Couplets  ›  Courage
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Zara taqdir ki gahraiyon mein dub ja tu bhi
Ki is jangah se main ban ke tegh-e-be-niyam aaya

Plunge, you too, into the depths of destiny; from that battlefield I emerged as a drawn, unsheathed sword.

Romanहिन्दी
ज़रा तक़दीर की गहराइयों में डूब जा तू भी
कि इस जंगाह से मैं बन के तेग़-ए-बे-नियाम आया

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 rejects fatalism completely. Destiny is not a verdict to be received passively; it is depths to be dived into and struggled with. He describes the struggle itself as a battlefield, and says he came out of it hardened into a sword stripped of its scabbard, ready for use. Fate is shaped by the one who wrestles with it.

For You, Today

Do not treat your circumstances as a sentence already passed. Dive in and wrestle with them. The struggle itself is what forges you into something sharp and ready.

Themes:CourageActionAdversity
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