Couplets › Humility
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Roz-e-hisab jab pesh ho mera daftar-e-amal
Aap bhi sharmsar ho mujh ko bhi sharmsar kar
Aap bhi sharmsar ho mujh ko bhi sharmsar kar
“On the Day of Reckoning, when the ledger of my deeds is laid out, be Yourself abashed even as You make me ashamed.”
Romanहिन्दी
रोज़-ए-हिसाब जब पेश हो मेरा दफ़्तर-ए-अमल
आप भी शर्मसार हो मुझ को भी शर्मसार कर
आप भी शर्मसार हो मुझ को भी शर्मसार कर
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
Astonishingly bold: Iqbal tells God that when his record is opened on Judgment Day, the shame should be mutual — a merciful Creator who let His servant fall so far must share the embarrassment. It is intimacy with the divine pushed to its outer edge.
For You, Today
Iqbal's nerve with the divine is total — he implicates even God in his failings. Beneath the audacity is a radical intimacy: a relationship close enough to argue in. Honesty, even cheek, can be a form of closeness.
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
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