Couplets › Freedom
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Tulu-e-Islam' · originally composed in Urdu
Ghulami mein na kaam aati hain shamsheerein na tadbeerein
Jo ho zauq-e-yaqeen paida to kat jaati hain zanjeerein
Jo ho zauq-e-yaqeen paida to kat jaati hain zanjeerein
“In bondage, neither swords nor clever schemes are of any use — but once a relish for conviction is born, the chains themselves fall away.”
Romanहिन्दी
ग़ुलामी में न काम आती हैं शमशीरें न तदबीरें
जो हो ज़ौक़-ए-यक़ीन पैदा तो कट जाती हैं ज़ंजीरें
जो हो ज़ौक़-ए-यक़ीन पैदा तो कट जाती हैं ज़ंजीरें
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 makes a precise claim about liberation. Force fails and strategy fails so long as the inner condition is one of slavery. The chains break not from the outside but from the inside — the moment a person genuinely tastes conviction.
For You, Today
If you feel trapped, Iqbal suggests the lock is not where you think. No external manoeuvre frees a self that has not yet decided it is free. Conviction first; the chains follow.
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
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · Courage
Amal se zindagi banti hai jannat bhi jahannum bhi
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
Ye khaki apni fitrat mein na noori hai na naari hai
By our deeds we make life a heaven or a hell. This creature of dust is, by nature, neither angel of light nor demon of fire.
Action · Courage