held, is a source of fellowship, never a licence for hatred.
For You, Today
When a belief — any belief — is being used to justify contempt for another group, Iqbal's test is simple: religion does not teach that. The hatred is the human being's, not the faith's.
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
Dayar-e-ishq mein apna maqam paida kar
Naya zamana, naye subh-o-sham paida kar
Naya zamana, naye subh-o-sham paida kar
In the realm of love, create your own standing — bring a new age into being, new mornings and new evenings of your own.
Aspiration · Action · Love
Jis se jigar-e-lala mein thandak ho wo shabnam
Dariyaon ke dil jis se dahal jayen wo toofan
Dariyaon ke dil jis se dahal jayen wo toofan
To be the dew that cools the heart of the tulip — and the storm that makes the hearts of rivers tremble.
Courage · Leadership · Love