Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Mire khaak o khun se tu ne ye jahan kiya hai paida
Sila-e-shahid kya hai tab-o-tab-e-javedana
Sila-e-shahid kya hai tab-o-tab-e-javedana
“From my dust and my blood you have brought this world into being; and the reward of the one who gives himself is an everlasting glow.”
Romanहिन्दी
मिरे ख़ाक ओ ख़ूँ से तू ने ये जहाँ किया है पैदा
सिला-ए-शाहिद क्या है तब-ओ-ताब-ए-जावेदाना
सिला-ए-शाहिद क्या है तब-ओ-ताब-ए-जावेदाना
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 sees the human being not as a passive creature but as a co-maker of the world, built from struggle and sacrifice. The reward for one who pours himself fully into a worthy cause is not ease but a radiance that does not fade. The self that gives itself entirely becomes permanent.
For You, Today
What you build with real cost, your effort, your sacrifice, outlasts you. Do not measure your work only by what it returns this year. The things you give yourself fully to are how you keep glowing after.
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