Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
us se ki hai ki
Tu hai ki hua rahi
Tu hai ki hua rahi
“Ask nature, for its testimony is accepted: are you the master of your destination, or a traveller who has lost his way?”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
पूछ उस से कि मक़्बूल है की
तू है कि भटका हुआ
तू है कि भटका हुआ
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
پوچھ اس سے کہ مقبول ہے فطرت کی گواہی
تو صاحب منزل ہے کہ بھٹکا ہوا راہی
تو صاحب منزل ہے کہ بھٹکا ہوا راہی
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal invites a clear-eyed self-audit. Nature, honest and indifferent to flattery, reflects back what you truly are. The question is stark: do you move with purpose toward a destination you own, or are you merely wandering and calling it a journey?
For You, Today
Once in a while, stop and ask the honest question instead of the comfortable one. Are you actually heading somewhere you chose, or just drifting? The answer, faced squarely, is the start of finding your way.
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
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
Mohabbat mujhe un jawanon se hai
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
Sitaron pe jo dalte hain kamand
My love is for those young ones who cast their lasso upon the stars.
Youth · Aspiration