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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In the same spirit
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle
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
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
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