Couplets › Aspiration
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
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.”
सितारों से आगे जहाँ और भी हैं
अभी इश्क़ के इम्तिहाँ और भी हैं
अभी इश्क़ के इम्तिहाँ और भी हैं
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
Just when you think you have arrived, Iqbal points past the horizon. The stars are not the limit — they are one waystation. And ishq, love, is the force that carries you onward; each world you reach only reveals the next trial of devotion.
For You, Today
Achievement is not a finish line; it is a vantage point that shows you the next climb. If you feel you have peaked, Iqbal would gently say you have simply not looked far enough.
In the same spirit
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
Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
Zindagi shama ki surat ho khudaya meri
My longing rises to my lips as a prayer: O God, may my life be like a candle's flame.
Hope · Aspiration
Mazhab nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
Hindi hain hum, watan hai Hindostan hamara
Religion does not teach us to hold enmity among ourselves. We are of Hind, and Hindustan is our homeland.
Unity · Love