Couplets › Unity
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Tarana-e-Hindi' · originally composed in Urdu
nahin sikhata aapas mein
hain hum, hai hamara
hain hum, hai hamara
“Religion does not teach us to hold enmity among ourselves. We are of Hind, and Hindustan is our homeland.”
नहीं सिखाता आपस में
हैं हम, है हमारा
हैं हम, है 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
Zindagi ho meri parwane ki surat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Let my life be like the moth's, O Lord; let me love the lamp of knowledge.
Love · Aspiration · Youth
Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Dard-mandon se zaeefon se mohabbat karna
Let my work be to defend the poor — to love the suffering and the weak.
Justice · Humility · Love