Couplets › Humility
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Bachche ki Dua' · originally composed in Urdu
Mere Allah burai se bachana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
“My God, save me from evil; set me on the path that is good.”
Romanहिन्दी
मेरे अल्लाह बुराई से बचाना मुझ को
नेक जो राह हो उस रह पे चलाना मुझ को
नेक जो राह हो उस रह पे चलाना मुझ को
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
The Interpretation
The prayer ends where character begins: a plain plea to be kept from wrong and held to the right road. After the soaring images of light and knowledge, Iqbal closes on the quiet, daily request that makes the rest possible.
For You, Today
All the lofty aims rest on one humble foundation: stay off the wrong road. It's the least glamorous prayer and the one everything else depends on. Ask for it daily.
In the same spirit
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
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
Parwaz hai dono ki isi ek faza mein
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Both take flight in this very same sky — yet the vulture's world is one thing, and the falcon's another.
The Falcon · Self-Knowledge