Meaning
A waterfall or cascade.
Literally: pouring water
See it in the verse
Aab-shar in Iqbal’s couplets
Yunan o Misr o Roma sab mit gaye jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all vanished from the world — yet to this day our name and trace remain.
Adversity · Hope
Giraanbaha hai to hifz-e-khudi se hai warna
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If you are precious, it is from guarding your selfhood; otherwise a pearl is nothing but the lustre that is its own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Bagh-e-bahisht se mujhe hukm-e-safar diya tha kyun
Kaar-e-jahan daraz hai ab mera intzar kar
Kaar-e-jahan daraz hai ab mera intzar kar
Why did You order me out of the garden of paradise? The work of the world is long now — so wait for me.
Selfhood · Aspiration · Courage
Yunan o Misr o Roma sab mit gaye jahan se
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Ab tak magar hai baqi naam-o-nishan hamara
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all vanished from the world — yet to this day our name and trace remain.
Adversity · Hope
Aql-o-dil-o-nigah ka murshid-e-awwaleen hai ishq
Ishq na ho to shar-o-deen butkada-e-tasavvurat
Ishq na ho to shar-o-deen butkada-e-tasavvurat
Love is the first teacher of intellect, heart and sight. Without love, even law and faith become only a temple of empty ideas.
Love · Self-Knowledge
Ai aab-e-rud-e-Ganga wo din hai yaad tujh ko
Utra tere kinare jab karwan hamara
Utra tere kinare jab karwan hamara
O waters of the river Ganga, do you remember those days — when our caravan first halted upon your banks?
Unity · Love